The next two are Kuni-no-tokotachi-no-kami and Toyokumo-no-kami almost coincident with the names of two of the first three deities in The Chronicle of Japan. The only difference between both of them is expression of the term of “deity,” the former uses “mikoto”, 尊, and the latter “kami,”神. They all would have been born by themselves basked in the positive spirit, and have been masculine and single deities without their spouses or mates. These two deities, however, are not recognized as Heavenly Deities, 天神, as the former five deities.
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2008年7 月
2008年7 月11日 (金)
2008年7 月10日 (木)
The First Three Deities of Japan
The Chronicle of Japan introduces the first three deities, Kuni-no-tokotachi-no-mikoto, Kuni-no-satchi-no-mikoto and Toyokumunu-no-mikoto, enumerating other six documents stating their aliases and names of different views. On the other hand, the Kojiki counts Ame-no-minakanusi-no-kami, Takamimusuhi-no-kami and Kamimusubino-kami for the first tree. Besides these three deities, the Kojiki mentions four more deities. The forth deity would have been Umashi-ashikabi-hikoji-no-kami and the next fifth Ame-no-tokotachi-no-kami, appearing from something like soft floating jelly. These first five deities are said to be Amatu-kami, which would mean Heavenly Deities.
2008年7 月 9日 (水)
The Creation and Emergence of the FIrst Deity of Japan
Concerning the process of the Creation and emergence of the first deity, it is pointed out from a religious standpoint that these explanations of phenomena might reflect the ancient outlook on the universe of the Japanese, who should have believe the ultimate spiritual source from which every lives in the universe be deriving[i]. This idea has been ever inherent in the Shinto as nature worship or pantheism up to the present. In a sense, the Japanese would have preferred abstract and systematic way of thinking to native animism or totemism sometimes found in primitive societies and sought for the origin of lives in celestial space.
[i] Toshihiko Uda, The Japanese Shinto, Igaku-dou, Tokyo, 1971, pp. 21-25.
2008年7 月 8日 (火)
Plurality of Japanese History Books
Uncommonly, editors or oral transmitters of the Chronicle of Japan and of Kojiki carefully distinguished the earth from the heaven in the step by step method. The first stage is the Creation not by the God but by the nature, that is reverse order with the Holy Bible, and following this stage, the second stage, where deities generated in chaos gradually, began stilly. According to the Chronicle of Japan, the first deity would have been Kuni-no-tokotati-no-mikoto, while it enumerates several conflicting views in parallel. On the other hand, the Kojiki, which was edited former but brief than the Chronicle of Japan, described Ame-no-minakanusi-no-kami as the first deity. This plurality of Japanese history books is one of causes that have brought us confusion about the origin of the Japanese.
2008年7 月 6日 (日)
Who is the Japanese?
We can expand this argument into the origin of Japanese itself beyond that of the Hata clan. In general, the Japanese was composed of two different groups. One is the Jyomon people who had settled in the Japanese Islands since around 14000BEC and the other is the Yayoi people who came to Japan 13500 years behind the Jyomon people. The Jyomon people had prominent features as southern phylon, so that we have been believed that they came from the south across the East China Sea wandering islands. According to the recent archeological research, however, they seem to have been a multilayer gathering of northern Mongolians, southern Austronesians and people who had lived down the Chang, notwithstanding Paleolithic men had underlied.
The Jyomon People and the Yayoi People
Fortunately, we have considerable knowledge about the origin of the Jyomon people who had used well-known Jyomon ware, straw-rope pattern pottery, which was one of the oldest earthenware in the world. On the other hand, concerning the origin of the Yayoi people, in spite of coming to Japan later than the Jyomon people, there is not sufficient evidence or documents indicating where they came from. Yet, it is certain that they had departed from somewhere in the Eurasian Continent and had crossed over the Japan Sea gradually. Where did the Yayoi people come from? This question is a decisive key to find out who on earth the Japanese is.
2008年7 月 5日 (土)
The Hata Clan was a Multiethnic Group?
If anything, it is considerably difficult to identify the origin of the Hata clan, because there remained nothing convincing us their home-land or original tribes so far forth. Maybe, each of views we have examined before would include something truth respectively, though they were not true facts to be proved historically. Furthermore, we have to consider carefully that sometime nomadic tribes in the Central Asia had built multiethnic confederations. So, it seems reasonable to suppose that the Hata clan would have been a composite including manifold tribes removing along the Silk Road. The description that Yuzuki-no-Kimi brought 120 or 127 sub-tribes to Japan might suggest that the Hata clan would have been a composed group within which there were some technical experts of sericulture, fabrics, accountancy and so on.
2008年7 月 4日 (金)
The Hata Clan was Remnant of the Hittite?
Lastly, we have to present another fantastic view concerning the origin of the Hata clan. Is it also plausible that the Hata clan was the remnant of the Hittite that founded the Hittite empire by utilizing their iron work in Asia Minor and had suddenly vanished away about B.C. 1200? The Chronicle of Japan recorded that Hata-no-Kawakatu, who would also be a member of the Hata clan and a close attendant on the Shoutoku-Taisi, the regent of the Suiko Tennou, constructed Hachi-Oka temple in 603. Some Hittitologist explain that Hittite was sometimes expressed “Hatti” and was Ht in Egyptian hieroglyphic word[i]. According to these expressions, it is possible that Hata would have been originated in Hatti or Hittite.
[i] C. W. Ceram, The Secret of The Hittites, Phoenix Press, London, 2001, p. 26.
2008年7 月 3日 (木)
Yuezhi and Wusun
Although the name of Uzbek is recent one, it is so interesting that there was an ancient town near the Tarim Basin in B.C. 2nd century, Kulja 弓月城, whose name was just the same as Yuzuki-no-kimi 弓月君. Is this nothing but a coincidence, indeed? Considering historical situations, it is plausible that the “Uzu” would have expressed the tribe name of Yuezhi 月氏or Wusun烏孫 rather than a pronoun, “Uz.” Both of them were nomadic tribes speaking Turkic language and lived in the Central Asia side by side. And taking this facts into consideration with the coincidence between the town name and the tribe name, 弓月, the Hata clan would have inhabited somewhere in the Western Regions, Xiyu.
2008年7 月 2日 (水)
Uzumasa meant Turkic Uzbek?
By the way, the title, Uzumasa, conferred by the Tennou reminds us of the tribe name of Uzbek, a Turkic people, settling spaciously in the Central Asia. Some who turn their attentions to this phonetic similarity between Uzumasa and Uzbek have insisted that the Hata clan came from somewhere beyond the Altai Mountains along the Silk Road. The name, however, Uz means “self” in the Turkic language and the name of the nation, Uzbek derived from Uzbek Khan, who was a khan of the Golden Horde in 13th century and adopted Islam as a state religion. So it is doubtful that in 5th century Uz indicated the native name of the Hata clan.
