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The next morning:
Percy woke up around 11am and got up off the floor, he stretched out his muscles, before going outside and relighting the campfire so he could make his breakfast. He had picked up some simple oats from the village yesterday.
Once the fire was up, and he cooked his oats. He ate half, before pouring the rest into the fire "for the Olympians" he spoke and put out the campfire and packed his tent up, he would now seek out a inn in a local village. His plan was to learn about martial arts, as well as the people's mythology. And possibly try and get a samurai armour and katana made out of Celestial Bronze aswell as Imperial Gold.
Once, he was all packed up and everything was in his bag, he put the bag on and started to trek towards the village. The village was Biei Cho, it was quiet in comparison to somewhere like a city.
As, the demigod reached the village, he took in the breath taking view. He adventured down, in hopes of finding an inn for his stay. He walked down streets, before finding a hotel. It was the Hotel Lavenir Biei. As Percy went up, and brought a room for 3 nights. He was given the key to his room. He made his way to his new room and settled in. He took a quick half-hour nap.
After he woke up, he decided to leave his hotel room and he ventured out in hopes of finding a library. He knew it would be hard to read, they might not even have books in English. In that case, he hoped they had computers that had English on them and if they didn't he was at a dead end.
He arrived at the Biei-Cho library, as he walked in, they did in-fact have books and computers in English. (Quick A/N. I know they probably don't but I changed it for my plot line). He sat down at the computer, the words jumped around, however he managed to find a setting to set it to Greek. The words now stopped jumping around and he managed to read them, he searched the web for Japanese Mythology. He was going to learn about Japan's myths and legends.
The first one that came up was, Izanagi one of the divine creators alongside his wife Izanami. He is the father of countless kami's (god's, deity's, spirits) as well as the bureaucracy of the heavens, which his daughter, Amaterasu the goddess of the sun presides over. Izanagi, is considered to be the father of the Japanese pantheon and is often considered to the creator deity. Though the latter, is not entirely true, it is accurate that he is the father of many kami. He also defends against the forces of Yomi(the land of the dead) as well as ensuring there are more births than deaths every day in order to preserve his creation. The weapon he often wields is Ame-no-nuboko, the heavenly jewelled spear with which he churned the primordial seas.
He is the father, of many Shinto rituals as well, this includes marriage and misogi. The misogi ritual is central to Shinto beliefs and uses water to wash away any impurities, such as the death and rot that Izanagi encountered while in the underworld. As the father to the Chief gods of Heaven, Izanagi was the original ruler of Heaven and he trained his daughter, Amaterasu to take the throne. While, he does still maintain some authority, Izanagi has bequeathed most of his powers to his daughter, Amaterasu, who now serves as the true ruler of Heaven.
Izanagi and his sister-wife Izanami, are the seventh generation of the Kamiyonanayo and are the children of Omodaru and Kashiko-ne. Together with Izanami, Izanagi drew the islands of Japan from the sea; in this way, the two deities effectively gave birth to the islands, which in turn are considered to be their children. The islands in this creation myth are generally thought to be Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu, as well as the smaller islands that surround them. Izanagi then fathered the first great generation of kami, culminating in the birth of the fire god Kagutsuchi, who killed Izanami.
Percy took a breath from reading, and while he did he though. "What is it with gods marrying their siblings." He carried on reading.
As Izanagi purified himself in the wake of this tragedy, Izanagi fathered Amaterasu, and the three most important gods in the Japanese pantheon. Through Amaterasu, he is an ancestor of the Japanese Imperial family. The tale of Izanagi is central to the , the origins of Japan told in many traditions.
From, the void came Heaven and the Earth. In the beginning, only Heaven was populated and upon seeing the Earth was untouched, the primordial deities had given their blessing to Izanagi and Izanami to fill it with life. Standing at the pillars of heaven, the siblings used the spear Ame- no-nuboko to the churn the sea and from this the first islands of Japan had formed, and in the wake of this achievement, the two saw their bodies had complemented one another, and Izanagi proposed to Izanami so they could procreate and Izanami agreed, and the two had begun to prepare for the marriage ceremony. Izanagi: How has your body been made? Izanami: My body is fully formed, except for a part which has not quite grown. Izanagi: My body is fully formed, except I have a part that has grown too much. If I place the part of my body that has grown too much, and plug the part of your body not yet grown, we will procreate lands and dominions. What say you to this? Translated from Kojiki.
