|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue May 02, 2006 3:07 pm
What have been some great stories and myths you've heard about Japan, it's history, or it's culture?
I'm personally interested in the ancient stuff, though some of their modern day tales intrigue me, as well...*like Shimotsuma Monogatari, which I'm guessing transliterates to A Cold Wives' Tale...*
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 10:31 am
it's been some time since my research, but i remember stumbling upon some myth about a flower princess. Apparently, many japanese myths took place in Miyazaki...
Anyway, the first emperor of Japan (Ninigi-no-Mikoto) was sent down by the sky god (Amaterasu-Omikami) to the islands of Japan to build Japan. One day, as he's walking around, he met the beautiful flower princess (Konohana-Sakuya-Hime) and proposed to her. Her father, the god of Earth (Oyamatsumi) gladly accepted and also sent her other daughter, the rock princess (Iwanaga), to marry Ninigi. However, Ninigi refused to marry Iwanaga, because she was so ugly and so, sent her back to her father. Her father became so angry and told Ninigi that the flower princess gave him prosperity and the rock princess would've given him eternal life, but because he refused Iwanaga, all his descendents will die (the following emperors).
In fact, i think most japanese myths come from the Kojiki, the oldest piece of literature originating from Japan... i think. This myth has like a sequel to it, something about her children being ugly and Ninigi didn't want them and so on...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 13, 2006 4:53 pm
Koiyuki I'm personally interested in the ancient stuff, though some of their modern day tales intrigue me, as well...*like Shimotsuma Monogatari, which I'm guessing transliterates to A Cold Wives' Tale...* Well, the official English title is Kamikaze Girls, but "Shimotsuma Monogatari" means "Story of Shimotsuma," as in the name of the town in which the movie takes place. [Reference 1]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:49 am
lt's see.. I know there's a myth about the sleeves of the kimono, they're sayd to catch spirits, so the furisode (worn by unmarried women) sleeves are VERY long so that hopefully they will catch a man's heart
annother is that when cats grow older, their tails split & it gives them special powers to make corpses move (usually dance for their entertainment) so many cats have their tails cut off when they're young crying
the only other one I can think of at the moment.. it's bad luck to drink/serve green tea at a wedding, it's supposed to be either the husband/wife will die early, they will be unable to have children, they will have many troubles with their children, or the marrage will not last long and end violently (arguments and such).. so they drink/serve a tea made from sakura pettals heart
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 7:32 pm
I once read a book of strange Japanese tales. I can't remember any of the stories, but I loved them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:01 am
I've read lots! smile Kinda, I ordered some books from the library (my new friend smile ) and I read one because they gave me this really thick book... eek
I like the tale of Izanami and Izanagi but I can't remember what it's called. Oh and I liked the one about the Tongue-cut Sparrow. That's all I remember but then I read another one but I can't remember what they're called but I think one's a play?
It's about this guy who gets killed or has to commit seppuku and then his 47 vassals(?) decide to kill his killer so they kill him and offer the guy the severed head but then in the end they have to commit seppuku and all 47 of their graves are at that shrine today.
I just don't remember the name and I forgot what it was about. But I think that's it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 6:00 am
Mm, you're thinking of the story of the loyal 47 ronin. Akira Kurosawa made it into a movie called Chushingura - darned good movie, albeit rather long. The lord (I think his name was Asano) was baited by the villain, Kira, and drew his sword in the imperial palace. Since that was a taboo act, he had to commit seppuku, and this led 47 of his loyal retainers to vow to have their revenge. It's based on an actual event, right?
The phrase 'tongue-cut sparrow' rings a bell, but I don't remember what it's about. Care to remind me?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:02 am
I just came upon a site that had a few Japanese myths. Here's the link if anybody would like to read them.
http://www.st.rim.or.jp/~cycle/myrefE.HTML
And here is the tongue-cut sparrow myth:
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/japan.html#sparrow
Enjoy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 5:20 am
Yeah that's the one!
The Tongue-cut Sparrow is about this man who had either a sparrow friend or he helped it out. (I can't remember but I'm pretty sure they were friends sweatdrop ), then one day the old man's cranky and mean wife was doing the laundry and set some rice paste outside. The sparrow saw that and ate it. She became mad and took her scissors and slit the sparrow's tongue.
The old man found out what happened and went in seach of the sparrow and came across its home. He asked how he was and he ate there. (I may be getting this story kinda wrong and making mistakes but at least this may help to refresh your memory.) Then before the old man left the sparrow gave him two boxes but he chose the small one. When he got backhe told his wife and when they opened it the found (gold I think? sweatdrop or a kimono, been too long since I read it.)
