Unmasking AIT

[Husky]

Post 2/ Japan's Shinto Kami Susano-o



Kojiki = name of a sacred Shinto text (based on much older oral tradition) concerning the religio-history of Japan/the Shintos. As such it starts with the Gods (i.e. Japanese native collective memory of origins including the material formation of the islands of Japan) and from there it then ends in Japanese history (as far as history had got to at the point of recording).



britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/321176/Kojiki

Kojiki, (Japanese: “Records of Ancient Matters”), together with the Nihon shoki, the first written record in Japan, part of which is considered a sacred text of the Shintō religion. The Kojiki text was compiled from oral tradition in 712.



The Kojiki is an important source book for ceremonies, customs, divination, and magical practices of ancient Japan. It includes myths, legends, and historical accounts of the imperial court from the earliest days of its creation up to the reign of Empress Suiko (628). Much of Shintō thought is based on interpretations of the mythology contained in the Kojiki. It was written using Chinese characters to represent Japanese sounds, inasmuch as no means of recording Japan’s developing spoken language had yet been devised. The religious and ethical values of the Kojiki were rediscovered and reevaluated by Moto-ori Norinaga (1730–1801), who wrote the complete “Annotation of the Kojiki” in 49 volumes. The Kojiki was first translated into English in 1882.

b. Notes



Susano'o = brother of Sun Goddess Amaterasu and Moon God.

He is himself a Sea God, and also a Storm God of sorts: being particularly the Summer Storm (not other storm - other Kami for that).



Unlike any Cosmic Serpent/Cosmic Chaos motifs, the narrative of Susano'o is very grounded: by a local (historical, extant) river in Japan, the 8 headed Orichi was demanding yearly sacrifices of the daughters of 2 Earthly/Earth-dwelling Kami. The Heavenly Kami arrives from the Shinto heavenly regions and does away with the Orochi, by first getting it drunk on sake (sake is therefore famous in the region), marries the remaining daughter whom he has rescued - the Kami princess Inata - and chooses a wonderful place in Japan to build a palace for them to reside. He composes the first poem of Japan commemorating this site for their residence and showing his intent to protect his Wife.

Note: *All* these places - where Orochi was buried by Susano'o, the location of the Sake vats, the place of romantic settlement and their first of many children, the entire district famous for sake brewing etc etc are Shrines to these Gods.



If Susano-o is reminiscent of Bhagavaan Indra when wrestling the snake Orochi (though the Shinto case concerns a much more local, earthly and direct threat), then he is like Shiva-Somaskandan at the Marriage Shrine at Yaegaki: where he resides married with Wife and Baby, and being represented at the marriage/divine family residence site by numerous unmistakeably phallic stone sculptures* to which offerings to these Gods are made with hopes of romance/marriage and/or fertility. IIRC the entire family is further present there by 3 sacred stones (like shaaligraamam) to which offerings are made: Father Kami Susano-o, Mother Kami Inata-Hime and their first Baby Kami (a son I think). [Also compare with other cases, like the famous Wedded Rocks in Japan - svayambhu forms of 2 Japanese Shinto Gods who are connected/indicated by a chain as often happens in Japan - is another instance of 2 married Kamis. I even read a Shinto site "explaining" the Wedded Rocks and the Chain with allusion to Shiva, Parvati and the thaali he puts round her neck. Though generally, many Shinto sites - which are sites where the Kami are known to dwell/entrance to Kami realm - are themselves indicated by either a chain or a gate as marker.]

This is not some battle taking place "who knows where" at some cosmic level or in The Beyond (wherever that is) or in the abstract. This was a battle that is supposed to have taken place in Japan, by the River Hii in specific, and the God and his Divine Family dwells all over the shrines of the Sanin region. I.e. it is known, lived-in geography. The Shinto Kami residing on earth all live in earthly sites in Japanese space. These spaces are marked/cordoned off with gates and chains to indicate they are sacred sites belonging to the Kami/residences of the Kami.