Izanagi and Izanami had performed the first ever marriage ceremony by walking around the pillars of heaven and meeting in the centre. In the initial ceremony, Izanami spoke first; this was out of line, however, and caused the marriage to be improperly sealed. The children born of this union were illegitimate and deformed as a result. They performed the marriage ceremony once more, this time with Izanagi speaking first. With their marriage sealed properly this time, Izanagi and Izanami gave birth to the remaining Japanese islands as well as a host of gods - the first legitimate kami. Despite this temporary happiness, the marriage would soon end in sorrow. The final god to be born of Izanami was the fire god Kagutsuchi, whose flames enveloped and killed his mother. Following this tragedy, a grieving Izanagi killed the child and fell into mourning.
In his despair, the god had set out for Yomi-no-Kuni, the Land of the Death. The land was defiled and impure. It was full of Oni and other monsters. Once there, Izanagi found a seemingly normal Izanami; when he shone a light upon her, however, he discovered that she was little more than rotting flesh, full of demons writhing like maggots. He learned that she had partaken of the food of Yomi, and as such was bound to remain there for all eternity. Filled with dread, Izanagi fled from her, but Izanami pursued, sending a host of demons to catch him and inflict suffering upon the world. This remind Percy, of the myth to do with Persephone and Hades.
Knowing Izanami would devour the world if she escaped Yomi, Izanagi placed a giant boulder at the mouth of the underworld in order to prevent her return. Furious, Izanami cursed the world, saying she would kill a thousand people each day. Izanagi responded by vowing one thousand five hundred people would be born each day. Though this action, Izanagi was able to protect creation and keep the land of the living plentiful. Covered in the impurity of death, Izanagi found his way to a nearby hot spring and cleaned himself. Moving deliberately, he cleaned his left eye, right eye, and nose with water. With each feature he cleaned, he begat kami different from those he had fathered before. These radiant, beautiful kami were Amaterasu, the sun goddess, Tsukuyomi, the moon god, and Susanoo, the storm god. Izanagi declared that each should be a ruler of the Heavens. Following this decree, Izanagi founded the celestial bureaucracy of kami, with Amaterasu and her brothers at its head. Any disrespectful kami felt his wrath, including Tsukuyomi and Susanoo, who were subsequently banished. Amaterasu, however, came to rule in her own right and remains in power to this day; Izanagi, meanwhile, serves as her adviser.
Percy sipped, some water as he finished the page of the first god and moved onto the next, Amaterasu, the great and the glorious goddess of the sun. As the embodiment of the rising sun and Japan itself, she is the queen of the kami as well as the ruler of the universe. The Imperial Family of Japan claim to have be descended from her, and this is what gives them the divine right to rule over Japan. She is the centre of Shinto, and Japanese spiritual life.
She is the Queen of Heaven, the kami and creation itself, although she did not create the universe, she is the goddess of creation, a role that she inherited from, Izanagi, her father. Her primary role is that of being the sun goddess. In this role, she not only serves as the literal rising sun that illuminates all things but she also provides nourishment to all living creatures and marks the orderly movement of the day into night. The sun represents order and purity, which are two of the Shinto's most important concepts. All things in creation are ordered from Amaterasu down to the denizens of Jigoku and other hells. This order is also reflected in the society of Japan.
The Japanese Imperial family, which claims descent from Amaterasu, sit at the head of Japanese society, and from the Imperial family a natural hierarchy exists. In pre-modern Japan this was one of the many justifications for the society's caste system.
