For the purposes of my retelling of this myth, we only see Susano’o briefly. After bringing devastation to the world by his “weeping and howling,” he tells Izanagi that he wants to go to the Land of his Deceased Mother[vii]. The divine ancestors of many court families are present, which further legitimizes their status in that government. Amaterasu and the Cave. Claude Lévi-Strauss calls the maiden’s death and Amaterasu’s symbolic death in the cave “a single chord sounded by several notes” which is just a poetic, French way of saying foreshadowing. He shook it so that the stones rattled and sounded throughout the land. After cleaning up the shit her brother smeared throughout her entire palace, Amaterasu went to oversee the making of divine garments in her weaving hall. It is the original meaning of the word, which is intrinsically tied to the Roman concept of cultus deōrum devotion to the gods, observance of divine rituals. Also, he loses money. Danced in front of a cave to get Amatersau to come out. One way to read the necklace’s name Mikuratama no Kami is “deity of the treasury of divine spirits” which demonstrates that the necklace isn’t just a necklace, but it is, in fact, a kami in its own right. _____________________________________________[i] ie; the world. These girls’ names are: 多紀理毗売命 Takiri-hime no Mikoto, 市寸嶋比売命 Ichikishima-hime no Mikoto[xvi], and 多岐都比売命 Takitsu-hime no Mikoto. Scholars think glosses mentioning the larger and more famous shrine in Shiga date from the Heian Period when many local shrines on well-traveled routes tried to boost their status by claiming relevance to ancient myths. They also ordered two priestly kami, 布刀玉命 Futo Tama no Mikoto and 天児屋命 Ame no Koyane no Mikoto[xxxii], to climb 天香久山 Ame no Kaguyama[xxxiii] Mt. Some glosses claim it refers to 多賀大社 Taga Taisha Taga Grand Shrine in 滋賀県犬上郡多賀町 Shiga-ken Inukami-gun Taga-chō Taga-chō, Inukami District, Shiga Prefecture which lies on 旧仲仙道 Kyū-Nakadendō the Old Nakasendō highway. Exposing the breasts or genitals is pretty much limited to this myth in Japan. The two rituals in question are: If we accept the interpretation that Amaterasu’s retreat to the Rock Cave is a metaphorical death, then the chinkon-sai comparison is particular apt. As in other representations of the Midwinter Mystery, such as the Western Christmas, the fundamental element is the (re)birth of the Light. While Amaterasu is overseeing this important ritual activity to ensure a good harvest and healthy winter for all, her dickhead brother goes out and finds a baby horse and flays it alive. Now, this is all pretty fucked up stuff. Two other terms jumped out at me: 青和幣 ao nikite blue cloth and 白和幣 shiro nikite white cloth. Then you got the rise of the samurai class. The natural order of things was broken and the world continued as if night was now eternal. Don’t even wait. She argued with her brother Susanoo, and the deity locked herself in a cave following the argument. ________________________________________[i] Remember in a previous article I mentioned that emperors used to be called 大君 Ōkimi great kings, but since the Tenmu Emperor’s time they we called 天皇 tennō heavenly king (a term modeled on the Chinese 天帝 tentei (actual Chinese reading is tiān-dì heavenly emperor). The millions of other kami were pretty cool about it for a while, but eventually they got tired of walking around and bumping into each other all the time. She became divinely possessed[xl] and her dancing became more intense. Usually, the back hall which is generally off limits to normal people. The other kami cheered with loud voices, and Amaterasu could here all this from inside the cave. I talked about this in my 2013 article What does Setagaya mean? To lure the sun goddess out, the other gods gathered outside the cave with various sacred objects, including a mirror and some jewels. You can totally flay a human. The Kokiji then goes on to spend an entire chapter describing the births of all the gods they created. If you thought the Creation Myth was weird, brace yourself. Amaterasu, grieved and furious, hid inside the Ama-no-Iwato ("heavenly rock cave"), thus hiding the sun for a long period of time. Despite the pleading and cajoling of various kami, Amaterasu remained in the cave, swearing she would never emerge. [xvii] Susano’o’s three daughters are: Takiri Hime no Mikoto, Ichikishima Hime no Mikoto, and Takitsu Hime no Mikoto. But Susano’o deliberately intends to up end the cosmic order by not shitting in proper toilet, rather he does it inside his sister’s house. On the other hand, Ishikoridome is much better known as the divine ancestor of the clans who produced ceremonial mirrors for the Yamato Court. Amaterasu is the highest deity in Japanese mythology. Amaterasu was the last god released in Season 