* There are several famous sacred Shinto fertility matsuri (festivals) specifically involving the divine male and/or female reproductive organ associated with various Kamis and their spouses. IIRC, in one, the Shintos have a ratha-type procession to carry the Lingam of the husband Kami to the residence housing the Yoni of the wife Kami and re-join the two in sacred Kami union. One such famous matsuri is typically annually terrorised by increasing numbers of repressed alien tourists who tend to invade just for the purpose, where they giggle hysterically and take pictures to lampoon "those funny Japanese". Meanwhile the Shintos - old and young - have been caught on invasive cameras bowing with full and deep reverence to the sacred symbola of their Kamis, and praying for children or spouses or a happy romantic life or just for general blessings. But that's the usual difference between aliens=morons and heathens.



c. Directly-related shrines and sacred sites



Selected excerpts from the following (by a foreigner staying/working in Sanin):



saninstory.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/yamata-no-orochi-tour-part-1-of-3/

saninstory.wordpress.com/2013/06/08/yamata-no-orochi-tour-part-2-of-3/

saninstory.wordpress.com/2013/06/08/yamata-no-orochi-tour-part-3-of-3/



(Useful in that it goes through various sacred sites of the specific region concerning Kami-sama Susano-o and his exploit against the Orochi and subsequent marriage to Kami-sama Inata-Hime, and the birth of their children)

Unnan (雲南) is a fairly new city, established in 2004 with the merger of five towns and one village. It’s in the southern (南) part of the Izumo region (出雲, which is also sometimes called Unshuu 雲州 with an alternate pronunciation for 雲), hence the name. Not all of the sites having to do with the Yamata-no-Orochi legend take place within the city borders, but most of them do, so many public areas and businesses decorate with giant serpant motifs. For a harrowing monster that’s inspired countless artistic renditions throughout Japanese history and more recently served as the inspiration for foes facing everyone from Godzilla to Doraemon, it hasn’t been able to escape modern Japan’s kawaiiifying culture.



One of the theories I’ve heard about the origins of this legend is that the [color="#0000FF"]anatomy of the Yamata-no-Orochi[/color] was based on the mountains and the offshoots of the Hii River. It’s threat to kamikind was likely based on the [color="#0000FF"]flooded[/color] river’s threat to humankind. The “grass-cutting” sword Susano-o found within one of the tails may represent human triumph over nature in preventing floods and engaging in agriculture, as well as building tools and swords out of iron (both techniques might also have been inherited from Korea). Furthermore, Kushinada-hima is also known as Inata-hime–”Rice Field Princess.” This sources for the Yamata-no-Orochi certainly seems plausible to me, though I don’t know where they would have gotten the parts about the red eyes. On that note, iron is a big thing in ancient Izumo, but that’s something to touch on another time.



On a typical day-tour of the Orochi sites I doubt most people are thinking that deeply into it. It’s fun to drive with a map and check out the well-marked places were even minute pieces of the story took place. While this was the place that the Yamata-no-Orochi lived, it’s also the place where it was buried–the tails in a place called Iwatsubo Shrine, and the heads in a tiny neighborhood spot called Happonsugi (八本杉, literally “eight cedars”). There are eight cedar trees growing there to mark the eight heads.





We got the overview of the home of the Yamata-no-Orochi last time. It didn’t only love the coolness of the Shimane mountains, it loved alcohol–especially Shimane’s rice wine.

If you drive around Unnan with a Yamata-no-Orochi tourism map, you can find your way to places like Kamaishi, a stone that marks the spot where the sake was brewed eight times over, or Kusamakura, a set of hills the monster used as a “grassy pillow” when it was tipsy.



Perhaps the most important site is Inze-no-Tsubogami, where the basins that held the potent liquor were buried (couldn’t have those falling into the wrong lightweight hands, after all!).

There’s not much on this mountain, but it does have atmosphere. The fenced area is around the rocks that closed off the sake basins from the outside world. A curse upon anyone who tries to dig them out!



