Ino Okifu
It was after speculating about Jofuku and Jimmu that I was startled to find, courtesy of Wikipedia, that I was by no means the first to think that their stories may have overlapped. It turns out that a … Read the rest
Category: Mythology (Page 2 of 11)
(photos by John Dougill)
Mythological mystery
There are many fascinating mysteries in Japanese mythology, and one in particular has intrigued Green Shinto for years. Why would the heavenly deities choose to descend on Mt Takachiho … Read the rest
Green Shinto has written of the meaning of Setsubun before, and covered the bean-throwing rite at various Kyoto shrines (see here). But we have never been to Matsuo Taisha for Setsubun, and this proved to be the most enjoyable … Read the rest
Omoikane – Overcoming Numerous Difficulties with Wisdom
by Prof. Kikuko Hirafuji, director of the Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics at Kokugakuin University (article originally printed in The Japan News)
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Japan’s oldest book, the Kojiki dramatically illustrates the history … Read the rest
Kagura – Entertainment Fit for Gods
Following on from the theoretical research into Japan’s mythology in the last posting, exciting news comes of a new venue for theatrical performances of the main myths. The recently opened Osaka kagura space (Iwami
Our friend, the scholar Robert Wittkamp, has posted an illuminating paper on academia.edu posing the question, ‘Why does Nihon Shoki possess two books with myths but Kojiki only one’? (Click here to see the original paper. Last year he published … Read the rest
There’s a 25 minute video of kagura at Takachiho in Kyushu put out by NHK World, available for viewing over the coming year.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/special/episode/201902212330/
… Read the rest“KAGURA is a Shinto ritual to thank the gods for a bountiful harvest. Performances are held