On the other hand, the Kojiki explains the reason why Susanou-no-mikoto had been crying so as terribly as harming the nation is that he was longing for his deceased mother, Izanami-no-mikoto. Hearing the excuse of his son, his father, Izanagi-no-mikoto, got angry and told him never to live in the nation, Ashihara-no-nakatu-kuni. After saying so, Izanagi-no-mikoto concealed himself and was enshrined at Taga of Oomi, or at Awaji Island or the Heaven in the Chronicle of Japan, done all of his works as a father deity in this world.
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2008年8 月
2008年8 月11日 (月)
2008年8 月10日 (日)
Susanou-no-mikoto in the Chronicle of Japan
In both of the Japanese history books, Susanou-no-mikoto is treated as one of main characters in the story of the Myth. Though he is not allocated a role for reign over the Ocean in the Chronicle of Japan, he had brave but fiery temper in spite of a cryboy. Due to his outrages, young people in the nation, Ashihara-no-nakatu-kuni, came to dead and trees in mountains withered. Lamenting these terrible scenes, his parent deities , Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto, decided to exile him to another nation, Ne-no-kuni.
2008年8 月 9日 (土)
Three Influential Nations in the Ancient Age of Japan
Now, we can discern three different nations on the third stage of the Myth of Japan, Ashihara-no-nakatu-kuni, Takamanohara and ne-no-kuni, the Heaven and the Earth, day and night, and land and ocean aside. It is interesting that there were also three influential tribe sates in the ancient age of Japan, Na-no-kuni, Tumo-kuni, and Kuna-kuni. If Na-no-kuni were Ne-no-kuni to where Susanou-no-mikoto had been exiled, it would be easy to find a key to resolve the problems concerning the integration process of ancient Japan. To our regret, this hypothesis would not be persuasive because Ne-no-kuni would have been not Na-no-kuni but Tumo-kuni, which came to be named Izumo later, or Kuna-kuni.
2008年8 月 8日 (金)
Three Sibling Deities in the Japanese Myth
After commanding the elder sister deity, Amaterasu-oomikami, to ascend up to Takamanohara, Izanagi-no-mikoto told her two brother deities and assigned them each of their tasks. He ordered Tukuyomi-no-mikoto to reign over the Yoru-no-Osu-kuni, which is supposed to be the nocturnal world, and Susanou-no-mikoto to reign over the Ocean. It is interesting that there would be kind of decentralization of authority in the Japanese Myth.
2008年8 月 7日 (木)
Takamanohara-The Heaven or the Heavenly place?
It is meaningful that in the Kojiki Amaterasu-oomikami was ascended up not to the Heaven as in the Chronicle of Japan, but heavenly place, Takamanohara. Yuuko Kuranishi explains it that compared with the Chronicle of Japan which Amaterasu-oomikami would be shining in the Heaven, the complier of the Kojiki would have supposed that Takamanohara would be rather close to the Earth and reflect something real ancient historical events. Takamanohara should have been symbol of some influential tribe state, maybe Na-no-kuni.
2008年8 月 6日 (水)
The Birth of Amaterasu-oomikami in the Kojiki
Turning now to the births of three sibling deities, the Kojiki said that it was on the process when Izanagi-no-mikoto, the father deity, would have born them curiously by himself. When he washed his left eye, Amaterasu-oomikami was born, when he washed his right eye, Tukiyomi-no-mikoto was born and when his nose, Susanou-no-mikoto was given his birth. Among these sibling deities, Amaterasu-oomikami looked so brilliant and glorious that her father made her ascend up to the heavenly place, Takamanohara in bestowing his necklace made of precious beads.
2008年8 月 5日 (火)
Hopes for Purification in the Japanese Myth
On the rites of purification, Izanagi-no-mikoto bored more deities including two dirty deities who had been stained in the land of the dead and three fair deities who have ability to purify defilement of dirty deities. Considering that ratio of two to three, it is conjectured that Izanagi-no-mikoto wished that the power of purification should be superior to that of defiling in his nation. Thus, purification has been significant custom not only for Shintoist but also for the ordinary people in Japan.
2008年8 月 4日 (月)
Where did the Japanese come from?
It is also solid facts that foreigners who came to Japan soon after the Meiji-Revolution wrote in their writings their impressions about the Japanese that they must have come from somewhere in ancient states in the Orient. Because they observed some of the Japanese resemble to inhabitants of the Middle East or the Asia Minor and inferred so by their intuitions. Furthermore, besides the Israel origin theory, there are not a few views requiring the Japanese origin for western nations, for example, Sumerians, Hittites, Frisians, and also Scythians or Germans, thought most of them have been regarded as fantasy!
2008年8 月 3日 (日)
The Mystery of Japanese and Hebrew Custom
As a matter of course, the similarity between Japanese and Hebrew custom of purification may be only a coincidence, or the ancient Japanese would have introduced these custom by foreign people who came to Japan through the Silk Road like the Hata clan. Moreover, we have to deliberately examine other plausibility that ablutions and other similar custom should not have been Hebrew peculiar but rather popular in the Orient, or should have come from one of ancient empires, Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Hittite, Phoenicia and so on, where the Hebrew lived and was dispersed later. But it seems significant that it is Izanagi-no-mikoto, father deity of Japan, who performed his ablutions in the Kojiki. How do we think of it?
2008年8 月 2日 (土)
Similalities between the Japanese and the Hebrew Customs
With regard to the custom of ablutions, there are not a few scholars and Shintoists who point out that the Japanese way of ablution resembled to that of people of the ancient Israel. According to the description in Numbers 19 of the Holy Bible, ancient people of Israel must have been purified with water whenever they touched something concerning death[i]. In addition to ablutions, it is said that there are some similarities between traditional habits of the Japanese and those of the Hebrew, for example, use of salt for purification[ii].