Through Amaterasu's illumination, she represents not just order, but the justice that maintains it as well. The Imperial family has long served as the legitimizing power of any Japanese political entity, and they have always used this position to ensure that Amaterasu's place as Queen of Heaven and her control of its courts are reflected in their rule. Thus, the earthly court systems and the justice they represent are reflections of Amaterasu's divine justice, though she herself is not the goddess of justice - merely its final arbiter. She maintains harmony and balance in both the natural world and human society.
Amaterasu has always been an important, if not the most important kami in Japanese spiritual life. Prior to the Meiji Restoration, when Shinto was not yet formalized, Amaterasu was important across most of Japan. It was only after Shinto was formally recognized as a state religion, however, that Amaterasu's role was solidified and the Imperial family set once more as head of the now-democratized Japan.
Though State Shinto was abolished in the years after World War II, Amaterasu and the Imperial family remain an important part of Japanese spiritual life. Some scholars assume, based on archaeological evidence, that the prehistoric sun cult that occupied the region may have worshipped some incarnation of Amaterasu.
The Imperial family possesses three holy relics that come directly from Amaterasu herself. Together, these relics are known as the Imperial Regalia of Japan: Yata-no-Kagami, the Eight-Span Mirror, was used to lure Amaterasu from the cave she hid in;
Yasakani-no-Magatama, the Grand Jewel, is a magatama, a curved beaded or jewelled necklace common during the prehistoric Japanese period (prior to the 4th century). It is thought the Grand Jewel was lost during the Genpei War (1180 - 1185):
Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi ,the Grass-Cutting Sword (also known as the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi , the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds) was once owned by Amaterasu's brother Susanoo and represented virtue.
The Ise Grand Shrine (known commonly as Jingū) is not only Japan's most historically important shrine, but also the official shrine of the Imperial Family. Dedicated to Amaterasu, this shrine houses the Imperial Regalia and was an important site of pilgrimage throughout the Edo Period (1600–1868). There are several sections of the shrine where only priestesses and members of the Imperial Family may pass. As such, the shrine's chief priest and priestess must be of the Imperial Family line.
Another shrine, Amanoiwato Shrine in Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, is said to be near the gorge where Ama-no-Iwato, the cave where Amaterasu hid herself from the world, can be found.
Amaterasu is one of the three kami born from Izanagi's purification following his attempt to free his wife from the land of the dead. The three deities were born as he washed himself: Amaterasu from his left eye, her brother-husband from his right eye, and storm god from his nose. Though these are her primary siblings, Amaterasu has many other brother and sisters born of Izanagi and Izanami's marriage rituals. Tales of Amaterasu appear in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, which relate the mythological origins of the universe and the birth of Japan as an empire.
From the mists of time emerged two deities, Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, the divine male and female gods of creation. Seeking to fill the misty void, they devised the marriage ritual and engaged in sex, but had to repeat the ritual due to a mistake on Izanami's part. This second, successful attempt yielded a multitude of kami, spiritual beings representing the natural world and the islands of Japan. The last of these beings—fire—subsequently killed Izanami. Wrought with grief, Izanagi journeyed to Yomi, or "the shadowy land of the dead." Searching far and wide, he eventually found his wife and was shocked to find her rotting flesh full of oni and other demons. Seeing his rejection of her, Izanami flew into a rage and attempted to chase him past the gates of death; however, he managed to block the gates with a boulder. Izanami swore that if he left her there, she would kill one thousand people every day. He replied that, each day, he would create five hundred more lives than she could destroy, thereby ensuring the survival of earth's population.
Disgusted by the taint of death that lay upon him, Izanagi found a pool of pure water nearby and bathed himself in it. As he washed his left eye, Amaterasu emerged, fully-grown and glowing with the light of the sun. He washed his right eye next, and from it emerged the shining Tsukuyomi, the moon who reflected his sister's light. As he cleaned his nose, a storm emerged and took the shape of Susanoo, the storm god and ruler of the seas. These three Izanagi tasked with ruling the heavens, with Amaterasu as their leader.