The wife scolding him for not talking the bigger one and she went back. She found the house and went in. Then the sparrows gave her the choice of boxes and for her deeds, she chose the big one. Then she ran home but stopped to open the boxes and out came monsters/demon/ogres. From that day she became a nicer person.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 12:14 pm
Mikagi-sama Yeah that's the one! The Tongue-cut Sparrow is about this man who had either a sparrow friend or he helped it out. (I can't remember but I'm pretty sure they were friends sweatdrop ), then one day the old man's cranky and mean wife was doing the laundry and set some rice paste outside. The sparrow saw that and ate it. She became mad and took her scissors and slit the sparrow's tongue. The old man found out what happened and went in seach of the sparrow and came across its home. He asked how he was and he ate there. (I may be getting this story kinda wrong and making mistakes but at least this may help to refresh your memory.) Then before the old man left the sparrow gave him two boxes but he chose the small one. When he got backhe told his wife and when they opened it the found (gold I think? sweatdrop or a kimono, been too long since I read it.) The wife scolding him for not talking the bigger one and she went back. She found the house and went in. Then the sparrows gave her the choice of boxes and for her deeds, she chose the big one. Then she ran home but stopped to open the boxes and out came monsters/demon/ogres. From that day she became a nicer person. actualy she was devoured(it also depend on version of legend) it is has some basis on old thinking that women are evil.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 12:44 pm
mukashi mukashi(this mean times of past times of past, so i am not sure how to say in english) there three children with a magic fanl fan. But these children were tengu children,as all tengu they have long nose. When they wave fan on their nose, their noses would shrink or grow longer. the children did not know, but they were be watched. Watched by a tanuki(um,i do not know what you call this at english sweatdrop , well i have picture soon). tanuki can turn them self into anything.most tanuki are dumb and playful, but this one not totally.when the tanuki saw the fun children were having , he want to take for himself. so tanuki change himself into mochi. the tengu children, who are very snobby,drop the fan and eat a mochi. But there 3 tengu children and 4 buns. this was the tanuki plan.so the tanuki say "close your eye and hold your breath, whoever can hold longer gets the mochi"the tengu think it was good.and being snobby they all thought they able win.so they close their eyes and held their breath. the tanuki ran and pick up the fan, and the dumbness of a tanuki set in. The tanuki came to temple where a beautiful girl sitting . The girl was daughter of richest man in world(japan). The tanuki wave his fan on the girl's nose until it grew long. Then ran away. The father was shocked! His beautiful daughter now look like tengu. The father called the doctors. They thought that if she ate thistledown, sea urchins and cabbage, it would fix her nose. So she ate thistledown, sea urchins and cabbage. But it not fix her nose. The father call witch. The witch say the girl put pepper on her nose and she sneeze back small. The girl put pepper on her nose and she sneezed. But her nose not get smaller.The father yelled and put pepper on the witch. The father got the smartest people in the world(japan). They say if she tied her nose in not it look smaller. the father in worry say,"I give my daughter and half weakth to to someone who able to fix my daughter nose." The tanuki walked in to the room and say "i am nose shrinker"(yes, the stroy starts to get uncreative here). And he wave fan and make the princess nose small again! The wedding was had right away. The tanuki was so happy! now he had pretty wife and was rich!when he was sleep, the tengu children came in and take their fan. They wave it on the tanuki's nose until the nose grew through clouds. Two worker building a bridge at heaven. When they see the tanuki's nose stop growing close to them, they decide it was good pole for their bridge and put it up. And that tanuki was not seen again.  tanuki tengu
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 6:25 pm
As far as I know, Tanuki are called Raccoons in America
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 6:27 pm
Koiyuki As far as I know, Tanuki are called Raccoons in America no, that is not racoon, tanuki turn white in winter and relate to dog.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 6:37 pm
Aiko_589 Koiyuki As far as I know, Tanuki are called Raccoons in America no, that is not racoon, tanuki turn white in winter and relate to dog. Really now? That's something I didn't know. Perhaps they should just be called Tanuki, then?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:09 pm
i will start here a very long tale from kojiki. the creation of the world the kami and some other stuff i want to start with the creation of the world:
Before the heaven and the earth exist, everything was shapeless, limitless and with no shape. out of the shape less mas somemething light rose and form the heaven. This High Heaven, where kami Ame no Minaka Nushi no Mikoto appear. Next the heaven had kami Takami Musubi no Mikoto . and then it had Kammi-Musubi-no-Mikoto . these kami are call the creat kami.
while the were came, the shapeless black mass turn into earth, but it tke so long before earth make that it was million of year before it form.in begininng it was like oil on water. suddenly ,like the growing of reed, two kami were born from it breast. They were Umashi Ashi Kahibi Hikoji no Mikoto (ashi here mean reed, refering to how the jaust grow out of earth) and Ame no Tokotachi no Mikoto (also call kunitokotachi)they were ruler of heaven and the oil on water that was going be earth, thoguh the kami did not know that....
many kami born after, but soon, they had nothing to do. so, all the kami call two kami, Izanagi and Izanami,and tell them go down to the mass and give it shape and life. "We give to you"they say, "this treasure that will create the world." So they give them a naginata call Ama no Nuboko, that had many jewel on it. The two kami taked the naginata nd set to go to earth expecting to see he oil on water. when they made it to the Flying brigde of ama, which was in middle of the heaven heaven and oil on water, they stood to see what was there. it was not oil water.the oil and water had separated and the oil was no more. What they saw was a what looking like a fog floating in the air, and it smelled great! They werenot sure what to, but Izanagi said they should try stirring the fog with their naginata. so he sturred and it touched something....
that is all i will type now! few it is to much for me type! and this is only the first part out of 3 i w ill edit the rest of story in later!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
