So this episode takes us through the stories about Amaterasu and her brother, Susanowo, particularly having to do with their meeting and conflict in the Plain of High Heaven, or Takama no Hara (高天の原). I’ll leave most things for the episode, but we’ll try to add a few things here.

First off, the children of Amaterasu and Susanowo, from their initial contest, are generally as follows. First, the three female deities:

Tagori hime, aka Takiri hime
Tagitsu hime
Ichikishima Hime, aka Miyajima, aka Sayori hime

Note that Okitsushima hime (the Princess of Oki Island) is either Tagori Hime (according to the Kojiki) or Ichikishima hime (according to the Nihon Shoki). Modern practice at Munakata Shrine appears to favor the Kojiki version. Ichikishima Hime no Mikoto is also considered Miyajima, the island in the Seto Inland Sea between Shikoku and Honshū where Itsukushima Shrine resides. You probably have seen a picture of the Torii, out in the middle of the water. Itsukushima Shrine, today, is a wonderful example of 12th century Shinden Zukuri architecture, attributed to Taira no Kiyomori. Traditionally said to have been founded in 593, the shrine is dedicated to all three of the deities, who are also enshrined in the Munakata Shrine.

Munakata Shrine is its own special place. It literally spans three islands. The Hetsu-gū is on Kyūshū, the Nakatsu-gū is on Ōshima, and the Okitsu-gū is all the way out on Okinoshima—Oki Island. In the case of Okinoshima, the island and the kami are one and the same (even though Oki island was also said to be one of the creations of Izanagi and Izanami, but we can leave that little discrepancy be for now). Sailors would leave gifts on Oki island since the earliest times, and many of these can now be seen in the treasure house of the main Munakata Shrine on Kyūshū. They have found swords, mirrors, coins, and all manner of objects that have been deposited there over the centuries.

The male children, made from Amaterasu’s jewels,

Masaya Akatsu Kachi Hayabi Ama no Oshihomimi, aka Katsu no Hahabi Ama no Oshihomimi, aka Masakatsu Akatsukachi Hayabi Ame no Oshihomimi, aka Masaka Akatsukachi Hayabi Ame no Oshihomimi: This deity seems to be named for Susanowo’s “victory” (katsu or kachi). In at least one example they were considered the ancestors of the Chieftains of Izumo, the Izumo no Ōmi. It might be worthwhile to point out here the term “Mimi” that we find in this name, something we see with some frequency. Was this, like hime and hiko, a title that was incorporated into some names? It certainly brings to mind the governor and deputy of Toma, or Zuma, who was known as Mimi and Miminari, according to the Weizhi.

Ama no Hohi: Ancestor of the Hashi no Muraji, the Musashi no Miyatsuko, as well as the Izumo no Ōmi, which still lays claim to Ama no Hohi as their ancestral kami. In fact, the descendants of the Izumo no Ōmi are still around, and are the traditional head priests, or guji, at Izumo Taisha, the Grand Shrine of Izumo. They even retain the ancient title of Izumo Kuni no Miyatsuko (出雲国造), though today they tend to use the on’yomi reading of Izumo Kokusō

Amatsu Hikone: The name of this deity is simply “Heavenly Prince”, and I can’t help but wonder if perhaps that is why so many families claim him as their ancestor. The list of families is as follows: the Ohoshikafuchi no Atahe, the Yamashiro no Atahe, the Tanaka no Atahe, the Nukadabe no Muraji, Mubaraki (in Hitachi) no Miyatsuko, the Umaguta no Miyatsuko, the Kihe no Miyatsuko, the Suhau no Miyatsuko, the Amuchi no Miyatsuko, the Takechi no Agata Nushi, the Kamafu no Inaki, and the Sakikusabe no Miyatsuko

Ikutsu Hikone: The “Prince of Life”, as his name is normally translated. There are no particular descendants mentioned for him.

Kumano no Kusubi, aka Kumano no Oshihomi, Kumano no Oshisumi; The name of this one is striking, as it would seem to have a connection to Kumano Shrine, where Susanowo himself is venerated as the chief kami.

Hi no Hayahi: In some stories, he is one of the male deities created from Amaterasu’s beads, but in another he is born from the blood of Kagatsuchi, the fire deity that was responsible for Izanami’s death and was later slain, in turn, by Izanagi. There are no families associated with this deity in the stories.

On Ancient Looms and Shuttles

Reconstruction of a loom at the Yoshinogari Yayoi site.

So I still can’t quite understand the whole incident with the shuttle. Early looms were likely backstrap looms, so called for the strap that would go around the weaver, acting as a tensioning device. These looms might be attached to a pillar or other such solid structure, and the weaver would likely sit on the ground—though possibly a bench or chair—leaning back to keep the warp threads taught. A shuttle—a device that holds the threads that will become the weft. The shuttle is put in at one side, the warp threads are moved, and the shuttle is sent through, again. For most looms, the width is determined by the weaver’s reach, as they would want to stay in one place to send the shuttle through. Of course, the shuttle is typically going back and forth, and then would probably have been put on either side. So it is difficult to understand how one would just “startle” and strike themselves between the legs. Still, weaving was clearly important, and was a pretty significant advancement back in the Yayoi period, along with metallurgy and agriculture.

References

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