2. If this is true, then including Susano’o’s troubled early years is a kind of foreshadowing of his ultimate destiny. He’s a major player, and one day, I’ll get to him, I’m sure. To lure the sun goddess out, the other gods gathered outside the cave with various sacred objects, including a mirror and some jewels. All of the millions of kami lost their shit and started cracking up[xlii]. She suits up for battle complete with bow and arrow. [xxiv] The modern reader gets the impression that Amaterasu isn’t the sharpest knife in the kitchen. Amaterasu emerging from the cave. Going back outside, she hears a mysterious flute. Ao nikite was made from undyed hemp paper which has a naturally blue/green tint. [xvii] We’ll probably come back to stages 3 and 4 in a future installment – probably next year. It’s often depicted in art a large boulder, similar to the boulder that blocks the Land of Yomi from the Central Land of Reeds. Basically, after this mention, we never hear from Tsukuyomi again! They ordered 玉祖命 Tama no Ya no Mikoto the god of jewelry to make a long strings decorated with thousands of magatama beads. Furthermore, it implies that this kami protects the souls of the imperial family and its divine ancestors. Burn ‘em by the pussy. First, the kami bring roosters on to the scene. This part of the myth is kinda stupid, if you ask me, so it’s not terribly important. There are ritual elements drawn from the Weaving Room Myth and the Rock Cave Myth. Traditionally, this mirror was said to be the embodiment of the Sun Goddess; for an emperor to see his own reflection in it was to see his own divinity. Amaterasu, grieved and furious, hid inside the Ama-no-Iwato ("heavenly rock cave"), thus hiding the sun for a long period of time. This is certainly possible and conforms with Shintō rites and cultic practices of other polytheistic cultures. [xxvi] Remember that Shintō is obsessed with ritual purity. Then she rolled up her sleeves[xxxix] and fixed her hair so she looked sexy and grabbed an overturned wooden tub to make an impromptu stage. This could represent a solar eclipse, which could be seen as trial run for a real eternal cosmic night [xxviii] , or just winter, which could be seen as a metaphorical night. In other myths, some kami help other kami, but this is the only instance in which every single kami[xxxii] comes to the assistance of just one kami. Why would anyone vomit in every room of someone’s house when they were drunk? I’m not joking. You can do anything. A lot has been written about Susano’o. These days, many shrines may have some sacred animals on their premises. “Now you can’t run back into the cave!” he said. The great 20th century historian Tsuda Sōkichi thought that Susano’o could be interpreted as a purely political actor in these myths and that he represented a faction of the Yamato Court that rebelled or went rogue, which is why he is portrayed as selfish and destructive[iii]. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong. This is a reference to an ancient type of divination called 占 uranai[xl]. You can do anything.”, This goes back to the theory that Amaterasu and Susano’o originally represented a relatively indivisible pair of agricultural, Well, technically, they return to their graves and families leave incense and special dolls made from vegetables and chopsticks to guide the spirits back to the family home. It should also be noted that Japan has traditionally been a very, how shall we say, prurient culture. If you’re interested in flaying humans, this website shows you how. Is the Rock Cave Myth simply a solar myth? The roosters always woke me up on time. A lot of scholars get boners for this sort of thing, but I’m not even half-mast about it, so…. It is a syncretic polytheistic system which requires cultic practices[ii] similar to the Greek and Roman gods. [xlvi] I took a lot of liberties with the last handful of paragraphs to make the narrative more palatable to modern audiences. “Are you freaking kidding me?” Izanagi roared. This causes the entire world to sink into darkness, and evil spirits begin to roam the Earth. Shiro nikite could be bleached hemp paper, but was more likely made from white mulberry bark which was naturally white[xlii]. [xix] Compare to Queen Himiko who reigned in the first half of the 3rd century, only appearing in ancient Chinese records. