 When the first unified
Japanese state was
firmly established, the new “imperial” clan (Yamato) commissioned two
“official” histories that wove together the myths of the
various clans
that they had conquered. These two texts, the Kojiki and
the Nihonshoki (a.k.a. Nihongi) — both
written in the
early 8th century — provide
the
first written records of Shinto mythology. As noted by Kasulis:
| Kojiki
is rich in detail about the mythic preliterate period from the origins
of Japan to the imperial rulers of the sixth century. In
comparison, Nihonshoki
has much more detail about the emperors from the sixth century up to
the date of its writing. In this respect, the two narratives complement
each other. Furthermore, on most points of overlap the two chronicles
either agree or at least do not blatantly contradict one another. And,
finally, both texts offer a mytho-historical justification for the
Japanese imperial system: both trace the lineage of the emperors back
to the celestial kami at
the time of creation. Whatever their commonalities, however, the
differences between the two texts are equally important for
understanding Shinto spirituality and its institutional history. The
most obvious difference is that the chroniclers wrote Kojiki mostly in Japanese, Nihonshoki totally in Chinese. This suggests different intended audiences. (SWH, 80-1) |
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Mythical
Foundations
The
Birth of Japan
Izanagi
and Izanami
stood on the floating
bridge of Heaven and held counsel together, saying, “Is there
not a
country beneath?” Thereupon they thrust down the
jewel-spear of
Heaven and, groping about
therewith, found the ocean. The brine which dripped from the
point
of the spear coagulated and became an island which received the name of
Ono-goro-jima. The two deities thereupon descended and dwelt
in
this island. (SJT,14 [Nihonshoki 1]) |
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Version 1 (Nihonshoki): Izanagi no
Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto
consulted together saying, “We have now produced the
great-eight-island
country, with the mountains, rivers, herbs, and trees. Why should
we not produce someone who shall be lord of the universe? They
then together produced the Sun Goddess, who was called O-hiru-me no
muchi [a.k.a. Amaterasu]. ... The resplendent luster of this child shone throughout all
the six
quarters. Therefore the two deities rejoiced saying, “We
have had
many children, but none of them have been equal to this wondrous
infant. She ought not to be kept long in this land, but we ought
of our own accord to send her at once to Heaven and entrust to her
the affairs of Heaven.” (SJT, 20-21 [Nihonshoki 1])
Version 2 (Kojiki): Through giving birth to this child her august private parts were burned,
and she sickened and lay down. …So he buried the divinely retired deity the
Female-Who-Invites on Mount Hiba, at the boundary of the Land of Idzumo and the
Land of Hahaki. ... Thereupon His Augustuess the Male-Who-Invites, wishing to meet and see his
younger sister Her Augustness the FemaleWho-Invites, followed after her to the
Land of Hades. So when from the palace she raised the door and came out to meet
him, His Augustness the Male-Who-Invites spoke, saying: “Thine Augustness,
my lovelv younger sister! the lands that I and thou made are not yet finished
making; so come back!” Then Her Augustness the Female-Who-Invites
answered, saying: “Lamentable indeed that thou camest not sooner! I have
eaten of the furnace of Hades.” …
Maggots were swarming, and she was rotting,
and in her head dwelt the Great-Thunder, in her breast dwelt the Fire-Thunder,
in her left hand dwelt the Young-Thunder, in her right hand dwelt the
Earth-Thunder, in her left foot dwelt the Rumbling-Thunder, in her right foot
dwelt the Couchant-Thunder — altogether eight Thunder-deities had been born
and dwelt there. Hereupon His Augustness the Male-Who-Invites, overawed at the
sight, fled back, whereupon his younger sister, “Her Augustness the
Female-Who-Invites, said: “Thou hast put me to shame,” and at once
sent the Ugly-Female-of-Hades to pursue him. … So he drew a thousand-draught
rock, and with it blocked up the Even-Pass-of-Hades, and placed the rock in the
middle; and they stood opposite to one another and exchanged leave-takings. …
Therefore the great deity the Male-Who-Invites said: “Nay! hideous! I
have come to a hideous and polluted land - I have! So I will perform the
purification of my august person.” So he went out to a plain covered with
altagi, at a small river-mouth near Tachibana in Himuka in the island of
Tsukushi, and purified and cleansed himself. … The name of the deity that was
born as he thereupon washed his left august eye was the
Heaven-Shining-Great-August deity [i.e. Amaterasu]. … At this time His
Augustness the Male-Who-Invites greatly rejoiced, saying: “I, begetting
child after child, have at my final begetting gotten three illustrious
children.” With which words, at once jinglingly taking off and shaking the
jewel-string forming his august necklace, be bestowed it on Amaterasu, the
Heaven-Shining-Great-August deity. saying: “Do Thine Augustness rule the
Plain-of-High-Heaven.” With this charge he bestowed it on her. (sacred-texts.com [Kojiki 1-3])
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[Izanagi and Izanami’s] next
child was Susa no o no
Mikoto. … This god had
a fierce temper
and was given to cruel acts. Moreover he made a practice of
continually
weeping and wailing. So he brought many of the people of the
land
to an untimely end. Again he caused green mountains to become
withered. Therefore the two gods, his parents, addressed Susa-no-o
no Mikoto,
saying,
“Thou art exceedingly wicked, and it is not meet that thou
shouldst
reign
over the world. Certainly thou must depart far away to the
Nether-land.” So they at length expelled him. (SJT,
20-1) |
The Sacred Mirror
After this Susa-no-o no
Mikoto’s behavior was exceedingly rude. ... [For example,] when he
saw that Amaterasu was in her sacred weaving hall, engaged in weaving
garments of the gods, he flayed a piebald colt of Heaven and, breaking
a hold in the roof tiles of the hall, flung it in. Then Amaterasu
started with alarm and wounded herself with the shuttle. Indignant of
this, she
straightway entered the Rock-cave of Heaven and, having fastened the
Rock-door, dwelt there in seclusion. Therefore constant darkness
prevailed on all sides, and the alternation of night and day was
unknown.