Like the previously mentioned chopsticks, [color="#0000FF"]this legend is one of the first records of sake production in Japan. It is not the only legend that suggests the Izumo region was the first to enjoy the stuff. Rather, it’s association with Izumo City is stronger than with Unnan City, given the fame and prominence of Izumo Taisha even in modern Shintoism.[/color]



[color="#0000FF"]Izumo Taisha is where all the gods in Japan congregate for their annual meeting to decide the fates and interminglings of people and nature–otherwise known as en. It’s not all work, though–those gods are known for drinking lots and lots of sake.[/color] This perhaps has less to do with drunken kami-sama so much as [color="#0000FF"]sake‘s purifying qualities, hence, it is used extensively in Shinto rituals.[/color] Because there are so many gods to offer sake to at Izumo Taisha, it means that there is lots and lots of high quality sake contributed there.



[color="#0000FF"]Izumo Taisha is not, however, the leading sake shrine. Instead, that would be Saka Shrine (yes, there is sake-related history behind that name).[/color] You can read a more thorough description of the brewing-related rituals that take place there on the Connect Shimane website, but suffice to say for our purposes here that [color="#0000FF"]the main deity* is the patron of brewers, and this is the lead shrine among all others that also worship that kami.[/color] This shrine is also [color="#0000FF"]sometimes called Matsuo Shrine[/color], which should indeed sound familiar if you’ve been to this famous old shrine in western Kyoto.

[color="#800080"](* Kami of Sake brewing = Kusu no kami. He resides at the various Matsuo Shrines of Japan.)[/color]



I’d ask the Yamata-no-Orochi if it agrees with all this sparkling praise of the sake fit for kami-sama, but it’s a little beat up and buried now. With that monster out of the way, Susano-o and Kushinada-hime had wedded bliss to keep busy with, which we’ll take a look at next time.





Following Parts 1 and 2 of the overview of Yamata-no-Orochi sites, we’ve reached the happily-ever-after for Susano-o and Kushinada-hime. Perhaps moreso than for a bloodthirsty and intoxicated giant eight-headed slithering monster, visitors come to the Izumo region seeking their own happy endings.



Here’s that buzzword again: en-musubi.



En originally has to do with any sort of ties different people and nature may have interwoven with each other, but it’s more popularly associated with matchmaking–and there is lots and lots of matchmaking to be done here. Izumo Taisha pretty much specializes in it, and that effect is extended to the rest of the region. Here in Matsue, there are a number of little places specifically known as en-musubi power spots, and finding them is supposed to give you good luck in finding your soul mate–everything from Yaegaki Shrine to a heart in the natural grain of the wood used inside Matsue Castle.



Finding romantic en in all sorts of unintentional places is common throughout Japan. For instance, which a couple of large rocks are found near each other, they are considered Meoto-Iwa (“Husband-and-Wife Boulders”), and they are often tied together with shimenawa, like the pair found in the Mihonoseki area of the Shimane Peninsula.

[color="#800080"](Foreign writer trivialises it. Boulders are not randomly marked as being Kamis. Like sacred sites, they are only marked if there are indeed Kami there. Not all boulders are marked. Even otherwise, it is true that Shinto considers that all things have an essence/spirit and many locations and many natural entities like trees and rivers are indeed Gods or residences of the Gods or embodiments of the Gods.)[/color]



[color="#800080"]<photo>[/color]



The Meoto-Iwa representing Susano-o and Kushinada-hime on Mt. Yakumo take this a step further by having a whole family of rocks, including one to represent the fruits of their union.

