. . .
into a world of gods and myths.
|
GPS Navi |
We
rented a car with a GPS navigation system in Kumamoto for the next
three days of our getaway. I have sung the praises of a good GPS
system for traveling in unknown country before, and this one proved
its value for the extra cost of the rental fee. It really takes all
the guesswork and detours out of driving. I wouldn't travel by car
away from home without one.
|
high country around Mt. Aso |
Our
route took us through the high country of Mount Aso, an active
volcano in central Kyushu, to the city of Takachiho, which, according
to the Kojiki, is the place where Ninigi, the grandson of the sun
goddess Amaterasu, descended from heaven to plant rice and sire the
Imperial line of Japanese emperors. He is considered the First
Emperor. Thus, Japanese emperors claimed divine descent from
Amaterasu up until World War II, being forced to renounce their
divinity after the War.
|
Shirakawa Suigen shrine |
|
delicious, cool, clear spring water |
There
is a ropeway to the Mt. Aso crater but it was closed due to the high
level of activity in one of the vents which was spewing smoke and ash
several times a day. We simply bypassed the volcano (which is just a
series of undifferentiated peaks, no single dramatic conical shape
like Mt. Fuji), content with viewing it from a distance. To make up
for the mild disappointment of the undramatic Mt. Aso, we ran across
one of those little unexpected bonuses called Shirakawa Suigen.
(White River Spring Source)
From
this spring, 60 tons of water gush out every minute. The spring is
the source of the river. As is usually the case with such unusual
natural phenomena in Japan there is a Shinto shrine located near the
spring and a placid pool of unbelievably clear water with gentler
bubbles rising to the surface. The cool clear water is deliciously
drinkable.
Shirakawa Source
Bubbling Spring
|
Shirakawa (White River) |
And
so, on to the land of gods and myths as promised in the subtitle.
|
main altar with the mirror and 16-petal chrysanthemum logo of the Japanese emperors |
|
mirror symbol of the sun goddess (with me reflected in it) |
A
seminal legend of Amaterasu is said to be based in the Ame-no-Iwato
cave near the city of Takachiho. The myth goes like this: Amaterasu
had a fight with her brother Susanoo, the storm god. He destroyed her rice paddies and looms and she was so
angry that she decided to go down to earth to hide in a cave thereby
casting the world into darkness. Things being in a chaotic state the
other gods went looking for her and suspected she was hiding in a
certain cave by a river. To lure her out the gods gathered in front
of the cave and threw a “party”. Curious about the noise and
merriment, Amaterasu peered out and saw her own face in a mirror. She was then pulled out of the cave while
one of the strongest gods ripped the stones from the cave mouth and
threw them far away. Light, thus returned to the world.
|
statue of Tajikarao hurling the stone from Amaterasu's cave |
|
footpath along the river to the cave |
|
stack the stones and make a wish |
Naturally, we were curious to see
this cave and drove to the site, where, of course there is a Shinto
Shrine dedicated to Amaterasu. This shrine is authorized to display
the 16-petal Imperial Chrysanthemum since it is associated with the
Imperial line. The main altar features a round mirror, the symbol of
the sun goddess. A map indicates the path to the cave, which, on the
map looks fairly close by—an easy hike along the river through the
woods. It turned out to be quite a hike with a steep descent down to
the river with lots of steps and ups and downs along the path. But!
Eventually you come to a bend in the river with a cliff face
obscuring what's round the bend. Suddenly, as you walk around the
cliff this enormous cave is staring you in the face. There is a
rather primitive looking torii in the opening and as you approach you
find yourself in a forest of stones piled one on top of another all
around. My first impression was: “Ah, yes, I see.” A hiding place
for a truly majestic being. The stone piles are, of course, for
making wishes. You balance one stone on another without toppling them
and make your wish. If they topple, I suppose you don't get your
wish.
|
truly a cave fit for a goddess to hide in |
|
tough climb back calls for some rest and refreshment |
|
venue for the Kagura performance |
The
main thing on our itinerary for visiting Takachiho was to attend a
traditional dance performance called Kagura
(神楽;
"god-entertainment")
accompanied
by drums and bamboo flute at the Takachiho Shinto Shrine. It was the
culmination of our little journey into the world of gods and myths.
As it turned out, our trip to the Ame-no-Iwato, was the perfect
prelude to the Kagura dance. The dance performance was a rendition of
the cave story in mime, dance and music. Although these dances are
performed only by men in full costume and masks there was originally
it seems a far more risque version.
|
Shrine priest blandly talks
about tits and ass |
Before the start of the performance,
the Shrine priest made a little speech of welcome and explanation for
those not familiar with the topic of the dances. He was at pains to
point out that the dance of the goddess Ame-no Uzume, though
appearing quite chaste nowadays, was actually quite, as he put it
“etchi” (lewd), with the goddess behaving like a burlesque
stripper doing bumps and grinds in the nude and swinging and shaking
her “oppai” (tits) to the great amusement of the gods who were
engaged in what I can only imagine was an orgy. It was this wild
revelry that lured the sun goddess out of her cave. I suppose she
felt left out and wanted to join in the fun.
The
Dance of Ame-no-Uzume
(sorry, no video)
To be continued...
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