MYTHOLOGY OF THE JAPANESE. 497 



An Ise Mairi. 



Now that Hades is enlightened by the knowledge of the present age, the souls of 

 the dead cross the river Sandzu * on steamers, while all places in the realm are 

 connected by a network of telegraph lines. The Jizo (idol of the Buddhists) who 

 reigns in Sai no kawara (where the souls of children go), disguised as a man of the 

 fashionable world, stands among the children in the dress of a modern school- 

 master. 



The last line is a sly cut at the village schoolmaster iu his foreign 

 clothes. 



BIRTH OF THE SUN CtODDESS AND OF SUSANO. 



Izauagi was detiled by his visit to Hades, and went to a river to 

 cleanse himself. Among the many kami which arose from each article 

 of clothing as he disrobed, and as he bathed, three only deserve ex- 

 tended notice. These are named Aniaterasu, the Sun-goddess; Tsuki- 

 yomi-no-kani, the Moon-god, and Susano-no-mikoto, one of the most 

 remarkable personages in this strange mythology. 



Amaterasu was born from the right eye of Izanagi. She was bright, 

 splendid, and was appointed to rule the Plain of High Heaven. She 

 received a necklace of precious stones, which reminds one of the mega- 

 tama and liidatama found in ancient Japanese tombs, and ascended to 

 heaven by the ame-no-mi-hashira, where she rules as the Sun-goddess. 

 From her, as we shall see, the Mikado traces his ancestry. 



Amaterasu is worshiped as the deity of the sun. The sun is itselt 

 regarded as the goddess visible, and yet there is some inconsistency of 

 views in this connection. Light and darkness were known before her 

 birth, for Izanagi required a torch in the under world. When we come 

 to the great myth of the Sun-goddess hiding in a cave, we shall be 

 told that darkness prevailed in heaven and earth until she again ap- 

 peared. 



The Moon-god was born from Izanagi's right eye,t and trom his 

 august nose was born Susano, who became ruler of the land. He was 

 a very impetuous and troublesome deity. Not being (juite satisfied 

 with his position he began to weep, "and the fashion of his weeping 

 was such as by his weeping to wither the green mountains into withered 

 mountains, and to dry up all the rivers and seas," and the sound of 

 bad deities "was like unto flies in the fifth moon." So Izanagi ex- 

 pelled him from the land, and he forthwith ascended to heaven, where- 

 upon all the mountains and all the country quaked, and the Sun- 

 goddess was alarmed by the great noise. But he said to her, "I have 

 no evil intent. It is only that when the Great-august-deity, our 

 father, spoke, deigning to inquire the cause of my weeping, I said : 



* The Buddhist Styx. 



t Some Japanese authors maintain that Susano was the Moon-god, born of Iza- 

 nagi's right eye. According to Chinese lore, the sun and moon were born from the 

 eyes of Puanku. 



SM 91, PT 2 32. 



