Hase-Hime: The Diligent Daughter

Hello everyone!

This will be my last post dealing with Japanese mythology for now; I’ll be switching to a different mythology (Mesopotamian!) next week. I wanted to wrap things up with a beautiful Japanese legend.  I found it to be highly similar to the European fairy tales of Snow White and Cinderella. The story revolves around a young girl named Hase-Hime.

In ancient Japan there lived a Prince and his wife. They loved each other very much, and were quite happy, save for their lack of a child. After many years had passed without the couple conceiving, they traveled to the temple of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of Mercy) in Hase. There they prayed for a child.

Their prayer was quickly answered, and a daughter was born to the couple. In gratitude they named her Hase-Hime, meaning “Princess of Hase”. The family was very happy together.

Unfortunately, the their joy was not to last. Hase-Hime’s mother became deathly ill. Eventually she called her daughter to her deathbed. Hase-Hime listened as her mother told her that she was dying. Her mother implored her to be dutiful and kind. She also warned Hase-Hime that her father might one day remarry. Hase-Hime was told to regard this woman as her true mother, and to obey and respect her.

Hase-Hime’s mother soon passed away, leaving the poor girl - only five years old - without a mother.

This was not to last. True to her mother’s words, Hase-Hime’s father soon remarried. His chosen bride was a spiteful and cruel woman, but Hase-Hime served her with diligence and kindness. The stepmother hated Hase-Hime, for the girl was not her child, but could find nothing in her manners to complain about.

Hase-Hime was a diligent student, particularly of both the harp and poetry. Her skill was so great that she was called upon to play for the Emperor himself when she was only twelve. Her stepmother was asked to accompany Hase-Hime on the flute, but played poorly and had to have one of the court women take her place. This was a huge disgrace on her part, but Hase-Hime played her piece beautifully and was showered with gifts by the Emperor.

Of course, this only made the stepmother hate Hase-Hime even more. Her hatred was made even stronger due to the fact that she had given birth to a son. Hase-Hime’s stepmother believed that her husband loved Hase-Hime more than his son, and thus sought a way to get rid of Hase-Hime.

One day, when Hase-Hime was playing with her little brother, the stepmother came in and gave them both some wine. She had poisoned one of the glasses, but accidentally gave it to her own son instead of Hase-Hime. The boy was rushed to the doctors, but he could not be saved. In her grief, the stepmother blamed his death on Hase-Hime and hated her all the more.

When Hase-Hime was thirteen, the rainy season came and filled the river outside the Emperor’s palace to the top of its banks. The constant roar of rushing water disrupted the Emperor’s sleep, and he soon fell ill. Doctors from all across Japan were called to help, but none could heal the Emperor.

Rumors began to spread in the court as the people remembered an old legend. Years ago, it said, a woman had beseeched the gods through poetry and made the weather change. Could the same thing be done here? Hase-Hime was a skilled poetress - perhaps the gods would listen to her.

These rumors eventually reached the ears of the Emperor, and he called for Hase-Hime’s father. The Emperor told him what he wished Hase-Hime to do, and her father passed the Imperial command on to his daughter.

Though she was terrified at the responsibility that had been placed on her shoulders, Hase-Hime composed a poem and read it at the swollen river. The waters calmed almost immediately, and the Emperor soon regained his health. He heaped praises upon Hase-Hime and bestowed upon her a court rank.

This was all too much for Hase-Hime’s stepmother. The evil woman waited until Hase-Hime’s father was out of town on business - then, she ordered one of her servants to take Hase-Hime into the wilds and kill her.

The servant obediently took Hase-Hime to a rural area, but he could not find the will to kill the sweet, kind girl. Instead, he called for his wife and built a small house, vowing to look after Hase-Hime.

Meanwhile, Hase-Hime’s father was frantic at her disappearance. He kept the matter quiet to avoid scandal, but devoted all of his resources to finding his daughter. One day, while out on a hunting trip, Hase-Hime’s father came across a quaint home in the wilds. A woman’s voice read out loud within it, and he wondered who would be studying so diligently in the middle of nowhere. He was surprised and overjoyed to find that it was his Hase-Hime!

Hase-Hime refused to say what had happened (she was still trying to be a dutiful stepdaughter), but the loyal servant who had looked out for her told Hase-Hime’s father everything. He returned home in a rage, determined to punish his wife. Unfortunately, she had heard of his coming in advance and fled in disgrace to her father’s home. She was never heard from again.

