#entrance to Yomi from these caves
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BACKSTORY & PERSONALITY.
author's note: this is an amalgamation from various scholarly sources. i did not write her backstory from scratch !!
amaterasu came into being when izanagi washed his left eye as part of his purification following his visit to the underworld. as sun kami and ruler over the plain of high heaven, amaterasu was challenged by susanoo, who came to heaven after leaving his original realm of authority. the two kami engaged in a contest in the form of a trial by pledge but confident at having proved his innocence in the trial, susanoo went on a rampage, causing amaterasu to hide away in the rock cave and throwing the plain of high heaven into darkness and chaos.
BIRTH
from the mists of time emerged two deities, izanagi-no-mikoto and izanami-no-mikoto, the divine male and female gods of creation. seeking to fill the misty void, they devised the marriage ritual and engaged in sex, but had to repeat the ritual due to a mistake on izanami’s part. this second, successful attempt yielded a multitude of kami, spiritual beings representing the natural world and the islands of japan. the last of these beings—fire—subsequently killed izanami.
wrought with grief, izanagi journeyed to yomi, or “the shadowy land of the dead.” searching far and wide, he eventually found his wife and was shocked to find her rotting flesh full of oni and other demons. seeing his rejection of her, izanami flew into a rage and attempted to chase him past the gates of death; however, he managed to block the gates with a boulder. izanami swore that if he left her there, she would kill one thousand people every day. he replied that, each day, he would create five hundred more lives than she could destroy, thereby ensuring the survival of earth’s population.
disgusted by the taint of death that lay upon him, izanagi found a pool of pure water nearby and bathed himself in it. as he washed his left eye, amaterasu emerged, fully-grown and glowing with the light of the sun.
THE CAVE
though izanagi tasked all three of his children with ruling the heavens, amaterasu’s claim was strongest - as izanagi’s first born, she held the divine right to rule. the youngest of the three, susanoo, resented his elder sister’s right to rule and questioned it openly. eventually, susanoo’s arrogance led his father izanagi to banish him.
before his departure, susanoo went to bid his sister goodbye. when his actions were met with suspicion by amaterasu, susanoo issued a challenge to prove his sincerity. as the challenge began, susanoo took amaterasu’s necklace as she took his sword. using these vessels, they each birthed goddesses: amaterasu produced three goddesses from the heavenly blade while susanoo produced five gods from the grand jewel. since she owned the grand jewel and more gods were birthed from it, amaterasu claimed she had won the challenge.
outraged by her claim, susanoo went into a rampage, destroying much of heaven and earth. he annihilated amaterasu’s personal rice fields and threw animal carcasses about, even going so far as to throw a pony at her loom. one of amaterasu’s personal attendants died during the rampage, causing an already angry amaterasu to mourn as well. ashamed that her actions had led to such chaos, she fled to a cave now known as ama-no-iwato, the heavenly rock cave. with amaterasu in hiding, the world plunged into darkness and chaos. thus began the first winter, a hard time for a world used to basking in the sun.
the kami looked down upon the world and, seeing the chaos left in amaterasu’s absence, decided they must bring her back. though they asked her to return and described the chaos caused by her absence, amaterasu refused to listen and blocked the cave entrance with a rock. after almost a year, wise omoikane determined that if she would not come out of her own volition, they would have to lure her out with curiosity. to this end, a grand party was thrown.
the plan worked, as the music, dancing, and joyous cries of the gods did indeed peak amaterasu’s attention. the noise intensified when the dawn goddess ame-no-uzume performed a particularly revealing dance. curious, amaterasu drew closer to the cave entrance and there discovered an eight-fold mirror. fascinated by the light of her own reflection, amaterasu at last came to the mouth of the cave. it was at that moment omoikane drew back the stone that blocked the entrance.
as he did so, amaterasu’s light reentered the world, illuminating the chaos that had been left in her wake. winter ended at last, and spring and summer brought life back to japan. ashamed, she begged forgiveness for her actions. it was given freely, for susanoo’s behavior had been nothing less than abhorrent. his banishment was henceforth carried out, and amaterasu returned to heaven. she later reconciled with her brother, who gave her the heavenly blade as a gift.
THE EMPEROR’S ANCESTOR
in time, amaterasu sent her grandson ninigi to rule the earthly realm after her son refused. she gave him the imperial regalia, which helped ninigi to establish a kingdom of justice and harmony. his great-grandson jimmu became the first emperor of japan, and ruled with the imperial regalia as a sign of his divine right and lineage.
having established her preeminence in this way, amaterasu and takamimusuhi decided to entrust rule of the "central land of reed plains" to the first of her five sons. she then ordered the other kami of heaven to enter negotiations with the various kami of the land. once the central land was pacified, the mission of heavenly descent (tenson kōrin) was passed from amenooshihomimi to his son (amaterasu's grandchild) ninigi , and amaterasu entrusted to him her mirror, which was to serve as her personal "spirit vessel".
rule by amaterasu's divine descendants was generally secured by the reign of emperor sujin (legendary reign 97-30 b.c.e), during which time amaterasu's "spirit vessel," the divine mirror was entrusted to the worship of the priestess toyosukiirihime. during the reign of the next emperor suinin, the medium yamatohime no mikoto left the imperial palace in the role of amaterasu's "divine spirit staff", and enshrined the mirror at isuzu no miya in ise, the shrine which later became known as ise jingū (grand shrines of ise).
PERSONALITY
amaterasu, the radiant sun goddess of shinto mythology, is a vibrant embodiment of joy, warmth, and positivity. despite her immense celestial power and divine status, she exudes an infectious bubbly energy that uplifts all who bask in her radiant presence.
her personality is akin to the gentle warmth of the morning sun, greeting each new day with boundless enthusiasm and a cheerful demeanor. she possesses an innate optimism that sees the beauty and potential in every moment, infusing even the darkest of times with a glimmer of hope.
amaterasu's positivity is not merely superficial; it is deeply rooted in her genuine love and compassion for all beings. she delights in spreading joy and laughter wherever she goes, whether through playful antics with her celestial companions or by bestowing her divine blessings upon the mortal realm.
despite her playful nature, amaterasu also possesses a wise and nurturing spirit. she serves as a guiding light for those who seek her counsel, offering sage advice and gentle encouragement to navigate life's challenges. her wisdom is as radiant as her light, illuminating the path for others to find their own inner strength and resilience.
above all, amaterasu's bubbly and positive personality stems from her profound connection to the natural world and the cosmic order. she sees herself not as a distant deity to be worshipped from afar, but as a friend and ally to all who dwell beneath her radiant gaze. in her presence, even the most weary souls find solace and renewal, for she is a beacon of hope and positivity that shines brightly throughout the heavens.
SACRED ITEMS
amaterasu is often associated with various sacred and symbolic items that reflect her divine attributes and influence over the natural world.
yata no kagami (the sacred mirror): one of the three imperial regalia of japan, the yata no kagami is a legendary mirror that is said to have been gifted to amaterasu by her brother susanoo. it symbolizes wisdom, truth, and self-reflection. amaterasu is often depicted holding or associated with this mirror, signifying her role as a guiding light and source of enlightenment.
yasakani no magatama (the sacred jewel): another of the three imperial regalia, the yasakani no magatama is a comma-shaped jewel symbolizing purity, harmony, and prosperity. it is often depicted alongside the yata no kagami and the kusanagi no tsurugi (the sacred sword) as part of the imperial regalia set. while not as commonly associated with amaterasu as the mirror, the jewel represents her benevolent influence and the abundance she bestows upon the world.
shimenawa (sacred rope): a sacred rope made of rice straw or hemp, the shimenawa is used in shinto rituals to mark sacred spaces and ward off evil spirits. amaterasu's connection to the sun and her role as a divine guardian make the shimenawa a fitting symbol for her protection and blessing. it is often hung around sacred objects or spaces associated with her worship, such as shrines and temples.
sun disk: in artistic representations, amaterasu is frequently depicted with a radiant sun disk behind her head or as a crown, symbolizing her status as the sun goddess and the source of light and warmth in the cosmos. the sun disk emphasizes her divine radiance and celestial power.
sacred fan: sometimes referred to as the hahakigi, the sacred fan is a symbolic item associated with various shinto deities, including amaterasu. it is believed to have the power to summon winds and breezes, as well as to dispel negativity and bring blessings. amaterasu may be depicted holding a fan to symbolize her authority over the elements and her ability to bring about positive change.
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So I read your Susanoo theory and OH BOY my head is filled with thoughts, particularly around Father escaping the underworld/cheating death. I think that maybe Father could have killed Susanoo (who was supposed to be guarding Yomi) in the process of escaping his death and since Susanoo would reincarnate as an impressionable child, Father decided to manipulate his reincarnation since he would essentially be easy pickings with no memory of his murder.
Hi Anon!! I’m just gonna put down some random musings that came to mind from your comment as opposed to fully fleshed out theory ideas and if you feel so inclined I would love to hear back on your thoughts!!
Gah, I love this line of thinking. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Inome Cave at all, but it’s an entrance to Yomi mentioned in the Izumo Fudoki that can be found of the coast of Izumo province and “funny” enough, we’ve already seen it in Noragami. It’s the cave Iwami was in front of during the Yomi arc! I love this, because it’s one of the few times through the series that directly talks about the sea.
I am a bit curious if Adachitoka intends to make Inome Cave, Ne no Kuni (associated with Susanoo and has been been considered similar to Yomi) the sake of Noragami- though they are not the same thing. Earlier this week I was reading an article and they brought up a very interesting idea… that Ne no Kuni is associated with revival because of the story where Okuninushi returns from Ne no Kuni with Suseribime after undergoing Susanoo’s trials. Wouldn’t that be something?!! (Color photo from the Inome Cave Google page)
Regarding your comments about father reincarnating Yato and manipulating that incarnation, I ABSOLUTELY AGREE. Kugaha has supplied us with some strange little tid bits that need to be revisited.
If I may ramble for a moment, we’ve seen Ayakashi named with the brush, we’ve seen shinki named with the brush, and we’ve seen Kugaha imply he intended to name a god. He intended to force the hand of the people and cause those wishes to stop flowing through to Bishamon, so that HE could become her guiding light, so he could turn her into the god he wanted her to be. This is also the same man whom has stated that the masked ones are not regular Ayakashi, and they must obey the orders given by the crafter. Where did he learn all this? Who taught him these things?
Yato’s father…
Also this concept makes me think of Tenjin’s comments about how only humans are capable of creating the simple. Nature creates plenty of “complex structures” as he says. Things we as humans cannot even begin to wrap our minds around. It’s very human to imagine those things as simply “calamity” because we have yet to wrap our minds around their function within the universe’s ecosystems. Wouldn’t you say?
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Reddened Love (Tsukuyomi x Reader)
This story was requested by anon a couple days ago, and I accidentally wrote waaaay too much for this so it became it's own fic ;P
I really enjoyed writing this, so I hope it was to your liking anon! <3
The request can be found here.
Notes: This story takes place after the events of Akaza's good ending. And- you are not Olympia! There are next to no story spoilers, except for a non-important scene featuring Tsukuyomi at the end of the game.
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"(Y/N), are you going down to Yomi today?"
"Lord Jigen! Yes, I am. I am in need of more... supplies." You fidgeted with your somewhat darkened red hair to imply what you meant. You sighed when you saw the colour come off on your fingers, and hid your hands within your long sleeves once more.
Jigen gave you a kind smile, knowing what you meant.
"Of course. Enjoy your walk."
Every 3 months, the colour that had been painted into your (h/c) hair started to fade and come out, much to your dismay. It had already been 4 months since you last got the dye needed for your hair, so today you needed to make your annual trip to visit the lone man that lived deep underneath Yomi.
(Why am I the only one who has to do this...? Jigen, Douma, and Tokisada don't have to go through the same thing....)
You heaved out another sigh at your predicament. As usual, Tsukuyomi had never told you why you had to do this- why you had to hide your real identity- that you were an outsider. None of the other outsiders had to hide. So why did you?
The scarf you had gently and elegantly wrapped around your deep red locks swayed in harmony with the cold autumn breeze. You shivered as the wind pierced your sweater, the cold seeping deep into your bones.
"A-Ah, good afternoon Riku."
"May I see your pass?"
You gave a hurt smile at the blue haired soldier.
"Always the perfect soldier, huh? You always act like you don't know me even though everyone knows we've been friends for a long time."
"......" Riku averted his eyes.
"Well, whatever. Here's the pass, soldier boy."
"...Go ahead."
And with those words, your feet carried you down the steps and into the depths of the underground world. You rubbed the tips of your hair to shed the old dye that clung to you, as to not appear quite as.... red, to the residents with no "good" colour.
You pulled the scarf around your hair closer to you, and kept your reddened eyes cast downward. Another 'gift' from Tsukuyomi to help you blend in with the red.
You hurried down the main street, thankfully blending into the crowd of various colours easily enough on your way to the spa.
"Oh! (Y/N)! Here to see Tsu again?" Camellia cried out to you from the front steps.
You nodded, smiling at the doll.
"Yep. I know I'm a month late, but I was being invited to date after date.... so many suitors that I can't take."
"I'm sure one of them wouldn't mind your colour! Hey, what colour do you even think you-"
"That's enough, Camellia. Let her see him; he's worried." Yosuga's voice interrupted the doll, and it was then that you had noticed he was standing with the doors open.
