Reading Notes (Extra Credit): Week 7

For this week's extra credit reading, I read Japanese Mythology, Part A. The story I will be writing my notes over is the story of The Miraculous Mirror in Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).

The Miraculous Mirror:

Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess, is busy weaving the "dark web of Doom" when her brother, Susanoo, the Japanese storm god, frightens her and causes her to run off and hide in a cave. The people and gods of the earth miss her rays of light and warmth and desire her to come back and let everyone experience the sun again. However, Amaterasu remains in her cave. One god fashions a mirror and the goddess Uzume dances about and makes noise until Amaterasu emerges from her cave. The mirror is right in front of her and Uzume exclaims about a beautiful goddess that everyone loves. Seeing her own reflection, Amaterasu assumes she is looking at her rival and emerges, at which point Taji-Karao rolls a huge boulder in front of the cave entrance, blocking it off so that Amaterasu cannot go back in. Amaterasu returns to her duties and once more the people and gods of earth are able to experience the light and warmth of the sun.

If I were to retell this story, it would be set in modern times. Amaterasu would be a little puppy that brings joy into her family's life. One day, after being frightened by a vacuum cleaner, the scared puppy runs into a closet and refuses to come out. Her owners place a mirror outside and start pretending to love on another puppy, at which point the jealous puppy comes out and sees her reflection. Thinking it is a rival puppy, she charges out, at which point her owners close the closet door and give her affection. The puppy and her people live happily ever after.

Illustration of Amaterasu, by Yinchuan Anjia. Source: Wiki Commons

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