For every generation, a story lingers on amongst the greatest of all legends. The tales of the very beginning perch themselves upon the same dust ridden shelves that the identities of many important and heroic people throughout history have laid claim to over the eons. Over the vast plains, oceans, forests and wastelands this planet has to offer, many ideals have joined together to form their own masterpiece of how this world became what it was, is currently and forever shall be in the eyes of its ultimate conqueror; man. However, our story begins not on a peaceful note, but on a reckless and devastative torment of every element known to human kind. Listen carefully, as the tale of how one's creation will become the salvation of all.
Many eons ago, the cozy green, blue and white planet many of you have come to call home was but a mere ideal in the process of creation. If one were to journey back to such a primitive and simple time, they would be shocked to find nothing but absolute darkness and chaos. Slinking around in the enormous outreaches of the chaotic universe, dark and sinister forces bided their time happily absorbing vital nutrients from the free-floating elements. This bleak present however soon reformed to a change. As if by divine will alone, the black chaotic mass began to formulate and swirl together, creating in its wake solid formations.
Though miraculous it may seem, the elements bided their time, creating a masterpiece for all to marvel and many to prosper from upon its completion. Finally after many centuries of trials and tribulations of molding together, the swirling mass of chaotic energy gave way to a majestic plain of mighty mountains, deep valleys and empty cavities. However the swirling cloud of elements was not finished. Years later a new form emerged from the mass of chaotic energy. Like the plain before it, this new world was also devoid of any supplemental object that could support life.
Not a moment later, two large, reed-like plants jutted forth from the volatile soil of the new chaotic world. Majestically, the pods opened to reveal two divine beings known to many as Kunitokotachi and Amenominakanushi. Once freed from their flora encasings, the two proceeded to breathe life into the newly created heaven and earth. However the much larger and complex of the two newly formed edifices, the newly dubbed earth became violent and a large ocean flooded the once barren planet. Upon the completion of the heavens, both deities agreed to populate the planet, thus creating Izanagi and Izanami.
Following their creation, the two were ordered to reshape the land to how they saw fit. To aid them in their duty to rejuvenate the volatile planet, the divine beings granted upon them a mighty spear, which was encrusted with valuable and priceless gems. Setting out to create a new world, Izanagi and Izanami journeyed to the bridge of the heavens and dipped the sacred spear into the water, churning it with ease. Retrieving the spear from the vast ocean, salty water collected at the tip before dripping off to lie atop the sea. Once the solution solidified, the salt water had hardened into islands. Seizing their opportune moment, Izanami and Izanagi descended upon the newly created land and began to cultivate it.
During their time on the land, they created a massive tower that reached for the heavens. Surrounding the tower was a massive palace, which the couple planned to live in. Like all mammals the time soon came to mate, however their ceremony took place around the tower of the heavens. Circling around the tower, Izanami was the first to greet Izanagi following their trip. Confused as to why Izanami spoke first, the couple soon threw caution to the wind and became mated anyway. Upon the time for their children to arrive, the couple was astounded to find their two children Hiruko, and Awashima were born deformed, thus forfeiting them from becoming a deity. Frantic, Izanagi and Izanami sent their first-born children out to sea in a boat before turning to the gods for answers.
The deities informed them that it should have been Izanagi who would speak first in greetings at the wedding ceremony. Quickly the couple remarried, this time allowing for Izanagi to speak first. Following this correction, Izanagi and Izanami bore many islands and deities, one of which, the incarnation of fire Kagu-Tsuchi, ended up being the end for Izanami as she died in childbirth. Outraged, Izanagi slew the newborn, in turn creating dozens more. The last trip in the story of Izanagi and Izanami takes the couple into Yomi, or the gloomy underworld. Pained by the loss of his beloved wife, Izanagi searched endlessly for her until he eventually sought her out, however, he was too late. The shadows of Yomi had hidden Izanami well during Izanagi's search, thus allowing for her body to decay. Her decrepit form frightened Izanagi to the point of where he turned and ran. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Izanami proclaimed that if he allowed, she would kill 1,000 living souls everyday. However to her threat he replied that he would give life to 1,500./i
The Story of Amaterasu
The story has only begun as the relationship between Izanagi and Izanami draws to a bitter close. Tainted from the vile disease of Yomi, Izanagi kneels before a sacred river to purify himself. Dipping his hands into the cool water, he first cleanses his left eye. From this Amaterasu is born. Continuing in his purification, Izanagi then cleanses his right eye, thus allowing for the creation of Tsukuyomi. And finally, Izanagi cleanses his nose, from which Susano-o is born.