"Oh! That's right! (Y/N)- Tsu was worried about you!"
Your brows furrowed in confusion, unable to picture the always calm and serene Tsukuyomi actually worried about you.
"Really? Tsukuyomi?"
Yosuga laughed at your reaction.
"Yes, I know it's hard to believe so you better hurry down."
"Uhh... right. Excuse me then..." You said, walking past both friends and towards the back rooms.
The cold, stagnant air of the deepest part of Yomi hit you like a brick- it always did when you came to see him. But today, it seemed so much colder then usual.
You never understood how the things down here could grow like they do- the grass, the trees... even the spring that sat in the center of this weird cave-like area shone like it reflected the brilliance of the moon.
You walked up to the lone house that sat far from the entrance to the lonely cave, and moved the curtains to the side to enter the home.
"Tsukuyomi?" You called out, placing your bag down beside the door.
Whenever you came for the hair dye, Tsukuyomi asked you to stay for tea- but he had never not been present when you arrived. What was he doing?
"Ah- (Y/N)!"
A smile erupted on his face the moment he saw you, as he stood in the doorway to the rest of the building.
"It has been a while. I am very glad to see you are alright."
He held his arms out, and you already knew what he wanted.
You nodded, giving him a smile as you walked up to his embrace.
"It has been. Sorry I couldn't come sooner,
there was never a good time to step away from the red for a day.... everyone wants me for some reason, and apparently this month it was all of the bachelors in the district..."
His arms were wrapped around you protectively, and upon finishing your sentance you swore you could feel them tighten ever so slightly around your form.
The mysterious man didn't say a word in response. Instead, after a few more moments in his warm embrace he pulled away, looking down at you.
His hand, hidden by his sleeve, came up to push away the scarf from your hair. He looked troubled.
"I was worried about you. I feared that you had been discovered."
You shook your head, pulling the scarf from your head and folding it up neatly in your hands.
"No no, nothing like that. I'm sorry to make you worry."
His troubled look didn't disappear, however. His white sleeve stroked your sideswept hair, seeing the colour powder leave it's traces on the bright cloth. You felt him hover my your cheek, before he lowered his hand once more.
"Come. You must remove the colour immediately."
"Huh?"
Suddenly, he turned and vanished deeper into the building- which you could only presume was his house. You had never been inside it before- and you doubted anyone else had either. Your heartbeat quickened as you followed his fleeting figure down a hallway before watching him dart into a room.
You took in a deep breath, before following him into the only room who's door was open.
..........
"...Huh?"
Tsukuyomi was bent over something that reflected the candles that surrounded it. A container of water? But upon hearing your shock, he stood up straight and turned to you with his usual gentle smile.
You could see his sleeve was wet- where he had watched the powder stain the pristine white cloth beforehand.
"The water is comfortable. I assume this will be sufficent for you to cleanse yourself?"
You blinked. Once. Twice.
"Huh???"
"I will find you spare clothes. You may leave your current clothes next to the water."
And with that, he walked right past you and left before you could say a word, shutting the door swiftly behind him.
.....Did he really want you to bathe? Here??? Why so suddenly????
The container of water- a deep brown coloured circular bathtub- sat in the center of a large room lit with lanterns. Candles adorned the perimeter, giving a beautifully peaceful atmosphere to the scene.
Potted plants lined the area, making it almost seem like the bath was instead a beautiful spring in the middle of a forest. Perhaps that was what it was meant to look like.
You stepped up to the... bath, seeing the beautifully clear and shining water rest still within the tub. You met your reflection in the liquid,
.......
(.......HE WANTS ME TO GET NAKED!?)
The revelation hit you like a stray dodgeball- and your face erupted into a deep scarlet.
The thin wooden door shifted to the side behind you, and you turned to see Tsukuyomi carrying neatly folded clothing, placing them on a nearby bush that stood out from the rest of the greenery- almost like it was meant to hold things.
"Do not worry, my (Y/N). The water is taken from the spring on Tennyo island, and is blessed by Amatersau herself."
"T-Tennyo island?! I-I really don't think I s-should be... uh..."
You stared at the beautiful reflection of the room in the water, trying to figure out what this ever-mysterious man was thinking.
"You must cleanse yourself, my dear. This water is safe for you. As is this place."
"U-Uh...."
You stiffened immediately as you felt Tsukuyomi's sleeved hands on your shoulders, slipping your sweater off your shoulders.
"....."
You seriously couldn't understand what was going on in his head. Why did you have to 'cleanse' yourself? Why do you need to remove the dye from your hair so urgently? Usually you just did it once you got back home and then reapplying the fresh dye he gave you....
You had let him take the sweater from your cold body, but upon feeling the soft cloth of his sleeves on your waist, you instantly pulled yourself away from him, turning to him with a
blush.
"I-I can do it myself!"
He looked downward, a smile on his face.
"So be it."
The two of you stood there for what felt like an eternity, as you waited for him to leave. Clearly, he wasn't about to let you get out of this.
"U-Uh...? Tsukyomi? Aren't you going to.. uh... leave?"
"Ah, that is what you are worried about."
He looked upwards with a smile, and you still couldn't tell what was going on behind that deep golden eye of his.
"I will not do anything you are uncomfortable with."
"But I'm not comfortable taking off my clothes here....!"
"That, I am afraid, is not a choice."
He looked downward again, a troubled look crossing his features for a moment before he looked back up at you.
"Would you prefer me to help-"
"-NO!"
Your voice reverberated around the room, your resounding decline of his offer coming out a bit louder then intended.
"...No." You reaffirmed, but calmer this time. "I-I'm ok."
You took in a deep breath, your hands going to the hem of your shirt as you turned away from his gaze.
...Was he seriously going to stay here??? Why?????
You turned around again, intending to voice your questions to the man who insisted on your bath.
"Why do I have to-"
His sleeve suddenly came to your lips, and you narrowed your eyes on his outstretched arm before looking back up at him.
All he did was give you his usual, beautiful smile.... and that's when you felt it.
Gentle, but cold fingers on your hip. They curled under the hem of your shirt and lifted it up slowly, his other hand pulling away from your lips and revealing itself to meet the other side of your shirt.
Your breath felt caught in your throat, as all you could do was stand there and blush as Tsukuyomi disrobed you.
(....ok. There's no use fighting this. He's always been... a little weird like this. He probably... doesn't mean anything.... by this... right?)
You steeled yourself, and allowed him to do as he wished. You gave in, and lifted your arms above your head. The hair on your neck raised at the feeling of his cold, pale fingers grazing the sensitive flesh of the top of your breast.
Finally, your shirt was discarded, and Tsukuyomi took the fabric and folded it neatly, placing it on another bush close to the bath.
As he did so, you moved to turn your back to him, swiftly taking off your pants and panties in one motion, but the man turned back to you before you could fold the denim.
You could feel his gaze pierce your back, and you couldn't help but shudder. You went to move your hands to your back, standing awkwardly, but instead you felt Tsukuyomi's cold fingers graze against the top part of your back, right underneath your neck. You froze.
"You haven't taken the proper precautions to prevent staining of your skin."
His voice was soft, but there was a hint of something almost.... sinister, angry- in the way he said it.
"I-I uh.... I tried. But it's difficult to-"
Before you even realized it, your bra fell away from your chest, and you could feel the intense heat burning away at your cheeks.
"Get in."
Was he... angry?
You assumed that you had accidentally gotten dye on your neck when you had last used it, but shouldn't it have washed out by now? And why would he be mad over that? He sounded like he always did when he spoke, but you couldn't help but feel something buried beneath the calm of his voice.
You moved swiftly into the water, sinking your cold flesh deeper and deeper into the clear bath. The water was surprisingly warm and comforting.
Tsukuyomi watched as you submersed yourself, his piercing gaze eyeing your every move.
You sat down on the rounded protuding edge at the bottom of the bath, your body tense under Tsukuyomi's stare.
(.....he's still here.)
You turned to meet his gaze, finding him taking off his robe.
....WAIT WHAT!?
"U-Uh- wait a second-!" You cried. What the hell was he doing!? He wasn't seriously going to get in with you was he!?
Your face burned with heat, as you realized just what you got yourself into.
But.... the pale man stayed quiet, and the only thing he took off were his
robes.... underneath, he wore a simple tank top. His skin was unbelievably pale.
You averted your gaze quickly- realizing you were staring right at him. Your cheeks maintained their reddened state.
Your thoughts raced, trying to figure out what was going on and if this was really the Tsukuyomi you knew. He... definitely wasn't acting like it.
The man walked up to the edge of the bath, bending over slightly to dip his hands into the warm water.
"Did you think I was going to join you?" He spoke huskily into your ear. You felt a shiver go down your spine as you felt his breath on your skin.
You were sure the look on your face said it all, and you knew that your eyes were as big as saucers.
"Tsu... this isn't funny..."
You felt water run down your shoulders, your neck, your back.... and realized that Tsukuyomi was moving to cover the areas of your skin that had yet to touch the water.
'Tsu' remained silent, even after your objection. You tried to break the awkward silence.
"I-I.... uh... can do it myself..." You said, but he made no movement to stop.
He was gentle, and all you could hear was the steady pouring of water as it fell from his hands and onto your skin.
You could see the water slowly turning red, no doubt from the dye that had apparently stained your skin.
You felt his hands rub into the muscles of your shoulders, his fingers nimble and experienced. His hands slowly moved up your neck, and you felt your hair shift from his presence.
With his other hand, he poured water over your head, and stroked your hair to pull out the remaining red powder that clung to your locks.
Finally, your natural hair colour was revealed once again- something that nobody but you and him had ever seen.
"This red does not suit you."
"Huh?"
"No colour of this island would suit you."
"Uh...."
He seemed to pick up the pace a little bit, working swiftly yet ever gentle to remove the dye.
"I much prefer your natural appearance."
Ah... that's what he was getting at.
Maybe... now you could ask him why you had to dye your hair?
You voiced your question to him, and for a moment he stopped. His hands remained on your head and in your hair, and suddenly he removed himself from you.
But- soon after your face was covered in water that had been poured over your head. Tsukuyomi had been careful to not get water in your face before... until now, that is.
"Hey!"
You swiftly turned around and shot him a glare, water dripping from the hair that now covered your face. But he simply gave you a playful smile.
"Your natural beauty had to be hidden."
The glare that painted your expression swiftly disappeared, and was replaced with shock and a little bit of embaressment.
"What?"
Tsukuyomi continued to smile.
"You needed to be protected from the people of this island. And in order to do so, you had to become one of them."
Your brows furrowed.
"Wait... why? Why did I need to be protected? The other outsiders were fine...."
Your question was simply left unanswered- but Tsukuyomi's smile seemed to widen just a little bit.
The water around you glimmered with a dull shade of deep pink from the dye that you had been freed from. Orange flickered on the surface from the candles that surrounded you... and infront of you, the only thing you could see in the pale man's deep golden eye was your reflection.
"Recent events have made me realize that you are no longer safe from the people of this land. So I shall be taking you into my care permanently." He said with a look of concerned thought, his eye lowering to the ground for a moment.
"Huh!?"
Water splashed around you at your sudden movement, as you turned your entire body towards the man; making sure to keep your chest below the edge of the bath.
Tsukuyomi turned his eye back to you, and it seemed to almost shine in the candlelight.
"I do not wish for others to defile you. Here, I can protect you, and ensure that you are treated with love."
"...love!?"
That damned ever-present smile. The one that never betrayed his thoughts. That damned, beautiful smile.
His hand came up to your
cheek, still wet from the water.
"I do not wish for anyone else to touch you... I shall be the only one to do so. And I shall be the only one to know your true beauty."
His hand was still cold, but.... it felt warmer then it did before.
Your heart pounded away in your chest- it felt like it could burst out at any moment.
Too soon however, Tsukuyomi pulled his hand away, and he looked down once more with a look of deep thought, his hand now on his chin.
"I know I am being selfish..." He mumbled so quietly you almost didn't catch it. And you almost missed the flicker of sadness within his eye as well, but it lingered for just a moment too long.
He looked back up at you, his smile returned.
"Camellia informed me that I had to find something to live for."
And there it was- his hand back upon your cool cheek. It didn't feel cold anymore. His hand was warm and comforting; and you could feel the gentle care behind his touch.
"At first, I had resigned myself to looking after a sapling that had sprouted. But... then you appeared."
Ah... that day that you had washed ashore. Tsukuyomi had found you, and brought you back to his home to nurse you back to health. You barely remembered that time- but you know it was soon after that that he decided you needed to hide your identity.
"I do not wish to lose you.... I want to protect you from those who would do only harm to you."
The blush returned to your cheeks, and you averted your eyes from his. You... had no idea he felt this way. Was this why you had to hide your true identity from everyone? Surely some people could be trusted, but.... Tsukuyomi didn't think so.
"Tsu..." You mumbled; a start to a thought unfinished.
Before you could process what was happening, Tsukuyomi leaned in and pressed his lips to yours. It was light- a true ghost of a touch. And as swiftly as he had kissed you, it ended. He pulled himself away from you, and turned away to do something.
You looked down at the dull reddish-pink water around you, and your hand came up to your lips. It was as if you could still feel his cold touch.
