Shinto (the Way of the Gods)Aston, W. G. (William George)
Religion
Shinto (the Way of the Gods)
Aston, W. G. (William George)
Shinto
"_Then there was there a man by name Kumano no Takakuraji, who had
a dream, in which Ama-terasu no Ohokami spoke to Take-mika-tsuchi
no Kami, saying: 'I still hear a sound of disturbance from the
Central Land of Reed-Plains. Do thou again go and chastise it.'
Take-mika-tsuchi no Kami answered and said: 'Even if I go not, I can
send down my sword, with which I subdued the land, upon which the
country will of its own accord become peaceful.' To this Ama-terasu no
Kami assented. Thereupon Take-mika-tsuchi no Kami addressed Takakuraji,
saying: 'My sword, which is called Futsu no Mitama, I will now place
in thy storehouse. Do thou take it and present it to the Heavenly
Grandchild.' Takakuraji said: 'Yes,' and thereupon awoke. The next
morning, as instructed in his dream, he opened the storehouse, and
on looking in there was indeed there a sword which had fallen down
(from Heaven), and was standing point upwards on the plank floor of
the storehouse. So he took it and offered it to the Emperor. Then
Ama-terasu no Oho-kami instructed the Emperor in a dream of the night,
saying: 'I will now send thee the Yata-garasu,[90] make it thy guide
through the land.' Upon which the Yata-garasu came flying down from the
Void, and served as a guide to the army._"
The progress of the Imperial troops being again obstructed by the
enemy, the Emperor prayed and then fell asleep. The Heavenly Deity
appeared to him in a dream, and instructed him to take earth from
within the shrine of the Heavenly Mount Kagu, and of it to make eighty
heavenly platters. Moreover, he was to make sacred jars, and therewith
sacrifice to the Gods of Heaven and Earth, pronouncing at the same
time a solemn imprecation. This had the desired effect of dispersing
the enemy. The Emperor proceeded to utter a vow, saying: "I will now
make _ame_[91] in the eighty platters, using no water. If the _ame_
forms, then shall I assuredly, without effort and without recourse to
arms, reduce the Empire to peace." The _ame_ became formed of itself.
Again he made a vow, saying:--
"'_I will now take the sacred jars and sink them in the River Nifu. If
the fishes, great or small, become every one drunken and are carried
down the stream like floating leaves, then shall I assuredly succeed in
establishing the land.' So he sank the jars in the river, with their
mouths turned downward, and after a while the fish all came to the
surface, gaping and gasping as they floated down the stream._"
The Emperor then commanded Michi no Omi, saying:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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