Like any new father would probably be, Izanagi was beside himself with joy upon the arrivals of his children. However unlike his other children Izanami bore, these three radiated special qualities that were pretty self-eminent. The first child he took into his arms radiated vibrant energy and warm, causing a soft smile to spread onto his thick lips.
"My what a beautiful little girl," he noted as he carefully cradled the young one. "I'll name you Amaterasu."
At the mention of its newly christened name, baby Amaterasu wiggled in her father's large hands. A soft chuckle vibrated his vocal cords before the shrill cries of her temporarily forgotten brothers seized the deitys attention.
"Yes little ones," he reassured as he carefully placed little Ameterasu in a small collection of flowers, the flora soon bending and molding to create a makeshift carriage. "I haven't forgotten you two."
Carefully extending his body out over the carpet of soft, green grass, Izanagi smiled warmly as his two sons crawled over to his prone body. The skinnier, paler child with a few tufts of golden-blonde hair managed to reach him first, earning a warm smile and a soft chuckle in return.
"My what precious golden hair you have," Izanagi observed. "I believe I'll name you Tsukuyomi."
The young child mustered up a toothless smile as he proceeded to journey up onto his fathers broad shoulders. It wasn't long however when a sharp push on his muscular forearm caught his attention. Izanagi turned his gaze over to his other son. The spunky child stared intently at his father's forearm before pushing his body weight against the solid object. Izanagi chuckled warmly at the youngster's spirit.
"Little one, what are you doing?" he questioned, only to watch as the youth fell back onto his rump, apparently puzzled by the object's massive inertia.
The child had a rather broad forehead for one as young as him, and his eyes were of a slate grayish hue, a single stray strand of dark hair poking out of his otherwise bald cranium. In comparison to his brother and sister, this young child was slightly larger than them, with a driving stamina to boot.
"You are quite powerful for your age," Izanagi noted as he studied the child. "And quite unpredictable, I believe a fitting name for you would be Susano."
The child merely ignored his father's identification of his person, and instead took to watching a grasshopper flutter its wings before taking off to another nearby patch of grass. Izanagi sighed as his children soon took to occupying themselves with what appeared in their surroundings. Little Amaterasu was busy sniffing flowers left and right, sneezing every so often from the pollen it wafted from within. Tsukuyomi was busy peering up into the sky, a distant, pale object soon capturing and maintaining his attention, while his brother Susano attempted to capture the wily grasshopper. Choosing to follow Tsukuyomi's gaze heavenward, a large object appeared in a river of stardust, its pale surface busy with activity.
Tilting his head to one side, Izanagi stood from the ground as he continued to observe this pale, round edifice. Squinting his eyes, he managed to pick out the outline of a stately hare engraved in its majestic surface. As he continued to stare at the round object, he soon averted his gaze to the defined twinkling of nearby stars, each bright star forming patterns. Choosing to connect the dots, Izanagi soon discovered the simplistic outlines of a dragon; rat, sheep, snake, tiger, cat, monkey, boar, horse and hare appear before his very eyes.
"My word," he mused as the ground soon became bathed in the large round object's pale light.
"Muh...mun..moon..," a small voice noted as Izanagi soon felt a sharp tug on his robes.
"Yes Tsukuyomi," he addressed, kneeling down. "What is it?"
"Moon," he repeated pointing up at the large pale edifice.
"Is that what you want it to be called?" Izanagi questioned as he lifted his son into his arms.
The youth nodded briskly before returning his gaze onto the newly dubbed moon.
"Then it is yours son," the weathered deity of creation granted.
Years passed by the moon's calendar and before long, the young toddlers were walking, talking and discovering and naming animals they met on their adventures. The eldest child, Amaterasu often spent her days in fields of flowers, admiring their beauty and plucking a bouquet to take home as the sunset. She also took to learning brushwork. However every time she managed to complete a piece on canvas, the painting came to life, often leaving her with another blank canvas to fill.
