Japanese Mythology (Reading Diary A)

Izanagi and Izanami at Taka-jinja Shrine

• “High in the uttermost realms of the limitless chaos above”
• Izanami is generous to mankind.  She gave them many things and knowledge
• “At the same time there fluttered downward from the heavenly firmament a night-blooming flower, which slowly unfolded its translucent petals and became the Moon.”  Such beautiful imagery. 
• Why is it bad for women to speak first?  And did he just randomly and at that moment decide to marry her?
• The eight islands of Japan came from the two
• Yamato
• Tsukushi
• Iyo
• Tsushima
• Ahaji
• Shikoku
• Oki
• Lado
• “To these she gave eternal dominion over the fairest of lands and bestowed upon them godlike powers: Wisdom, Valour and Craft, Justice, Mercy and Love.”  It is interesting that the text refers to these qualities as godlike powers
• Susa-no-wo wants a human to be his wife?
• Why did the daughter get turned into a comb?
• Interesting how there always seems to be a serpent in the origin stories
• He and his bride wed in the province of Izumo
• The pheasant seems to have an important job
• Apparently Amewaka has an evil heart?
•  “When thou givest this to thy brother spit thrice thereon and hand it to him with averted face saying, ‘‘Tis a hook of poverty, of ruin, and of downfall.”  That’s kind of what the older brother deserves for being so rude and cruel
• “If thy brother be wroth, bring forth the Jewel of the Flowing Tide, and the waters shall drown him. But if he craveth thy forgiveness do thou display the Jewel of the Ebbing Tide and the waters shall sudden recede and therewithal thou shalt save him.” Justice to the extreme