Japanese Folklore

The folklore of the islands that made up Japan for most of its history. Hokkaido, the Okinawa islands, and the disputed Kuril islands have their own unique traditions separate to these. There are a number of variations and traditions within it, notably the early Shinto tradition, and the later Buddhist tradition.

## Myths

### Shinto

#### Cosmogony

The cosmogony of Japan is recorded in the *Kojiki*, the earliest Japanese book, dating to 712 CE. It records the birth and death of seven heavenly deities, followed by five couples of deities, of whom the youngest pair, Izanagi and Izanami, were told by the others to turn the chaos of muddy water below them into the Earth. Using a jewelled spear, they stood on the "floating bridge of heaven" (likely a rainbow) and dipped the spear into the water. When they raised it, some water that had stuck to the shaft dripped down, creating the island of Onogoro where it landed.

They then built a house on the island, where they had their first child, Hiruko. As Izanami had said the first words during their union, which was against the divine ritual of marriage, Hiruko was deformed and abandoned by his mother in a reed boat. Their second child, Awa, was likewise deformed and abandoned. The other gods then explained to them why their children were being born deformed, and they remarried each other with Izanagi saying the first words. Their next eight children became the eight main islands of Japan.

#### Theogony

Izanagi and Izanami had a number of other children, but Izanami later died during the birth of the Kagutsuchi, the god of fire. From both her decomposing corpse and the tears of Izanagi a number of other deities were born. Izanagi cut Kagutsuchi to pieces, and from his body parts more gods were born.

Izanami's spirit had gone to the underworld, so Izanagi went and requested her return to the world of the living. She told him to wait, but he grew impatient and entered the underworld early. There, he saw that she had become a rotten, hideous heap of flesh, and he fled, chased by demons sent by Izanami to punish his betrayal. He escaped and sealed the underworld behind him with a rock.

Outside, Izanagi underwent ritual purification and, as he washed himself in a river, more deities were born from his body parts and clothes, including Susanoo the storm god from his nose, Tsukuyomi the moon god from his left eye, and Amaterasu Omikami the sun goddess from his right eye.

A slightly altered version is recorded in the *Nihongi* in 720 CE, but that version is heavily influenced by Chinese beliefs.

#### Amaterasu and Susanoo

Susanoo refused to obey Izanagi, so he was banished from the heavenly realms. He wanted to say goodbye to his sister first, though, and entered her domain. She was distrustful of his intentions, and told him to prove his good faith to her, which he offered to do so by performing a divine miracle to create four gods: if any of them ended up being goddesses, then he would end up being insincere. From a string of jewels his sister gave him, he created five gods, while she broke his sword into three pieces, chewed the pieces, and spat out three goddesses. These eight deities went on to become the ancestors of the oldest Japanese noble houses.

After his success, Susanoo started committing acts of mischief, first by breaking the irrigation channels of her fields, causing them to flood, which she defended to her subordinates by saying that the fields had offended him, so he was within his rights to destroy them, and then he defecated in her palace, which she defended to her subordinates by saying that he was abominably drunk at the time. She then went into her weaving room to get away from his antics, and he threw a flayed horse corpse through the ceiling, killing one of her attendants and causing Amaterasu to have a breakdown and hide in a cave, resulting in the sun's light being hidden from existence.

The heavenly gods, in an effort to get her out of the cave, came up with a number of ideas, ultimately settling on a plan: one of Amaterasu's friends, Uzume would dance comically on a raised platform near the cave, causing the male gods to cheer for her. Amaterasu then heard the cheering and, thinking it was a more powerful god arriving, went out to see who it was. Koyane had hung a mirror from the tree outside the cave, so Amaterasu saw her own reflection and thought it the god they were cheering for, so approached it. Tajikarao then sealed the cave behind her from his concealed position near the entrance, preventing her from going back inside.

Susanoo was then fined and his banishment from the heavens was begun. As he left the heavens, he killed Ogetsuhime, the goddess of food, causing her corpse to turn into seeds which he took with him to the earth.

There are a number of myths about Susanoo's deeds on Earth, including the slaying of the dragon Yamata no Orochi.