Hase-Hime’s father soon adopted a boy of noble birth as his son. The boy and Hase-Hime later went on to marry. They produced a son, who Hase-Hime’s father declared the heir of the family...and they lived happily ever after!

I love this story! I hope my retelling of it did it justice. I absolutely adore the parallels between Cinderella (the wicked stepmother) and Snow White (the stepmother’s servant being sent to kill the child). The Japanese regarded Hase-Hime as a model of the ideal young woman, and I find it interesting to view their culture through their ideals.

As I said at the beginning of my post, this is the last I’ll be doing with Japanese tales for a while. I’ll be starting to look at Mesopotamian myths next week, so stay tuned for that! I’ll see you then!

Yamato-takeru: Part Myth, Part History

Some of the earliest records we have of Japanese mythology come from the Kojiki - a compilation of history, mythology, and folktales. The Kojiki was ordered written by the Empress Gemmei in the 700’s. Perhaps it is because the Kojiki was commissioned by an Empress that it sometimes reads like propaganda for the Imperial family. Examples of this can be seen in the Emperors being descended from Amaterasu herself, along with Susano bestowing the sword Kusanagi upon the Imperial family. The story of Yamato-takeru is another such example.

Yamato-takeru is the son of Emperor Keiko. Historical documents show that Yamato-takeru was a real prince, but his tales are often of mythical proportions. This is not uncommon to find in mythology; the Romans deified their Emperors and interwove physical deeds with mythic stories. The same can be said of the Egyptians, who worshipped their pharaohs as gods, and the Mesopotamians, whose kings - notably Gilgamesh - interacted directly with the gods. This can make what actually occurred difficult to distinguish from the embellishments added to the tale.

I’ll leave it to the historians to separate fact from fiction. Instead, I’d like to tell you some of Yamato-takeru’s tales.

Yamato-takeru was born Ōsu, the second son of Emperor Keiko. One day his elder brother Ōusu was sent to fetch two beautiful sisters to wed the Emperor. Ōusu instead fell in love with the sisters and married them himself, sending two other women in their place. When the Emperor realized the deception, he ordered Ōsu to bring his brother to be punished. Ōsu instead killed his brother, ripping off his arms and brutally murdering him.

The Emperor was impressed by Ōsu’s strength, but he also feared the brutality of his son. Keiko decided to utilize Ōsu’s strength (and keep him out of the palace) by having him quell uprisings around the kingdom. It was a rebel member of one such uprising that called Ōsu “Yamato-takeru”, meaning “brave Yamato”. (Yamato was the clan name of the Emperor’s family). Ōsu was pleased with the moniker and adopted it as his own.

The Emperor continued to send Yamato-takeru out to defeat his enemies, including the armies of nearby countries. On one such trip, Yamato-takeru was given the sword Kusanagi. (Depending on the version of the story, the blade was gifted to him by either his father or his aunt, the high priestess of Amaterasu. One wonders how she came to own the blade...) Kusanagi was a magical blade that allowed its wielder to defeat armies single-handedly - a skill that Yamato-takeru used to slay his father’s enemies.

“Kusanagi” means “cutter of grass”, and the blade was aptly named. Once, a group of enemies of Japan that Yamato-takeru attacked set fire to a field of grass, trapping the hero. He was able to use his sword to cut through the grass and slay his foes.

Yamato-takeru somehow found the time to marry amidst his adventuring. The story of his wife is one of my favorite in Japanese mythology. During a sea voyage a storm arose. Rather than allow her husband and the ship’s crew to perish, Yamato-takeru’s wife offered herself as a sacrifice to the sea god. Her death calmed the storm, allowing Yamato-takeru to survive.

Unfortunately, the hero did eventually perish. Whilst climbing a mountain, Yamato-takeru insulted a beast he encountered. Unbeknownst to him, the beast was actually a god in disguise. (Remember this the next time you want to insult a random animal!)  The god created a hailstorm that proved to be too much for the weary Yamato-takeru, who died trying to escape it. His soul is said to have turned into a white bird that flew away from the mountaintop.

Some of the stories of Yamato-takeru’s exploits can be confirmed from ancient history texts. Other parts are found only in the Kojiki. It is the tales that are found in both that interest me the most, with their unique blend of history and mythology. Regardless of what is solely myth and what history, I hope you enjoyed reading about Yamato-takeru’s adventures.