Your hand reached up into your hair, running through your wet head before bringing it back down to look at your palm. Sure enough, not a trace of the powdered dye was left. And from the looks of it, the dye was dissolving rapidly in the water around you.
When you looked back up at Tsukuyomi, he had returned to wearing his robes, and was holding out the spare clothing he had brought for you earlier.
Your eyes came to rest on the cloth in his hands, and.... it seemed to be similar to his. Red on white, with bits of yellow here and there.
The smile he gave you felt different then before. Like.... it was filled with love. His eye was gentle as well, looking at you with affection.
"Dry yourself, and I shall help you into your clothing."
Again with the whole 'being naked infront of him' thing...
You took a deep breath, giving in to him as you pulled your body up on shaky legs.
You swiftly stepped out of the bath, and grabbed a nearby towel that the man before you had laid out for you.
The white towel was quickly stained red from the remaining water and dye on your skin, but Tsukuyomi didn't seem to mind. You took a portion of the towel that hadn't been stained quite as much and ran it through your hair, trying to put it into it's usual place as much as you could.
All the while Tsukuyomi watched you with that loving, affectionate smile.
When you finished drying your body, you continued to hold the towel close to you, covering your naked form.
Tsukuyomi moved to unfold the cloth he had prepared for you, placing it over your shoulders. It was warm, and... smelled like him.
His face was suddenly next to yours, his breath hot on your ear.
"I will take care of you. Whatever you desire, I will provide."
His lips, warmer then they were before- pressed against your cool, damp cheek.
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For the Kiss Ship Ask! Ming Xiao/Nines, 38: because they're running out of time
@vampemoqueen oh thank you so much for this prompt and I’m sorry it took so long, the story got away from me! 😅 I hope it’s enjoyable regardless.
Nines looked over his shoulder for what felt like the fifteenth hundredth time to confirm that he was truly alone in the back alleys of Chinatown. He appeared to be so, but when Kindred or Kuei-jin disciplines were involved, he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. However, Nines didn’t have a choice, aside from trusting his instincts that he wasn’t unintentionally leading one of his or Ming Xiao’s enemies right into the heart of the Kuei-jin Temple, he had to warn Ming Xiao about the chaotic shit-storm that was heading her way.
Upon reaching the dead end of the alley, Nines tugged the hood of his grey hoodie more over his face and scanned his surroundings once more before pressing a few bricks in a particular order, causing a passageway to be revealed. Nines quickly slipped inside and flipped the switch to reclose the opening, leaving him in near darkness. Not a problem, thanks to his recently learned ability to see in the dark.
The passageway itself was made of long winding caves that led to different rooms of Ming Xiao’s inner sanctum. A person could get easily lost or fall into the numerous traps hidden throughout if they didn’t know the proper way. Ming Xiao had showed Nines the path to take to her bedroom when their secret arrangement had turned into something more than either of them could have imagined.
It had started out as a means of necessity, both of them were in a bad state after the war, and the Camarilla and the Sabbat had rolled in to take advantage. Nines knew that he couldn’t trust either sect as far he could throw them, and he felt it was better to go with the devil that fought the hardest than the devil coming into town with collars, so he had ended up wearily accepting Ming Xiao’s invite to meet and had agreed to an alliance with her. It had proved useful, since it turned out that snake, LaCroix, had contacted Ming Xiao to make a pact. He had wanted her help in framing Nines for the murder of the Malkavian primogen, Grout, and Ming Xiao had been able to warn Nines ahead of time. They had managed to foil that little scheme by luring an old foe of LaCroix’s to Grout’s mansion and letting the hunter get to work. The plan had been to make sure that the Camarilla did most of the work in dealing with the Sabbat, while Ming Xiao investigated the Camarilla’s true strength and looked for what cracks Nines could exploit to pry the sect apart from the inside. It had worked out very well, Strauss and LaCroix had been quickly drawn at odds; if they were lucky, the Camarilla would collapse in on itself within a year, give or take.
However, Nines knew he had to keep this partnership a secret as most Anarchs would rather lick LaCroix’s shoes clean or cut off pieces of themselves for the Archbishop than team up with the Kuei-jin. Understandable, given their deeply bitter history, and Nines had felt the same way before understanding the Kuei-jin better. But now knowing that Kindred and Kuei-jin were not so unlike in the grand scheme of things despite their differences, he couldn’t demonise them in his mind anymore. Sure, he wasn’t able to forgive what the Kuei-jin had done to the Anarchs when they first arrived in LA but couldn’t entirely hate them either, though funny enough, love was somehow on the table.
If anyone were to know about the depths of Nines’ feelings for Ming Xiao, then they would say that she had seduced him and had him wrapped around her little finger, if they hadn’t first called him a traitor to everything Jeremy MacNeil had stood for. And they wouldn’t be entirely wrong, Nines knew that he was betraying everything the Anarch Movement and MacNeil had fought for by allying and falling in love with the enemy. But he also knew that MacNeil, Garcia and Fortier were hypocrites. MacNeil had run, and Garcia and Frontier had made deals with the Kuei-jin, leaving the Anarchs to the mercy of their enemies.
When Nines had first gotten to know Ming Xiao, he had had so much anger towards his former idols and self-hatred within himself that it had been suffocating, but Ming Xiao had helped him through it when he had eventually let her. And Nines had shown Ming Xiao how she was losing her way. She was meant to be punishing evil, and the supposed Sixth Age was the greatest evil of them all, but she had been hurting her own charges by empowering the weakened Tong and committing other cruelties in an effort to gain control over the city, telling herself that the ends justified the means.
There had been fierce arguments between them at first that had left Nines thinking that he had blown their alliance, but they had always found a way to make up by talking about it afterwards. In fact, Nines found that he enjoyed their many long discussions. They were messy and challenging, but he liked that about Ming Xiao, she didn’t make it easy for him, and he could tell that she was loving him for bringing new ideas to the table even if she resisted them at first.
And well, there were just times that he had sat there completely entranced by Ming Xiao’s cultured voice, smiling at the light blush that appeared on her cheeks when she noticed how intently he was listening to her. Then came the light touches. Ming Xiao’s hand had always seemed to find Nines’, or his shoulder or knee, her warmth terribly intoxicating, and soon his lips had begun to ache to be touched by hers. When they did eventually kiss and ended up in her bed, Nines knew that he had fallen for Ming Xiao hard and would never, ever want to let her go.
Which was why he was here. LaCroix’s and Strauss’s rivalry was reaching a breaking point over the sarcophagus and the discovery that the Kuei-jin had the key in their possession, and they were planning an attack on the temple tomorrow evening. Nines knew that there was no way he could speak out against this raid, the thirst for vengeance within every Anarch was too strong for them to be swayed by words. There was no choice but to warn Ming Xiao to get herself and the Kuei-jin out of the city tonight.
Finally, after carefully traversing the rocky passageway, Nines reached a lever and quickly tugged it, the wall in front of him opening up, revealing the beautifully decorated bedchamber on the other side. Everything was exactly as it had been when Nines had been here last, but the air was too still for comfort. Something was wrong.
At first, Nines thought that the bedroom was empty until he noticed the shape of a woman through the canopy’s nearly translucent drapes and quickly rushed over to part them. His heart sank at the sight of Ming Xiao laying on her back with her eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling and a metal stake lodged in her chest. Nines scrambled onto the bed, immediately pulled the stake out and held her as she let out a sharp gasp, life returning to her limbs.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here now,” Nines soothingly told Ming Xiao while stroking her hair and back and warming his blood as she trembled and clung onto his arms.
“Nines what are you doing here? Has the battle already started?” she asked wearily, in between breaths.
“What do you mean, what the hell is going on? Why were you staked?”
Ming Xiao let out a breath of relief, “Oh good, it hasn’t been that long since Tai staked me, your Anarchs have a chance then.” She took a moment to close up her chest wound before explaining further, “Tai, my second-in-command, has pulled off a coup. He’s managed to turn most of my court against me, citing that I have become too soft in trying to reach a peaceful truce with the Anarchs and that I was losing my drive to fight against the Sixth Age. And thus he has killed all my allies, staked me and taken over! He’s planning to battle every Cainite sect to the death! He’d rather face Yomi again than allow the Sixth Age to occur!” She looked into Nines’ eyes, her jade green own watery with unshed tears, “And If you’re here, then LaCroix knows about the key to the sarcophagus?” When Nines gave her a heavy nod, she swallowed, quickly wiping her eyes. “Then Tai has lit the fuse… Your Anarchs need to run, what Tai has planned isn’t a suicidal attack, he has a secret weapon that he will unleash upon you all!”
Nines felt himself become all cold again. “What weapon?”
“Lately there have been many who have been receiving the Second Breath, but they’ve all been Chih-mei, they are truly overtaken by their hunger and are unable to become true Kuei-jin. And instead of putting them out of their misery, Tai has been keeping them chained, feeding them Cainite flesh and blood, so they are much more likely to go after them rather than humans once he unleashes them on the Cainites!”
“That motherfucking bastard, he’s going to cause the very apocalypse he’s trying to prevent!” Nines shouted in horror, “Do you know where he’s keeping the Chih-mei?”
Ming Xiao quickly climbed off the bed. “I have an idea, but you need to get your Anarchs out of Los Angeles if I fail.”
Nines shook his head briskly and grasped Ming Xiao’s arm, “No way in hell I’m leaving you to take on the horde of Chih-mei on your own!”
She smiled gratefully at him, “It’s not the horde that I’m afraid of falling to, I also would have to potentially deal with Tai as well.”
“Again, I’m not leaving you, I’m with you until the end,” Nines reiterated as he pulled Ming Xiao into an embrace.
She rested her head on his chest and squeezed him tightly. “That’s what I’m afraid of, that you’ll meet your end at his hands, and I never want to lose you either. However, I do know how stubborn you are from budging from a final decision, but you should try to get your Anarchs out of the city in case.”
“I’ll make a call, but I know most of them ain’t going to let me talk them out of tomorrow’s raid, sadly.”
Ming Xiao’s eyes flickered downwards. “I see, I hope you can sway as many of your Anarchs away from the raid as possible. But you have to be quick about it, we don’t have much time.”
Nines brought his hand up to tenderly cup Ming Xiao’s cheek, bringing his lips closer to hers. “Do we have time for a kiss?”
“Always,” she replied with a chuckle and kissed Nines.
Kissing Ming Xiao lit up a fire within Nines, he grasped her hips and kissed her back with great passion, wanting to taste every inch of her. She squeezed his biceps, letting out a sigh as he kissed down her neck before capturing her lips again.
Ming Xiao was right on the money about where Tai was keeping the horde of Chih-mei, they were all packed in a gigantic pit deep under the temple. It was horrifying to see the hundreds of hungry dead howling and trying uselessly to grapple at Nines when they picked up his scent. Many of them were dressed in normal civilian clothing, reminding him that they had been normal people going about their lives before dying to come back as blood-and-flesh-hungry undead monsters, much like being wights. And like wights, they needed to be put out of their misery.
Lighting them all aflame wasn’t exactly the kindest method, but it was the quickest, even if Nines would be hearing the Chih-mei horde’s screams in his dreams for years to come. He was just glad he was able to keep his nerve despite the flames now blazing in the pit, but he couldn’t wait to get out with Ming Xiao, to where he didn’t know, since there wasn’t anywhere he could safely place her.
Eh, they’d figure something out. Maybe he could ask her if she had any ideas—? That was the plan until Nines felt the sharp pain pierce his heart deeply. His whole body suddenly became atrophied and completely unable to move.
“There, isn’t that better? Now we can have a real discussion without your annoying Brujah in the way…” Nines heard a snide and amused man’s voice speaking. He already wished he could move and punch the fucker.
“I doubt we have much to say to each other since you made it rather clear when you staked me, Tai!” Ming Xiao stated harshly, her heels clicking slowly towards Nines.
A flicking noise grabbed Nines’ attention. “I wouldn’t go near your Cainite pet, Ming, otherwise he’ll be lit up as brightly as those poor Chih-mei down there. Now, why don’t you come with me and discuss how you can make up for burning our secret weapon by leading the attack tonight? It seems you have forced us to go ahead on schedule…”
“I think I’d rather not, Tai, but you knew that already!” Ming Xiao replied dismissively.
“I cannot express how I’ve missed you calling me ‘Tai’.” The asshole had the audacity to sound touched about it. Nines couldn’t wait for Ming Xiao to cream this creep. At least, he hoped she could kill the bastard. He knew she was scary powerful, far beyond most Kindred he knew, even Jack, but so was Tai from what he had heard, and the son of a bitch had managed to stake her once before. But he also had to trust in Ming Xiao that she wasn’t let that happen again.
“Well, it is only reasonable to grant a dying man one last wish…” she remarked simply before beginning the gruesome transformation into her demon warform.
The awful bone-cracking noise had to be coming from Tai’s transformation into his own warform. There was a breath of stillness before Nines heard the sickening clash of tentacle, and from the sound of it, sharp bone. At first it didn’t sound like the fight was going in Ming Xiao’s favour, too many fleshy slices and cuts filled Nines’ ears and his heart ached at every one of her pained grunts.
However, after long moments, the clash of Ming Xiao’s and Tai’s conflict soon changed. No longer was Nines hearing the sounds of flesh being cut or stabbed but rather bone cracking or shattering. God, he wanted to cheer her on so badly, to encourage her to not let up, that she had him right where she wanted him. But Ming Xiao didn’t need him to cheerlead her, it seemed like she was capable of kicking that creep’s ass just fine.