#### Amaterasu's Conquest of Earth

Once Amaterasu had brought order to the celestial realms, she turned her attention to the Earth. She sent three messengers to try to bring order to the earthly realm, but they accomplished little besides getting Susanoo's descendants in Izumo to recognise Amaterasu's authority. Amaterasu then sent her grandson, Ninigi, to Earth with eight companions, with instructions to take over the Earth and bring order to the land. Ninigi descended upon the land of Kyushu and married a beautiful goddess from there. Amaterasu had given him the three pieces of Imperial Regalia to signify his rulership over the Earth: the mirror, Kagami, which had been used to lure Amaterasu from the cave, the sword found by Susanoo in the corpse of the dragon Yamata no Orochi, which he sent to Amaterasu as a peace offering, and the jewel Yasaka.

Ninigi and his wife had three sons, one of whom, Hoori, married the daughter of Watatsumi, the dragon god of the sea, and his son, Ugayafukiaezu, married another daughter of Watatsumi. Ugayafukiaezu's son, Toyomikenu, also known as Jimmu Tenno, became the first Emperor of Japan in 660 BCE after fighting his way from Kyushu to Yamato and founding the State of Yamato.

### Buddhist

Buddhism was introduced in Japan from Korea between the 5th and 6th centuries, and was adopted due to its promise of eventual reincarnation over being sent to the underworld. It also introduced a wide range of new gods, and eventually the Shinto gods were declared to be reincarnations of Buddhist ones.

The two most notable Japanese Buddhist deities are Jizo and Kannon, and they are the central figures of a number of myths:

* Jizo is the protector of children and people who suffer. If a child dies, he continues to protect them while they await reincarnation, and can lead people to heaven if he wishes.
* Kannon, originally a male Bodhisattva, is considered the goddess of mercy, and is generally viewed as Japan's equivalent of the Christian Madonna.

Oni are demons adapted from Chinese and Indian ideas of demonology, and often appear in heroic legends, fairy tales, and in plays.

### Fairy Tales

#### Urashima Taro

Urashima Taro married one of the daughters of the sea dragon god Ryujin, and stayed under the sea with her for three hundred years. When he returned to land, his wife gave him a bottle which he was told to never open. When he saw how much everything had changed, he accidentally opened the bottle, causing his spirit to escape, resulting in him rapidly aging 300 years.

#### Momotaro

Momotaro was found as a baby in a large peach, and was adopted by the old couple who found him. After growing up, he went to Onigashima (Oni Island), and forced the onis to give him their treasure. He later returned home with three animal companions: a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant.

#### Kintaro

Kintaro, also known as Sakata no Kintoki, grew up in the forest and became immensely strong. He joined up with Minamoto Yorimitsu in the 11th Century CE, and went on a number of quests.

#### Mirror of Matsuyama

A girl looked in the mirror and thought she saw the face of her late mother, not realising she was looking at herself. This led to the creation of the Girls' Festival as a celebration of filial piety.

#### Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

A celestial woman was sent from the moon to Earth as punishment for her crimes, and was found as a miniature baby in a shoot of bamboo by an elderly bamboo cutter. The people from the moon sent down gold as a stipend, hiding them in bamboo for the old man to find. The girl quickly grew up into a beautiful young lady, while her adopted family grew wealthy. She began attracting suitors, who she gave impossible tasks to, and eventually caught the eye of the Emperor himself. Though she refused him, she had fallen in love, thus fulfilling the terms of her sentence. The moon people then came to collect her and return her to the moon: her punishment was to fall in love and then be taken away from those she cared about. She gave the emperor the elixir of eternal life, but he chose to burn it instead of using it, deciding that an eternal life without her was not a life he wanted to live.

#### Kitsune

As in many cultures, animals play a major role in fairy tales. Foxes are one of the two main animals in Japanese ones, owing to influence from Chinese fox legends.

Foxes, known in Japan as kitsunes, are mysterious beings typically considered to be malevolent. Their lifespans are measured in centuries, and they are able to take on human form, often that of a beautiful woman. They often bewitch men, and "fox fire" is the translation of the Japanese name for the will-o'-wisp. Inari, the rice god, employs foxes as messengers (and indeed, he is often depicted as a fox), and these foxes are generally considered to be benevolent ones.

#### Tanuki

The raccoon dog, like the fox, has a major role in fairy tales, often taking a similar role to the kitsune.

## Festivals

Separate from Japan's national holidays are its traditional festivals, many of which are adapted from ancient Chinese ones.

