The example ([Fig. 101]) shows this dragon as pictured by the Chinese.
The dragon is shown with five claws, for the imperial household; four claws, for a lower rank in China; while in Japan the creature is usually figured with but three claws. He appears to have been accepted as the symbol of power, much as the lion has been with Occidental nations.
The white stag, the axis deer, and the crane, express longevity; the mandarin duck, affection.
Symbolism also prevailed in the uses of colors and of flowers. Green and vermilion upon the walls of a house belonged only to the emperors.
The primary colors were applied in this way:
Black to water;
Green to wood;
White to metal;
Earth was represented by a square;