[color="#800080"][BTW, Yaegaki Shrine enshrines not just Father Susano-o and Mother Inata-Hime but also their Baby son, first of their babies.][/color]



[color="#0000FF"]<map pointing out all the shrines to the Divine Pair/Family, where they dwell>[/color]



This marriage between the God of the Seas (and then some) and one of the earthly kami who populated the land below the heavens was arranged in a rather human-like way. They had wedding preparations to do (which took place at Oomori Shrine), and Kushinada-hime required clean water when we was giving birth to their first child (which is why she chose Kawabe Shrine).

troutfactory.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/shimane-part-i-at-yaegaki-jinja/

Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan includes a chapter about Yaegaki-jinja that reveals the meaning of the shrine’s name by way of the famous story about how Susanoo rescued Kushinada from the Yamato no Orochi, a giant snake with eight heads and eight tails. “Yaegaki” can literally be translated as ‘eight-fold fence’ or ‘fences within fences,’ a name that references the device devised by Susanoo to defeat the Eight-Forked Serpent. Hearn retells this story based on what has been written in the Kojiki, but here I’ll include the shorter version of this story that is found in the Nihon Shoki (as translated by William George Aston):



Then Sosa no wo no Mikoto [that would be Susanoo] descended from Heaven and proceeded to the head-waters of the River Hi, in the province of Izumo. At this time he heard a sound of weeping at the head-waters of the river, and he went in search of the sound. He found there an old man and an old woman. Between them was set a young girl, whom they were caressing and lamenting over. Sosa no wo no Mikoto asked them, saying: “Who are ye and why do ye lament thus?” The answer was: “I am an Earthly Deity, and my name is Ashi-nadzuchi. My wife’s name is Te-nadzuchi. This girl is our daughter, and her name is Kushinada-hime. The reason of our weeping is that formerly we had eight children, daughters. But they have been devoured year after year by an eight-forked serpent and now the time approaches for this girl to be devoured. There is no means of escape for her, and therefore do we grieve.” His-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness said: “If that is so, wilt thou give me thy daughter?” He replied, and said: “I will comply with thy behest and give her to thee.” Therefore His Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness on the spot changed Kushinada-hime into a many-toothed close-comb which he stuck in the august knot of his hair. Then he made Ashi-nadzuchi and Te-nadzuchi to brew eight-fold sake, to make eight cupboards, in each of them to set a tub filled with sake, and so to await its coming. When the time came, the serpent actually appeared. It had an eight-forked head and an eight-forked tail; its eyes were red, like the winter-cherry; and on its back firs and cypresses were growing. As it crawled it extended over a space of eight hills and eight valleys. Now when it came and found the sake, each head drank up one tub, and it became drunk and fell asleep. Then Sosa no wo no Mikoto drew the ten-span sword which he wore and chopped the serpent into small pieces. When he came to the tail, the edge of his sword was slightly notched, and he therefore split open the tail and examined it. In the inside there was a sword. This is the sword which is called Kusa-nagi no tsurugi.



Though this account of the legend is more concise, it does leave out the all-important fence. [color="#0000FF"]According to the Kojiki, the sake tubs were placed inside a fence that had eight gates. After the serpent drank the sake it fell asleep with a head in each gate, clearly making for easier decapitation.



The Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the sword which Susanoo discovered in the serpent’s tail, is said to be enshrined at Nagoya’s Atsuta-jingu, though since it is one the three sacred imperial treasures no one is allowed to see it except for the emperor and a few select Shinto priests.[/color]

hellojapan.asia/en/travel-guide/yaegakijinja-shrine.html

In the legend “Yamata-no-Orochi”, after slaying the eight-headed serpent, the deity Susanoo and his new bride, Kushi-inada-Hime, made this shrine their home and it has therefore come to be known as the shrine of happy marriages. In the shrine grounds you can find the “Mirror Pond”, which Kushi-inada-Hime used as a mirror. There is a custom of placing a coin on a piece of paper and floating it on the surface of the pond. The length of time the paper takes to sink is said to signify your luck in love.