The bone stopped breaking, and flesh was now being rendered, and Tai was screaming in terrible pain, the scent of his blood filling the air. In fact, his blood had trickled against the bottom of Nines’ boots by this time. He heard presumably Tai’s body get tossed hard to one side. Needless to say, it looked like Ming Xiao had won.
However, not so easily, given from how Ming Xiao limped over to Nines, all bloodied and bruised and nearly collapsing on her knees. She ripped the stake out of Nines’ chest, and he felt as though the air had been knocked right out of his lungs as his limbs came back to life. “Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, I thought I was going to lose you!” he cried out and pulled her into his arms, “I’m so sorry that I didn’t notice the stake he threw at me-- ”
Ming Xiao kissed Nines fiercely, wrapping her arms around his neck. He sighed contently, just so happy that she was alive and safe, for now at least. She broke off the kiss reluctantly and leaned her forehead against his in exhaustion. “We have to leave now! Surely by now, the rest of Tai’s court will have noticed their newly appointed and ex-Ancestor are largely absent. I cannot say for sure where we should go, but we cannot stay here.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice, I’ll figure something out, you concentrate on healing yourself and…” Nines lifted Ming Xiao bridal style and gave her one final chaste kiss, “…once we’ve gotten shelter, we’ll see where we go together from here.”
Before Nines used his Celerity to speed them out of this awful place, he noticed Ming Xiao smile contently at him and rest her head on his shoulder. He had never seen her look so comfortable and relaxed in all their time together, and he hoped that he could always see her looking like that for as long they had each other…
#vampire the masquerade#vampire the masquerade bloodlines#vtmb#ming xiao#nines rodriguez#nines/ming xiao#vampemoqueen#asks#my writing#fanfiction
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Oimeki, the hunter of eyes, had not been heard from in more than five centuries. Spirit World gave him up for dead, lost in one of the many power struggles of Makai they prefer not to get involved in, until a village on the outskirts of Yomi’s territory reports a terrible massacre: thirty bodies, all told, one missing its left eye and the other twenty nine missing their right.
“What’s with this dude and eyes?” Yusuke, always asking the important questions.
“Oimeki has a degenerative eye disease. That is, all of the ones in his head tend to melt into useless goo after a certain period of time.” It varies from victim to victim, how long it takes for an eye to run its course. Koenma shudders. “Thirty eyes from thirty different demons might buy us enough time to find Oimeki before he strikes again.”
Kuwabara grins at Hiei. “Better keep on your toes, short stuff. Oimeki would probably love to get his hands on you, since you’ve got the most eyes out of anyone here.”
Kuwabara has the most tiresome sense of humor. “He’d be a fool to try.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let him get you.” Kuwabara looks away when he’s talking; Hiei can’t read his face. “I’ll make sure you keep all your eyes in your head, tiny.”
As if Hiei needs his protection.
___
Oimeki is a slippery bastard.
The left eye in his head is fresh, but the right one has already liquefied into nothing. So far, it offers no advantage. How?
Hiei dives behind Oimeki while Yusuke and Kurama distract him from the front. Let’s see how well this bastard can see when his whole head is cut off.
He swings his sword, aiming for where the spine meets his skull, when one of Oimeki’s four, enormous paws swipes Hiei from the air.
Oimeki pins him to the ground. “Nice try.”
Hiei’s about to bite off a retort when he finally sees them, glittering in the earth like jewels. Now that he knows to look, he counts them all: twenty-nine eyes embedded in the floor and every wall in Oimeki’s lair. No wonder they can’t get the jump on him; the fucker literally has eyes everywhere.
Oimeki tosses Kurama and Yusuke across the room. Hiei hears the breath go out of their lungs when they slam hard against rock. Oimeki leans down close and inspects the Jagan. Hiei refuses to give him the satisfaction of gagging at his foul stench. “Never had a Jagan before. You think it’ll last longer than the others? ”
“Up here, asshole!” Kuwabara leaps from a portal just above the arm that has Hiei trapped. So that’s where he’s been. Oimeki can’t react quickly enough.
Kuwabara’s spirit sword strikes true. Hiei feels the paw slacken. He runs to freedom and reaches deep inside for dark fire; the eyes have to go if they hope to finish Oimeki.
The spell sputters to a stop in his throat when he hears Kuwabara scream. Hiei watches in growing horror as two paws pluck Kuwabara from the ground and reel him close to Oimeki’s left, avaricious eye.
“What a pretty grey,” Oimeki purrs. His third paw propels him and Kuwabara off the ground and into the hole in the ceiling.
Yusuke recovers enough to fire off a Spirit Gun, but it’s too late. Kuwabara is gone.
Don’t worry. I won’t let him get you.
Goddammit.
___
The only strategy is to follow.
Hiei tracks Oimeki to another cave system to the south, Kuwabara limp in his grasp. He explains the parlor trick to Kurama and Yusuke.
Kurama is already thinking of ways to fight it. “We may be following him to another lair. Hiei, the moment we’re engaged, be ready to scour the entire place with fire. I will retrieve Kuwabara. Yusuke, kill that bastard.”
The flames are already in Hiei’s fingertips.
There’s no time for subtlety; they burst in through the cave entrance like a hurricane.
Hiei’s remote viewing blanks out. He has enough time to think shit, he’s toying with us.
Then they hear Kuwabara scream.
They follow the sound until they find him, curled on the ground and clutching his empty, right eye socket. Kuwabara sobs like a wounded animal. Hiei has never heard him make such a sound. He swears on his life that Kuwabara will never make another like it again.
Yusuke’s howl echos off the walls. “Get out here, you coward! I’m gonna finish what Kuwabara started and rip off the rest of your arms!”
Oimeki laughs. “I thank your friend for his gift. Yes, this pretty eye will last me a long, long time.” His spirit energy fades, but the hunt is not over.
Kurama tries to soothe Kuwabara. He strokes his face and wrestles him up into his arms so he can hide his face in Kurama’s shoulder while he cries.
Hiei can’t bear the sound.
____
#yyh#hiei x kuwabara#yes i've been thinking about eyes because i'm watching naruto THANK you for the callout#eye horror cw#my fic
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Mythology
In the Japanese creation myth, the first deities which came into existence, appearing at the time of the creation of the universe, are collectively called Kotoamatsukami.
Later, the seven generations of kami, known as Kamiyonanayo ("Seven Generations of the Age of the Gods"), emerged, following the formation of heaven and earth.
The first two generations are individual deities called hitorigami, while the five that followed came into being as male/female pairs of kami: brothers and sisters that were also married couples. In this chronicle, the Kamiyonanayo comprise 12 deities in total.
In contrast, the Nihon Shoki states that the Kamiyonanayo group was the first to appear after the creation of the universe, as opposed to the Kamiyonanayo appearing after the formation of heaven and earth. It also states that the first three generations of deities are hitorigami (individual deities) and that the later generations of deities are pairs of the opposite gender, as compared to the Kojiki's two generations of hitorigami.
The seventh and last generation of Kamiyonanayo were Izanagi no Mikoto ("Exalted Male") and Izanami no Mikoto ("Exalted Female"), and they would be responsible for the creation of the Japanese archipelago and would engender other deities.
To help them to achieve this, Izanagi and Izanami were given a naginata decorated with jewels, named Ame-no-nuboko("Heavenly Jeweled Spear"). The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth, Amenoukihashi ("Floating Bridge of Heaven") and churned the sea below with the halberd. Drops of salty water formed the island, Onogoro ("self-forming"). The deities descended from the bridge of heaven and made their home on the island. Eventually, they fell in love and wished to mate. So they built a pillar named Amenomihashira around which they built a palace called Yashirodono ("the hall whose area is 8 arms' length squared"). Izanagi and Izanami circled the pillar in opposite directions, and when they met on the other side, Izanami, the female deity, spoke first in greeting. Izanagi did not think that this was proper, but they mated anyway. They had two children, Hiruko ("leech child") and Awashima ("pale island"), but the children were badly formed and are not considered gods in their original form. (Hiruko later became the Japanese god, Ebisu.)
The parents, who were dismayed at their misfortune, put the children into a boat and sent them to sea, and then petitioned the other gods for an answer about what they had done wrong. They were informed that Izanami's lack of manners was the reason for the defective births: a woman should never speak prior to a man; the male deity should have spoken first in greeting during the ceremony. So Izanagi and Izanami went around the pillar again, and this time, when they met, Izanagi spoke first. Their next union was successful.
From their union were born the Ōyashima, or the eight great islands of Japan:
Awaji
Iyo (later Shikoku)
Oki
Tsukushi (later Kyūshū)
Iki
Tsushima
Sado
Yamato (later Honshū)
Note that Hokkaidō, Chishima and Okinawa were not part of Japan in ancient times.
Izanami died giving birth to Kagutsuchi (incarnation of fire), also called Homusubi (causer of fire) due to severe burns. She was then buried on Mount Hiba, at the border of the old provinces of Izumo and Hoki, near modern-day Yasugi of Shimane Prefecture. In anger, Izanagi killed Kagutsuchi.
Izanagi lamented the death of Izanami and undertook a journey to Yomi ("the shadowy land of the dead"). Izanagi found little difference between Yomi and the land above, except for the eternal darkness. However, this suffocating darkness was enough to make him ache for light and life. Quickly, he searched for Izanami and found her. At first, Izanagi could not see her for she was well hidden in the shadows. Nevertheless, he asked her to return with him. Izanami spat at Izanagi and informed him that he was too late. She had already eaten the food of the underworld and now belonged to the land of the dead.
Izanagi was shocked at this news, but he refused to give in to her wishes to be left to the dark embrace of Yomi. Izanami agreed to return to the world but first requested to have some time to rest. She instructed Izanagi to not come into her bedroom. After a long wait, Izanami did not come out of her bedroom, and Izanagi was worried. While Izanami was sleeping, he took the comb that bound his long hair and set it alight as a torch. Under the sudden burst of light, he saw the horrid form of the once beautiful and graceful Izanami. The flesh of her ravaged body was rotting and was overrun with maggots and foul creatures.
Crying out loud, Izanagi could no longer control his fear and started to run, intending to return to the living and to abandon his death-ridden wife. Izanami woke up shrieking and indignant and chased after him. Izanami instructed the shikome, or foul women, hunt for the frightened Izanagi and to bring him back.
Izanagi, thinking quickly, hurled his headdress, which became a bunch of black grapes. The shikome fell on these but continued pursuit. Next, Izanagi threw his comb, which became a clump of bamboo shoots. Now it was Yomi's creatures that began to give chase, but Izanagi urinated against a tree and created a great river that increased his lead. Unfortunately, the shikome still pursued Izanagi, who began to hurl peaches at them. He knew that this would not delay them for long, but he was nearly free, for the boundary of Yomi was now close at hand.
Izanagi burst through the entrance and quickly pushed a boulder to the entrance of Yomi. Izanami screamed from behind this barricade and told Izanagi that, if he left her, she would destroy 1,000 living people every day. He furiously replied that he would give life to 1,500.
And so began the existence of Death, caused by the hands of the proud Izanagi, and his abandoned wife Izanami.
As could be expected, Izanagi went on to purify himself after recovering from his descent to Yomi. As he undressed and removed the adornments of his body, each item that he dropped to the ground formed a deity. Even more gods came into being when he went to the water to wash himself. The most important ones were created once he washed his face:
Amaterasu (incarnation of the sun) from his left eye,
Tsukuyomi (incarnation of the moon) from his right eye, and
Susanoo (incarnation of storms) from his nose.
Amaterasu, the powerful sun goddess of Japan, is the most well-known deity of Japanese mythology. Her feuding with Susanoo, her uncontrollable brother, however, is equally infamous and appears in several tales. One story tells about Susanoo's wicked behavior toward Izanagi, who, tired of Susanoo's repeated complaints, banishes him to Yomi. Susanoo grudgingly acquiesces, but has first to attend some unfinished business. He goes to Takamagahara ("heaven") to bid farewell to his sister, Amaterasu. Amaterasu knows that her unpredictable brother does not have good intentions and is prepared for battle. "For what purpose do you come here?" asks Amaterasu. "To say farewell," answers Susanoo.
But she does not believe him and requests a contest for proof of his good faith. A challenge is set as to who can bring forth more noble and divine children. Amaterasu creates three women from Susanoo's sword, while Susanoo makes five men from Amaterasu's ornament chain. Amaterasu claims the title to the five attributed to Susanoo.
Both gods declare themselves to be victorious. Amaterasu's insistence in her claim drives Susanoo to violent campaigns that reach their climax when he hurls a half-flayed pony (an animal sacred to Amaterasu) into Amaterasu's weaving hall and causes the death of one of her attendants. Amaterasu, angered by the display, hides in the cave called Iwayado. As the sun goddess disappears into the cave, darkness covers the world.