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, this has become one of the most important of all Japanese myths. Apparently, this is a gloss and not part of the narrative. [xxiii] Because who the fuck would take a dump in someone’s dining room and then throw the shit all over the place?? And lastly, he destroys the sacred rice paddies which deprive the people of food and the offerings they need to ask for good luck during the harvest and for the cold winter when resources are scarce – ultimately bankrupting and potentially starving the world. [ix] This chart is taken directly from Alan Miller’s work. Amaterasu is the Japanese sun goddess who rules over the High Plain of Heaven. If you don’t believe me that there are parallels between these two deities (I was skeptical myself at first, too), just check this out: Amaterasu and Susano’o as Divine Foils[ix]. Amaterasu is the beautiful, radiant kami of the sun, but she is more than just the shining sun: she is a great goddess who provides for people and protects them. Once she did that, however, the world was plunged into darkness, as she was its sun. [xxx] Amatsumara is an obscure kami of iron-working. She immediately thinks he wants to steal her lands. [xlii] Believe it or not, some scholars believe that the gods dying of laughter is a reference to ritual laughter meant to provoke the anger of a kami who is not paying attention to them. Eventually, she was persuaded to leave the cave. [xix] These days, the footpaths between rice paddies are usually called 畦道 azemichi. The other 800 myriads of gods conferred on how to lure the sun goddess out. If Japanese gods teach us anything, it’s how to observe rituals correctly. Long time readers maybe recall that in Old Japanese the word 谷地 yachi was used to describe the same thing, but in the old Kantō dialects near Edo, 瀬田 seta was the common term in the Heian Period. [xxxv] This divination ritual was performed by placing the shoulder bone over burning bird cherry wood and then “reading” the cracks that formed in the bones. The idea is that Hiruko was lost at sea during the events of the Rock Cave Myth and so he stays among the humans, who can still pray to him for good luck. When the sun rises, roosters crow. If you haven’t, I’m pretty sure none of this will make any sense. Skip! He craps in her dining hall making it impossible to perform the Festival of First Fruits and wastes much needed fertilizer for the fields by just flinging it around inside the palace. To modern minds, Amaterasu seems weak and incapable of protecting herself and standing up to her brother. That makes Amaterasu one pretty important deity, I’ll say. I’ve heard Mark Ravina say that he thinks this myth illustrates “decision by committee” as a kind of Japanese cultural trait that has persisted since time immemorial[xxxi]. Amaterasu and the Cave The primary myth of Amaterasu concerns a ritual contest with her brother, Susanoo. Some have speculated that Susano’o’s obnoxious behavior is a memory of ancient rite whereby people summoned kami by howling and weeping. She is the divine ancestor of the emperors. Interestingly, all of the kami return to Izumo except for 恵比須 Ebisu a god of good luck. The story involves Amaterasu and her boisterous youngest brother, Susano-O, who just can’t help creating trouble and is jealous of his older sister’s beauty and power. She was born from Izanagi's left eye. One is that they are quite ancient ritual items that predate the use of go-hei which are only made of white paper today (often of a very low-grade traditional paper). Amaterasu, ruling the heavens, was startled by this and said “This can’t be good. Next, he shits in her dining room and throws poo everywhere. To this day, you’ll still find mirrors in the 拝殿 haiden front hall and/or 本殿 honden main hall[xxxviii] of most Shintō shrines. Then, he commanded Tsukuyomi to rule the realm of the night and Susano’o to rule the storms and seas[ix]. [xxxvi] See my article What does Kagurazaka mean? And yes, they each have long-ass names like every other kami we’ve encountered up to this point. She stamped her feet upon the stage making sounds that caused the ground to shake, this grabbed the attention of all the kami, including Amaterasu who was hiding in the cave. lol) while at the same time amusing the spectators to alleviate the scene. This practice is not unlike divinations performed by haruspicēs and auspicēs in Ancient Rome. In the most famous tale, Amaterasu hides inside a cave after another conflict with Susano-o. [xlii] Or could be bleached to produce a whiter effect. Rice is food. I skipped that entire part of the story because it’s just as boring as any of the ”begats” you read in the Bible or Torah. [vii] We talked about magatama in my last article so I’m not going to repeat myself. The second is that the custom predates the introduction of 洋産業  yōsangyō sericulture (ie; silk culture), or at least the widespread cultivation of silkworms in Japan. Dressing herself in flowers, she started dancing on top of an overturned tub in front of the cave. Basically, this chapter is an excuse to have Amaterasu and Susano’o pop out some baby kami who the compilers of the Kojiki assumed were the divine ancestors of high-ranking