In the ritual for the revival of the sun goddess, a female deity, Ameno-uzume, played important role. Before the cave, she danced so funnily that myriads of deities began to laugh loudly all together to the extent making Takamanohara ring. Listening to this stir, Amaterasu-oomikami wondered why they were laughing notwithstanding the deep darkness and took a peep into the ritual with opening slightly the rock door by her hands. The Kojiki described that Ameno-uzume answered her question that they were congratulating on the appearance of the new deity more precious than her.
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2008年8 月
2008年8 月31日 (日)
2008年8 月30日 (土)
The Idea for Rivival of the Sun Goddess
The measures for revival of the sun goddess were planned by Omohikane-no-kami. At first he gathered birds of the paradise and made them crow each other. A strong deity, Tachikarao-no-kami, was stood side of the entrance of the cave blocked with the huge rock, and Amenokoyane-no-mikoto, who was a ancestor of Nakatomi tribe, and Hutodama-no-mikoto, who was a forefather of Immbe tribe, went to dig large number of Cleyera trees in a small mountain, Amanokagu-yama. They came back and decorated these trees with the divine five hundred beads, Yasakani-no-misumaru-no-magatama, a large mirror, Yata-no-kagami and blue and white lines. Having been ready, they began to perform a rite.
2008年8 月29日 (金)
Omohikane-no-kami in the Myth of Japan
In the face of distressful situation, the disappearance of the sun goddess, myriads of deities decided to gather at the side of Amenoyasukawa and to work out measures in order to make Amaterasu-oomikami draw out of the cave smoothly. Existence of the myriads deities suggests that there were other divine lines besides that of Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto, for example, Omohikane-no-kami whose father was Takamimusuhi-no-kami, who is one of the three first deities in the Kojiki, and that the reign of Amaterasu-oomikami would have been supported by installation of all of them.
2008年8 月28日 (木)
Amano-iwato and Darkness
As Amaterasu-oomikami, a sun-goddess, hid herself in the cave and withdrew from the presence of the people, Amano-iwato, the world became completely darkness. Of course, it was the trouble with the people both of Takamanohara and Ashihara-no-nakatu-kuni that the sun goddess had disappeared. Her behavior may be represented as a kind of boycott in modern words. The Kojiki said that with her withdrawal every evil deity began to make a disturbance and every suffering happened all over the world covered with dead darkness.
2008年8 月27日 (水)
The Amano-iwato in the Myth of Japan
The more tolerant the attitude of Amaterasu-oomikami was, the more reckless the demeanor of Susanou-no-mikoto became. We sometimes find such a case in our ordinary lives that tolerance and kindness make one grow imprudent regrettably. When he did more evil thing, throwing a dead house into the divine weaving house for clothes of deity, Amaterasu-oomikami, at last, hid herself in a cave, that was called Amano-iwato, and closed its entrance with a huge rock.
2008年8 月26日 (火)
Traditional Relation of Japan to Rice
Especially, the devastation of rice fields in Takamanohara must have been sinful because rice has been sanctified since the time when the Japanese had begun or introduced cultivation of rice, at least in the early Yayoi age. In a sense, rice production was main means of living for the ancient Japanese people. Thus, in autumn, we can find a lot of harvest festivals for gratitude to a deity of rice in farming villages all over Japan as well as in the Chotei, in which the Tennow has performed a traditional ceremony for rice harvest every year.
2008年8 月25日 (月)
Havoc of Susanow-no-mikoto
What did happen after the Ukehii of the sibling deities? Owing to the winning of divination, Susanou-no-mikoto arrogantly triumphed over Amaterasu-oomikami and began to play havoc with Takamanohara. For example, he destroyed footpaths between divine rice paddies and stained a shrine for the Harvest festival, which has been the most significant ceremony of the Tennow until the present. According to the description of the Kojiki, however, Amaterasu-oomikami took his rude and subversive conducts in good will and never reproached him at first. As far as the result of the Ukehii had proved his innocence, she would sincerely restrain herself from fighting against him. But her tolerant attitude was in vain.
2008年8 月24日 (日)
The Saigu in the Ise Shrine
Considering a Japanese religious custom that shrine maidens have not been permitted to be married with any male, Yuuko Kuranishi proposes another plausible interpretation about the result of the Ukehii that Amaterasu-oomikami should like to adopt the children of her brother, Susanou-no-mikoto. Furthermore, this adoption would have been a way of integration between these two ancient nations. Indeed there has been a conventional system in Japan that one of unmarried daughter of the Tennow serves faithfully Amaterasu-oomikami as a highest shrine maiden called Saigu in the Ise Shrine.
2008年8 月23日 (土)
The Heavenly Numbers for male and female in Japan
The numbers of male and female deities, five and three, suggest us an interesting relevancy that we have celebrated the Girl’s festival on 3rd of March and that for Boys on 5th of May every year. Furthermore, there has been another traditional celebration for children, called the Sichigosan, of 3 years of age for girls, of 5 for boys and of 7 for both in Japan. Each of these numbers is just coincident with that of female and male deities who were born at the Ukehii between Amaterasu-oomikami and Susanow-no-mikoto. These coincidences seem not to be fortuitous but to be based on the traditional thoughts about holy or heavenly numbers.
2008年8 月22日 (金)
The Three Female Deities of Munakata-Taisha
In general, most people should be inclined to think that one who bore his or her children claims a right to bring up them. In this story, however, Amaterasu-oomikami declared that the five male deities were her sons, because they had been born from her necklace of beads, Magatama. And she said to her brother, Susanow-no-mikoto, that the three female deities were his daughters. Until now, these three female deities have been enshrined in the Munakata-Taissha in Fukuoka of Kyuushuu.
