69-470: Susanoo ( スサノオ ; historical orthography : スサノヲ , 'Susanowo' ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto , is a kami in Japanese mythology . The younger brother of Amaterasu , goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line , he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory characteristics (both good and bad), being portrayed in various stories either as
138-526: A Korean toponym meaning 'Bull's ( so ) Head ( mari )'. The name 'Susanoo' itself has been interpreted as being related to the Middle Korean title susung ( transliterated as 次次雄 or 慈充), meaning 'master' or 'shaman', notably applied to Namhae , the second king of Silla, in the Samguk Sagi . Susanoo is thus supposed in this view to have originally been a foreign god (蕃神, banshin ), perhaps
207-454: A Shinto ritual for purification. Photography of any kind is prohibited. The grounds contain many plants and old trees. There are also rare ancient ginkgo and Magnolia compressa trees, which have been considered sacred in Japan since ancient times. This article relating to Shinto is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article relating to Japanese mythology
276-557: A connection between the god and the Korean Peninsula . Indeed, some scholars have hypothesized that the deities who were eventually conflated with Susanoo, Mutō Tenjin, and Gozu Tennō, may have had Korean origins as well, with the name 'Mutō' (武塔, historical orthography : mutau ) being linked with the Korean word mudang "shamaness," and 'Gozu' being explained as a calque of 'Soshimori', here interpreted as being derived from
345-496: A connection between the god and this region. In addition, a few other myths also hint at a connection between Susanoo and the Korean Peninsula . Susanoo's name is variously given in the Kojiki as 'Takehaya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto' ( 建速須佐之男命 ) , 'Haya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto' ( 速須佐之男命 ) , or simply as 'Susanoo-no-Mikoto' ( 須佐之男命 ) . -no-Mikoto is a common honorific appended to the names of Japanese gods; it may be understood as similar to
414-403: A deified shaman, whose origins may be traced back to Korea. Emilia Gadeleva (2000) sees Susanoo's original character as being that of a rain god – more precisely, a god associated with rainmaking – with his association with the harvest and a number of other elements from his myths ultimately springing from his connection with rainwater. He thus serves as a contrast and a parallel to Amaterasu,
483-470: A drunken stupor. From within the serpent's tail Susanoo discovered the sword Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (天叢雲剣, "Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven"), also known as Kusanagi -no-Tsurugi (草薙剣, "Grass-Cutting Sword"), which he then presented to Amaterasu as a reconciliatory gift. [Susanoo-no-Mikoto] said to Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi-no-Kami: "Distill thick wine of eight-fold brewings; build
552-400: A fence, and make eight doors in the fence. At each door, tie together eight platforms, and on each of these platforms place a wine barrel. Fill each barrel with the thick wine of eight-fold brewings, and wait." They made the preparations as he had instructed, and as they waited, the eight-tailed dragon came indeed, as [the old man] had said. Putting one head into each of the barrels, he drank
621-517: A foreign import but must have had Japanese roots at his core. In Gadeleva's view, while the god certainly underwent drastic changes upon his introduction in the imperial myth cycle, Susanoo's character already bore positive and negative features since the beginning, with both elements stemming from his association with rain. As the right quantity of rainwater was vital for ensuring a rich harvest, calamities caused by too much or too little rainfall (i.e. floods, drought, or epidemics) would have been blamed on
690-465: A lewd dance, eliciting laughter. Amaterasu grew curious about the source of amusement and peeked out of the cave entrance. She became fascinated by her own reflection in the Yata no Kagami mirror which the other gods had crafted and hung before the cave for that purpose, and stood transfixed. Ame-no-Tajikarao then forced the cave open and the world was bathed in light once again. As Amaterasu stepped out of
759-559: A monstrous serpent known as the Yamata no Orochi (八俣遠呂智 / 八岐大蛇, "eight-forked serpent") and it was nearing time for their eighth, Kushinadahime (櫛名田比売; also called Kushiinadahime, Inadahime, or Makami-Furu-Kushiinadahime in the Shoki ). Sympathizing with their plight, Susanoo hid Kushinadahime by transforming her into a comb ( kushi ), which he placed in his hair. He then made the serpent drunk on strong sake and then killed it as it lay in
