Note 16 — Chapter XIX · Rival Deities of Life and Death, Sunshine and Storm
Reading edition
In China dragon-boat races were held so as to cause rain. Imitation boats were likewise carried through the streets to the seashore, and there burned so as to take away evil influences. The boats represented fighting dragons, and these were rain-bringers. The Japanese imitated these Chinese customs, but not, however, until about the eleventh century.16