A kirin is a mythical creature that appears in East Asian mythology, particularly in Chinese and Japanese cultures. It is a chimerical beast that resembles a deer with scales like a dragons covering its body. The kirin has a tail like an ox and a flowing mane, and its body and mane are covered in brilliant, holy fire. Its face is the picture of utter serenity. The kirin is often considered a god in its own right and is a symbol of purity, goodness, justice, and wisdom. It is a gentle animal that never eats the flesh of other beings and takes great care never to tread on any living thing, even insects. When it walks, it does so without trampling a single blade of grass. The unicorn-like kirin only appears during periods of world peace and is seen only in lands owned by wise and benevolent people and during the reigns of noble and enlightened rulers, where they herald a golden age. In Japanese mythology, the kirin is considered a holy creature, whose cry is a musical scale and whose footprints are perfect circles. It is capable of walking on water and on grass without bending the blades and is well-known for punishing the wicked. The kirin is also known as the Korean form of qilin, which is described as a maned creature with the torso of a deer, an ox tail with the hooves of a horse.