The Arts and Mythology of Ancient Japan
Japanese pop culture is very well known in America- there are plenty of fans of anime, manga and Pokémon, and sushi is a popular choice of food in many restaurants. However, there is a lot more to Japan than meets the average eye- many do not take a deeper look into its enriching culture based upon religion and mythology and its history of many beautiful forms of art.
Japan’s creation myth is told in ancient documents like the Kojiki. In the very beginning is The Age of the Gods (Kamiyo). The universe was completely quiet, no life at all. Then random particles and sounds moved through space, forming a light at the top of the expanse. A cloud underneath that became heaven. The parts that couldn’t become part of the cloud formed the earth. The text continues with The Seven Generations of the Ages of the Gods. Out of a jelly-like mass floating in the sky emerged something similar to a reed and from that there were magically eight generations of gods and goddesses, all brothers and sisters. The last pair of gods, Izanagi and Izanami (The Male/Female Who Invites) stood on the Floating Bridge of Heaven. With a long lance, they reached
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Sometimes the spirits are portrayed as peaceful and kind and some are quite malevolent. Urban myths are also popular in Japan. One horror tale mentions Aka Manto, a spirit who haunts bathrooms. If somebody is an unlucky victim, when using the toilet, the voice of the spirit will ask if them if they want red toilet paper or blue toilet paper. If they answer red, he will kill them in an extremely violent way and leave them and the walls covered in their own blood. If they say blue, they will be strangled, making their face blue like what they answered. If they attempt to ask for a different color, they will be dragged into hell by multitudes of evil hands. The only way to avoid any of these horrible fates is to refuse what Aka Manto