I’ll be back on Friday with a post about Hase-Hime, a Japanese folktale character who was supposed to represent the ideal young woman. Until then, please feel free to comment below or email me with any thoughts you have on Yamato-takeru. I’ll see you next post!

Issunboshi: A Kick-butt Thumbelina

I very dimly recall the Thumbelina movie. Mostly I just remember the “Dearie, Marry the Mole!” song (Aha! Now it’s stuck in your head too!). I’m familiar with the story of Thumbelina, though - a girl the size of a thumb, and her adventures in the world.

Issunboshi is like a fierce male warrior version of Thumbelina, despite being even smaller than she is.

“Issunboshi” means “Little One-Inch”, and this Japanese folk hero was aptly named. His parents had struggled to conceive a child for years. They eventually went to a temple and prayed for a son, promising to love him even if he was only the size of an inch.

The wife soon bore an inch tall son she named Issunboshi (I imagine it was a very easy labor.). The boy was brave and clever despite his size, and worked hard as he grew up. When he turned fifteen Issunboshi wanted to travel to Kyoto. (Up until the past couple of centuries, Kyoto was the capitol of Japan. It was also a holy city that people would travel to on pilgrimages.)

Issunboshi’s parents sent him off on his journey with a bowl, a pair of chopsticks, and a needle stuck in a piece of bamboo. He used these items differently than most travelers would, utilizing the bowl as a boat and the chopsticks as paddles. This allowed him to reach Kyoto quite quickly, since the river that ran by his house led directly to the city.

Upon his arrival in Kyoto, Issunboshi found work with a wealthy family. They swiftly grew to like him, for he was kind and a hard worker.

One day Issunboshi was escorting the family’s daughter to the temple when they were attacked by two Oni - Japanese devils with horns and sharp claws. Issunboshi distracted the Oni while the girl ran for cover, but one of the demons picked up Little One-Inch and swallowed him!

Luckily, Issunboshi was brave and clever. The needle he carried was, to him, the size of a sword. Issunboshi began stabbing the Oni’s insides while he crawled his way up its throat and out of its mouth.

The Oni was agonized (I can’t imagine why) and spit Issunboshi out as soon as possible. Its companion lunged for the little warrior, only to find him sitting on its nose! Issunboshi began to stab at the Oni’s eyes, and he quickly chased the evil duo off.

In Japanese mythology mallets are considered to be items of good luck. When one is struck upon the ground its wielder may make a wish. Issunboshi found such a mallet lying on the ground after the Oni had fled. When the girl he had been guarding returned, Little One-Inch asked for her help in picking it up and making a wish. The girl aided him, and the wish was instantly granted - Issunboshi grew to the size of a normal man.

The duo returned home to the girl’s family, and Issunboshi expressed his desire to marry the girl. Her father agreed, and the two were wed.

I love the story of Little One-Inch - particularly how he uses everyday items in a unique way. A needle sword might sound amusing, but I’d imagine the Oni weren't laughing when he used it. I also love the fact that he didn’t let his size stop him from doing anything he wanted to do.

Have a similar story to share? Thoughts or comments? Please post below or email me. I’d love to hear from you!

I’ll be back next post with the story of Yamato-Takeru, wielder of Kusanagi!

Inara/Inari and the Kitsune

One of the most interesting aspects of Japanese mythology (at least to me) is the way some gods are portrayed as both male and female. It isn’t a concept I’ve encountered all that often in other mythologies I’ve studied. However, in the Shinto myths it is not uncommon to find male and female aspects of the same Kami. In my post about Amaterasu, I mentioned that her sibling Tsukiyomi, deity of the moon, was portrayed as both male and female.

Such is also the case with Inari/Inara, deity of rice and fertility. (For any Firefly fans, this is likely who Inara was named for - though one would think that fertility in a companion might be a bad thing...) Inari, the male, is depicted as an old man. Inara is portrayed as a beautiful woman with loose hair.

Both Inara and Inari use foxes as their messengers, and Inara is able to turn herself into a fox. Here is where we encounter the interesting folktale of the Kitsune.

“Kitsune” is the Japanese word for fox, but when non-Japanese speaking people use the word it normally refers to a magical fox.  Even normal foxes in the Shinto myths are generally seen as helpful animals or symbols of good luck, though they were often portrayed as tricksters after Buddhism entered Japan.

