Hello, my lovely reader! It is the blog How Unique Japan.
This time, we continuously write about the fairytale of Shintoism. (If you have not read it yet, click here!)
So, it is the sequel to the Izanami and Izanagi story.
The protagonist today is the incarnation/God of the Sun. Her name is Amaterasu Oomikami (goddess).
In Shintoism, she is the main deity in heaven (ancient Japanese called it Takamagahara). The truth, right, charity (mercy), and warmth are symbols of her.
The first appearance in the historical record is ancient. It was from the oldest document named Nihon Shoki (published in 720AC!).
So, this article is following that historical document.
How was Amaterasu born?
Do you remember? We have already written about the God Izanagi (male god) who escaped from the country Yomi (or his dead wife). It is the country for the dead. Amaterasu (Oomikami) was born right after that incident.
So, he successfully ran away from the scary country. However, his body and soul were impurities due to his stay. Thus, he went to a pound to purify his existence. While washing, various gods were born, and she (Amaterasu) was one of them.
It was when he washed his left eye (Was she from tears?). He was so happy and ordered her to govern Takamagahara as the Sun.
It is the story of how she was born. It sounds exactly like a fairytale that everyone lived happily ever after. However, it is not yet. In Shintoism, nobody (even gods) is not perfect.
Please read the next section.
The tale/legend of Amaterasu
The ancient record said that gods were born during his purification. Thus, she naturally(?) got two younger brothers named Tukuyomi (the middle) and Susano (the youngest).
The relationship between them became insane due to Izanagi.
He ordered Tsukuyomi to lead the moon. On the other hand, Susano got the Ocean.
The youngest brother got upset about the order because his older got beauty areas, the moon, and heaven. Then, he disagreed with his father, relatives (other gods), and his brother and sister with VIOLENCE.
His tantrum was devastating. It almost reached the heaven where Amaterasu lived.
She felt angry and sad. It was like sinking herself into a tear bath. So, she shut herself in a cave and covered the entrance with a huge rock.
What would happen when the right was behind the door? It was darkness.
Then, other gods discussed the solution to pull her out there.
The answer was to hold a festival before the door to catch her interest.
They did it. They also invited people and animals to join the party for more excitement. However, it was not easygoing. She did not show up in public until one activity.
It was a dance from a god named Amenouzume. While she started dancing, Amaterasu finally peeked between a gap in the door.
It was a chance! When she did, another god with an incredible power pulled her out of the cave.
Finally, she went to the heaven Takamagahara back as the Sun again.
It is her legend, called Ama no Iwato (A rock door of heaven).
It is the famous tale/legend of the main deity Amaterasu.
You might have noticed already what the story/incident expressed.
Indeed. It is the analogy about SOLER ECLIPS.
Fun fact
So, ancient Japanese usually admired Amenouzume, who danced as the first dancer in Japanese history.
Therefore, some shrines worship to her. Now, she is the god of entertainment.
Do you want to see her dance? If you do, you must show your ID or Passport before entering the party. Indeed. The dance was forbade for youngsters like R18.
To close
This time, we talked about the fairytale from Shintoism, Amaterasu. However, it is not over yet. We still have other content. They are the shrines and temples (differences between Shintoism and Buddhism), the Edo era, Japanese lifestyle, and food.
If you are still interested in those articles, please visit the pages.
Thank you so much for reading this article! See you for the next Japanese uniqueness!