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#1732775372173828-719: A particular modern spelling, the various historical spellings were etymologically (and at one point phonetically) distinct and occurred in different words (i.e. in most cases, they are not merely different ways to spell the same word). The tables are sorted using the gojūon ordering system. Note that the dakuten (voicing mark) was frequently omitted as well, as in the station sign at right. Readers of English occasionally encounter words romanized according to historical kana usage. Here are some examples, with modern romanizations in parentheses: Ama-no-Iwato Ama-no-Iwato ( 天の岩戸 , literally "heaven's rock cave")
897-567: A peaceful, simple kami of the rice fields. In Matsumura's view, Susanoo's character was deliberately reversed when he was grafted into the imperial mythology by the compilers of the Kojiki . Matsumoto Nobuhiro , in a similar vein, interpreted Susanoo as a harvest deity. While the Izumo Fudoki claims that the township of Susa in Izumo is named after its deity Susanoo, it has been proposed that
966-601: A petulant young man, then as an unpredictable, violent boor who causes chaos and destruction before turning into a monster-slaying culture hero after descending into the world of men, while in the Izumo Fudoki , he is simply a local god apparently connected with rice fields, with almost none of the traits associated with him in the imperial mythologies being mentioned. Due to his multifaceted nature, various authors have had differing opinions regarding Susanoo's origins and original character. The Edo period kokugaku scholar Motoori Norinaga , in his Kojiki-den ( Commentary on
1035-495: A wealthy man, but was turned down. He then went to the home of a poor man (sometimes identified as the rich man's brother) named Somin Shōrai, who gave him food and shelter. Years later, Mutō returned and slew the rich man and his family but spared Somin Shōrai's house. Some versions of the story have Mutō repaying Somin Shōrai for his hospitality by giving the poor man's daughter a wreath of susuki ( Miscanthus sinensis ) reeds that she
1104-540: A wild, impetuous god associated with the sea and storms , as a heroic figure who killed a monstrous serpent, or as a local deity linked with the harvest and agriculture. Syncretic beliefs of the Gion cult that arose after the introduction of Buddhism to Japan also saw Susanoo becoming conflated with deities of pestilence and disease. Susanoo, alongside Amaterasu and the earthly kami Ōkuninushi (also Ōnamuchi) – depicted as either Susanoo's son or scion depending on
1173-686: Is a cave in Japanese mythology . According to the Kojiki ( Records of Ancient Matters ) and the Nihon Shoki , the bad behavior of Susano'o , the Japanese god of storms, drove his sister Amaterasu into the Ama-no-Iwato cave. The land was thus deprived of light. In order to get Amaterasu out of the cave, the other gods called Yao-yorozu-no-kami threw a party outside with wisdom of Omoikane . The goddess Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto performed
1242-413: Is also for this reason that many character dictionaries continue to include the historical spellings, since they are relevant there. Some forms of unusual kana usage are not, in fact, historical kana usage. For example, writing どじょう (泥鰌/鰌) dojō ( loach , a sardine-like fish) in the form どぜう dozeu is not historical kana usage (which was どぢやう dodiyau ), but a kind of slang writing originating in
1311-525: Is roughly similar: Susanoo appoints Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi to be the keepers of his palace and gives them the title Inada-no-Miyanushi. The child born to Susanoo and Kushiinadahime in this version is identified as Ōnamuchi-no-Kami (大己貴神, the Kojiki 's Ōkuninushi ). After having thus lived for a time in Izumo, Susanoo at length finally found his way to Ne-no-Kuni. One variant in the Shoki has Susanoo pulling out hairs from different parts of his body and turning them into different kinds of trees. Determining
1380-463: Is styled Isaoshi-no-Kami (有功之神, 'Meritorious Deity'). In the Kojiki , a sixth-generation descendant of Susanoo, Ōnamuji-no-Kami (大穴牟遅神), ends up in Ne-no-Kuni to escape his wicked elder brothers who make repeated attempts on his life. There he meets and falls in love with Susanoo's daughter Suseribime (須勢理毘売). Upon learning of their affair, Susanoo imposes four trials on Ōnamuji: After Susanoo