The magical foxes which I mentioned are able to change their shape, much like Inara. These foxes shapeshift into beautiful human women. Tales of the Kitsune sometimes have them fall in love with a human. They then live with the human until something goes wrong, forcing the Kitsune to return to its natural fox form. Other stories show more mischievous Kitsune seducing men, luring them away from their wives.

One such story can be found in the Konjaku, a collection of myths and folktales compiled by a 12th-century Buddhist monk. The story ends with the man escaping the clutches of the Kitsune and undergoing purification rituals at the temple. Slight difference in stories, right?

Regardless of the fact that “kitsune” simply means fox, most modern portrayals of the word feature beautiful women with loose hair, multiple fox tails behind them, and occasionally fox ears. Modern depictions of Inara (outside of Firefly) are much the same, though the original temples to Inara/Inari featured simple, regular foxes.

I love how closely interwoven the folktale of the Kitsune is with the Shinto characters of Inara/Inari. I hope you found it interesting! I have to wonder...are the Kitsune where the phrase “a foxy lady” originated? (Sorry, couldn’t help it!)

If you have questions, comments, or puns you want to share, please post below or email me. I’ll be back next post with the story of Issunboshi, the inch-tall hero. Until then, I wanted to remind you guys that I’ll have a booth at Pima Community College’s East campus tomorrow and Wednesday if you want to swing through and say hello. I’ll also be selling copies of Hammerfall - which, incidentally, should be available as a Kindle e-book within the week. I’ll see you guys next post!

Book Signing Event!

I’m interrupting my normal post schedule to bring you the following news:

On January 20th and 21st (next Tuesday and Wednesday), I’m going to have a table at Pima Community College’s East campus. I’ll be there from 11’o’clock to 1’o’clock selling and signing copies of Hammerfall (my book), as well as chatting with people about various mythological things. I would love to see you guys there, and get to meet my readers in person!

I’ll make sure and have my post talking about Inara/Inari (and the Kitsune) up this coming Monday. See you then!

Susano on Earth

In my last post I talked about Susano, god of the sea, and the mischief he enacted on his sister Amaterasu. As punishment for his actions, Susano was cast out of heaven and banished to the earth.

Once on earth, Susano’s nature changed (which seems fitting, since the mood of the sea often changes). Susano was something of a villain while in heaven - but on earth, the god became a hero. Here are a few examples.

At some point after his banishment, Susano came across a girl and her family along the road. The girl’s parents told him that a monstrous creature had eaten the girl’s seven sisters, and that it was coming for her as well. Susano agreed to stop the monster, provided he was allowed to marry the girl.

When her parents agreed, Susano sent them away and turned the girl into a comb. He tucked the comb into his hair to keep her safe. Susano then prepared eight tubs of wine and waited for the monster’s appearance. An eight-headed snake soon arrived. It headed for the wine and promptly gorged itself. (Who knew snakes were such lushes?) The serpent fell asleep, leaving Susano a perfect opportunity. The sea god chopped of the monster’s heads, winning the hand of the girl - along with something else.

Within the monster’s tail, Susano found a sword called Kusanagi. The important thing to know about Kusanagi is that it grants its wielder the ability to single-handedly defeat armies. (The Major in Ghost in the Shell is named for this sword - no wonder she’s so awesome!) Susano made a gift of Kusanagi to the Imperial family. We’ll talk about the continued adventures of this sword a little more when we discuss Yamato-Takeru.

Apparently finding swords in snakes’ tails is normal, because Susano slew another eight-headed serpent (also common, I guess?) and found another sword. He gifted it to his sister Amaterasu in hopes of ending their feud. This sword also found its way into the hands of the royal family, because Amaterasu gave it to her grandson when she sent him to rule over the earth.

There are many other tales of Susano’s adventures on earth, though none are as detailed as the ones we’ve discussed so far. One story involves Susano stopping a deadly plague - which is not something sea gods are normally seen doing. Another story has Susano conquering Korea, a country with which Japan has historically had a love/hate relationship. (Korea and Japan often traded with one another, and many foreign ideas - for instance, Buddhism - entered Japan through Korea. However, the two countries were at war several times, and Korea was invaded by Japan more than once throughout history.)

At any rate, it seems clear that the Susano seen on earth is far different from the one in heaven. Perhaps Izanagi did him a favor when he banished him!

