Myths

            Shinto myths are to show the consequences of their religion if done wrong. The stories also tell how the kami were made and how they died. The myths also tell why they do to certain things to this day.  Like purification, rituals, celebrations, shrines, and so on.  

            For the myth:  The Foundation of Japan, the story makes seven important points to go along with the Shinto religion. They are:

·         “Japan is the first land to be created

·          Sexual union is a holy creative process

·         If certain rituals are not properly followed bad things may happen

·         If the natural order of things is disturbed bad things may happen

·         The female should be less to the male,

·         Kami are created by the same process as human beings

·         Imperfect children can be abandoned” (“Core Stories of Japan.” http://www.bbc.com/. 2009-09-21.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/texts/stories_1.shtml).

The Foundation of Japan is about how two gods, brother and sister, were made from all the chaos that was happening between the kami when the universe was made. The siblings were named, Izangai and Izanami. Izangai meaning ‘he who invents’ while Izanami means ‘she who invents’. The siblings thrust a pear into the ocean, making the first land on earth where the spear touched the water, making the first central island of Japan. Izangai and Izanami get married and have sexual intercourse, but their first child comes out deformed and they abandon it. Legend has it that the child came out deformed because Izanami had spoken first in the sexual ritual when Izangai should have. But, the couple have sexual intercourse many more times and their children made the other islands of Japan and some of the kami.

            The Land of the Dead is a myth about kami and death. The story makes the following points:

·         “Kami are not immortal-they are vulnerable to injury and can die,

·         When kami die, they rot just like human beings,

·         Kami have feelings; they suffer from grief like human beings,

·         Death is a bad thing that disrupts the harmony of the community,

·         Death and decay are the most potent forms of impurity,

·         The spirits living in the land of the dead are malicious and lonely, and like to try to drag people from the land of the living,

·         Human beings should keep away from anything to do with death,

·         The kami have a duty, based on Izanagi’s promise, to support birth and life in the world of the living (which, as far as this legend is concerned, means only Japan).

·         The male can subordinate the female

·         Life is more powerful than death” (“Core Stories of Japan.” http://www.bbc.com/. 2009-09-21. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/texts/stories_1.shtml).

The Land of the Dead is about Izanami being badly burned from giving birth to the kami of fire, and she died. This death is the first death in the world. Izangai was so mad and filled with sadness he killed the child for killing his wife. The other kani were born from the blood of the death. Izangai was so filled with grief that he went to the underworld to search for Izanami, the underworld is also known as Yomi, the land of the dead. But when Izanagai found Izanami, she had already eaten the fruit of the dead which means that Izanami may have to stay in Yomi forever. Izanami made her husband promise to her that he would not come looking for her while she tried to talk to the rulers of Yomi to see if they would let her go. But, Izanagi couldn’t stand it anymore and looked for her. When he found her, her body had rotted and was filled with maggots. Izanagi was horrified and tried to return to the living land,  but his sister who was mad at him for looking at her forced him to live with her in the underworld forever. Yet, Izanagi escaped and blocked the entrance to Yomi with a boulder. Izanami was so furious that she claimed that she was going to kill 1000 people every day, Izanagi countered back by saying that he would create 1500 new babies each day.

The myth, The Power of Purification, people learn:

·         “Kami are not all-powerful- pollution can affect them too

·         Pollution causes bad fortune to the person who has become impure

·         Pollution can be removed by purification

·         Water and salt are powerful agents of purification

·         Purification is also a highly creative process” (“Core Stories of Japan.” http://www.bbc.com/. 2009-09-21.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/texts/stories_1.shtml).

Since escaping the underworld, Izanagi was soiled with death and as a consequence was overwhelmed with misfortune. He tried to wash the death off in the ocean carefully. This action is the example of the harae purification ritual. While doing the purification, a numerous amount of new kami were created. In this bunch of kami, Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess and also the symbol on the Japanese flag) and her brother, Susanoo, the wind and storm God. 

The next story is about Amaterasu and Susanoo, their story tells things about Shinto rituals and celebrations. The following points are made:

·         “Kami are not all-powerful- Amaterasu can’t be forced out of the cave by others, but she can’t prevent them seizing  her when she finally emerges

·         Kami have the human characteristics of behaving badly, sulking, curiosity, and laughing

·         Kami enjoy bawdy” (rude) “entertainment

·         One of the way of pleasing kami is to entertain them

·         Crudity has a place in entertaining kami

·         Dancing has a place in entertaining kami” (“Core Stories of Japan.” http://www.bbc.com/. 2009-09-21.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/texts/stories_1.shtml).

Izanagi gave Amaterasu the job to rule the land, amking Susanoo disappointed and angry. His outbursts and tantrums were so much that he was banned from heaven, but Susanoo remains a powerful kami. Amaterasu was so upset by the way her brother acted that she hid herself in a cave. Since she is the Sun Goddess, once she hid in the cave the sun disappeared and brought darkness to the world. The other kami pleaded to Amaterasu to come out of the cave, she refused and stayed in the cave. The kami that were trying to get Amaterasu out of the cave, had a party outside of the cave. During the party, a female did a sensual dance which mad them all laugh. Soon Amaterasu came out of the cave to see all the excitement. The kami persuaded her to take her proper place back in the universe.

CL

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