1449-414: Is the sword Kusa-nagi . Amaterasu later bequeathed the sword to Ninigi , her grandson by Ame-no-Oshihomimi, along with the mirror Yata no Kagami and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama . This sacred sword, mirror, and jewel collectively became the three Imperial Regalia of Japan . While most accounts place Susanoo's descent in the headwaters of the river Hi in Izumo (肥河 / 簸之川, Hi-no-Kawa , identified with
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#17327753721731518-445: Is to wear while declaring, "[I am] the descendant of Somin Shōrai" (蘇民将来之子孫也, Somin Shōrai no shison nari ). By doing so, she and her descendants would be spared from pestilence. The deity in this story, Mutō, is often conflated with Gozu Tennō (who, as his name implies, was born with the head of an ox) in later retellings, though one version identifies Gozu Tennō as Mutō Tenjin's son. The earliest known version of this legend, found in
1587-414: The kana orthography ( 正仮名遣い , sei kana-zukai ) in general use until orthographic reforms after World War II ; the current orthography was adopted by Cabinet order in 1946. By that point the historical orthography was no longer in accord with Japanese pronunciation. It differs from modern usage ( Gendai kana-zukai ) in the number of characters and the way those characters are used. There
1656-534: The Ama-no-Iwato ("Heavenly Rock Cave"), plunging heaven and earth into total darkness. The gods, led by Omoikane-no-Kami (思金神), eventually persuade her to come out of the cave, restoring light to the world. As punishment for his misdeeds, Susanoo is thrown out of Takamagahara: At this time the eight-hundred myriad deities deliberated together, imposed upon Haya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto a fine of a thousand tables of restitutive gifts, and also, cutting off his beard and
1725-465: The Edo period . Here are some representative examples showing the historical and modern spellings and the kanji representation. The table at the bottom gives a more complete list of the changes in spelling patterns. Historical kana usage can be used to look up words in larger dictionaries and dictionaries specializing in old vocabulary, which are in print in Japan. Because of the great discrepancy between
1794-643: The Fudoki of Bingo Province (modern eastern Hiroshima Prefecture ) compiled during the Nara period (preserved in an extract quoted by scholar and Shinto priest Urabe Kanekata in the Shaku Nihongi ), has Mutō explicitly identify himself as Susanoo. This suggests that Susanoo and Mutō Tenjin were already conflated in the Nara period, if not earlier. Sources that equate Gozu Tennō with Susanoo only first appear during
1863-533: The Hii River in modern Shimane Prefecture ), with the Kojiki specifying the area to be a place called Torikami (鳥髮, identified with Mount Sentsū in eastern Shimane), one variant in the Shoki instead has Susanoo descend to the upper reaches of the river E (可愛之川, E-no-kawa ) in the province of Aki (identified with the Gōnokawa River in modern Hiroshima Prefecture ). Kushinadahime's parents are here given
1932-465: The Kamakura period (1185–1333), although one theory supposes that these three gods and various other disease-related deities were already loosely coalesced around the 9th century, probably around the year 877 when a major epidemic swept through Japan. The image of Susanoo that can be gleaned from various texts is rather complex and contradictory. In the Kojiki and the Shoki he is portrayed first as
2001-486: The Nihon Shoki , where a similar story is told of Tsukuyomi and the goddess Ukemochi . After his banishment, Susanoo came down from heaven to Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni (葦原中国, the 'Central Land of Reed Plains', i.e. the earthly land of Japan), to the land of Izumo , where he met an elderly couple named Ashinazuchi (足名椎 / 脚摩乳) and Tenazuchi (手名椎 / 手摩乳), who told him that seven of their eight daughters had been devoured by
2070-457: The Shoki relates that after Susanoo was banished due to his bad behavior, he descended from heaven, accompanied by a son named Isotakeru-no-Mikoto (五十猛命), to a place called 'Soshimori' (曽尸茂梨) in the land of Shiragi (the Korean kingdom of Silla ) before going to Izumo. Disliking the place, they crossed the sea in a boat made of clay until they arrived at Torikami Peak (鳥上之峯, Torikami no mine ) by
2139-537: The Central Land of Reed-Plains. But if my intentions are pure, then I shall produce male children, and in that case they must be made to rule the Heavens. The same oath will also hold good as to the children produced by my elder sister.' The two then perform the ukehi ritual; Susanoo produces six male deities from the magatama beads on his hair knots. Declaring that his intentions were indeed pure, Susanoo gives