More Japanese tourist sites:

+ hero-travel-spt.jp/chugoku_Shimane_yaegaki_shrine.html

+ city.matsue.shimane.jp/kankou/vr/en/kaisetu/yaegaki.html

+ jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/exotic/JapanesQue/1110/enmusubi.html - general listing of famous shrines/sites for "en-musubi (marriage)" blessings including a section on Yaegaki

+ visitshimane.com/?p=2806 - Hinomisaki Shrine: a temple to both Susano-o and his sister Amaterasu, where they worship the evening Sun with rituals (beautiful pictures)



d. Symbola at Yaegaki shrine

+ photos of the important sacred symbola: culturejapan.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-2.html

+ wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaegaki_Shrine

Yaegaki Shrine

Yaegaki Shrine.Yaegaki Shrine (八重垣神社, Yaegaki Jinja?), formerly known as Sakusa Shrine (佐久佐神社, Sakusa Jinja?), is a Shinto shrine in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Japan.



Kagaminoike of Yaegaki ShrineHistory[edit]

The gods Susanoo and princess Kushinada are enshrined here. This shrine is dedicated to marriage and matchmaking. The people who come to this shrine often pray for a marriage partner, good marital relations, pregnancy and healthy child-bearing. In keeping with this theme, several large wooden phalluses can be found on the shrine's grounds.



According to legend, Susanoo came across a couple who had lost seven of their eight daughters to an eight-headed serpent, the Yamata-no-orochi (lit., "Eight-Pronged-Serpent"). The serpent was due to return for the last daughter, Princess Kushinada, when Susanoo arrived. Through his ingenuity, Susanoo slew the serpent and won Kushinada's hand in marriage.



The Yaegaki Shrine was erected in the spot where Susanoo built a house for himself and Kushinada to live.



At the shrine, visitors can see the Mirror Pond. One can place a paper on the water's surface and a divining coin on the paper; the amount of time the coin stays afloat on the paper is supposed to indicate the fate of one's marriage.



In the shrine's treasure house is an ancient depiction of the enshrined Princess Inata, painted on Japanese Cypress. It is believed to be the oldest shrine wall mural in Japan. [1]

e. On Sake

As seen in the bit on Izumo Taisha, Sake is the drink of the Kami (like Soma or Amritam the drink of the Devas, etc, etc). Once the human Japanese learnt to make Sake, they naturally offered it back to their Gods as libation. Sake is generally the most important libation offered to the Kamis, used in all festivals. Sake is both the blessing of the Gods to the Shintos, and the offering to the Gods that gets blessed. The offering to the Gods and subsequent partaking of the sake is sort of a mutual partaking of the sacred liquid. (Same as libation and prasadam in other heathenisms.)



Better yet, here:



eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=330

Miki

Rice wine (sake) offered to the kami, an indispensable element of the food offerings known as shinsen. Usually referred to as omiki, or alternately as shinshu, the term miki is a combination of two characters, the honorific mi and the character for "wine" (ki). As such, it originally derived from a term for wine offered to someone in an exalted position. Ancient documents include instances of miki being called miwa, and the deity Miwa no kami is thus famous as the kami with jurisdiction over the production of sake. Likewise, the term kushi is found in poetry from the Kojiki as another name for miki, while in Okinawa, one finds the term ugusu. This word is thought to derive from the ancient view of the "auspicious" (kizui) effect of sake, while another theory links the word to kusuri or "medicine." All these examples demonstrate that miki has been considered indispensable to kami worship from the age of myth until the present. [color="#0000FF"]It is believed that by drinking miki together with the kami to whom it is offered the celebrants experience a non-everyday state of mind and body, and thus deepen their communion with the kami.[/color] Miki is found in numerous varieties, including white rice wine and black rice wine (shiroki and kuroki), unrefined rice wine (nigorizake), refined rice wine (sumisake or seishu), and sweet rice wine (hitoyozake). Several methods of brewing likewise exist, although [color="#0000FF"]examples include a strong "wine of eight-fold brewing" (yashioori no sake)[/color], and another "overnight" type of wine called reishu, fermented by chewing rice. The ritual offerings of certain localities feature kinds of miki so thick they can be lifted with chopsticks. See also shiroki, kuroki.