The middle child, Tsukuyomi often spent his days learning how to play a variety of instruments he often created himself to match the various tones and melodies of nature, his experimentation often attracting many different species of wildlife to his concerts. Even though he was still rather young, Tsukuyomi's hair grew to below his waist, its vibrant golden color often attracting the envy of Amaterasu herself.
Then there left the youngest Susano, who even though showed great promise to become a great warrior in his early days, spent most of his time lounging about or sleeping, even when his father ordered him to practice his sword techniques. When he wasn't sleeping, he was often seen pulling tricks and pranks on Amaterasu, usually ending with him being punished. His actions however soon grew to more intensive levels as he grew in age, size and strength.
Aside from the children, Izanagi had also developed a relationship and trading partnership with the majestic people of the moon tribe. They often met to trade or discuss future plans on the occurrence of either a lunar or solar eclipse. As custom to their traditions, the carpenters of the moon tribe often built varied types of runic ships that carried valuable cargo back and forth between worlds. Though many were small, on the days of solar eclipses, large arks were sent to earth, harboring not only treasures, but also people. Once the ark docked, the people were welcomed on earth to begin populating the otherwise uninhabited landscape.
"Amaterasu!" Izanagi called as he rushed into his study.
"Yes father?" the young goddess answered as she slid a large bamboo panel to her right.
"I need you to accompany me today when I greet the chief of the moon tribe," the older deity informed as he checked his list of goods he planned to trade.
"But why father?" Amaterasu questioned as she stood to the side to allow for her father to exit, sliding the panel shut afterward. "You usually never really needed our assistance, and I'm sure Susano or Tsukuyomi would be much more capable of unloading their ship..."
"It has nothing to do with that my dear princess," Izanagi interrupted gently. "I just wanted to introduce him to the new sun goddess Amaterasu."
The young deity stopped in her tracks. To be an actual goddess was one thing, but the goddess of something as majorly important and vital as the sun just seemed impossible.
"Oh, father, I am most flattered," she began, picking up the train of her kimono to catch up with him. "But I just don't think I'm capable of handling such an important job. I mean, many people depend on the sun for warmth, light and a source of nourishment for their plants...and I just don't think I can handle it."
"Amaterasu," he noted in a soft voice. "You worry too much my precious child. You are by far the most responsible person I know of. Surely I could not put Susano in charge of the sun. He is much too lazy and brutish, and Tsukuyomi is always off doing his own thing or making his music. I chose you not because you are the oldest or I think you can handle it."
Izanagi stopped for a moment as he placed his parchments down on a small ledge leading out of his expansive palace before enveloping his daughter in a warm embrace.
"I chose you because you alone are the light of my life," he commented smiling. "You bring so much warmth and joy to this family that you were a sure fire choice when it came to choosing the sun deity."
"Father," Amaterasu began, a loss for words as she bowed her head in reverence. "I don't know what to say."
"Don't worry your pretty little head about it," Izanagi proclaimed in a light tone as he retrieved the parchments. "Now let us be on our way, the ark should be arriving any moment.
"Father why do I have to go along?" a young man with striking golden hair whined as he gazed out over the cosmos, the massive ark leaving a trail of stardust in its wake. "I hate long trips and I had work to do!"
"If you mean sitting up in trees playing your flute all day as being work, then yes you have quite a busy life," the strong tone of a much older man with slightly graying hair replied stoically as he carefully guided the massive ark over the connection path toward the massive planet. "You are of a ripe age where you can start becoming a man and accepting responsibilities."
"Sure right," the youth responded in a sarcastic tone as he proceeded to play a few airy notes on his bamboo flute.
"Ushiwaka," his father reprimanded firmly. "Put that thing away and get over here!"
"Yes father," came a begrudged reply as the aforementioned traversed slowly to the steering mechanism of the runic ship.
"Must you always wear those getas?" the boy's father questioned as his son joined him at the ship's wheel. "They are not very proper footwear for our tribe and they make an awful noise."
"Well I like them!" Ushiwaka rebutted. "So did you just want to make fun of my footwear or are you going to show me how to work this thing?"
"Choose your words wisely Ushiwaka," sounded a strong reprimand. "Here steady the wheel while I check up on our cargo. If we manage to breech into the clouds of the Celestial Plain before my return, call for assistance."
