■ Outline of this story
Because her little brother, Susano, did all the mischief before her, Ama, the fairy ruling the sun, hid herself in a cave, and thereby plunged the world into darkness. She emerged from the cave when she saw the other fairies enjoying a feast, and her little brother was then banished from the fairy-land to the earth. Soon, Susano came across a weeping old couple and their daughter. They told him how, every year, a huge eight-headed serpent came to devour a human sacrifice, and that the maid was to be the victim this year. Hearing their story, Susano first plied the serpent with beer to put it to sleep, and then slew it, carrying back a sword that had emerged from its tail. Later, he married the maid, and after their death, the sword was handed down to their descendants. It is now one of the most precious treasures of
the emperors.
|
Note
The myth behind this story is found in both Kojiki, the Records of Ancient Matters and Nihon Shoki, the Chronicles of Japan. The translation is by B.H. Chamberlain, whose specialty was the study of the ancient Japan. "Ama-no-Muraku-mo-no-Tsurugi" (later termed "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi"
), the
sword
that came out of the serpent's tail, is known as one of the three sacred treasures of the Imperial House. The illustrations are by Eitaku Kobayashi. The title, The Huge Eight-Headed Serpent is better known than the Japanese title printed in this Crepe-paper version. |