All of the gods and goddesses strive to coax Amaterasu out of the cave, but she ignores them all. Finally, the kami of merriment, Ame-no-Uzume, hatches a plan. She places a large bronze mirror on a tree, facing Amaterasu's cave. Then, Uzume clothes herself in flowers and leaves, overturns a washtub and begins to dance upon it, drumming the tub with her feet. Finally, Uzume sheds the leaves and flowers and dances naked. All of the male gods roar with laughter, and Amaterasu becomes curious. When she peeks outside, a ray of light called "dawn" escapes and Amaterasu is dazzled by the beautiful goddess that she sees, this being her own reflection in the mirror. The god, Ameno-Tajikarawo, pulls her from the cave, which is sealed with a shimenawa. Surrounded by merriment, Amaterasu's depression disappears, and she agrees to return with her light. Uzume is then known as the kami of dawn as well as of mirth.
Susanoo, exiled from heaven, comes to Izumo Province (now part of Shimane Prefecture). It is not long before he meets an old man and an old woman sobbing beside their daughter. The old couple explain that they originally had eight daughters who were devoured, one after the other, by the dragon, Yamata no Orochi ("eight-forked serpent", who is said to originate from Koshi—now Hokuriku region). The terrible dragon had eight heads and eight tails, stretched over eight hills, and is said to have eyes as red as good wine. Kushinada-hime ("rice paddy princess") was the last of the eight daughters.
Susanoo, who knew about the old couple's relation to Amaterasu, offers his assistance in return for their beautiful daughter's hand in marriage. The parents accept, and Susanoo transforms Kushinada into a comb and hides her safely in his hair. He also orders a large fence-like barrier to be built around the house. The fence has eight gates, with eight tables placed at each gate and eight casks placed on each table. Each cask is filled with eight-times-brewed rice wine.
Orochi arrives and finds his path blocked. After boasting about his prowess, he finds that he cannot get through the barrier. His keen sense of smell takes in the sake—which Orochi loves—and the eight heads are now faced with a problem. They want to drink the delicious sake, yet the fence blocks access to the sake. One head suggests that they simply smash the barrier, but that would knock over the sake. Another proposed that they combine their fiery breath and burn the fence to ash, but then the sake would evaporate. The heads begin to search for an opening. They find the hatches, and, eager for the sake, they wish to poke their heads through to drink it. Yet, the eighth head, which is the wisest, warns his brethren about the folly of such an act and volunteers to go through first to ensure that all is well. Susanoo waits for his chance. He allows the head to drink some sake in safety and to report to the others that there is no danger. All eight heads plunge through the hatches and greedily drink every drop of the sake.
As the heads finish, Susanoo launches his attack on Orochi. Drunken from drinking so much sake, the great serpent is no match for the spry Susanoo who decapitates and slays Orochi. A nearby river is said to have turned red with the blood of the defeated serpent. As Susanoo cuts the dragon into pieces, he finds an excellent sword from a tail of the dragon that his sword had been unable to cut. The sword is later presented to Amaterasu and named Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi (天叢雲剣, "Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven", which was later called Kusanagi, "Grass Cutter"). This sword was to feature prominently in many other tales.
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Tom vs. The Underworld
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10
Chapter 4: All Outta Angst
Once Star and her family destroyed all of the magic, the use of portals became obsolete which resulted in my only mode of transportation being by foot. Well, in my case, by flight. Thankfully, my powers and abilities were not bestowed onto me by magic; they were apart of me because I was a demon.
Before leaving them, Marco and Star suggested they should accompany me to ensure I made it home safely, but I insisted that going alone would be the best option for me. It gives me time to clear my mind and decompress from the events in the now-nonexistent-Realm of Magic. Plus, I knew that with the threat of Mina Loveberry now being over, Star and Marco could finally spend time together as a normal couple without me being a third wheel... I’m glad we were able to resolve everything and remain friends. It was for the best...
A great shift in the space-time continuum also occurred where both Earth and Mewni were merged together. I haven’t been to Earth much, but I can’t confirm or deny if this was an actual improvement or not. To think, all of this just from Star destroying the magic? Why would both dimensions come together in such a way?
As I jetted through the pink-blue sky, I viewed the new world below. The vast cornfields of Mewni were dissected by a freeway. The Hill of Flags was now sprouting from a cemetery and the Mewni River was running through a series of homes in a suburban neighborhood. Even the Forest of Probable Itchiness had found a new home seated within a hospital--its patients and staff not looking too excited over its new location. Monsters and creatures roamed freely with the Mewmans and humans, the latter being mystified and frightened by the new population.
“Whoa!” I exclaimed as a thunder of dragon-cycles blew passed me. I wonder if one of them was Hampton.
I’m not really sure of the full extent of the change or how far it reached; I didn’t even know if the physical passageway to the Underworld still existed. But I needed to find out. I needed to get back home. That’s where my destiny lies...
I finally made it to the caves of Musty Mountain and luckily, based on my first sight of it, not much has changed. I began to decrease the flame to my hands and feet in order to transition into my descent towards the largest opening of the mountainous region. I landed effortlessly before the cave and stood in its mouth. My nostrils were met with the repugnant burning stench of rot which gave the reputable mountain its name--something I could’ve went without smelling for the rest of my lifetime.
The light from the sun was no longer welcome from within so I had to use my fire to brighten the darkness. My body was engulfed by flame, making it possible to see the huge cavern surrounding me. There were stalagmites and stalactites creating large jagged teeth in the ceiling and ground of the cave while a small stream of what must’ve been magma drooled through its crevasses. It was much to treacherous to walk along so I levitated into the air and slowly investigated the area. If my memory serves correctly, I needed to follow the flowing molten deposits back to its source which, after entering through the gate of the Underworld, will open up to the first geographical landmark of my home, the Lava Lake Beach. But why was the stream of magma running so lightly? Usually its current was immense and ferocious. Instead I was observing a trickle as if from a pinched off garden hose.
It wasn’t long before I found my answer.
Where the great entrance into the Underworld once stood, now a multitude of large boulders and rocks sealed up it’s path.
“Oh no…” I gasped. The merging of the dimensions must’ve caused an imbalance so intense that it upset the cavern and caused the rocks to fall and cover the entrance.
“This can’t be possible. I can’t be stuck here. I need to get home!” I yelled in a panic.
I aimed my hands at the blockade and called forth what little strength I had left to blast at it with my fire. However, after being stuck in the Realm of Magic for so long as a victim to that weird dark unicorn, I was drained from using my more destructive abilities.
“What do I do? What do I do?!” I shouted as I ran to the barrier. I tried to remove the rocks with my bare hands but they would not budge. I began to pound on the wall with my fists and screamed, “Hey! Anyone over there?! Please, I need to get back through!”
But nobody answered.
I ruffled my hands through my hair in frustration and sat on the ground of the cave. This can’t be happening. There must be another way. I was becoming distraught by what felt like an impending depression as my mind teased the possibility of being stuck in Earth-ni.
What if I never see the Underworld again? What if I never see Lucitor Castle again? What if I never see my family again? What if I never see her again...
Her?
Despite my crisis, why was I thinking about her?
I reached into my jacket pocket and retrieved something from inside. I held it in both my hands and stared at it intently. It was the necklace we made together at that temple in Yomi Town.
“Raya…” I whispered her name. I wonder what she was doing right now. She was so kind to me. She included me. She would never leave me alone like… Like they did...
Tears began to well up in my eyes as my mind raced. I was alone. Again. Just like in the Realm of Magic...
All I remember after we went there was everyone deserting me. One by one--Star, Marco, and then Janna. They left me confined to that contraption after they saw… After they saw the real me? Each one of them were afraid and they left me to become tainted by that dark unicorn... And I call them my friends?
I pounded a fist into the ground. Why would they do something like that?
No, it wasn’t their fault… Star said your memories start to fade while you are in the Realm. So they just didn’t realize who I was anymore…
Who was I anyway? Do I even know? What was that thing I became? Was that my true form? If I unleashed all of the demonic souls inside of me and channelled my true power, is that what I will become?
I remember being overcome with a strange sensation; toward what exactly I don’t even know. It felt like pure hatred. But, why? I didn’t hate Star or Marco because we resolved everything. Was something left behind? Or have I always had this emotion lying dormant?
I thought heartbreak was bad, even though that carries its own form of sadness, but having that overwhelming feeling of being alone was much more worse. Being alone was unpredictable. What you feel--despair, revenge, hatred, anger, depression--is all blurred together and harbors an unbearable darkness in your heart. My souls yearned for it. They craved it. And whatever that dark unicorn was, it warped my mind and chose that form. That form was evil incarnate.
Was that my future?
No, that’s not me. Whatever that was in that Realm, it tried to mold me into what it wanted. It tried using me to hurt those I care about. It would have succeeded too, if it wasn’t for Marco. He came to save me regardless of the situation we were in. He is a mere human and yet he took on that dark being for me. He didn’t give up. He fought until he brought me back to my senses. He was a true friend and I can’t let him down.
I stood up to face the wall of stone opposing me and glared at my enemy with a new air of imminent triumph. I began feeling my power build up from deep down as all three of my eyes lit up simultaneously.
“I am Thomas Draconius Lucitor, Prince of the Underworld, and I… I’m getting through this wall!” I proclaimed in a warcry as I floated above the gravel.
I unleashed everything I had left, even a power I didn’t know was there. I was unsure of where it was coming from but it exploded from me like a wrathful vengeance. It was my claim to the Underworld, a declaration for my home. For too long I let this hurt bury and fester inside of me. Whatever it was, it was being released in this onslaught I had created. I didn’t know what the adverse reactions would be for allowing my body to be put through such a feat, but it had to be better than feeling this pain. I needed to get rid of it all. The wall of stone, the darkness, my doubt--all this angst, I wanted it gone!
I kept torquing out all the fire I had toward that barrier as bit by bit started to crumble. I didn’t care if I expended every last drop and would return to that form I once was back in the Realm of Magic. I’m not afraid of it anymore. That was something I know I can control as long as I have my convictions. I am in control of my situation, my life, and my destiny… This is place is not my home. The Underworld is my home!
And within that dire instant, I heard a familiar voice come from the other side of the wall.
“Tom?” It was my dad calling from the other side.
“Dad?” I uttered, still not ceasing my blazing torrent.
My dad began speaking to other voices on his side of the wall, but it was hard for me to hear. “It’s Tom--Hang on---son--quickly, we--everyone--keep going!”
With his muffled encouragement and my confidence to overcome, I dug even further as my powers went berserk. I was pushing myself well passed my limit. The cave began to tremble and I cried out,. “Aaaaaaaaaaagggghhhh!”
“One--more---everyone!” My Dad called.
And with a mighty crack, the entrance broke open with the blasting sound of cannonfire.
At that moment, every bit of my power was spent. I couldn’t hold my levitation any longer so began to fall to the ground lifelessly. My eyelids grew heavy as I let total exhaustion take over me. The last thing I remember was my Mom catching me in her gigantic hands and embracing me lovingly into one of her tear-filled sobs.
I awoke again, still drained, but in a familiar bedroom. I was now at my family’s lake house on Lava Lake Beach and lying in my bed. I could barely make out the shadows surrounding me as my eyes still needed to adjust. But from the maternal whimpering, I already knew who was there with me.
“Mom…?” I said weakly with a cough.
My Mom sat beside me as she stroked my hair back. She trilled with a croon.
“Your Mother’s right, son. You really gave us a scare.” I heard my Dad say worriedly, popping out from beside her.
“W-what happened?”
I suddenly heard screeching come from the head of my bed as my Great Grandfather Relicor perched himself there.
“Yea, something BIG must’ve happened.” My father translated from my grandfather’s squawks. “We felt an outrageous earthquake here but knew something else must’ve been afoot, since it wasn’t caused by your mother’s anger. None of the portals or communications to the outside were working and we remembered you were still on Earth. So we went to the passageway in the Musty Mountain to find out what may have happened but it was blocked.” My father clarified.
My Aunt Exasperalla piped up as she sipped her alcoholic beverage, “More importantly, and what your father fails to mention, is that it felt as if some form of magic lingered there and was stopping your return.”
“I was getting to that but thanks.” My Dad said snidely.
“Now I’m sure we can all agree that Master Tom’s safety is the most important thing here.” My life coach Brian advocated. Even he was here?
“Thank goodness.” Petey agreed. Even Petey was here?!
Marshmallow squeaked at the foot of my bed. Awww, even he was here. The fluffy pink bunny hopped over to my side of the bed so I could pet him.
My Dad placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. “I’m glad you’re okay, son. We all are.” His expression grew serious as he continued, “But please, don’t try something like that again. Tapping into your life energy can be deadly. We got lucky this time but who knows what could happen if you tried that again. Don’t think your old man doesn’t have your back. We worked diligently on our end with all our strength and power to clear the way for you. We are all here for you, remember that.”
I gazed around the room with a comforting smile for each one of my family and friends as I contemplated what my Dad had said. I know I haven’t been away long, but being home again felt like such a relief. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I never saw them again. Come to think of it, it is strange what my Aunt had said about the passageway. All magic was destroyed so how could anything be capable of trying to seal a pathway to the Underworld. And why?
Relicor began screeching again and flailing his arms about as if in annoyance.
My Dad nodded and said, “That’s true. I also wonder what could have happened to cause all of this. Even though the passageway is open again, the portals are still not working down here.”
