﻿THE 
  DRAGON 
  GOD 
  (DAI-JA) 
  IX 
  IDZUMO, 
  JAPAN. 
  A 
  

   JAPANESE 
  TALE 
  

  

  By 
  I. 
  M. 
  Casanowicz 
  

  

  Assistant 
  Curator, 
  Division 
  of 
  Old 
  World 
  Archeology, 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  

  

  Museum 
  

  

  The 
  Eev. 
  J. 
  C. 
  Calhoun 
  Newton, 
  President 
  Emeritus 
  of 
  Kwansei 
  

   Gakuin, 
  Union 
  Methodist 
  College 
  at 
  Kobe, 
  Japan, 
  in 
  forwarding 
  a 
  

   photograph 
  of 
  the 
  dragon 
  to 
  the 
  National 
  Museum, 
  wrote 
  to 
  F. 
  W. 
  

   Hodge 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  April 
  27, 
  1921 
  : 
  

  

  * 
  * 
  * 
  I 
  am 
  sending 
  under 
  another 
  cover 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  Dai 
  Ja 
  of 
  

   Idzumo 
  Shrine, 
  an 
  ancient 
  serpent 
  god 
  of 
  that 
  place. 
  

  

  Some 
  time 
  ago 
  an 
  enlarged 
  photograph 
  of 
  this 
  serpent 
  god 
  was 
  entrusted 
  to 
  

   Bishop 
  Walker 
  R. 
  Lambath, 
  D. 
  D., 
  with 
  the 
  request 
  that 
  he 
  deliver 
  it 
  to 
  

   Doctor 
  Hough, 
  and 
  will 
  you 
  kindly 
  pass 
  over 
  to 
  him 
  the 
  enclosed 
  description 
  

   of 
  it. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  [See 
  plate.] 
  

  

  An 
  abstract 
  of 
  President 
  Newton's 
  description 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  bears 
  

   on 
  this 
  serpent 
  cult 
  in 
  Japan 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Every 
  year 
  from 
  ancient 
  times 
  all 
  the 
  gods 
  in 
  Japan 
  assemble 
  at 
  "Ameno- 
  

   hizuminomiya." 
  in 
  Idzumo 
  Province, 
  for 
  the 
  marriage 
  conference. 
  This 
  is 
  

   the 
  reason 
  why 
  October 
  is 
  called 
  in 
  Japan, 
  especially 
  in 
  Idzumo, 
  the 
  "Assem- 
  

   bling 
  Month 
  of 
  the 
  Gods." 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  month 
  a 
  sea-god 
  named 
  " 
  Wadatsuminokami 
  " 
  sends 
  a 
  white 
  serpent 
  

   to 
  the 
  " 
  Inasa 
  Shrine 
  " 
  with 
  his 
  message. 
  On 
  his 
  way 
  the 
  serpent 
  is 
  found 
  by 
  a 
  

   certain 
  devotee 
  and 
  taken 
  into 
  the 
  shrine, 
  where 
  he 
  is 
  made 
  for 
  that 
  year 
  the 
  

   pacifier 
  of 
  storms, 
  fires, 
  and 
  floods. 
  

  

  This 
  legend 
  is 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  " 
  Susano 
  " 
  mythology. 
  Susanonomikoto, 
  the 
  

   son 
  of 
  Isanakinomikoto, 
  after 
  his 
  father's 
  death 
  goes 
  to 
  Idzumo. 
  This 
  terri- 
  

   tory 
  was 
  possessed 
  by 
  an 
  old 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  wife 
  named 
  "Ashinadzuchi 
  " 
  and 
  

   '• 
  Tenadzuchi," 
  at 
  this 
  time. 
  A 
  terrible 
  eight-headed 
  dragon 
  lived 
  there, 
  and 
  

   many 
  young 
  women 
  were 
  captured 
  by 
  him. 
  So 
  Susanonomikoto 
  killed 
  him 
  

   by 
  giving 
  him 
  a 
  strong 
  drink, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  save 
  the 
  old 
  couple, 
  and 
  then 
  he 
  

   married 
  the 
  daughter, 
  named 
  " 
  Kushinada 
  hime," 
  of 
  this 
  old 
  man 
  and 
  

   woman. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  " 
  Shinto 
  " 
  shrines 
  in 
  Idzumo, 
  the 
  one, 
  

   " 
  Yaegaki 
  Shrine," 
  dedicated 
  to 
  Kushinada 
  hime, 
  the 
  goddess 
  of 
  marriage, 
  and 
  

   the 
  other, 
  " 
  Kitsuki," 
  dedicated 
  to 
  " 
  Okuninushi. 
  - 
  * 
  son 
  of 
  Susano 
  Mikoto, 
  the 
  

   god 
  of 
  fortune. 
  

  

  Every 
  year, 
  from 
  the 
  11th 
  of 
  October 
  until 
  the 
  17th, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  festival 
  

   in 
  these 
  two 
  shrines, 
  and 
  during 
  those 
  days 
  there 
  was 
  once 
  a 
  dreadful 
  storm 
  in 
  

  

  No. 
  2587.— 
  Proceedings 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum, 
  Vol. 
  67, 
  Art. 
  15 
  

  

  29110—25 
  i 
  

  

  