Then the eighty myriad gods met on the bank of
the Tranquil River of Heaven and
considered in what manner they should
supplicate her. ...  Then
Ame no Koyane no Mikoto ... and Futo-dama no Mikoto ... dug up a
five-hundred branched True Sakaki tree of the Heavenly Mount Kagu. On
its upper
branches they hung an august five-hundred string of Yasaka [Magatama] jewels. On
the middle branches they hung an eight-hand mirror. ... Moreover Ame no Uzume no Mikoto,
ancestress of the Sarume
chieftain, took in her hand a spear wreathed with Eulalia grass and,
standing before the door of the Rock-cave of Heaven, skillfully
performed a mimic dance. She took, moreover, the true Sakaki tree
of the Heavenly Mount of Kagu and made of it a head-dress; she took
club-moss and made of it braces; she kindled fires; she placed a tub
bottom upwards and gave forth a divinely inspired utterance.
Now Amaterasu heard this and said, “Since I
have shut myself up in the Rock-cave, there ought surely to be
continual night in the Central Land of fertile reed-plains. How
then can Ame no Uzume no Mikoto be so jolly?” So
with her august hand, she opened for a narrow space the Rock-door
and peeped out. Then Ta-jikara-o no kami forthwith took Amaterasu
by the hand and led her out. Upon this the gods Nakatomi no Kami
and Imibe no Kami at once drew a limit by means of a bottom-tied
rope ... and begged her not to return again [into the cave]. (SJT, 24-25)
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Susanoo
& the Great Sword
 So,
having been expelled, Susa-no-o
descended to a
place [called]
Torikami
at the head-waters of the River Hi in the land of Izumo. [Susa-no
o met
an old male and an old female deity who were weeping because
they had
lost seven daughters to a serpent, which was now about
to take their eighth daughter. Susa-no
o then set out eight pots of sake (rice alcohol); when the serpent arrived, each of its eight heads drank a pot of sake so that it became intoxicated.] Then
Susa-no
o drew the ten-grasp saber that was augustly girded on him and cut the
serpent in pieces, so that the River Hi flowed on changed into a river
of blood. So when he cut the middle tail,
the edge of his
august
sword broke. Then, thinking it strange, he thrust into and
split
[the flesh] with the point of his august sword and looked, and there
was
a sharp great sword [within]. So he took this great sword,
and
thinking
it a strange thing, he respectfully informed Amaterasu. This is the
Herb-quelling
Great Sword. (SJT, 25-7) |
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Ninigi & Jimmu
The
August
Grandchild
After “all the
Central Land of Reed-Plains” was
completely
“tranquilized,”
Amaterasu gave her grandson, Ninigi, the Three Treasures (a curved
jewel,
a mirror, and a sword) and sent him down to rule the earth,
saying:
“This Reed-plain-1500-autumns-fair-rice-ear Land is the
region which my
descendants shall be lords of. Do thou, my August Grandchild,
proceed thither and govern it. Go!
And may prosperity attend thy dynasty, and may it, like Heaven and
Earth,
endure for ever.” (SJT, 28)
According to tradition,
Ninigi’s
Great
Grandson, Jimmu, went on to become the first
“emperor” of Japan in 660
B.C.E. The present emperor of Japan is said to be a direct
descendent
of this lineage, which is ultimately traced back to the kami
Amaterasu.
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