clans in the Yamato Court or at very least kami enshrined at very important shrines of the 6th and 7th centuries. Burn ‘em by the pussy. I mention Nikkō Tōshō-gū because you can still see the descendants of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s sacred horse there today. Whether intentional or not, by writing these things down, the compilers of the Kokiki may have inadvertently ushered in an era of nationwide conformity in Shintō under the umbrella of the court’s most important Shrine[xxxiii]. The metal-working kami forge a bronze mirror. But for the time being, just recognize that the main actors in the Rock Cave Myth are considered ancestors of the highest-ranking members of the Yamato Court at the time these stories were compiled[xxxvii]. The time Amaterasu spent in the cave was the first winter and, while subsequent seasons would never be as dark and cold as when Amaterasu hid herself in the cave, each year she dimmed again. Having an actual human death occur inside your home? “And you probably trashed my rice paddies because you thought I wasn’t using my lands correctly.”[xxiv] Susano’o had an out. Futotama ran behind her and blocked the entrance with a magical rope[xlv]. I think eight, is the equivalent of 64 thumb lengths. How does Uzume get Amaterasu out of the cave? And with that Izanagi disappeared from the world[xv]. The Oni (devils of Japanese mythology) came out to the dark world, and the gods could not make Amaterasu come out of the cave. The Rock Cave Myth is either a description of existing rituals or a template for new rituals regarding this death/rebirth concept. These court ritualists eventually disappear…[xxxviii] Usually, the back hall which is generally off limits to normal people. What is all this stuff on the walls, the ceiling, and in my kitty litter box?”[xxii] Susano’o didn’t say anything. The term Kagura is supposedly derived from, After Buddhism arrives, all bets are off. First, he destroys rice paddies. The tree replanted in front of the Rock Cave is of a variety that is still considered sacred today, and it is decorated with ropes upon which hang a myriad of magatama beads. Having been expelled from the Central Land of Reed Plains, Susano’o announced that he would say farewell to his sister, Amaterasu. Pornography, casual public nudity, and 下ネタ shimoneta dirty jokes have enjoyed long popularity right up to present times. Amaterasu Omikami emerges from the Cave of Darkness The myth of Amaterasu Omikami has its central point at Midwinter. Anyhoo, in the Kojiki, Susano’o gives birth to 三貴子 Miharashi no Uzu no Miko the Three Divine Daughters[xiv]. They collected cocks, whose crowing precedes the dawn, and hung a mirror and jewels on a sakaki tree in front of the cave. The world was plunged into darkness, a never-ending solar eclipse. Mirrors were considered symbols of the sun because they reflected light. This is definitely in line with his popular image, but as I mentioned earlier, my account only includes stages one and two of his character arc[xvii]. I mean, how do you lose an ancient mirror made by the gods before the Yamato Court or its imperial family even existed? The Rock Cave Myth is by far the most famous of all Japanese myths. This is strange since his mother died before his birth (which kinda makes her not his mother, technically, right? Keep in mind, the texts were compiled from oral traditions, so it’s easy to imagine storytellers embellishing bits here and there to pique the listeners’ interest. Some very important shrines may have stables with some sacred horses – 日光東照宮 Nikkō Tōshō-gū comes to mind[xxiv] – but more often than not, there may be a statue of a white horse in a symbolic “stable.” The horse is meant to represent the kami’s personal steed, so until the Meiji Period, local lords or courtiers would donate expensive horses to shrines as an act of ritual piety. Slowly, the Earth began to wither and die, causing demons to crawl from the underworld and wreak their own chaos upon the people, plants, and animals upon its surface. [xi] Not sure why the rivers and seas dried up since he was incessantly crying. As you can probably guess, the Surume provided ritual dancers to the court. In a not unobvious way, the Kojiki describes how the divine ancestors of the courtiers assisted the divine ancestor of the imperial family in the Rock Cave Myth which implies their subservience to the royal family. Rice paddies take a lot of work to build and maintain, but the payoff is great. Ultimately, the other gods lured her out of her hiding place by placing a mirror next to the cave entrance and began to cheer and yell due to the antics of Ame no Uzume. [xv] Remember, I used the term “hide” in the previous articles.The Kojiki merely states that Izanagi is enshrined at Taga of Awaji. That