The Buddha riding on the back of a giant sea-dragon. Gautama Buddha or simply the Buddha was a spiritual teacher from India. He is the founder of Buddhism and one of the most influential religious thinkers of Asia. A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that features in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and the Chinese dragon, with counterparts in Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries. Woodblock print created by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - January 12, 1865) the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th century Japan.