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Post below or email me. I’ll see you guys next time, when we continue Japanese mythology with a post about Inara/Inari and the deity’s messengers - the Kitsune!

Amaterasu and Susano: The Sun and the Sea

Upon Izanagi's return from Yomi, he went to a river to cleanse himself. While he was washing up, a strange thing happened. From one of his eyes came the goddess Amaterasu; from the other, Tsukiyomi; and from his nose sprang Susano. It is Susano and Amaterasu that we’ll be talking about in this post.
Upon seeing his newborn children, Izanagi declared what they were to rule over. Amaterasu was given reign over the sun and heaven; her brother Susano was made the god of the sea and storms. (For anyone wondering, Tsukiyomi became deity of the moon. I use the gender-neutral “deity” because Tsukiyomi is portrayed as both male and female in the myths - something not uncommon amongst the Kami. However, Tsukiyomi is most frequently portrayed as male.)

Susano became jealous of the power given to Amaterasu. He declared that he wanted to go to Yomi and live with Izanami - because going to live with dear dead mum is somehow better than ruling over the seas? Izanagi was angered by this proposal (gee, maybe because Izanami had tried to kill him? I wonder...) and instead banished Susano from heaven.

Like the sea, Susano was not easily commanded. He went to see Amaterasu, ostensibly to bid her goodbye, but the sun goddess was not fooled. Aware of her brother’s jealousy, Amaterasu kept her bow and arrows handy.

(Anyone else find it cool that the highly patriarchal society of ancient Japan had so important of a female deity - and portrayed her as a capable warrior?)

At Susano’s suggestion, he and Amaterasu entered into a contest to see who was more powerful. Amaterasu created three goddesses from Susano’s sword; her brother created five gods from Amaterasu’s jewels. Susano declared himself the victor, since he had created more deities, but Amaterasu contested this by saying Susano had used her jewels...so it was she who had won.

Enraged, Susano descended to earth and began to wreak havoc. He caused great floods that destroyed the rice fields. He also desecrated the temple of the rice harvest.

It was Amaterasu who had taught mankind how to cultivate rice, so Susano’s actions could be seen as insults to the goddess. However, his greatest offense came when Amaterasu was weaving with her handmaidens. Susano skinned a horse alive and threw it into the hall with Amaterasu.

The goddess was terrified and fled to a cave, plunging the world into darkness. She refused to emerge, so the other gods finally stepped in and came up with a plan. They set a mirror (which is still said to be in possession of the Emperor) outside of the cave. The gods then called upon Uzume, goddess of dancing. Uzume began to dance with abandon, causing the other gods to laugh.

Within the cave, Amaterasu heard what sounded like a party going on outside. The goddess poked her head out, curious, and saw her own reflection in the mirror. The other gods declared Amaterasu’s reflection to be the replacement sun goddess. Curious to see who the goddess was, Amaterasu emerged from the cave - at which point the other gods quickly sealed its entrance with a boulder.

Unable to return to hiding, Amaterasu resumed her duties as the sun goddess. The world was once more bathed in light. As punishment for his actions, the other gods enforced Susano’s banishment, casting him to earth. We’ll talk about his adventures there in my next post.

I hope you enjoyed reading about Amaterasu and Susano! While in heaven, Susano is very much a trickster - but, like the sea, his moods can change drastically. I’ll show you what I mean next post! Until then, please comment below or email me with anything you want to discuss.

Izanagi and Izanami: Escape from Yomi

According to the Shinto myths, Izanagi and Izanami were not the first gods. Other primordial beings existed before they did. However, Izanagi and Izanami are responsible for the creation of many of the other Kami, and it was they who created Japan. As such, I’d like to talk about the duo.

Originally the world was made of a kind of sludge-y water. Izanagi and Izanami stood upon the bridge of heaven - a rainbow - and stirred the sludge with a jeweled spear. When they pulled the spear from the water, some dripped down the spear and created the first island.

Izanagi and Izanami descended to this island and were wed. However, during the ceremony Izanami, the woman, spoke first. Due to this, their first child was born deformed. The other gods conferred and told Izanagi and Izanami to repeat their wedding ceremony, but to have the male speak first this time. Izanagi and Izanami complied, and all was well.

The duo gave birth to many children. These included the islands of Japan (sounds like a painful labor...) and numerous gods of the elements - waterfalls, trees, and the like.