"Yeah, yeah," the youth answered as he curled his thin fingers around the rungs of the massive wheel.
The time of the moon tribe ship's arrival soon drew nearer as the sun was slowly receding behind the moon's massive form, casting darkness upon the land. Izanagi and Amaterasu stood serenely at the docks of the Celestial Plain as the clouds soon began to shift and swirl, the image of a mighty ship appearing moments later. Folding her hands neatly in front of her, Amaterasu waited nervously as the massive ship drew closer and closer. The sound of a foreign horn rang out over the bow of the ark as it slowed its pace, easing gently into port.
As the ship docked, the newly dubbed sun goddess soon perked her ears up as the faint sound of a bamboo flute caught her attention. Squinting her eyes, she soon noticed the silhouette of a young man perched high atop one of the masts of the vessel. As quickly as the music had begun, it ended, the figure quickly dismounting from his post and cascading serenely down toward the deck of the ship. Tilting her head to the right, Amaterasu continued to stare up at the vacant mast before her father's hand on her shoulder jolted her from her staring contest. Averting her gaze up at her father, he soon redirected her gaze as a majestic figure emerged from the daunting mist the ship seemed to ooze. Even though the light was dim, the figure's clothes gleamed with a soft light blue hue that curved and angled intricately around the lengthy robes. The robe itself was of a dark hue of navy blue with black and white outlines. The figure's facial features however, were not as easily distinguished as their clothing.
"Amaterasu, this is Lunami," Izanagi introduced as the aforementioned figured stood before them. "Chief of the moon tribe, and head merchant of the Letchike fleet. It's an honor to meet you again."
"As is an honor to see you again Izanagi," Lunami greeted as they bowed respectively to each other, Amaterasu mimicking out of respect. "And who do we have here today?"
"This is my daughter Amaterasu," he introduced proudly. "She is the newly christened goddess of the sun."
"Ah, what a lovely young woman," the elder chief acknowledged. "She sure fits the persona of the sun, such radiant features.
"Thank you," Amaterasu responded as she bowed again.
"Oh, which reminds me, I have a tag along as well," Lunami commented as he glanced up at the ark. "Now where did that little urchin get to?"
"I'm right here father," a voice answered from high above their heads.
Glancing up at the ship's bow, the three were welcomed with the sight of the rather mischievous prince of the moon tribe.
"Well get down here this instant," the chief's angered voice commanded.
"As you wish," the youth replied as he lept from the bow, landing softly on the dock.
"Izanagi, young Amaterasu," Lumani addressed as he placed his left hand on his son's right shoulder. "This is my son, Ushiwaka."
Amaterasu tilted her head to the left as she visually absorbed the newcomer's appearance. This young man appeared to be slightly older and taller than her, with a pair of bright red getas creating an even more noticeable height difference. His hair was just as long and the same color as her brother, Tsukuyomi's, which begged the question of where her brother came from in the first place. However, Ushiwaka's hair was neatly pulled back into a tight ponytail, a few shorter strands dangling loosely above his eyes, which were a shade of brilliant coral blue. His tunic was rather plain, save for the slits at the shoulders, revealing a stunning dark blue robe underneath. His pants were also a shade of dark blue, and at his waist, he carried a small katana.
"Well now that we are formally acquainted why don't you two go off and play?" Izanagi commented as he and Lunami headed off to check on the ark's cargo.
"Hi," Amaterasu greeted, a smile claiming her lips.
"Hi," Ushiwaka returned, pulling out his bamboo flute.
"So you were up on that mast playing," the goddess commented as they proceeded to walk away from the dock.
"Yeah, so," the young prince replied.
"Would you mind playing a song?" Amaterasu questioned. "Please? I'd love to hear one."
Ushiwaka smiled warmly as he stopped by a nearby cherry blossom tree. Squatting slightly, he soon launched his body up into the mass of thick branches. Settling into a comfortable spot, he rested his back against the trunk of the tree and raised the instrument to his lips. The melody started soft before gradually building to an even tone. Smiling, Amaterasu settled in the grass just below Ushiwaka's perch, enjoying both the melody and the soft breeze.
"How was that?" the young prince questioned upon finishing the song.
"Lovely," the goddess answered.