Table Of Content

Handbook of Japanese Mythology TITLES IN ABC-CLIO’s Handbooks of World Mythology Handbook of Arab Mythology, Hasan El-Shamy Handbook of Celtic Mythology, Joseph Falaky Nagy Handbook of Classical Mythology, William F. Hansen Handbook of Egyptian Mythology, Geraldine Pinch Handbook of Hindu Mythology, George M. Williams Handbook of Inca Mythology, Catherine Allen Handbook of Native American Mythology, Dawn Bastian and Judy Mitchell Handbook of Norse Mythology, John Lindow Handbook of Polynesian Mythology, Robert D. Craig HANDBOOKS OF WORLD MYTHOLOGY Handbook of Japanese Mythology Michael Ashkenazi Santa Barbara, California • Denver, Colorado • Oxford, England Copyright © 2003 by Michael Ashkenazi All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ashkenazi, Michael. Handbook of Japanese mythology / Michael Ashkenazi. p. cm. — (Handbooks of world mythology) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Mythology, Japanese—Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series. BL2203.A86 2003 299'56—dc21 2003008649 ISBN 1-57607-467-6; 1-57607-468-4 (e-Book) 07 06 05 04 03 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an e-book. Visit http://www.abc-clio.com for details. ABC-CLIO, Inc. 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paperI. Manufactured in the United States of America To Zaf, for,among many things, first getting me interested in Japan CONTENTS Preface, xv 1 Introduction, 1 Transliteration of Japanese Terms, 2 Mythology and the Japanese World, 3 Great Tradition and Little Traditions, 4 Little Traditions and Great Tradition in the Japanese Context, 5 External Sources of Japanese Traditions, 5 The Myth of Japan, 7 Japanese Topography and Geography, 8 Population, 10 Japanese History and Traditions, 12 Archaic Period: Jo¯mon, Yayoi, and Kofun (Approximately 1000 B.C.E. to 650 C.E.), 12 The Roots of Empire (Approximately 500–781 C.E.), 14 The Aristocratic Period (Approximately 650 C.E.–1185), 16 The Medieval Period (1185–1600), 19 The Premodern and Modern Periods (1615–), 21 Social History, 22 The Powerful, 23 The Powerless, 24 Outsiders and Rovers, 24 Japanese Family Relations, 25 The Mythic Traditions, 26 Shinto¯, 27 Buddhism, 36 Demons, Goblins, Witches, Ghosts, Hermits, and Wizards, 55 Humans, 56 Non-humans, 56 vii viii Contents Shugendo¯, 57 Outlying Myth Complexes, 58 Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands, 59 Ainu, 61 Japanese Myth in the Modern World, 64 Sources of Japanese Mythology, 65 The Shinto¯ Canon, 66 Buddhist Literature: The Sutras and Commentaries, 67 Ainu Yukari, 68 Ryukyuan Myths, 69 Language and Writing, 69 Interpreting Japanese Myth, 70 Universal Types, 71 Structuralist Interpretations, 71 Diffusion, 71 Interpretation on the Basis of Archaeo-Anthropology: The Attempt to Extract Prehistory from Myth, 72 Japanese Uniqueness Myths, 73 2 Mythic Time and Space, 75 Creation and Consolidation: The Foundation Myths, 76 Susano-wo’s Crimes and the Sun Goddess, 77 The Creation of Food for Humankind, 79 Susano-Wo and the Eight-Tailed Dragon, 80 O¯kuninushi and His Eighty Brothers, 80 O¯kuninushi Is Tested by Susano-wo, 81 O¯kuninushi and Sukunabikona Finish Creating the Land, 82 The Heavenly Deities Subdue the Land: First Attempt, with Weak Son, 83 The Heavenly Deities Subdue the Land: Second Attempt, with Pheasant, 84 The Heavenly Deities Subdue the Land: Third Time Lucky, 85 The Heavenly Grandson Descends to Take Possession of the Central Land of the Reed Plains, 86 Ho-ori Loses His Brother’s Fish-Hook, 87 Jimmu Tenno, the First Emperor, 88 Yamato-takeru, the Hero of Yamato, 90 The Empress Jingu¯ Subdues Korea, and the Kami Hachiman Is Born, 93 The Age of Heroes, 94 Tawara Toda, the Archer, 95 Contents ix Raiko¯ and His Band of Heroes, 96 Woman Heroes, 96 Benkei and Yoshitsune, 96 Buddhist Myths, 98 The Life of Shakyamuni and the Formation of Buddhism, 99 The Arrival of Buddhism in Japan, 99 Morality Tales, 100 Mythical Spaces, 100 Buddhist Spaces, 101 Shinto¯ Spaces, 102 3 Deities, Themes, and Concepts, 109 Ae-oina Kamui (Ainu), 109 Aizen-Myo¯-o¯, 110 Ajishikitakahikone-no-kami, 110 Ama-no-uzume, 111 Amaterasu-o¯-mikami, 112 Amenominakanushi-no-kami, 113 Ame-no-wakahiko, 114 Amida Nyo¯rai, 115 Animals, 115 Apasam Kamui (Ainu), 120 Assembly of the Gods, 121 Atago-gongen, 122 Bakemono, 123 Battabara-bosatsu, 123 Benkei, 123 Benzaiten, 126 Bimbogami, 126 Binzuru-sonja, 126 Bishamon-ten, 128 Central Land of the Reed Plains, 128 Chikap Kamui (Ainu), 128 Chimata-no-kami, 128 Chiseikoro Kamui (Ainu), 129 Chu¯jo¯-hime, 129 Chu¯shingura, 130 Daigenshuri-bosatsu, 131 Daikoku, 132 Dainichi Nyo¯rai, 132