"The most familiar type is the tatsu, which is descended from a primitive three-toed variety of..."

“The most familiar type is the tatsu, which is descended from a primitive three-toed variety of Chinese dragon. Unlike its ancestor, it is traditionally associated more intimately with the sea than with rain—for Japan is less vulnerable than China to drought-related devastation, reducing the necessity to pray to rain-releasing dragon deities.”

- Dragons: A Natural History, Dr. Karl Shuker (p. 90)