Kojiki. "At the time of the begin- ning of heiiven and earth, there existed three pillar (chief) kami (guds). The name of one k:nni w:)s ' Lord of tlie Aliddle of Heaven ;' next, 'High IneflMble Pro- creator ;' next, 'Ineflable Procreator.' These three existing single, hid their bt)dies (died, passed away, in- became pure spirit ). Next, when tlie .voung land floated like oil moving about, there came into ex- istence, sprouting upwards like a rush shoot, a kami named ' Delightful Rush Sprout ;' next, ' Heavenly Slaudiug-on -the- Bottom' kami. The two chief kami, existing single, hid their bodies. Next came into ex- istence these three kami," etc.
Nihongi. "Of old, when heaven and earth were not yet sep- arated, and the in (male, active, or positive principle) and the yo (female, passive, or negative principle) were not separated, chaos, envel- oping all things, like afowl's egg, contained within it a germ. The clear and ethe- real substance expanding became heaven; the heavy and thick substance agsrhi- tinaiiiig became earth. The ethereal union of matter was easy, but the thickened sub- stance hardened with diffi- culty. Therefore heaven existed first; the earth was fixed afterwards. Subse- quently deity (kami) was born (or evolved, umnru). Now, it is said that in the beginning of heaven and earth the soil floated about like a fish floating on the top of the water," etc.
Ill the Kojiki we have the original Japanese theory of creation, and in the Nihongi the same account with Chinese philosophical ideas and terms added. Indeed, the first verse of the Nihongi down to " Now, it is said," etc., is borrowed direct from Chinese books. Both texts show that the Japanese scheme of creation starts without a Creator or any first cause; matter appears before mind, and deity has no existence before matter. The idea of space apart from matter was also foreign to these ancient philosophers. There is no creation, prop- erly speaking, but only evolution until the gods (kami) are evolved or get being. The work of creation prop- erly so called begins only when after the genesis of sev- eral pairs of (hitori-gami) single, sexless beings, Izana- gi and Izanami appear. Standing upon the floating bridge of heaven, Izanagi plunged his jewelled falchion (or spear) into the unstable waters beneath, and, with- drawing it, the drops which trickled from it congealed, and formed an island. Upon this they descended, and planting the falchion in the ground, made it the central pillar of^a palace which they built around it, intending that it should be the pillar of a continent. Izanagi means "The-raale-who-invites," Izanami "The-female- who-invites." In Izanagi was the first manifestation of the male principle ; in Izanami that of the female
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principle. Thpy were the first beings who were con- scious of a difference of sex. They separated to make a tour of the island. At their meeting the female spirit spoke first — " How joyful to meet a lovely male !" Izaiiagi, offended that the female had spoken first, re- quired tlie circuit to be repeated. Meeting a second time, the male spirit spoke first, and saiti, ''How joyful to meet a lovely female !" Then followed the first prac- tice of the art of love. Whence the origin of the human race, the gods (kami), and the ten thousand things in heaven and earth. The first series of children born were the islands of Japan. The details of creation were carried out by the various kami who sjirang from Izana- gi and Izananii. In the conce|)tion of many of the sul)- ordinate kami and the objects which make u]) the world, the two creator-deities had a common |iart, liut many others were generated by the separate action of each. Thus, in bringing forth the god of (ire Izanami suffered great pain, and from the matter which she vomited forth in her agony sprang the god and goddess of met- al. She afterwards created the gods of day and fresh water to pacify the tire-god when he was inclined to be turbulent. Izanagi, being incensed at the fire -god, clove him in three pieces with his sword. From the fragments sprang the gods of thmider, of mountains, and of rain. Tiie gods of clay and fresli water married. From the head of their offspring grew tlie mulberry and silkworm ; from the navel, the five esculent grains — rice, wiieat, millet, beans, and sorghum. Izanami had en- joined upon her consort not to look upon her during her retirement, but Izanagi disregarding her wish, she fled into the nether world (the "root-land," or '-land of darkness"). Izanagi descended to induce her to return to earth. He found the region one of awful foulness, and the body of his consort a mass of worms. Escaping to the n]ipcr world, he purified himself by repeated washings in the sea. In these acts many goils were born, among others Susanoii from his nose and Ama- terasu from his left eye. Tlie deities created out of the filth from which he washed himself are the evil deities that war against the good gods and still trouble man- kind in many ways. At this time heaven and earth were very close to each other, and the goddess Ama- torasu being a rare and beautiful child, whose body shone brilliantly. Izanagi sent her up tlie pillar that iniited heaven and earth, and bade her rule over the high plain of heaven. She ever afterwards illuminated heaven and earth. Her name, Ama-terasu-O-iSIi-Kami, means " From - heav-en - far - sliming - Deity." The Chinese equivalent is "Ten-Sho- Dai -Jin," and the common English term " sun - goddess." Susanoii, whose full name is "Take-TIaya-Snsano-O-^Iikoto," was likewise commanded to rule over the blue jilain of the sea and the multitudinous salt waters. He, however, neglected to keep his kingdom in order, was very slovenly, and cried constantly. To cure him of his surly behavior, his father made him ruler over the kingdom of night. lie is usually styled the god of the mfnui. Instead of reforming liis contUict, Susanoii grew worse. He turned a wild horse loose into the rice-fields i)lante(l by his sis- ter the sini-goddess, defiled the white rice in lier store- house, anil, finally, while one day siie was weaving, he flung the reeking hide of a wild horse freshly skinned over her loom, and the carcass into the room. Dreadful- ly frightened and hurt, the sun-goddess withdrew into a rocky cave and shut the door. Instantly there was darkness over heaven and earth — a calamity wliicli the turbulent gods im]iroved l)y making a confused noise like the buzzing of flies. A great congress of all the gods was now held in the drj' bed of the Iliver of Heaven (the Milky-way), and after devising and carrying out many expedients — which became the foundation of the arts of life in .lapan — the sun-goddess came out, light shone again, and Susanoii was banished into a distant land, where bis ailventures took place, Ibe accounts of which fill many pages iti the national mythology. As the carlh-gods and evil deities midtiplied, confusion and