I sat up in bed, although my Mother urged me not to in a warble. My vision and overall constitution was gradually stabilizing again so I was feeling up to what needed to be done. I needed to tell them all what had happened over the last few days--why the portals no longer worked, the destroying of magic, the merging of Earth and Mewni, and my breakup with Star… They needed to know. It is for the best of the Underworld and how we can proceed not only as a kingdom but also as a family. I just hope my Mom doesn’t get too upset and cause another one of her storms after hearing about my updated relationship status…
I was sitting at the couch in the living room of our lake house flipping through some magazines left out on the coffee table as Marshmallow explored his surroundings on the floor. It has been a day and even though I was feeling like my old self again, my parents still wanted me to take it easy. I could hear both of them in the kitchen discussing plans on preparing a team to dispatch and investigate the new world above once we travelled back to Lucitor Castle. Exasperalla, Relicor, and Brian were all outside on the deck grilling something for us all to eat.
I let out a sigh and tossed the magazine onto the table. Do I really need to stay inside all day? I’m not helpless. A lot of my exhaustion was practically gone. And there were some really killer swells coming in that I just wanted to get out there and surf.
I stared down at my clenched fists. My Dad did explain to me how dangerous using life energy can be. However, he also mentioned that the many souls I possess may have played a huge part in not only protecting me from certain death but also in my recovery. I wonder how he knows so much about that?
~Ding-Dong~
My thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. Who could that be?
“Here already? Styx & Stones must be on the ball today.” I heard my father say to my Mom. He called for Petey to answer the door.
Styx & Stones… Yea, that’s the name of that beach shop that Raya works for and… does deliveries!
I shot up from the couch and shouted frantically, “I’ll get it, I’ll get it!”
Petey stopped in midair from his descent off of the second floor loft. “Oh, y-you sure, Master Tom?” He asked surprised.
“Psshh, no biggie.” I quickly said as I ran over to the door.
But as I went to reach for the door knob, I hesitated. For some reason, I began to get this strange feeling in my chest that I just couldn’t explain. My heart was pounding and bringing on an anxious sensation throughout my entire body. Is it because I’m excited to see her and tell her about everything that happened? Or is it just that I want to see her again regardless?
I touched the necklace we made that was still hanging from my neck and I drew in a deep breath. “Okay, okay, okay. I got this…”
I gripped the door handle and swung open the door only to be met with Raya’s older sister, Rochelle.
“Hey-ya, Ray--Ochelle?” I stopped mid sentence once I realized it wasn’t who I was expecting to see. My heart sunk.
“Good afternoon, Prince Tom. How have you been?” Rochelle greeted me.
“Um… Fine. N-nice to see you again.” I mumbled.
Rochelle had our order stacked neatly to the side of the doorway and held out a clipboard and pen for me to sign. “I just need a signature and I’ll be on my way.” She said straight to the point.
“Oh, okay.” I scrawled my signature and looked at the invoice for a moment rather disappointed.
“That earthquake the other day was incredible, wasn’t it? But I hear not much was effected down here thankfully or my business would be in trouble.” The older female demon spoke but I wasn’t really paying attention. My mind was busy thinking about Raya and why she wasn’t here delivering our order like she usually does.
As I handed the clipboard back to Rochelle, I decided to ask her, “Hey, where’s Raya? Doesn’t she usually do the deliveries for you?”
“Yes, she did, Prince Tom. But she wanted some time off.”
“Why?” I asked but realized how nosy that sounded so I tried to reiterate my question. “Well, I mean, she can take time off, no harm in that. You see, it's just been awhile and--and.” I rubbed my arm and diverted my eyes to the ground.
Rochelle put her hands on her hips and smirked as if she knew where I was going with my jumbled sentences.
“I just wanted to see her again and catch up, is all.” I chuckled nervously.
Rochelle kept up her all-knowing demeanor but finally divulged what I wanted to know. “Okay, so once we got back from Yomi Town, Raya kept asking me about how a princess is supposed to behave and act. I told her about this etiquette school outside of Lava Shores if she really wanted to see for herself so she has been taking classes there.”
“Why would she do something like that?” I asked confused.
“Something about the next time she ever saw you that she didn’t want to be an embarrassing ‘commoner’.” Rochelle made sure to quote unquote the last part with her fingers.
I gasped, “W-what? Embarrassing common--” I then proceeded to frantically denounce such an accusation, “No way! Just so you know, I never got that impression from her or any of you. And I hope that’s not how I come off. She doesn’t need to do something like that. She’s great! All of you are!”
“Oh I know you aren’t like that, Prince Tom.” Rochelle waved her hand as if trying to fan an invisible flame. “But ever since Raya came out here the last time, she kind of hasn’t been herself. I mean, etiquette school? You’ve seen how the girl eats? And she is the last person I’d expect to follow through with something that didn’t include music or video games. Ha.”
Rochelle noticed I was starting to look saddened by what she said so she tried to clarify, “Hey, you know, it could be a good thing, this kind of change for her. She must’ve taken away a lot from the time the both of you spent together at Yomi Town.”
“Yea… But she shouldn’t be someone she’s not just to impress me…” I said discouraged. Isn’t that kind of what I did to impress Star though?
The older demon girl took a glimpse at her watch and was startled. “Oh! I better head out. I need to open the shop back up and don’t want to be gone too long.” She muttered as she started to walk away from the lake house .
I hung my head feeling rather defeated.
But all of a sudden, Rochelle turned back around to face me and suggested, “Hey, if you want, I can give you the address of that school. I’m sure she would love to see you again.” She smiled.
I perked up. “Really, you’d do that?”
“Of course, Prince Tom. Your family is also one of my best customers so I can’t let you down now.” She winked and gave me a thumbs up.
“Thank you! You’re the best!” I praised her.
Once she scribbled down the address on a torn out piece of paper from the invoice, she said goodbye and hurried on her way. I also waved goodbye and thanked her again while shutting the door.
But to my surprise, I turned around to face my entire family now staring at me intrigued, obviously having observed some (all) of my conversation at the door.
I began to sweat as I asked nervously, “Uh, what are you all doing?”
My Dad smirked as he said in a rather sly tone, “So, what’s this all about, son?”
As if on cue with his words, everyone in the room began to beam in anticipation of what I would say next. I guess there is something else I need to tell them about too.
With everything considered, it feels good to be home.
#svtfoe#OC#starvstheforcesofevil#oc fanfiction#star vs the forces of evil#tom lucitor#The Underworld#TomVSTheUnderworldFanfic#TVTU
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Susanoo, Japanese god of the raging storms
Also known as Susanoo no Mikoto ("Brave-Swift-Impetuous-Male"), he's the japanese god of storms and the sea, and is the brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and the main deity of Shinto mythology, and Tsukuyomi, god of the moon. After the events surrounding his wife Izanami, Izanagi manages to escape from Yomi, blocks it's entrance, and goes to a spring to cleanse himself from the dirt of the underworld. By washing his face, Amaterasu is born from his left eye, Tsukuyomi from his right eye and Susanoo from his nose. Immediately after being born, Susanoo starts cry, saying that he wants to see his mother Izanami. He keeps doing so for a long time, with nobody being able to calm him, and eventually this leads to his banishment to the underworld. Before departing though, he decides do bid his sister farewell, but arrives making so much noise that she thinks he's up to no good again. To prove his goodwill, both decide to create more gods together, so they chew each other's belongings, with Susanoo chewing his sister's necklace, creating 5 gods, and Amaterasu's chewing her brother's sword, creating 3 gods. Susanoo then gets excited, declaring that he had won because he created more gods than her, and Amaterasu, although annoyed by his childish nature, just ignores him for the moment. Susanoo interprets this as her acting superior to him, and in a fit of rage, destroys all of his sister's rice fields, defiles her temples with his own excrement, and kills one of her attendants by throwing a flayed horse over her. Amaterasu becomes greatly upset with his destructive nature, and then hides inside a cave, plunging the world into darkness, but that's another story on it's own, and Susanoo is once again banished to the underworld. On the way there he arrives on the the province of Izumo, and meets two elderly gods weeping by the river, and asks them what is wrong. They say that a terrible eight-headed dragon, called Yamata no Orochi, lives in the surrounding valleys, and each year he demands one of their daughters as a sacrifice, and that soon would be the turn of their eighth and final daughter, Kushinada-hime. Susanoo agrees to help them in return of their daughter's hand in marriage, who agrees, and to protect her, Susanoo turns her into a comb and hides her inside his hair. He dresses up as her and goes to Orochi's lair, to whom he offers a tub of sake to each of the eight heads. Eventually the dragon falls asleep, and Susanoo chops it into small pieces, and discovers a magical sword called "Kusanagi no tsurugi" inside one of it's tails. Susanoo presents the sword to his sister as a reconciliation gift, who accepts it, and allows once again Susanoo to return to heaven whenever the wants to, but he decides to spend mostly of his time living on the earth or in the underworld. Susanoo also makes a brief appearance in the tale of the god Okuninushi, but that's a story for another day.
Original post: [here]
#susanoo#Susanoo no mikoto#amaterasu#tsukuyomi#yamata no orochi#orochi#kushinada#kushinada hime#okuninushi#izanagi#izanami#Japanese mythology#japanese folklore#japan#japanese#mythology#folklore#Character Design#Monster Design#traditional art#Shin Megami Tensei#shin megami tensei v#persona#persona 5
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Inktober Pantheon 02
Izanagi no Mikoto- Japanese God of Creation
Instructed by the primordial beings who came before them, Izanagi no Mikoto, along with his sister and wife, Izanami no Mikoto, stood on the floating bridge of heaven, above a vast and turbulent sea. Armed with a jeweled spear, gifted to them by the heavens, Izanagi dipped the spear into the ocean, churning the dark waters and creating the first island.
It was on this island that Izanagi and Izanami consummated their relationship and Izanami gave birth to countless gods and islands. It was at the birth of the Fire-God, however, that Izanami met an untimely end as the burns she received from birthing the child proved fatal, forcing her to descend into Yomi, the underworld.
Izanagi, determined to win his wife back, ventured into the darkness of Yomi to find her. When Izanagi at last found Izanami, she declined to leave the world of the dead, stating that she had eaten of its food and thus was bound to stay, but Izanagi refused to depart without her. Unable to see her face in the dark, Izanagi broke a tooth from his comb and lit it to provide some light but was horrified to see that the essence of the underworld had turned corrupted his wife’s face, the once beautiful goddess now having the form of a corrupted corpse. Izanagi fled in fear, but an enraged Izanami gave chase, flanked by horrid spirits and demons of all sorts. Upon reaching the entrance, Izanagi sealed the cave entrance with a boulder and declared an end to his marriage with Izanami.
Wishing to purify himself of Yomi’s impurities, Izanagi bathed in the sea where three more of his children were born. Upon washing his left eye, he bore the sun goddess, Amaterasu, upon washing his right, he bore the moon god, Tsukiyomi, and upon washing his nose, he bore the storm god, Susanoo.
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do you have any japanese ( shinto, underground, or otherwise ) myths related to death ( and/or rebirth )?
Hello,
We do indeed have some Japanese myths for you.
So when it comes to mythology about death in Japan, most people are likely to think about Shinigami. However, it’s a term that has been used to describe a broad range of entities. It wasn’t even a commonly used term until the Edo period (1603-1868) and even then was usually used to describe a malevolent spirit that would posess people and make them want to commit suicide. They could be family members with a grudge or simply bad spirits attracted to people with negative feelings, causing them to seek death. Sometimes a shinigami could be attached to a single area and would convince people to die by similar means there repeatedly. It’s only been recently, approximately since the 80’s, that shinigami have been regarded similarly to Western notions of death and have taken on individual personalities.
According to Shinto mythology there were two primary gods: the male Izanagi and female Izanami created by the first gods Kunitokotachi and Amenominakanushi. Between themselves, Izanagi and Izanami created the islands of Japan and bore many gods in the Shinto pantheon. The last child that Izanami bore was Kagu-tsuchi, a god of fire, and he burned her, causing her death. Izanagi was so furious that he slew Kagu-tsuchi, cutting him into eight pieces which became eight volcanoes. The drops of his blood created yet more gods, as did Izanami when her death throes churned up the sea.
Izanagi was so distraught at Izanami’s death that he decided to go to Yomi, the land of the dead, to bring her back. He searched everywhere for her in the darkness until he finally heard her voice, and begged her to return with him to the land of the living. She told him that she could not, having already eaten the food of the underworld. However, the next day she would ask the gods of Yomi for permission to leave. They laid down to sleep but Izanagi became impatient and wished to see his beautiful wife again. Taking out the wooden comb that held back his hair, he lit it to make a torch so he could finally see her.
However, he was horrified to discover she was now a rotten corpse, full of maggots and worms. Izanagi cried out and ran for the door to the land of the living, abandoning Izanami. She awoke and, discovering that he had seen her, set a horde of thunder gods and shikome (ugly hag spirits) after him to bring him back. She too joined the chase and they pursued him all the way to the entrance to the living world. Izanagi was just fast enough to out run them though and managed to push a boulder across the mouth of the cave that served as the portal between life and death.
Furious that Izanagi had abandoned her, Izanami swore to take 1000 residents of the living world every day. In return, Izanagi swore that he would create 1500 lives to replace them. The two separated in anger and Izanami remained in Yomi, becoming the queen there.
In terms of Buddhist beliefs and myths about death, how many days do you have? There are at least a dozen different schools of Buddhism practiced in Japan, several with multiple subsets of worship and belief styles. They are as different as the variations on Western Christianity which is to say the difference can be major of subtle. Now in termas of general beliefs, there is a Pure Land and a Hell which the soul may travel to after death. The Pure Land is a nirvana where the spirit can most easily reach enlightenment. Hell is a place of punishment where evil souls must atone for their sins before they can hope to move on.