As was the natural order of things, Amaterasu married her brother Tsukuyomi and together they ruled the day and night. The marriage produced children, but Tsukuyomi lacked Amaterasu's naturally glowing disposition. Whatever goodness he had was merely a reflection of her light. Ultimately, Tsukuyomi revealed his true colours at a banquet when the goddess Uke Mochi created a bounty from which food could be grown. After she spat fish into the sea and game into the forests, she proceeded to pull crops from her rectum. Disgusted by her actions, Tsukuyomi killed her on the spot.
Amaterasu rejected her husband's disgust and banished him for his evil actions. Thus, day and night became separated for all eternity.
Though Izanagi tasked all three of his children with ruling the heavens, Amaterasu's claim was strongest as Izanagi's first born, she held the divine right to rule. The youngest of the three, Susanoo, resented his elder sister's right to rule and questioned it openly. Eventually, Susanoo's arrogance led his father Izanagi to banish him.
Before his departure, Susanoo went to bid his sister goodbye. When his actions were met with suspicion by Amaterasu, Susanoo issued a challenge to prove his sincerity. As the challenge began, Susanoo took Amaterasu's necklace as she took his sword. Using these vessels, they each birthed goddesses: Amaterasu produced three goddesses from the Heavenly Blade while Susanoo produced five gods from the Grand Jewel. Since she owned the Grand Jewel and more gods were birthed from it, Amaterasu claimed she had won the challenge.
Outraged by her claim, Susanoo went into a rampage, destroying much of Heaven and earth. He annihilated Amaterasu's personal rice fields and threw animal carcasses about, even going so far as to throw a pony at her loom. One of Amaterasu's personal attendants died during the rampage, causing an already angry Amaterasu to mourn as well. Ashamed that her actions had led to such chaos, she fled to a cave now known as Ama-no-Iwato, the Heavenly Rock Cave. With Amaterasu in hiding, the world plunged into darkness and chaos. Thus began the first winter, a hard time for a world used to basking in the sun.
The kami looked down upon the world and, seeing the chaos left in Amaterasu's absence, decided they must bring her back. Though they asked her to return and described the chaos caused by her absence, Amaterasu refused to listen and blocked the cave entrance with a rock. After almost a year, wise Omoikane determined that if she would not come out of her own volition, they would have to lure her out with curiosity. To this end, a grand party was thrown.
The plan worked, as the music, dancing, and joyous cries of the gods did indeed peak Amaterasu's attention. The noise intensified when the dawn goddess Ame-no-Uzume performed a particularly revealing dance. Curious, Amaterasu drew closer to the cave entrance and there discovered an Eight-Fold Mirror. Fascinated by the light of her own reflection, Amaterasu at last came to the mouth of the cave. It was at that moment Omoikane drew back the stone that blocked the entrance.
As he did so, Amaterasu's light re-entered the world, illuminating the chaos that had been left in her wake. Winter ended at last, and spring and summer brought life back to Japan. Ashamed, she begged forgiveness for her actions. It was given freely, for Susanoo's behaviour had been nothing less than abhorrent. His banishment was henceforth carried out, and Amaterasu returned to heaven. She later reconciled with her brother, who gave her the Heavenly Blade as a gift.
In time, Amaterasu sent her grandson Ninigi to rule the earthly realm after her son refused. She gave him the Imperial Regalia, which helped Ninigi to establish a kingdom of justice and harmony. His great-grandson Jimmu became the First Emperor of Japan, and ruled with the Imperial Regalia as a sign of his divine right and lineage.
Percy, stood up and took a breath and walked around a little bit, and sat back down than sipped some water. He then read again. Ame-no-Uzume, who was the goddess of dawn, who saved the world from eternal night. He then read about Benzaiten, the goddess of luck and wisdom, kami of all that flows, from water to time. Bishamonten, god of war and fortune, protector of Buddhist temples and shrines. Next, was Daikokuten the highly revered household deity, god of luck and fortune-seekers. Next, was Ebisu the smiling god of luck, wealth, and prosperity, patron of fishermen.
