Reading Diary Week 6: Japanese Mythology

For this week's reading diary, I make my way to the Land of the Rising Sun with the Japanese Mythology Unit. 

Izanagi and Izanami: I notice that the beginning of the world comes from an incestuous relationship just as it does for the Greeks. However, I get the feeling that women were held in high prestige in Japanese society given that Izanami is the one to first address Izanagi. I also find it interesting that Wisdom, Valour, Craft, Justice, Mercy and Love are considered gifts from the gods.

The Miraculous Mirror: I love the teamwork here between the gods and goddesses to essentially trick Amaterasu into leaving her hiding place in the cave. This story also seems to reveal a few of Amaterasu's flaws, including vanity and a sense of fear.

The Heaven-Descended:  The "return-to-sender" arrow moment in the story seems very similar to the concept in karma, especially because Amaterasu seems to put responsibility into the arrow by saying "but if he hath an evil heart, may the heavenly arrow fly straight to that mark."

The Fortunate Fish-Hook: Things seem to be going well for Ho-wori, who has picked up a wife on his quest to restore the magic fish-hook to his brother. I must say that the feast scene and aquatic royalty remind me of Disney's The Little Mermaid. The younger brother certainly does take his time to return the hook back to his sibling. Overall, this story is a bit hard to follow because of the similar names.

The Labors of Yamato- The Rescue of the Princess: I love the description of death as "black waves [that]. . . surged over his soul." I wonder if the siren will come into play later on; she seems to have disappeared from the story. Yamato seems to be a type of Trojan horse, but in this case, he's hiding the sword in the guise of a woman.

The Labors of Yamato- The Demon Boar: I'm surprised by the amount of gore present in the fight between Yamato and the evil boar. Looks like this animal isn't going down without a fight. The story seems to finish with the "tables have turned" type of move in which the boar is placed in the precarious position that Yamato was in.

The Labors of Yamato- The Sacred Sword: Losing an invincible sword isn't the best place to start for the hero in this story. Kwannon seems to play a role of circumstance by ensuring that Yamato can recover his sword by providing him with what he needs. Interestingly enough, it seems that Kwannon lets Yamato finish the job himself when the stag swims into the lake and the wolves retreat back into the forest.

The Faery Robe: Here's yet another example of an explanation for a natural phenomenon through the use of mythology. In this case, it's the fairy's relationship to the waxing and waning of the moon.

Urashima: I'm surprised to find a description of immortal living for a mortal. It's as if the elfin palace is a place where time does not pass and the day never advances. Wow, the story ends with such a loss of identity on Urashima's part. It's hard to imagine aging decades in an instant.