I’m going to preface the rest of this with the caveat that not all of these beliefs are universal. Some schools of Buddhism may embrace them while others may reject them. With that said, Here we go.
Pure Land Buddhism teaches that after death, the spirit takes a new name to cut ties to its prior human life and embrace a new existence in the afterlife. It is also believed that after the body is cremated, the spirit starts a 49-day spiritual journey to reach its destination, which frees it from any bonds to the physical world. Some Japanese Buddhists believe that when they die, they must cross the Sanzu River to enter the afterlife. The river has three crossings. Those who lived good lives can cross a bridge. The spirits of people who lived ordinary lives can cross at a shallow path across the river. However, those who lived bad lives are compelled to walk through the river’s waters, which are inhabited by demons and other horrors. At the banks of the Sanzu River stand Datsueba, a female demon, and Keneo, a male demon. Datsueba unclothes the dead and Keneo weighs their clothes to measure their karma. Buddhists hold special ceremonies on the days they expect their departed loved ones will be making the crossing. (Source)
Many families celebrate Obon every year, typically on August 15th,although there is some local variation as it was originally held on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. For three days family members will honor the spirits of their ancestors who are believed to return to their graves on these days. Families with offer food and flowers at the grave site and say prayers. Festivals are usually accompanied by a dance and music meant to welcome the spirits. There’s a wide variation in the regional traditions here so I recommend looking into this further on your own.
The festival’s practice is derived from the story of Maha Maudgalyayana (Mokuren), a Buddhist disciple who used his supernatural powers to look upon his mother in death. To his dismay, he saw that she had fallen into the realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering terribly. He immediately went to the Buddha and asked how he could free her from her suffering. The Buddha instructed him to present offerings to the many Buddhist monks who had just completed their summer retreat, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The disciple did this and, thus, saw his mother’s release. Note that there are variations of this story in different countries that practice Buddhism as well.
In terms of the funeral itself, it’s considered bad luck to say words that indicate repetition, lest you invite another death. Attendees will also typically be given salt to sprinkle over themselves or their front doorstep to purify themselves and protect themselves from bad luck. Attendees will also change out of their funeral clothes as soon as they get home for simillar reasons. Funerals wil probably not be held on the auspicious day of tomo-biki for fear of pulling a friend of the deceased into death (the phrase tomodachi o hiku “pull a friend along” contracts into tomobiki).
Regarding beliefs on the Buddhist afterlife and Hell, I defer to Matt Meyer who runs a great blog on Japanese mythology and monsters in general. These two articles on Meido and Jigoku might be a good place for you to start though.
If you have any more specific questions or questions about the answer given, please feel free to send another ask our way. We’re more than happy to help clarify.
-the Chorus
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Noragami: A Crash Course in Shintoism
This post is an adaptation of my panel "Noragami: A Crash Course in Shintoism" which covers the aspects of Shinto seen in the anime Noragami. (It’s a very long post.) (Also Tumblr’s formatting is a little weird so if you want a prettier version click here to read on Wordpress instead.)
This post is only going to be covering Noragami's anime adaptations. I won't be covering the manga or discussing major spoilers (like Yato's identity). I don't think reading this will ruin the series for anyone who hasn't seen it but just to be safe...
Spoiler Warning for Noragami, Noragami Aragoto and various Japanese myths!
What is Shinto?
A basic rundown.
Shinto is Japan's native religion. It's the amalgamation of local folk religions that eventually came to share uniform practices over time. Archaeological evidence of Shinto dates back as far as 300 B.C.E. The religion has no known founder and no single text as it's basis. This means there is no equivalent to Jesus or the Bible in Shinto.
However, there are texts about Shinto that are used as references to Shinto's mythology and practices. The oldest surviving being the Kojiki from 712 C.E. and the Nihon Shoki from 720 C.E. These texts are not scriptures, but record books about history and important people of the time. They recount myths (as history) and describe Shinto practices.
One reason Shinto is a particularly unique religion is because it has remained contained within Japan. Many neighboring religions have traveled to Japan and influenced Shinto including Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism and most notably, Buddhism. In fact many Shinto gods are borrowed from Buddhism. Yet, Shinto has never really spread outside of Japan.
Almost everyone in Japan takes part in Shinto rituals. Even if a person is not religious they likely still visit shrines (in particular on New Year's) and take part in Shinto festivals. (Almost everyone in Japan also takes part in Buddhist rituals but due to the scope of this post I won't be covering Buddhism.)
So Shinto is easier to think of as a set of nationwide traditions rather than a religion in the western sense, as it lacks monotheistic worship as well as a system of specific morals.
It's also important to note State Shinto. From the Meiji Era to WWII, Shinto became Japan's official religion and at this time many practices, such as how to pray at shrines, became standardized across the country. State Shinto was used to rally nationalism and even after its fall, Shinto is still somewhat associated with Japan's right wing politics.
Kami (Gods/Spirits)
A very important part of Shinto is kami. According to the Kojiki a kami is "any being whatsoever that possesses some eminent quality out of the ordinary and is awe-inspiring".
Kami are gods or spirits that usually rule over local geographic formations (like mountains or rivers). They can also take the form of ancestral ghosts. But effectively anything can have a kami. The chair I'm sitting in can have a kami. The computer I'm typing on can have a kami. The anime conventions I've presented this at can have their own kami. And so kami can add up after a while and this is why the Shinto gods collectively are refereed to as "Yaoyorozu no Kami" or the eight million gods, which is meant to imply that are an infinite amount of gods.
And with so many gods it is no wonder that some are forgotten. This is what brings us to the premise of Noragami, which means stray god.
But despite Shinto having so many gods, it does have a primary mythology and primary gods.
Shinto Gods and their myths
Izanagi and Izanami
Izanagi (male) and Izanami (female) were given a jeweled spear with which they stirred the ocean with. When the spear was pulled out of the water and the drops off the tip splashed in the water, the main island of Japan was created. The two then went to the island, got married and had lots of children. Izanami would give birth to many gods as well as the other islands of Japan.
This is essentially Japan's creation myth. This myth was taught as history until WWII.
The myth continues on to describe Izanami eventually giving birth to the fire god, Kagutsuchi. She suffered horrible burns during childbirth and died from the injuries. She then went to reside in a place called Yomi. Yomi is underground, it's dark and lots of monsters live there. Izanagi misses his wife and decides to get her back from Yomi. He goes and finds her in the dark depths but she says she can't leave because she's already eaten the food of Yomi. (Those are the rules, if you eat the food then you can't leave.) Izanami says she'll talk to who's in charge and see if she can work something out, but on the one condition that Izanagi will not look at her. So what does Izanagi do? He lights a fire, and looks to see that his wife is a rotting corpse. And so he high tails it out of there. Izanami gives chase after him, but he beats her to the entrance of Yomi and seals it with a giant boulder. Furious, Izanami proclaims from behind the boulder that because of Izanagi's actions she will kill 1,000 people a day. Izanagi retorts that he will have 1,500 people born a day.
This myth is meant to explain the cycle of life and death, but it also establishes that Kami are not perfect, glorious, ethereal beings. They are instead very human-like. They have emotions and react to things the way humans do. They can also be injured and even die.
Yomi, or at least its entrance is a real place in Japan that you can visit a see the boulder that Izanagi supposedly placed.
In Noragami, the characters visit Yomi and the real life location was used as reference for the version in the anime.
The characters also get to meet Izanami while in Yomi. She is very lonely and wants her guests to eat the food she offers them so that they will be stuck down there the way she is.
She also commands an army of shikome (hags of the underworld). In some versions of the myth she sent shikome to chase after Izanagi (but he still outran them).
Noragami's Izanami also has long black hair that moves around and tries to grab things. This is not an ability associated with Izanami herself, but supernatural hair is closely affiliated with female ghosts in Japan. So Izanami's hair has special abilities, effectively because she is a dead woman.
Amateratsu and the Cave
After leaving Yomi, Izanagi had to cleanse himself. During his ablution, when he cleansed his left eye, Amateratsu the sun goddess was born. When he cleansed his right, Tsukiyomi the moon god was born. And when he cleansed his nose, Susanoo the storm god was born.
Amateratsu and Susanoo had an intense sibling rivalry. And when Susanoo would throw fits, being a storm god, things would get messy. So after Susanoo had finished throwing one of his fits and messed up a bunch of Amateratsu's stuff, she had had it. She decided to go into a cave, take the sun with her and that she wasn't coming back out, thus leaving the world in darkness. The other gods realized that having a world with no sun wasn't great, so they devised a plan to lure Amateratsu out of the cave. They threw a loud party and made it sound like they were having a lot of fun. Amateratsu heard the noise and got curious. When she peaked out of the cave to see what all the commotion was about, a mirror was placed in front of her face. Amateratsu, being a beautiful sun goddess, was entranced by her own beauty and was lured out of the cave using her own reflection. The other gods then sealed the cave so she couldn't go back in and thus ensuring sunlight to the world.
Amateratsu would go on to become the highest ranking deity in Shinto. Her shrines are some of the largest and best maintained in Japan. And when she says someone is going to be emperor, that person becomes emperor. She was believed to be the ultimate ancestress of the Imperial line until Emperor Hirohito renounced his divinity in 1946.
Amateratsu herself is not portrayed in Noragami, but the place she resides is. Takamagahara, is the realm of the gods. It is up in the sky and is connected to earth by a bridge (which some interpret to be a rainbow). Takamagahara is where the gods live and gather for meetings.
In the anime, Takamagahara is the location of Bishomon's giant estate as well as Yato's tiny piece of land.
Takamagahara is usually portrayed as a place with golden clouds and traditional Japanese architecture. Noragami's version carries on these motifs in its own capacity.
The Three Talismans of Sovereignty
After Amateratsu choose the first emperor of Japan, he was given three talismans by the gods in order to prove his sovereignty over the land: the sacred mirror used to lure Amateratsu out of the cave, a magic sword Susanoo found after slaying a giant serpent, and a fertility jewel called magatama that Susanoo used in a baby making contest against Amateratsu. (Remember, it was an intense sibling rivalry.)
The real life items are referred to as the Imperial Regalia.
Above is not a picture of the Imperial Regalia. Above is an artist's rendition of what they might look like. There are no photos of these items. There are no drawings of these items. The only people allowed to see them are the emperor and his top ranked Shinto priests. So many artists have created their own version of what they think they look like. The most popular hands down being the version from Sailor Moon.
But as for Noragami, regalia are the dead souls of humans that have the ability to turn into a tool (usually a weapon) for a God’s use. The word for regalia in the Japanese version of the anime is "shinki" which is a word that can mean treasure, a newly crafted item, or it can be used to refer to the Imperial Regalia. So regalia in Noragami is basically a pun off the idea of items that are important to the gods but also give dead souls a newly crafted life.
Many of the Shinto gods wield regalia in Noragami.
Ebisu
Ebisu is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune. He is the only one derived from Japanese mythology. The rest are derived from Buddhism and Hinduism.
Originally named Hiruko, he was first child of Izanami and Izanagi but was born without bones so he was cast away. He grew his bones back (as one does) and became the kami of fishermen and merchants and was renamed Ebisu. Noragami's version of Ebisu doesn't share many visual traits with traditional portrayals, but his personality matches. He is clumsy, honest and difficult to anger. His regalia are his coat and gloves and they help him with his mobility because of the whole not having bones thing.
Bishamonten
Bishamonten (or in Noragami, Bishamon for short) is another one of the Seven Gods of Fortune. He is the kami of warriors and is derived from Vaisravana, one of Buddhism's Four Heavenly Kings. The biggest change Noragami made to its version is that Bishamon is a woman. In traditional versions Bishamonten is a man.
But the two are still similar in personality. Bishamon is a fierce fighter in addition to being dignified and holding herself to the high standard of always triumphing over evil (to the point of it causes problems when she decides that Yato is evil). And much like the traditional version of Bishamonten who has a hoard of treasures from his various adventures, Bishamon also has a huge supply of regalia to use at her will.
I'm not entirely sure why she's dress like a sexy cop. But if you look at the picture above you may notice Bishamonten is stepping on his enemies. I think the creator took that idea of stepping on people and just ran with it when they were designing Noragami's version.
The Seven Gods of Fortune
Besides Ebisu and Bishamonten, the other Gods of Fortune only make small cameos in Noragami's anime.
(from left to right)
Daikokuten – god of commerce
Ebisu – god of fishing and merchants
Benten – goddess of music and art
Bishamonten – god of warriors
Fukurokuju – god of wisdom and wealth
Hotei – god of health and happiness (Known in the west as the “Laughing Buddha”.)
Jurojin – god of longevity
Noragami's version of Daikokuten kind of looks like your shady uncle who's running a festival booth.
I'm not sure why. Maybe because those booths are associated with making money? But more notably he's seen holding a rabbit. This is because Daikokuten is also known as Okuninushi. There's a myth about Okuninushi helping a rabbit and in exchange the rabbit gave him some good fortune. So Noragami's version of Daikokuten really likes rabbits.