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2208-854: The English honorific 'the Great'. He is meanwhile named in the Nihon Shoki as 'Susanoo-no-Mikoto' ( 素戔嗚尊 ) , 'Kamu-Susanoo-no-Mikoto' ( 神素戔嗚尊 ) , 'Haya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto' ( 速素戔嗚尊 ) , and 'Take-Susanoo-no-Mikoto' ( 武素戔嗚尊 ) . The Fudoki of Izumo Province renders his name both as 'Kamu-Susanoo-no-Mikoto' ( 神須佐能袁命 ) and 'Susanoo-no-Mikoto' ( 須佐能乎命 ) . In these texts the following honorific prefixes are attached to his name: take- ( 建/武 , "brave") , haya- ( 速 , "swift") , and kamu- ( 神 , "divine") . The susa in Susanoo's name has been variously explained as being derived from either of
2277-423: The Japanese people, Emilia Gadeleva instead proposes that the two locales, while similar in that both were subterranean realms associated with darkness, differed from each other in that Yomi was associated with death, while Ne-no-Kuni, as implied by the myth about Ōnamuji, was seemingly associated with rebirth. Ne-no-Kuni being a land of revival, as per Gadeleva's theory, is why Susanoo was connected to it: Susanoo, as
2346-621: The Kojiki ), characterized Susanoo as an evil god in contrast to his elder siblings Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, as the unclean air of the land of the dead still adhered to Izanagi's nose from which he was born and was not purified completely during Izanagi's ritual ablutions. The early 20th century historian Tsuda Sōkichi , who put forward the then-controversial theory that the Kojiki 's accounts were not based on history (as Edo period kokugaku and State Shinto ideology believed them to be) but rather propagandistic myths concocted to explain and legitimize
2415-529: The Moon and the Dark Star are siblings and the Dark Star plays an antagonistic role (cf. Rahu and Ketu from Hindu religion ); Ōbayashi thus also interprets Susanoo as a bad hero. Other scholars, however, take the position that Susanoo was not originally conceived of as a negative deity. Mythologist Matsumura Takeo for instance believed the Izumo Fudoki to more accurately reflect Susanoo's original character:
2484-541: The Palace of Inada, the Eight-Eared Deity of Suga'). With his new wife Kushinadahime, Susanoo had a child named Yashimajinumi-no-Kami (八島士奴美神). He then took another wife named Kamu-Ōichihime (神大市比売), the daughter of Ōyamatsumi , the god of mountains, and had two children by her: Ōtoshi-no-Kami (大年神), the god of the harvest, and Ukanomitama -no-Kami (宇迦之御魂神), the god of agriculture. The Shoki 's main narrative
2553-818: The Serpent' or 'Flashing Sword of the Serpent'), and Ame-no-Haekiri-no-Tsurugi (天蝿斫剣, 'Heavenly Fly Cutter', also Ame-no-Hahakiri 'Heavenly Serpent ( haha ) Cutter'). In the Kogo Shūi it is dubbed Ame-no-Habakiri (天羽々斬, also Ame-no-Hahakiri). This sword is said to have been originally enshrined in Isonokami Futsumitama Shrine in Bizen Province (modern Okayama Prefecture ) before it was transferred to Isonokami Shrine in Yamato Province (modern Nara Prefecture ). A variant account in
2622-624: The Small Rice Field of Susa. That is why it is called Susa. There are tax granaries in this township. The syncretic deity Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王, "Ox-Headed Heavenly King"), originally worshiped at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto and at other shrines such as Tsushima Shrine in Aichi Prefecture, was historically conflated with Susanoo. Originally a deity of foreign import (India and Korea have all been suggested as possible origins), Gozu Tennō
2691-537: The Sun-Goddess. The Sun-Goddess said:—'My younger brother has no good purpose in coming up. It is surely because he wishes to rob me of my kingdom. Though I am a woman, why should I shrink?' So she arrayed herself in martial garb, etc., etc. Thereupon Sosa no wo no Mikoto swore to her, and said:—'If I have come up again cherishing evil feelings, the children which I shall now produce by chewing jewels will certainly be females, and in that case they must be sent down to
2760-659: The birthplace of Susanoo worship, pointing out that there was also a settlement in Kii named Susa (須佐). (In the Kojiki , Ōnamuji enters Susanoo's realm, Ne-no-Kuni, through the fork of a tree in Kii.) Matsumae proposed that the worship of Susanoo was brought to other places in Japan by seafaring peoples from Kii, a land rich in timber (the province's name is itself derived from the word ki meaning 'tree'). A few myths, such as that of Susanoo's descent in Soshimori in Silla, seem to suggest