f. Origins of Japanese Poetry

examples.yourdictionary.com/japans-oldest-anthology-poem.html

Japan's Oldest Anthology Poem

[color="#0000FF"]The first poem to go into an anthology was attributed to Susanoo, who was known as a kami. In Japanese, the word kami means a god. Therefore, the poetry is tied in with the religion of the area. Susanoo was the younger brother of Amaterasu. Susanoo married Princes Kushinada in the Izumo province.[/color] When they were married, he came up with the poem. The poem goes as follows:



"Yaukumo tatsu/Izumo yaegaki/Tsuma-gomi ni/Yaegaki tsukuru/Sono yaegaki wo."



This poem, along with several others, was put into the Nihonshoki. The Koijiki is regarded as the first piece of written history of the Japanese people; however, the Nihonshoki is the first to include a number of poetic readings, which is why it is treated as more of an anthological than the Nihonshoki.

miya-travelog.tumblr.com/post/373946266/yaegaki-shrine-next-shrine-is

Yaegaki Shrine



(八重垣神社) :





Next shrine is Yaegaki shrine in which Susano-oh god and his princess Kushinada are enshrined.



This shrine is dedicated to marriage and matchmaking (:



The people who come to this shrine often pray for a marriage partner, good marital relations, pregnancy and healthy child-bearing.



And the shrine is also dedicated to poem and literature. Because here’s the place where the oldest tanka (Japanese Poety) was written.



“Yakumo-Tatsu Izumo Yaegaki Tumagomini Yaegaki Tukuru Sono Yaegaki wo”



'Massively rising clouds made high walls in Izumo.



And the walls protect my wife, my children and child-bearing safety.



High walls, made from massively rising clouds.’

(Various forms of classical/traditional Japanese poetry are to have derived from this)





takeit-home.livejournal.com/41301.html

(containing a translation to lyrics on Susano-o sung by a named vocaloid=modern Japanese computer-generated voice used in a type of synthetic pop music form)

The notes on translation say something interesting:

{This song was REALLY REALLY HARD, but there's extra notes.}

{Based on Shinto mythology, the god Susano'o defeats the Yamata no Orochi (8-headed snake, hence "his heads falls over 8 gates").}

{Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi is the sword he gets from Orochi's tail. It was special because it was made of iron, and the slaying of Orochi [color="#0000FF"](=mastery of flood control(=mastery of water))[/color] allowed people to weld iron. The sword Susano'o used against Orochi, the Totsuka no Tsurugi (though this song changed it to Totsuka no Ken for some reason) was made of bronze, so when he was cutting up Orochi, the Totsuka no Tsurugi bent from the iron in the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. Get it?}

{Lady of the Beautiful River is the eighth daughter that was to be sacrificed to Orochi. The river itself is probably the Hii River, but it didn't say it straight out, so we didn't want to put that.}

[color="#800080"](Traditionally, it is indeed regarded as the Hii river)[/color]

{The verse with the countless fences, it's Susano'o's waka. Said to be the oldest poem in Japan.}

(Will get back to this last bit later)



I'm not sure whether Orochi itself was a deity in this case. But because the PIE trope generally expects a serpent/dragon "god" (see final wacky line quoted in previous post), and because other cases in E Asia and other parts of the world do often involve a serpent or dragon that is a deity, often a water deity, thought I'd mention:



Suijin (Water Kami) are a special class of Kami found in various waters in Japan. They're usually Dragons (similar to Daoism), Snakes, Turtles, Fish or other water dwelling creature, some are more supernatural (special water spirits).

Not guessing whether Orochi was itself one, but it bears remarking that all waters (streams, lakes, rivers) in Japan apparently have presiding Kamis. As I understand, sometimes the body of water is the body of the Kami, at other times it's the residence, at other times the spirit of the body of water is the Kami.