### New Year

The New Year festival takes place over three days, and in the past was used as the collective birthday of all adults. During this festival people visit shrines, eat special food, pay off debts, and observe the "first dream", which involves putting a picture of the *takarabune* under the pillow before sleeping on the night of the 3rd of January, with that night's dreams being considered prophetic. Seeing Mount Fuji in the dream is considered the best omen.

### Nanakusa

The Seven Grasses festival, held on the 7th of January, involves making a stew from rice gruel and seven fresh herbs, which would then be ceremoniously eaten. The purpose of the festival is to ward off disease for the next year.

### Setsubun

Setsubun, held on the 3rd of September, is when a person's destiny for the next year is determined. In the evening, a person takes a bean for each year of their age and throw them onto the floor while yelling "In with good luck, out with the demons!"

### Hinamatsuri

The Girls' Festival is held on the 3rd of March. It has the displaying of heirloom dolls in the *tokonoma* (alcove) of the home as its main feature. This is only done in households where there is a daughter. The dolls represent the medieval emperor and empress along with their court. A feast is made for the dolls, with miniature dishes, and stories about important Japanese women are told.

### Tango no Sekku

The Boys' Festival is held on the 5th of May. It is celebrated by all households with sons no older than seven. A paper carp (a symbol of strength and virility due to them climbing step waterfalls to mate) is attached to the top of a pole in the garden. The *tokonoma* (alcove) is decorated with dolls representing ancient warriors and heroes, with miniature weapons accompanying them.

### Tanabata

The Weaver's Festival is held on the 7th of July, and commemorates the legend of the "Weaver" star (Vega), who meets her lover (Altair) only once a year on this day as part of the Milky Way. Doors are decorated with poems on strips of coloured paper. Girls' Schools hold special exhibitions of students' handicrafts.

### Obon

The Feast of Lanterns is held between the 13th and 16th of July. At this time, the spirits of the dead are believed to return to their homes, where they are to be suitably entertained with food and the things they enjoyed in life. Special candles are set at gates to show the way to the spirits, and Buddhist bonzes travel from home to home to conduct services for the dead.

### Choyo

The Chrysanthemum Festival is held on the 9th of September, which is celebrated in modern times by having exhibitions of chrysanthemums.

## Marriage and Funeral Customs

### Marriage

Traditionally, Japanese marriages have used matchmakers or a go-between, who dealt only with the parents of the couple. This practice still exists in modern Japan, but is quite rare, though matchmakers interacting directly with the couple are growing in popularity.

To seal the deal, the matchmaker would invite both parties and their parents to a public place, such as a restaurant. This meeting is called a *miai*. Here things would be ironed out and, if successful, the *yuino* (engagement gifts) would be exchanged. Historically these would be silk, sake, cloth, etc., but in modern times it is more likely for the groom to send money to the bride, after which she returns some of it to him. Once this is done, they are officially betrothed.

The ceremony itself is generally devoid of religious rites and is considered to be fairly simple. After the bride's belongings are sent to the groom's home, she goes there on the evening of the wedding day, dressed in a special kimono and wearing a triangular hood (called a "horn-cover", designed to hide the "horns of jealousy"). The pair then perform the *sansan-kudo* ceremony, which involves exchanging ceremonial cups of sake nine times. There is then an official introduction for the bride and groom to their in-laws, concluding the ceremony.

### Funerals

While considered the domain of Buddhist priests for centuries, in recent times Shinto priests have become prominent performers of funerals as well. Cremation and burial are both common, with Buddhist cremations often having the corpse in a squatting position in the coffin before cremation. Prayers are said over the grave, and a tablet for the deceased is added to the ancestral shrine.

There is a mourning period, though the duration varies depending on how closely related the people are: 13 days for distant relatives, while 13 months for close relatives. Mourning colours are white, as in China.

## Other Miscellaneous Beliefs

There is a belief that certain times, places, and objects can bring good or bad luck, and this is generally considered the most prominent superstition in Japan. This belief traces its origin to the Chinese practice of *Feng-Shui*. A daily horoscope could, for instance, say not to move in a certain direction on a particular day lest they be met with ill fortune. There are also general rules, such as those born in the Year of the Rabbit expecting no good luck on the day of the Tiger.

Northeast is always considered to be an unlucky direction owing to the belief that it's the direction oni come from.