2829-484: The cave, a holy seal was applied to it so that she could never go back into hiding. The main shrine called Higashihongu (east hall) and a hall of worship called Nishihongu (west hall) face each other across the Iwato River gorge. The Ama-no-Iwato cave is an object of worship in festivals and is a rock cave on the other side of the Iwato River from Nishihongu. You can see the cave from Nishihongu after participating in
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2898-487: The following etiological legends which feature Susanoo and his children: Township of Susa. It is 6.3 miles west of the district office. The god Susanowo said, "Though this land is small, it is good land for me to own. I would rather have my name [associated with this land than] with rocks or trees." After saying this, he left his spirit to stay quiet at this place and established the Great Rice Field of Susa and
2967-599: The following words: The Kojiki ( c. 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (720 CE) both agree in their description of Susanoo as the son of the god Izanagi and the younger brother of Amaterasu , the goddess of the sun , and of Tsukuyomi , the god of the moon . The circumstances surrounding the birth of these three deities, collectively known as the "Three Precious Children" ( 三貴子 , Mihashira-no-Uzunomiko, Sankishi ) , however, vary between sources. Before Susanoo leaves, he ascends to Takamagahara, wishing to say farewell to his sister Amaterasu. As he did so,
3036-671: The god that brought rain and with it, the harvest, was needed in Ne-no-Kuni to secure the rebirth of crops. In time, however, the two locations were confused with each other, so that by the time the Kojiki and the Shoki were written Ne-no-Kuni came to be seen like Yomi as an unclean realm of the dead. Gadeleva argues that this new image of Ne-no-Kuni as a place of evil and impurity contributed to Susanoo becoming more and more associated with calamity and violence. Historical kana orthography The historical kana orthography ( 歴史的仮名遣い , rekishiteki kanazukai ) , or old orthography ( 旧仮名遣い , kyū kanazukai ) , refers to
3105-473: The goddess of the sun. Gadeleva also acknowledges the foreign elements in the god's character by supposing that rainmaking rituals and concepts were brought to Japan in ancient times from the continent, with the figure of the Korean shaman ( susung ) who magically controlled the abundance of rain eventually morphing into the Japanese Susanoo, but at the same time stresses that Susanoo is not completely
3174-632: The historical kana usages are etymologically mistakes. For example, Those familiar with Japanese writing may notice that most of the differences apply to words which are usually written in Kanji anyway, and so would require no changes to switch from one Kana system to another (unless furigana are employed). In particular, yōon sounds occur almost exclusively in the Chinese-derived readings that are usually only seen in Kanji compounds (although not entirely; 今日 kyō "today," written けふ kefu in
3243-471: The land of Susanoo's deceased mother Izanami, who is stated earlier in the narrative to have become the ruler of Yomi, and calls the slope serving at its exit the Yomotsu Hirasaka, the 'Flat Slope of Yomi'), it would seem that the two were originally considered to be different locations. While Matsumura Takeo suggested that Ne-no-Kuni originally referred to the dimly remembered original homeland of
3312-508: The male deities were hers because they were born of her necklace, and that the three goddesses were Susanoo's. Susanoo, announcing that he had won the trial, thus signifying the purity of his intentions, "raged with victory" and proceeded to wreak havoc by destroying his sister's rice fields, defecating in her palace and flaying the 'heavenly piebald horse' (天斑駒, ame-no-fuchikoma ), which he then hurled at Amaterasu's loom, killing one of her weaving maidens. A furious Amaterasu in response hid inside
3381-410: The mountains and rivers shook and the land quaked. Amaterasu, suspicious of his motives, went out to meet him dressed in male clothing and clad in armor, but when Susanoo proposed a trial by pledge ( ukehi ) to prove his sincerity, she accepted. In the ritual, the two gods each chewed and spat out an object carried by the other (in some variants, an item they each possessed). Amaterasu declares that