was the absolute worst. Amaterasu, who was in fury and grief, hid inside the Ama-no-Iwato (“ heavenly rock cave “), plunging the earth into darkness and chaos. All of the ruckus outside had Amaterasu’s curiosity piqued. Despite being armed with a bow and two quivers of arrows, Amaterasu makes excuses for Susano’o’s behavior and hopes he’ll calm down and behave. [xxv] WTF does “piebald” mean? When her brother, the storm god Susano-o no Mikoto 須佐之男命, ravaged the earth, she retreated to a cave because he was so noisy. The Kojiki is really choppy and while I try to stay as faithful as I can, sometimes I just have to extend bits to make it flow better. Amaterasu was the first god released in 2016. The middle name is the only one important these days. Distressed by this, Amaterasu fled into a cave and darkness fell on the world. After purifying himself from the contagions he was covered in after leaving the Land of Yomi, Izanagi gives birth to the Three Noble Children. They ensured a financially stable court and imperial family, who in turn guaranteed safety and prosperity to the common people. [viii] Seriously, read the previous articles. An idea, as they say, so crazy it just might work. Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. [xxii] OK, I have to be honest. As in other representations of the Midwinter Mystery, such as the Western Christmas, the fundamental element is the (re)birth of the Light. Then, they brought a large stone to use as an anvil[xxix] from the upper stream of the river and they took metal from 天金山 Ame no Kanayama the Heavenly Metal Mountain (because, of course, they did). You can do anything. She refuses and remains locked in the cave. Thanks for sharing all your research. Amaterasu can be translated as “Shines from Heaven,” with 天 meaning “heaven” (or Imperial) and 照 meaning “shines.” Amaterasu is shorthand for Amaterasu-ōmikami, which can be represented in Kanji as 天照大神, 天照大御神, and 天照皇大神. Get notifications of new content by email. 尻 shiri is butt (not as rough as ketsu ass, which uses the same kanji) and 久米 kume is modern 籠め kome to enshroud, to block off. Susano’o has wreaked chaos upon the world and Amaterasu’s retreat into the cave has compounded this upending of order. He is known for his allusions and simple explanations of hard themes and points of views. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong. “You’re a frickin’ weirdo. Harvest festivals celebrated bountiful food resources to get the people through the winter until the next growing season. She just looked around her palace inspecting each room and said “Hmmmm. The roosters always woke me up on time. Who knows? If you’ve ever been to 宮島 Miyajima in Hiroshima, you’ve probably been to the famous shrine 厳島神社 Itsukushima Jinja Itsukushima Shrine. [xii] But let’s be truthful with out Latin, the Japanese imperial family ruled deōrum infīnītōrum gratiā by the grace of the infinite gods. [xli] That is to say, it’s utter horseshit. I made up the kitty litter box part. Izanagi entrusts her with his necklace and she is given rule over the heavens. This could represent a solar eclipse, which could be seen as trial run for a real eternal cosmic night[xxviii], or just winter, which could be seen as a metaphorical night. Doing the correct rituals at the right time to appease them or to ask for their help is the most important thing for humans who wish to interact with kami. Just as the presence of the divine ancestors foreshadows the Descent from Heaven Myth, I think the presence of these sacred items also foreshadows that same future myth which is critical to the legitimizing the imperial family’s divine right to rule Japan. She is also very intelligent, as when she encounters Rao at Queen Himiko's throne room, she figures out that she is the demon lord Ninetails. Susano’o took a “heavenly piebald colt[xxv]” and skinned it alive – yes, you read that correctly, he literally skinned it alive – from the tail up to the head causing the baby horse unimaginable pain. But these rituals were not enough to soften Amaterasu’s heart and coax her out of the Heavenly Rock Cave[xxxvii]. [xl] The Kojiki uses the term 神懸かり kamu-gakari kami-possession (with an emphasis on sudden divine utterances). Thus began the first winter. [xliii] Here’s one for all you language nerds out there. All in all, seven kami are specifically listed as present at the encampment outside of the Rock Cave, all of them trying to coax Amaterasu to come outside. Ultimately, the other gods lur… Livid, grieving, and just plain disgusted, Amaterasu shut herself up in a cave and refused to come out. Even after Susano’o destroys her rice paddies, shits in her dining room, and then throws a dead horse in her weaving room, she forgives him by pretending to misunderstand his intentions.