Learning from Kojiki (3) 2018/02/04

Okuninushi-nomikoto, a descendant of Susano-nomikoto, who is highly admired as a deity of founding our nation, has been one of the most popular deities among past and modern Japanese.

He was born weak and repeatedly bullied and killed by his brothers. However whenever he was cornered to die, his mother and Kamimusubi, one of original three deities, came to relieve and revive him.

Furthermore, Okuninushi was thrown into the world controlled by Susano who gave severe ordeals to him. However Okuninushi survived all ordeals by his wisdom, power and strong support from his wife. Susano congratulated his survival and admitted his remarkable growth.

Above story tells us anybody, even a deity, can’t be strong and almighty from the beginning but is able to make oneself strong and wise with supports from others, especially mother’s love and father’s severity.

 

Okuninushi finally cooperated with Omononushi who is a deity of a mountain in Yamato district. Thus Okuninushi has found the nation with peaceful order.

 

Then Amaterasu sent representatives twice from the world of deities to the nation in order to negotiate with Okuninushi to hand over the nation but in vain.

After consulting with other deities, Amatersu finally sent Ninigi-nomikoto with the seeds of rice to fulfill the mission. After hard negotiation between them, Okuninushi agreed to hand over the nation with one condition that he would be given the tallest shrine. This is the root of current giant Izumo shrine

 

Thus peaceful orders in the world of deities and the nation on the earth have been achieved respectively with a close relation between both worlds, or between deities and humans, or in other word, between spirituals and materials.

 

All of these events were achieved by democratic decisions and peaceful negotiations without a fierce battle.

 mountains where Ninigi-nomikoto descended