3450-491: The nails of his hands and feet, had him exorcised and expelled him with a divine expulsion. After this, Sosa no wo no Mikoto said:—'All the Gods have banished me, and I am now about to depart for ever. Why should I not see my elder sister face to face; and why take it on me of my own accord to depart without more ado?' So he again ascended to Heaven, disturbing Heaven and disturbing Earth. Now Ame no Uzume, seeing this, reported it to
3519-514: The names Ashinazu-Tenazu (脚摩手摩) and Inada-no-Miyanushi-Susa-no-Yatsumimi (稲田宮主簀狭之八箇耳); here, Kushinadahime is not yet born when Susanoo slew the Yamata no Orochi. The ten-span sword Susanoo used to slay the Yamata no Orochi, unnamed in the Kojiki and the Shoki 's main text, is variously named in the Shoki 's variants as Orochi-no-Aramasa (蛇之麁正, 'Rough [and] True [Blade] of the Serpent'), Orochi-no-Karasabi-no-Tsurugi (蛇韓鋤之剣, 'Korean ( Kara ) Sword of
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#17327753721733588-451: The old spelling is printed in tiny katakana between the modern kana and kanji transcriptions of the word. Ellipses are used to save space when the historical and modern spellings are identical. Older editions of the Kōjien gave priority to the historical orthography. The historical orthography should not be confused with hentaigana , alternate kana that were declared obsolete with
3657-505: The old system, is a native Japanese word), and therefore do not look any different (without furigana). The relative lack of difference in appearance in practice between the two systems was a major reason the spelling reform succeeded, and also why the three grammatical particles o , e , wa continue to be written as を wo , へ he , and は ha instead of お o , え e , and わ wa ; many felt that changing these exceedingly common spellings would unnecessarily confuse readers. It
3726-513: The opposite might have actually been the case and Susanoo was named after the place, with his name being understood in this case as meaning "Man ( o ) of Susa." While both Matsumura and Matsumoto preferred to connect Susanoo with rice fields and the harvest, Matsumae Takeshi put forward the theory that Susanoo was originally worshiped as a patron deity of sailors. Unlike other scholars who connect Susanoo with Izumo, Matsumae instead saw Kii Province (the modern prefectures of Wakayama and Mie ) as
3795-455: The orthographic reforms of 1900. In historical kana usage: Most of the historical kana usage has been found to accurately represent certain aspects of the way words sounded during the Heian period . As the spoken language has continued to develop, some orthography looks odd to the modern eye. As these peculiarities follow fairly regular patterns, they are not difficult to learn. However, some of
3864-705: The pronunciation and spelling and the widespread adoption of modern kana usage, historical kana usage is almost never seen, except in a few special cases. Companies, shrines and people occasionally use historical kana conventions such as ゑびす ( Ebisu ), notably in Yebisu beer, which is written ヱビス webisu but pronounced ebisu. Also, some long-standing company names retain yōon in full-sized kana, like キヤノン ( Canon ) or stamp manufacturer シヤチハタ (Shachihata). In addition, alternate kana letterforms, known as hentaigana (変体仮名) , have nearly disappeared. A few uses remain, such as kisoba , often written using obsolete kana on
3933-508: The rain god for not doing his job properly. This, according to Gadeleva, underlies the occasional portrayal of Susanoo in a negative light. In the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki , Susanoo is repeatedly associated with Ne-no-Kuni ( Japanese : 根の国; the "Land of Roots"). While sometimes seemingly considered to be more or less identical to Yomi, the Land of the Dead (the Kojiki speaks of Ne-no-Kuni as
4002-449: The rule of the imperial dynasty, also saw Susanoo as a negative figure, arguing that he was created to serve as the rebellious opposite of the imperial ancestress Amaterasu. Ethnologist Ōbayashi Taryō , speaking from the standpoint of comparative mythology , opined that the stories concerning the three deities were ultimately derived from a continental ( Southeast Asian ) myth in which the Sun,
4071-403: The signs of soba shops. The use of を wo , へ he , and は ha instead of お o , え e , and わ wa for the grammatical particles o , e , wa is a remnant of historical kana usage. The following tables summarize every possible historical spelling for the syllables which were spelled differently under the historical system. When more than one historical spelling is given for
4140-411: The six gods to Amaterasu's care and departs. The Kojiki relates that during his banishment, Susanoo asked the goddess of food, Ōgetsuhime -no-Kami (大気都比売神), to give him something to eat. Upon finding out that the goddess produced foodstuffs from her mouth, nose, and rectum, a disgusted Susanoo killed her, at which various crops, plants and seeds spring from her dead body. This account is not found in