Next, was Fujin who was the god of the wind, frighteningly powerful and neither good nor evil. Next, was Fukurokuju, the god of wealth and longevity, representing the Southern Polestar. Then, Jealous god of the sea who brings good luck to fishermen. He then researched, Hotei The "Laughing Buddha," a benevolent god and symbol of luck. Then, it was Inari. A complex Japanese deity and patron of tea, rice, prosperity, smithing, and foxes. Then, it was Jizo, most beloved bodhisattva, protector of children and the dead. Next, was Jurojin, The "Old Man of Longevity," Japanese manifestation of the Southern Polestar. Next was Kagutsuchi, god of fire, patron of blacksmiths and craftsmen who work with fire. Next, was Kannon, god of compassion and mercy, the most popular bodhisattva in Japan.
Percy then researched, Kichijoten, goddess of beauty and fertility, worshipped primarily by women. He then researched, Ninigi. The deity credited with bringing rice, civilization, and justice to humanity, he then researched Raijin, a chaotic but popular god of thunder, lightning, and storms. The next god, he researched was Susanoo, god of seas and storms and slayer of dragons. Finally, the god Tsukuyomi, the moon god forever separated from his wife, sun goddess Amaterasu.
After, Percy was done he stood up and walked out, he decided to go to a café, to find some food as the whole researching took him 2-3 hours, he found one and sat down and ordered some noodles. He refused to order Sushi as it was fish. He ate his noodles, paid and left. He made his way to back to the library, to research some more, but this time about Samurai. He walked back to the computer, it was still in Greek.
He learnt that Samurai, were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century up until their abolition in the late 1870s during the Meiji era. They were the well- paid retainers of the daimyo, who were the great feudal landholders. They had very high prestige and special privileges.
After a passing of a law in 1629, the samurai who were on official duty were required to wear two swords. And in certain situations, they had the right to kill anyone of a lower class.
Some important samurai and other figures in Japanese history wanted others to believe all of them engaged combatants using bushido codes of martial virtues and followed various cultural ideals about what samurai should act like.
Though they had predecessors in earlier military and administrative officers, the samurai truly emerged during the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1185 to 1333. They became the ruling political class, with significant power but also significant responsibility. During the 13th century, the samurai proved themselves as adept warriors against the invading Mongols. During the peaceful Edo period, 1603 to 1868, they became the stewards and chamberlains of the daimyo estates, gaining managerial experience and education.
In the 1870s, samurai families comprised 5% of the population. As modern militaries emerged in the 19th century, the samurai were rendered increasingly obsolete and very expensive to maintain compared to the average conscript soldier. The Meiji Restoration ended their feudal roles, and they moved into professional and entrepreneurial roles. Their memory and weaponry remain prominent in Japanese popular culture.
Once, Percy was done reading, he made his way back to his hotel, he decided he would make his way to a temple of Kagutsuchi, the temple was the Atago Shrine, near Kyoto. As, the demigod got back to his hotel room, he fell asleep on the bed.
When, he woke up the next morning, he went and got breakfast and then went back to his room, he then packed his things and locked the door and mist travelled from Biei to the woods by the Atago Shrine, the long travel took a lot of Percy's energy, so he ate some ambrosia he had in his bag. He then made his way up to the shrine.
He got to the shrine, he bowed and he made an offering to the god. Kagutsuchi appeared before Percy, the god turned to the Greek demigod. "A Greek Demi-God?" The voice of the god came, Percy nodded "Yes Sir, I was wondering if I could possibly get some samurai armour forged out of Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold, the metals used by the Greek and Roman demigods."
The god seem to think, "Yes, only because you came all this way, however I would like you to throw food into a fire for me, like you do for your gods"
Percy nodded, and the god made the armour appear before him. "I have also made it appear into a ring for you." It appeared as a ring, into Percy's hand, he slipped in on and bowed to the god. Kagutsuchi then left, and Percy walked back into the woods. He made his campsite. He light a fire, as he cooked some food, he sent half to the Olympians and some to Kagutsuchi. He then decided he would visit Central Europe and learn about their myths. He made one last sacrifice to Hermes, for him to make him appear in some woods, in Europe.
Hermes smelt the sacrifice and made Percy appear in the Galloway Forest in Scotland. Percy walked to a small clearing and set up his tent before going to sleep.