Edge of Heaven by Selestia
Prologue: Genesis
Prologue: "Genesis"
To escape her brother's rage and chaos, the Great Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, had fled to a quiet corner of her kingdom after he threw a flayed piebald horse into her weaving room, the last of many atrocities to the Goddess. And there, she went into a dark rock cave and sealed the entrance. Inside the cave was dark, but the ensuing darkness that fell when the Goddess left was bleaker, and both humans and deities began to despair.
The deities tried much persuasion to coerce their Goddess out of her cave to no avail. They gathered in a dry river bed near their Queen's hiding place, and begged one god to help them. Hoard-thoughts, was well known for having good ideas...if you could persuade him to tell them. But even Hoard-thoughts was worried about their Queen's behavior that he advised all the gods to collect all the cocks that could be relied upon to crow at dawn. Thus, the cocks were collected.
He advised for a mirror and strands of jewels to be hung from the branches of a Sakaki tree that was just at the entrance of Amaterasu's cave. They did so, and even decorated it in bright banners, uttering ritual words as they did so.
A sister-goddess, Ama no Uzume, then stepped forward with an idea all her own. Turning over a washtub, the voluptuous goddess of merriment stepped upon in, wearing nothing but leaves and flowers, and began to dance. Soon she shed what was her clothing, and her feet continued to beat out the rhythm against the wood beneath her as she swayed and danced, abandoned in the divine ecstasy of it all.
The other gods gathered and roared with laughter and approval at Uzume's dance. Their collective torches made the sky so bright that the cocks began to crow, mingling with the loud laughter and applauds of those gathered.
Inside her cave, the Great Sun Goddess Amaterasu was surprised at the sound and grew curious. Was she not missed? Slowly, she ventured forth from her cave, and just when the god of Force would have grabbed her wrist and pulled her forth, Uzume moved. Behind the sister-goddess was the mirror in the Sakaki tree, and the image inside held Amaterasu. It had been so long since she had seen her own image that she was delighted at the long-lost sight of her own beauty, and was filled with a strong determination to fulfill her duties in Heaven.
Returning to Heaven, mirrors were placed in every hall of her temple, enticing any visitor to look deeply within. With the light back, the people and gods regained their hope, and renewed their vigor for life with joy and courage.
Ninigi no Mikoto was the celestial grandson of Amaterasu, Susa-no-O, and Takami-Musubi, and represented the fusion of such illustrious lines of divine descent, which gave him immense power and great wisdom.
When Amaterasu and Takami-Musubi became displeased with the behavior of the earthly Kami, they chose to send their August grandchild down to restore order and rein in the chaos that presided. There was far too much dissension and insubbordination for their taste.
Before Ninigi departed, the Great Sun Goddess gave him the divine mandate to go to the lands that became Japan, and that would be the lands that her descendents would rule. She blessed him, that his line would prosper eternally, like Heaven and Earth.
Then, Amaterasu bestowed upon Ninigi the sanshu-no-shinki, or the three Imperial Regalia, which was made up of the curved Yasakani no Magatame jewel, the Yata no Kagami--the Eight-Handed Mirror, and the Sword, Kusanagi no Tsurugi. The jewel was among the jewels the gods hung from the Sakaki tree to lure Amaterasu out of her cave, while the Yata no Kagami was the mirror that did indeed entice her from her rock dwelling. The Sword was the sword that Amaterasu's husband-brother, Susa-no-O, retrieved from the tail of the Orochi dragon, the eight-headed maiden-eating serpent.
These three sacred items were conferred to Ninigi no Mikoto with due solemnity, as they were to be charismatic symbols of divine authority. Of she mirror, she said, "When you look upon this mirror, may it be as though you are looking upon me. Keep it with you as your sacred mirror, in your bed and under your roof."
She also told him, "As the mirror is bright, illuminate the world; as the jewels spread broadly, rule with their wonderful sway; and with the sword, subdue all those who do not submit to your rule."
The Great Sun Goddess sent along with Ninigi eight million deities, as the spirits that would infuse nature, cultural artifacts, and intellectual attainments. Thirty-two of their deities were leaders, and of the five most important was Ishi-Kori-Dome no Mikoto, the Master of Mirrors, and the creator of the Yata no Kagami.
Accompanied by his great train of attendants, Ninigi no Mikoto landed on Mount Takachiho in Kyushu and proceeded to build a magnificent palace on the Cape of Kasasa. From there, he began to take control of the lands through their lords, taking his wife, and the rest becomes myth...
The sanshu-no-shinki become venerated as symbols of the Emperor's right to rule, and have legitimized the Imperial Line in a tradition that continues through the ages. The symbolism of the Imperial Regalia is so powerful that it transcends the fact that no living person has even set eyes on them, and they are believed to have remained untouched within layers of brocade wrappings and lacquer cases for many centuries. With no illustrations, or even reliable accounts, and the secrecy about the Regalia so impenetrable that some have even questioned their existence at all...
Glossary:
Amaterasu -- The Great Sun Goddess; the supreme deity of the Shinto religion
Susa-no-O -- Susa for short, the Storm God, Amaterasu's tempestuous husband-brother, and grandfather of Ninigi no Mikoto
Ama no Uzume -- the goddess of merriment
kami -- god
sanshu-no-shinki -- the three Imperial Regalia
Yasakani no Magatama -- jewel of "increasing prosperity"
Yata no Kagami -- the Eight-Handed Mirror ("eight-handed" because of it's octagonal shape)
Kusanagi no Tsurugi -- the Sword "of the gathering clouds of heaven"
Ishi-Kori-Dome no Mikoto -- the Master of Mirrors