Living Myths by J.F. Bierlein

Author:J.F. Bierlein [Bierlein, J.F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-43438-8
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2012-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

Connections

The contest between Amaterasu and Susanowo is the story of the struggle between the creative and destructive. As in the tale of Kore, the gods become upset and all life is put in jeopardy. And this myth also functions as a myth of nature, a myth of human nature, and a “history of prehistory.”

As a nature myth, the story of Amaterasu in her cave is most often interpreted as a description of a solar eclipse. Traditionally the Japanese responded to a solar eclipse by singing songs of praise—the norito directed to Amaterasu. The story may also be the distant memory of an even greater darkness caused by volcanic activity, wherein the quantity of ash was so great that the sun seemed to disappear. Given the volcanic geography of Japan and the occurrence of this phenomenon even in our own time, this possible interpretation combines the nature myth with a history of prehistory.

We can see other interesting similarities to the nature myth of Kore. Amaterasu’s hiding in the cave was similar to Kore’s residing in the underworld, and in both myths there was the resulting death of vegetation; a connection between a goddess and agriculture; and the pleadings of the gods to save life on the earth.

This is also clearly a myth about both universal human nature and the nature of human relations in Japan. It is a clear statement of the tension between the destructive and the creative elements present in each of us, the ability of laughter to end darkness, and even the human search for justice. There is a symbolic death and resurrection as Amaterasu climbs down from the heavens to hide in the cave, causing all life to be in peril, only for life to flourish upon her return.

The Japanese, however, read this story differently. This is a story of the tension between personal feelings and one’s on (Japanese for duties, loyalties, and obligations). In the Japanese reading of this myth, the gods are perceived as acting to bring Amaterasu out of her personal anger in order to once again resume her on as sun goddess, thus completing her role and obligations in both the cosmos and the community of gods. Traditionally, the Japanese consider the fulfillment of on the essential statement of personal and social ethics; one’s identity is literally that of one’s on. Interestingly, not only humans and the gods have on, but trees, birds, and even the tiny bacteria that cause decay live out their prescribed on. The story seeks to establish this as a cosmic and not merely human principle. The on of the goddess Amaterasu is to have the sun shine for all of nature. The traditional Japanese ethic is that the order of the cosmos depends on the fulfillment of on.

This myth is also the prologue to the Japanese founding myth, wherein Amaterasu is the ancestress of the emperors and establishes the imperial on. The mirror and curved jewel that were used to lure Amaterasu from the cave are two of the three emblems of the emperor’s legitimacy.

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