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Notices of Japan, No. X.
JUNE,
The Sintoo mythology and cosmogony, being as extravagantly absurd as those of most oriental nations, possess little claim to notice, except in such points as are essential to the history of Japan, and the supremacy of the mikado.
From * primeval chaos, according to the Japanese, arose a self-created supreme god, throned in the highest heaven-as implied by his somewhat long-winded name of Ame-no-mi-naka nusimo-kami—and far too great to have his tranquillity disturbed by any cares whatever. Next arose two creator gods, who fashioned the universe out of chaos, but seem to have stopped short of this planet of ours, leaving it still in a chaotic state. The universe was then governed for some myriads of years by seven successive gods, with equally long names, but col. lectively called the celestial gods. To the last of these, Iza-na-gi-mikoto, the only one who married, the earth owes its existence. He once upon a time thus addressed his consort, Iza-na-mi-mikoto: "There should be somewhere a habita- ble earth; let us seek it under the waters that are boiling beneath us." He dipped his jeweled spear into the water, and the turbid drops, trickling from the weapon as he withdrew it, congealed, and formed an island. This island, it should seem, was Kiusiu, the largest of the eight that constituted the world, alias Japan. Iza- na-gi-mikoto next called eight millions of gods into existence, created the ten thousand things' (yorodzu no mono), and then committed the government of the whole to his favorite and best child, his daughter, the sun-goddess, known by the three different names of Ama-terasu-oho-kami, Ho-hiru-meno-mikoto, and Ten-sio- dai-zin, which last is chiefly given her in her connection with Japan.
With the sovereignty of Ten-sio-dai-zin began a new epoch. She reigned, instead of myriads, only about 250,000 years, and was followed by four more gods or demi-gods, who, in succession, governed the world 2,091,042 years. These are terrestrial gods; and the last of them, having married a mortal wife, left a mortal son upon earth, named Zin-mu-ten-wou, the immediate ancestor of the mikado.
But of all these high and puissant gods, although so essentially belonging to Sintoo mythology, none seem to be objects of worship except Ten-sio-dai-zin, and she, though the especial patron deity of Japan, is too great to be addressed in prayer, save through the mediation of the kami, or of her descendant, the mikado. The kami, again, are divided into superior and inferior, 492 being born gods, or perhaps spirits, and 2,640 being deified or canonized men. They are all mediatory spirits.
Their temples
But with divinities thus numerous, the Sintoo are no idolaters. are unpolluted by idols, and the only incentives to devotion they contain are a mirror, the emblem of the soul's perfect purity, and what is called a gohei, con- sisting of many strips of white paper, which, according to some writers, are blank, and merely another emblem of purity; according to others, are inscribed with moral and religious sentences. The temples possess, indeed, images of the kami to whom they are especially dedicated, but those images are not set up to be worshiped; they are kept, with their temple treasures, in some secret receptacle, and only exhibited upon particular festivals. Private families are said to have images of their patron kami in shrines and chapels adjoining the verandah of the temple; but Meylan confidently avers that every yasiro is dedicated solely to the one Supreme God, and Siebold considers every image as a corrupt innovation. He seems to think that in genuine Sinsyu, Ten-sio-dai-zin alone is or was wor
* Siebold; the authority for nearly the whole of this chapter.
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الية.
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