szkoła-i-dom: Japanese mythology

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contact with Chinese and various Indian myths (such as Buddhist and Hindu mythology) are also key influences in Japanese religious belief. Japanese myths are tied to the topography of the archipelago as well as agriculturally-based folk religion, and the Shinto pantheon holds uncountable kami ("god(s)" or "spirits"). Two important sources for Japanese myths, as they are recognized today, are the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. The Kojiki, or "Record of Ancient…

Evidence: 82 • authority: 72

The Kojiki (古事記; Japanese pronunciation: [kó̞.(ɟ̟͡)ʑì.k̟ʲì, kò̞.(ɟ̟͡)ʑí.-], "Records of Ancient Matters" or "An Account of Ancient Matters"), also sometimes read as Furukotofumi or Furukotobumi, is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts dating as far back as 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the kami, and the Japanese imperial line. It is claimed in its preface to have been composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Genmei in the early 8th century (711–712), and thus is usually considered to be the oldest extant literary work in Japan. The myths contained in the Kojiki as well as the Niho…

Evidence: 42 • authority: 72

Susanoo (スサノオ; Japanese pronunciation: [sɨ̥.sä́.nó̞ò̞]; historical orthography: スサノヲ, 'Susanowo'), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto ([sɨ̥.sä́.nó̞ò̞ nò̞ mʲì.kò̞.tò̞]), is a kami in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory characteristics, being portrayed in various stories either as a wild, impetuous god associated with the sea and storms, as a heroic figure who killed a monstrous serpent, or as a local deity linked with the harvest and agriculture. Syncretic beliefs of the Gion cult that arose after the introduction of Buddhism to Jap…

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Yamata no Orochi (八岐大蛇, 八俣遠呂智, 八俣遠呂知; ヤマタノオロチ) is a legendary eight-headed and eight-tailed serpent that appears in Japanese mythology. Both the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki record that the kami Susanoo no Mikoto, in order to rescue Kushinadahime, defeated the serpent and that the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, was found within the serpent's tail. In local tradition, Yamata no Orochi was believed to have survived their encounter with Susanoo and fled to Mount Ibuki, where they were venerated as Ibuki Daimyōjin (伊吹大明神)). Additionally, figures such as Emperor Antoku and Longnü have been identified as incarnations of Yamato no Orochi.