According to Japanese myth, the goddess Amaterasu established the imperial family of Japan. She began by sending her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto (pronounced nee-nee-gee-noh-mee-KOH-toh), to live on earth. Before Ninigi left heaven, the goddess gave him the mirror that drew her from the cave, as well as jewels and a sword belonging to the god Susano-o. When Ninigi arrived on earth, he was accepted as the ruler of Japan, and the gifts he brought from Amaterasu became treasures of the imperial family. Ninigi married the goddess of Mount Fuji (pronounced FOO-jee), who bore him three sons. One of the sons was the father of Jimmu Tenno (pronounced JEEM-moo TEN-noh), the first historical emperor of Japan. By tradition, the Japanese imperial family traces its ancestry to Jimmu Tenno.
Curious at who this goddess might be, Amaterasu opened the door wider to look and saw her own image in the mirror. When she paused to gaze at her reflection, a god hiding nearby pulled her completely out of the cave. Another god then blocked the entrance with a magic rope. After Amaterasu emerged from the cave, her light shone once again, and life returned to normal. To punish Susano-o for his actions, the gods banished him from heaven.
The Izumo Cycle The Izumo Cycle of myths features the god Okuninushi, a descendant of Susano-o. One of the most famous stories is about Okuninushi and the White Rabbit.
According to this tale, Okuninushi had eighty brothers, each of whom wanted to marry the same beautiful princess. On a journey to see the princess, the brothers came upon a rabbit with no fur in great pain at the side of the road. They told the animal that it could get its fur back by bathing in saltwater, but this only made the pain worse. A little while later, Okuninushi arrived and saw the suffering rabbit. When he asked what had happened, the rabbit told him how it had lost its fur.
One day while traveling between two islands, the rabbit persuaded some crocodiles to form a bridge so it could cross the water. In return the rabbit promised to count the crocodiles to see whether they were more numerous than the creatures of the sea. As the rabbit neared the far shore, the crocodiles realized that the promise was only a trick to get the rabbit across the water. Furious, the last crocodile seized the rabbit and tore off its skin.
After hearing this story, Okuninushi told the rabbit to bathe in clear water and then roll in some grass pollen on the ground. The rabbit followed this plan, and new white fur soon grew on its body. The rabbit, who was actually a god, rewarded Okuninushi by promising that he would marry the beautiful princess. Okuninushi’s success angered his brothers, and a number of other myths in the Izumo Cycle tell about the struggles between them.
World History