As for the rest of the gang, they look pretty similar to their traditional portrayals. (Benten has a treble clef tattoo, Hotei has hair but that's about it.) Except for Fukurokuju, who is dressed in a fancy suit since he's a god of wealth. But do not be fooled by his big fancy top hat. It is not there to show off how wealthy he is. It's there to cover up his giant forehead. His giant forehead is so giant that it is how you recognize him in traditional artwork.
So there you have the Seven Gods of Fortune. And as the story goes they all get together around New Year's time in a big flying boat and hand out presents to all the good little children.
I have no idea how this works because kids in Japan don't get presents for New Year's, they get cold hard cash from their family but that's the story. Whatever, floats your flying boat I guess?
Binbougami
Next up is Kofuku. She is not a specific mythological figure. She is a binbougami, (an unspecific) god of poverty. Binbougami are not worshiped. They posses people and houses and bring bad luck. They are traditionally depicted as a dirty old man with nothing to his name except an old hand fan. This is why Kofuku's regalia is a fan.
In Noragami, Kofuku goes by the name Kofuku (little fortune) Ebisu (the same as the previously mentioned god of fortune) so that people might mistake her for a god of fortune instead of misfortune and won't try to run her off.
Tenjin
Tejin's traditional depiction and Noragami's look very similar because Tenjin was an actual historical figure. He was named Sugawara no Michizane (845-903 C.E.). He was scholar, poet and politician. After he fell victim to some dirty politics he was fired, exiled and then died in exiled. Soon after his death a huge storm devastated the capital, destroying the homes of and even killing some of his political rivals. In order to placate his spirit the Imperial court restored the offices of his family, burned his order of exile and deified him. His name was changed to Tenjin and now he is the kami of learning. He is one of the most popular gods in Japan. Students frequent his shrines in order to pray for good grades. In Noragami, he's very wise but isn't the least bit humble about his importance and popularity.
Tenjin's Flying Plum Tree
When Michizane was exiled he composed a poem about how much he would miss a beloved plum tree growing at his home in Kyoto. Legend says that the tree also missed its master, so much that it uprooted itself and flew to be with Michizane again. And of course, you can go and visit the tree designated as the Flying Plum Tree.
In Noragami, the character Tsuyu might dress as a miko and stand among Tenjin's regalia but she's actually the spirit of said plum tree and has her own powers different from that of a regalia. She has a mark in the shape of plum blossom in the middle of her forehead to designate her from the rest of Tenjin's company.
Death and the Afterlife
So Tenjin got off pretty awesome in the afterlife. But what happens to everyone else according to Shinto? Descriptions of the afterlife are very vague if even present in texts about the religion. In Shinto, since anything awe-inspiring can be considered a kami, when you die, your soul is effectively a kami and the thing you are the kami of is your descendants. Shinto has ancestor worship. Many homes in Japan have a kamidana, which is a small shrine on a high self near the ceiling.
A kamidana is a shrine to the kami of your home and your ancestors and small offerings are placed on it.
Shinto also has funeral rites, however, they weren't properly documented until the 1800s and considering how long Shinto's been around for it goes to show how little emphasis the religion places on death.
Something common to most Japanese funerals is that the dead are dressed in a white robe with the right side over the left. To wear traditional Japanese clothing (like a kimono or yukata) you should always have the left side over the right, because right over left is reserved for the dead. From this we know that characters in Noragami like Yukine and Nora are dead as soon as they appear on screen because of how they are dressed.
Nora also has a triangle shaped headband. No one is actually sure what this is for. There are theories that it was placed on the dead to ward off evil spirits but all we really know is that they were popular in the Heian period and in particular showed up in a lot of art of ghosts from that time. So Nora's character design not only tells us that she's dead but also that she's probably been dead for a very long time.
Tokoyo
"Tokoyo" literally means eternalness. It's the name of a distant land across the sea where the dead reside. The English version of Noragami refers to it as "The Far Shore". This is where corrupted souls dwell and become phantoms.
Masks and Phantoms
In addition to a plethora of gods, Noragami also features supernatural beings called phantoms. In the Japanese version phantoms are called "ayakashi" which is a word with three different meanings. Ayakashi refers to a type of ghostly monster (yokai). It can also be used to refer to any kind of supernatural phenomena related to the sea. And it is also a type of mask from Noh, a traditional type of Japanese theater where actors wear masks while performing. An ayakashi is specifically the mask used to represent a male ghost or wrathful god. Masks in general are frequently used in Shinto rituals and celebrations. So the concept of ayakashi in Noragami is playing with all these ideas. Phantoms in Noragami are wrathful spirits from the far shore (so they're related to the sea) and they can be controlled by masks.
Rituals and Practices
Shrines
Shrines are where you can go to pray for good luck and ask for wishes to be granted.
But before you can go up to a shrine you will first have to pass through a torii.
Torii are arches meant to be sacred gateways into the terrain of kami. They come in many shapes and sizes. Some are big and bright red, others are small and natural colored. Yato, of course wants a great big one.
Sometimes you will see white zigzag shaped pieces of paper hanging off a torii.
These are called shide, and they are meant to mark the presence of a kami.
So once you've passed through the torii, you still cannot yet approach the shrine. Before you can approach a shrine you must first cleanse yourself. Every shrine has some sort of fountain or tough with wooden ladles that you are suppose to use to wash your hands and mouth.
Cleansing with water is a common step in many Shinto rituals. In Noragami, we see Yato cleanse his blight with water from a shrine.
Once you are cleansed you can finally approach the shrine. But before praying at the shrine, its suitable to give an offering. Kami are thought to be responsible for the forces of nature and fate of people, so they’re placated with offerings and bribed to grant wishes. Offerings are usually food, alcohol or money. The traditional offering is a 5 yen coin. 5 yen is about 5 cents. It's a very small amount of money. But 5 yen in Japanese, "go yen" is a homophone of the word for fate "go en". So when you offer a kami a 5 yen coin, it means you are trusting them with your fate. This is why receiving 5 yen coins makes Yato so happy.
It symbolizes that people are willing to trust him with their fate so what Yato's actually happy about is not receiving the coin, but receiving the respect it represents.
So after you have thrown your offering into the offering box, it's time to pray.
There's usually a bell with a rope hanging by the offering box. First you ring it to get the kami's attention. Then you bow twice, clap twice, pray and then bow again. This procedure of prayer was standardized during State Shinto but it can still vary depending on local customs.
It's important to note that shrines are not just big buildings. For instance the kamidana as described earlier. There is also the mikoshi, which is a portable shrine used during festivals.
Shrines can come in many shapes and sizes.
There are also many things you might see at a shrine. You would probably see a shimenawa, which is a rope used to enclose sacred spaces and protect them. These are usually wrapped around trees. In Noragami, there is a shimenawa wrapped around Robos's tree.
When visiting a shrine you could also see miko, shrine maidens.
Miko help to keep the shrine clean, help out with odd jobs and help perform certain rituals like the kagura dance.
But Miko are not actually in charge of the shrine. The Kannushi, Shinto priests, are the ones running the shrine and leading the rituals.
They very rarely show up in anime, presumably because they are not cute girls.
Lucky Charms, Talismans, and Fortunes
Before leaving a shrine you might want to buy a omamori, lucky charm. An omamori is a small pouch you purchase from the shrine and keep with you for good luck. Many omamori are specialized for things like work, health or love.
Another way to boost the chances of your wishes coming true is to write them on an ema, talisman. An ema is a wooden block that you hang at the shrine so the kami will hopefully see your wish and grant it. You can basically write or draw whatever you want.
There are also shrines that can provide you with official anime ema.
You can also get a fortune, especially if it's New Year's. If you pull a bad fortune you can tie it to a tree or wire fence so that you don't take the bad luck with you.
More Shinto in Anime and Japanese Media
My recommendations for if you want to see more things that have a focus on Shintoism:
My Neighbor Totoro
Kamisama Kiss
Persona 4 (The game! Not the anime.)
Inari Kon Kon
Matoi the Sacred Slayer
Further Readings
Shinto by C. Scott Littleton (book)
Saninstory.wordpress.com (shinto myths as comics)
Thanks for reading!
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Izanagi's God Kit, day 7: Spell, Block the Path Izanami sent Thunder Kami after Izanagi to stop him before he got away from Yomi, but just outside the entrance of the cave he found a peach tree, picked the fruit and threw them deep inside. The Thunder Kami retreated after them, unable to resist. Then Izanagi set to searching for a way to block off the path to the underworld. We will be at #orycon in #portland #oregon this weekend, so if you are there, come visit us at vendor table 8. We will have the demo of Mythoi as well as a couple other games. We will also have coppies of #Replicants and our line of #RPGs for sale. Learn more about this and other games we produce at www.attentionspangames.com In the #Seattle area and want to demo this or other games we produce, message us and we will make something happen. #asgames #Izanagi #Izanagiawakened #Shinto #gods #mythoi #playtest #indiegaming #bbg #pnwgamers #gamestorm #gamergeek #boardgamegeek #seattlegaming #bgg #bggcommunity #newart #earlyaccess #sneakpeek #boardgamenight #boardgame (at Attention Span Games & Garb)
#gamestorm#boardgamenight#boardgamegeek#earlyaccess#newart#bgg#bggcommunity#playtest#shinto#bbg#pnwgamers#rpgs#oregon#seattle#replicants#asgames#portland#mythoi#izanagi#orycon#indiegaming#gamergeek#seattlegaming#boardgame#sneakpeek#izanagiawakened#gods
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Japanese Pantheon
Who loves filial duty????
AMATERASU. Queen of the Heavenly Plain, Goddess of the sun and mother of the imperial family of Japan. She was the most powerful of the Japanese deities, and when she went into hiding in a cave, the World was plunged into darkness. Only by positioning a mirror before the cave entrance and staging an elaborate and noisy entertainment outside were the other Gods able to draw her from her seclusion. Once she looked in the mirror, she realized how beautiful and elegant, how glorious and how delightful, she truly was. She resumed her duties more radiant and wonderfully confident than she had been before.
Alignment: NG
Domains: The sun, duty, beauty, motherhood, self confidence
HACHIMAN. Lord of fishing nets, fertile fields and war, is a changeable and flexible god. His symbol, the tomoe, is three teardrops circling in a vortex, signifying the forces of change and transformation that he brings to any occasion. In legends, he could be a warrior with a topknot, a bald-headed priest or a long-haired fisherman. As a divine protector of all social classes, he is able to shift even his divine form, becoming fat or thin, tall or short, bald or hairy, as the moment takes him. Unfortunately, he is unable to shift forms on the fly; whatever shape he takes for a given encounter, he must retain. In addition, the dove and his eight traditional banners are present wherever he goes. They are inviolable symbols of his presence. He laughs early and often, and enjoys family gatherings where he can sit as the wise old uncle, spinning tales about life after the war or in the internment camps.
Alignment: N
Domains: Change, chaos, stories
IZANAGI. Father of Amaterasu, creator of islands. Parent with Izanami of many deities and spirits. Most pay court upon him. As lord of the sky, he helps maintain both the motion of the stars and planets, and keeps the weather fl owing in orderly patterns. He has some responsibility for assuring the fertility of human beings, as well. After his wife Izanami died in childbirth, he beheld her putrescent form during an ill-fated rescue from Yomi. Embarrassed and enraged, she swore vengeance, saying she would destroy 1,000 of his people a day; Izanagi retorted that 1,500 of his people would thus be born each day. Tall, with black hair, moustache and beard, graceful hands and a regal bearing, Izanagi appears as a mature Japanese man whose eyes hold a look of grim determination touched with sadness.
Alignment: LG
Domains: Fertility, fatherhood
IZANAMI. Izanagi's dead wife. Queen of the underworld. Helped give birth to gods of the islands. Died in childbirth, and Izanagi killed that child in vengeance. Her appearance there is half rotted and swarming with maggots. Chose darkness and death over light and life, and now she and Izanagi can no longer look at each other. Handmaidens are called the shikome, and are terrifying to look on. Doesn't go out much, tends to be reclusive. Has both light, creative and dark, destructive aspects.
Alignment: N
Domains: Duty, death, motherhood, birth, decay, life cycles
RAIDEN. Red skinned with a demonic visage, god of thunder and lightning. Guardian against invaders, often angry, but when calm is very likable. Offers advice on almost anything. Looks like a pig, disgusting behavior.
Alignment: CN
Domains: Protection, thunder, lightning, being That Guy
SUSANO-O. Sea and storms. Fiery tempered, bearded young man, full of rage, always on some kind of adventure. Not welcome in many places. Likes excitement. In one legend, he found himself sent out of Takamagahara— the Amatsukami’s region of the Overworld—on some thin pretext, so he decided to visit his sister, Amaterasu, before he left. They had a contest in which they both made people. She made beautiful women from fragments of his sword, and he made men from the jewels of her necklace. Yet Amaterasu was clearly the winner. In anger, Susano-o killed one of her attendants, destroyed her rice fields and finally flung a flayed horse into her weaving room. He was banished to the World, where he had to slay an eight-headed dragon, marry a peasant girl after many trials and give up his sword to his sister before he was allowed to return to Takamagahara.
Alignment: CN
Domains: Chaos, the ocean, destruction, temper tantrums
TSUKI-YOMI. The moon. Amaterasu's brother whom she's ashamed of because he once slew the goddess of food at a banquet he was attending as her guest. He was sent to the far side of the sky. He therefore sulks and sometimes bears messages. Likes travel.
Alignment: NE
Domains: The moon, travel
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