4209-487: The slopes of Yomotsu Hirasaka (黄泉比良坂, the 'Flat Slope of Yomi '). As the two departed, Susanoo grudgingly gave his blessing to Ōnamuji, advising him to change his name to Ōkuninushi-no-Kami (大国主神, "Master of the Great Land"). Using the weapons he obtained from Susanoo, Ōkuninushi defeats his brothers and becomes the undisputed ruler of Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni. The Fudoki of Izumo Province (completed 733 CE) records
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#17327753721734278-410: The song into English thus: The many-fenced palace of I DUMO Of the many clouds rising— To dwell there with my spouse Do I build a many-fenced palace: Ah, that many-fenced palace! The Kojiki adds that Susanoo appointed Kushinadahime's father Ashinazuchi to be the headman of his new dwelling, bestowing upon him the name Inada-no-Miyanushi-Suga-no-Yatsumimi-no-Kami (稲田宮主須賀之八耳神, 'Master of
4347-466: The source – is one of the central deities of the imperial Japanese mythological cycle recorded in the Kojiki ( c. 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (720 CE). One of the gazetteer reports ( Fudoki ) commissioned by the imperial court during the same period these texts were written, that of Izumo Province (modern Shimane Prefecture ) in western Japan, also contains a number of short legends concerning Susanoo or his children, suggesting
4416-678: The upper waters of the river Hi in Izumo. After slaying the Yamata no Orochi, Susanoo looked for a suitable place in Izumo to live in. Upon arriving at a place called Suga (須賀 / 清), he declared, "Coming to this place, my heart is refreshed ( sugasugashi )." He then erected a palace there and made a song : Man'yogana ( Kojiki ): 夜久毛多都 伊豆毛夜幣賀岐 都麻碁微爾 夜幣賀岐都久流 曾能夜幣賀岐袁 Old Japanese : yakumo 1 tatu / idumo 1 yape 1 gaki 1 / tumago 2 mi 2 ni / yape 1 gaki 1 tukuru / so 2 no 2 yape 1 gaki 1 wo Modern Japanese : yakumo tatsu / izumo yaegaki / tsumagomi ni / yaegaki tsukuru / sono yaegaki o Donald L. Philippi (1968) translates
4485-590: The use of each, he then gives them to his three children – Isotakeru-no-Mikoto, Ōyatsuhime-no-Mikoto (大屋津姫命), and Tsumatsuhime-no-Mikoto (枛津姫命) – to spread in Japan. Susanoo then settled down in a place called Kumanari-no-Take (熊成峯) before going to Ne-no-Kuni. The myth of Susanoo's descent in Soshimori has Isotakeru bringing seeds with him from Takamagahara which he did not choose to plant in Korea but rather spread throughout Japan, beginning with Tsukushi Province . The narrative adds that it is, for this reason, why Isotakeru
4554-594: The wine; then, becoming drunk, he lay down and slept. Then Haya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto unsheathed the sword ten hands long which he was wearing at his side, and hacked the dragon to pieces, so that the Hi river ran with blood. When he cut [the dragon's] middle tail, the blade of his sword broke. Thinking this strange, he thrust deeper with the stub of his sword, until a great sharp sword appeared. He took this sword out and, thinking it an extraordinary thing, reported [the matter] and presented [the sword] to Amaterasu-Ōmikami. This
4623-417: Was considerable opposition to the official adoption of the current orthography, on the grounds that the historical orthography conveys meanings better, and some writers continued to use it for many years after. The historical orthography is found in almost all Japanese dictionaries , such as Kōjien . In the current edition of the Kōjien, if the historical orthography is different from the modern spelling,
4692-428: Was lulled to sleep, Ōnamuji tied Susanoo's hair to the hall's rafters and blocked the door with an enormous boulder. Taking his new wife Suseribime as well as Susanoo's sword, koto , and bow and arrows with him, Ōnamuji thus fled the palace. The koto brushed against a tree as the two were fleeing; the sound awakens Susanoo, who, rising with a start, knocks his palace down around him. Susanoo then pursued them as far as
4761-438: Was widely revered since the Heian period as a god of pestilence, who both caused disease and cured them. Gozu Tennō became associated with another deity called Mutō-no-Kami ( 武塔神 ) or Mutō Tenjin (武塔天神), who appears in the legend of Somin Shōrai ( 蘇民将来 ). This legend relates that Mutō, a god from the northern sea, embarked on a long journey to court the daughter of the god of the southern seas. On his way he sought lodging from
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