Tragedy struck when Izanami became pregnant with Kagutsuchi, the god of fire. His flames burned her during childbirth, and Izanami died.

Izanagi immediately chopped Kagutsuchi into pieces (such a wonderful father, right?), but it was too late - his wife was gone. In his grief, Izanagi decided to go to Yomi, the Japanese land of the dead, to bring his wife back to life.

Yomi is a dark and gloomy place. Izanagi was able to find Izanami, but he could not see her face. Izanami agreed to return to the land of the living, but asked her husband to not look at her. She left him for a brief time, ostensibly to grab something, but an impatient and worried Izanagi followed her and lit his comb as a candle.

What he saw horrified Izanagi, for his wife was decayed and covered with maggots. (I’d probably be horrified too!) Izanami had eaten the food of the dead, and thus could not leave Yomi - for she had become a part of it.

Enraged that Izanagi had seen her, Izanami chased him through the underworld, sending demons to block his path. Izanagi escaped by throwing three peaches he found at the demons (who apparently don’t like fruit), chasing them away. Izanami almost caught Izanagi at the outskirts of Yomi, but he was able to roll a boulder over the entrance, forever sealing her inside.

Furious, Izanami swore that she would kill a thousand humans a day to punish Izanagi. The god responded that he would give life to fifteen hundred humans a day to thwart her. It was in this way that Izanagi and Izanami came to embody life and death.

I hope you enjoyed reading about Izanagi and Izanami! They’re an interesting duo, and their story bears remarkable similarities to the Greek myth of Orpheus, along with the fairy tale The Witch. I also find it interesting that the three mythologies we’ve looked at so far each have a female goddess of the Underworld - the Norse Hel; the Greek Persephone, who shares the rule of the Underworld with her husband Hades; and now Izanami. Izanami’s tale also proves wrong the old saying “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” - it obviously does!

As always, feel free to email me or comment below. I’ll be back on Friday with a post about Amaterasu and her interactions with her trickster brother, Susano. See you guys then!

Intro to Japanese Mythology

Welcome to 2015! (Wow, that is weird to type...) Lets start the new year with a new mythology!

Thus far we’ve discussed Norse and Greek mythology. The gods in these myths looked and acted human, but possessed extraordinary powers. These powers represented aspects of nature (such as lightning), traits (such as intellect), or the acts of man (such as weaving and warfare).

The divine figures in the Japanese myths are similar to these, but they differ from other mythologies in important ways. To begin with, Japanese religion is called “Shinto”, which means “Way of the Gods”. Shinto worship revolves around the Kami.

It is here that the distinction between Japanese mythology and other ancient religions becomes important. Though gods are a part of the Kami, they are not the only things worshipped. Other parts of the Kami include the spirits of one’s ancestors, some animals, and divine aspects of nature. For instance, some mountains in Japan are worshipped as the embodiment of an essence of nature.

Most of the stories I’ll be talking about revolve around the deities of the Kami. These include Izanagi and Izanami, two gods that are the parents of many others in the Kami. They are also credited with having given birth to the islands that make up Japan. Izanami later becomes the goddess of Yomi, the Japanese underworld.

Izanagi creates several other gods without Izanami. These include Susano, god of the seas and the storms, who plays the role of the trickster while with the other gods. However, once Susano comes to Earth he is seen helping and defending humans.

Susano’s sister Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun. Amaterasu is also portrayed as a helper of humanity within the myths, teaching mankind agriculture, weaving, and how to harvest silk - all of which were highly important to the early Japanese.

One of the most interesting aspects of Shinto lies in the fact that powerful families within early Japan claimed to have descended from the gods. This remains true even in modern Japan - the Emperor and his family are said to be descendents of Amaterasu herself.

Like other mythologies, the tales of the Kami were originally told orally. The Shinto myths were eventually compiled into a book called the Kojiki in the early 8th century. This book is where most of modern knowledge about the Kami comes from. If you are interested in learning more about Japanese mythology, I highly recommend looking up a translation of the Kojiki.

That concludes my brief introduction to Japanese mythology!  I hope you guys found it interesting! I love seeing what is similar to and different from other mythologies I know. The similarities are particularly interesting given the fact that Japan closed itself off from outside influence at several points in its history.

I’ll be back on Monday with a post about Izanagi and Izanami, and their descent into Yomi. Until then, feel free to comment or email me with any questions or thoughts you have!