Karura
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The Karura (迦楼羅) is an enormous, fire-breathing creature from Japansese Hindu-Buddhist myth. It has the body of a human and the face or beak of an eagle. It is based on the Hinduistic Garuda. In fact it is the Japanese phonetic rendering of the latter.
The Karura is said to be the enemy of snakes and dragons, feeding on the latter. Only a dragon who possesses a Buddhist talisman, or one who has converted to the Buddhist teaching, can escape from the Karura.
The Karura is often mistaken for the Hōō (鳳凰), or Phoenix.
See also
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