Shinto: The Way of the GodsShintoScholarly ReconstructionEnglish study drawing on Japanese sourcesShareShinto: The Way of the Gods 11Aston - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableAstonLanguageEnglishEspañol‹Shinto: The Way of the Gods 1Shinto: The Way of the Gods 2Shinto: The Way of the Gods 3Shinto: The Way of the Gods 4Shinto: The Way of the Gods 5Shinto: The Way of the Gods 6Shinto: The Way of the Gods 7Shinto: The Way of the Gods 8Shinto: The Way of the Gods 9Shinto: The Way of the Gods 10Shinto: The Way of the Gods 11Shinto: The Way of the Gods 12Shinto: The Way of the Gods 13Shinto: The Way of the Gods 14Shinto: The Way of the Gods 15Shinto: The Way of the Gods 16Shinto: The Way of the Gods 17Shinto: The Way of the Gods 18Shinto: The Way of the Gods 19Shinto: The Way of the Gods 20Shinto: The Way of the Gods 21Shinto: The Way of the Gods 22Shinto: The Way of the Gods 23Shinto: The Way of the Gods 24Shinto: The Way of the Gods 25Shinto: The Way of the Gods 26Shinto: The Way of the Gods 27Shinto: The Way of the Gods 28Shinto: The Way of the Gods 29Shinto: The Way of the Gods 30Shinto: The Way of the Gods 31›Footnotes:Shinto: The Way of the Gods 11ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1[51] See 'Rig-veda,' x. 129, for a similar rationalistic dissertation on the origin of the universe. Here and below the italics indicate translations. 2[52] In Chinese, Yin and Yang. The Yin is the dark, negative, passive, feminine, and terrene principle; the Yang is light, positive, active, male, and celestial. 3[53] 'Philosophy of Religion,' i. 269. 4[54] "Into human shape" is another version. 5[55] I shall usually omit this purely honorific addition to the names of Japanese Gods and sovereigns. 6[56] Hirata says that "the five generations of deities which in the Kojiki precede Izanagi and Izanami are only names descriptive of the successive stages of formation of these deities. Their functions are obscure, and they have no shrines or worship. They are unnecessary, as all that are required are two Gods for the creation of Heaven, two of Yomi and two of Earth." 7[57] There is a close association in Hebrew between the ideas of creation and begetting. Bara, create, and jalad, beget, are often interchanged. 8[60] It was deprived of this character soon after by order of the Mikado's Government, the only monument of the old cult left standing being Nantai (male form), a mountain which towers above Nikko to the height of 8,500 feet. 9[62] See Index, 'Circumambulation.' Also Simpson's 'Praying Wheel,' p. 285, and Jevons's 'Introduction to Religion,' p. 210. The corresponding Highland ceremony, called Deasil, is described in Sir Walter Scott's 'Fair Maid of Perth.' See also Brand's 'British Antiquities.' 10[64] A strong suspicion of Chinese origin attaches to these elemental gods. 11[65] The significance of the wo-bashira, or end-tooth, is explained elsewhere. See Index. 12[67] Deified as Chi-gaheshi no Oho-kami (road-send-back-great-deity). 13[68] Muir's 'Sanskrit Texts,' v. 320. 14[69] See Murray's 'Japan,' fifth edition, p. 408. 15[71] See Dr. Tylor's 'Primitive Culture,' ii. 435. 16[72] As Horus, in Egyptian myth, confronts the powers of darkness. 17[73] The Milky Way: a Chinese expression. 18[74] This is one of several miraculous births and pregnancies in Japanese myth. Mankind have a rooted propensity for imagining that it is possible to improve on the means ordained for this purpose by Divine Providence. See Mr. Hartland's 'Legend of Perseus' for numerous examples. 19[75] The Kiujiki makes Masa-ya, &c., the son of the Sun-Goddess by Takamusubi. 20[76] Represented at Ise by dancers called tonako (bird-cry). 21[77] 'The Golden Bough,' second edition, i. 115. 22[80] Another authority makes Uka no mitama a daughter of Izanagi and Izanami. 23[83] Like Odin, who lends his spear Gungmir to heroes to win victories with. 24[85] It was an Arab custom in certain places to build a hut outside the camp, where the parturient woman had to stay for a time.--Welhausen. 25[86] There was no official recognition of the art of writing in Japan until A.D. 405, and no mention of calendars until A.D. 553. So much for the authenticity of the above date. 26[87] Usa is not on the direct route from Hiuga to Yamato. It was no doubt introduced because this place was anciently a famous centre of Shinto worship. 27[88] This is a specimen of the numerous derivations of the Jimmu narrative. The Idzumo Fudoki is also full of infantile etymologies, which have usually a scrap of legend attached to them. 28[90] Yata-garasu means eight-hand-crow. The guidance of conquerors or colonists to their destination by a supernatural bird or beast is a familiar feature of old-world story. 29[91] Ame is the name of a sweet substance made from millet, of the same nature as our malt extract. 30[92] The Mikado deputed most of his priestly functions to the Nakatomi. 31[93] Idzu-hime means dread or sacred princess. Michi no Omi (minister of the way) seems therefore to have been given a feminine title for the occasion, no doubt because the office was usually held by women. 32[94] It was at this season of the year that the harvest festival, or rather the festival of tasting the new rice, was celebrated. See Index--Nihiname. 33[95] Japanese history is said to begin from this date. In reality nothing deserving the name existed for nearly one thousand years more. ‹Previous chapterShinto: The Way of the Gods 10Next chapterShinto: The Way of the Gods 12›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public domain in the United States via Project Gutenberg