Reading Notes: Japanese Mythology Part A


This week’s reading was very interesting, especially since I had never really heard about or read Japanese mythology.

One of my favorite stories from this unit was the 8-forked serpent of Koshi. I read this earlier in the class, which is part of the reason that I liked it so much. Other reasons were I simply like fantasy stories where the main character is able to triumph over some huge monster through his wits alone. 

Furthermore, he wound up with a beautiful wife at the end of it, for his troubles – when stories like these end well with a heroes ending, it makes me think of an earlier time in my life. The types of stories that have “good” endings are ones that are looked highly upon by children.

I also liked the stories at the beginning, which described how life came to be through a flower that bloomed the Izanagi and Izanami, who then shaped the Earth with a spear, drawing up mountains and carving out valleys. The overall tone of the stories was mystical, ethereal in a sense. The gods/goddesses seemed serene and calm throughout the stories, giving them larger than life personalities.

Overall, the tones that came from these stories are rich and vivid, with great descriptions/names for things that connected the heavens and the Earth itself. The gods are able to do almost whatever they want, but are sentenced to do unseemly things by the other ones.


Izanagi and Izanani by Kobayashi Eitaku

"Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend" by E.W. and F. Champney

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