In Japanese mythology, Fūjin is traditionally identified as the god of wind.
Fūjin is usually portrayed as a wild-looking figure carrying a large bag filled with wind. In artistic representations, the bag is opened or moved to release the winds that sweep across the world. His name combines fū, meaning “wind,” with jin, meaning “god” or “deity.”
Fūjin is most often shown alongside Raijin, the god of thunder and lightning. This famous pair appears in Japanese religious art, including the celebrated screen paintings by Tawaraya Sōtatsu. Because storms involve both wind and thunder, viewers sometimes interchange the two figures, but their traditional roles are distinct.
Fūjin’s imagery also has a long connection with Buddhist temple art in Japan. The figures of wind and thunder entered Japanese visual culture through complex interactions among local traditions and imported Buddhist iconography. Fūjin is therefore best understood as a deity in Japan’s blended mythological and religious landscape rather than as a figure limited to one modern category.