Buildings are blamed for good or bad luck, with the structure or location being considered responsible for misfortune or good fortune befalling the people living there.

In high-risk occupations, employees will often consult fortune tellers at every available opportunity, and will often wear talismans/amulets (*ofuda*) un the shape of a slip of paper with the stamp of a temple seal.

The ages of 19, 33, 42, and 47 are considered unlucky due to their pronunciation being open to interpretation (42, if pronounced as *shi-ni* "four-two" also means "death").

Fortune telling is considered vitally important during a betrothal to determine the compatibility of their destinies. Women born under the sign of "Fire-Horse" are believed to have a poor chance of finding a husband since they are believed to cause their deaths.

To counteract these sources of bad luck, many Japanese use fortune tellers to determine the most auspicious days for them, which they will use for important events.

When going out to eat, it is customary to get a minimum of two bowls of rice since a single bowl is what is used as an offering to a dead person, and getting a single one is thought to indicate impending death.

People with a skin-affecting illness occasionally put on a straw hat before bathing in a body of water, going in until the hat floats from their head. The hat being washed away from them is meant to indicate their illness being washed away as well.

Owing to the influence of Shinto, impurity is seen as a cause for bad luck, leading to people attempting to be as clean as possible.

A medieval tradition that is no longer viewed with much meaning, in much the same way as Abracadabra is used in modern society, is the word *aburaunkensowaka*, which originally was to be said upon meeting a snake.

## Dancing

There are two main types of dance in Japan: *mai* (classical dancing) and *odori* (popular dancing). *Mai* uses slow, stately movements, whereas *odori* is much more lively. *Bugaku* is a particular form of *mai* and is a form of court dancing imported from China and Korea. There are 160 forms of *bugaku*, each of which represents a major historical or legendary event from the history of India, China, Korea, or Tibet.

Dancing is believed to be derived from the *kagura*, the dance performed by Uzume to lure Amaterasu out of the cave, and the *kagura* is still performed at certain temples and shrines.

*Odori* are associated with rural areas, and the best known dance of this type is performed during the *Obon* festival. Men and woman form a circle on a village common to the sound of flutes, drums, and ballads/love songs.

## Music and Songs

The three main traditional instruments in Japan are known as the *sankyoku*: the *samisen*, *koto*, and *shakuhachi*. The *samisen* is a three-stringed guitar played with a large plectrum, the *koto* is a resonant thirteen-stringed lute, and the *shakuhachi* is a bamboo flute. Other popular instruments include the drum and *biwa*, a four-stringed lyre.

Lots of traditional Japanese music is inspired by that of China and Korea, though it has a great number of unique features to it.

Japan is known for its wide plethora of folk songs, and singing is enjoyed by many Japanese people.

## Proverbs

Like the rest of the world, wisdom in Japan is often passed from generation to generation through proverbs. Many are similar to those of other parts of the world due to the constancy of the human condition wherever one may be.

Some examples are as follows:

* "The devil in one's heart reproaches himself" - a guilty conscience needs no accuser.
* "An ill-smelling being does not know its own smell"
* "A bee to a weeping face", - misfortunes never come singly.
* "It is dark at the foot of the lighthouse" - the darkest hour comes before the dawn
* "Know another's pain by pinching yourself"
* "The man who steals money is hanged; the man who steals a kingdom becomes king"

## Further Reading

* *Japanalia*, L. Bush and Y. Kagami
* *Things Japanese*, B. H. Chamberlain
* The Kojiki
* *The Fox and Badger in Japanese Folk-lore* in *Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Vol. 36*, M. W. de Visser
* *Japanese Festival and Calendar Lore*, W. H. Erskine
* *Japan in History, Folklore and Art*, W. E. Griffis
* *Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan*, L. Hearn
* *Kokoro*, L. Hearn
* *The Romance of the Milky Way*, L. Hearn
* *Myths of China and Japan*, D. A. Mackenzie
* *The Spirit of Shinto Mythology*, J. W. T. Mason

## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.40 1.41 1.42 1.43 1.44 1.45 1.46 1.47 1.48 1.49 1.50 1.51 1.52 1.53 1.54 1.55 1.56 1.57 1.58 Mish, J. L. (1972). "Japanese folklore", in Leach, M. (ed) *Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend*. 3rd ed. pp.539-542