Yamatanoorochi Arida-Kagura-dan
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Yamata no Orochi
This story was taken from a Japanese myth.
Once upon a time, in the Province of Izumo, there was an old couple who
had eight daughters. One summer’s day, a monstrous serpent with eight heads
and eight tails came from the big mountains and swallowed one of their
daughters.
Every year, in the same season, the serpent appeared and swallowed one
of their daughters. Finally there was only one daughter left, and now she
was to be sacrificed. The old couple and their daughter were lamenting
their fate.
Then a god descended from the high heavens. The god told the old couple
to prepare some “sake” (rice wine) and put it in front of the daughter
who was to be sacrificed. The monster appeared with a thunder storm and
drank all the sake, thinking that the daughter’s image reflecting on the
sake was the daughter herself. The monster soon drank itself senseless.
The courageous god attacked the monster and married the daughter he saved,
and they lived happily ever after in Izumo.
Actually the monster is a metaphor of the mountain ranges of western Japan
and the floods from these mountains. The daughter’s name is Kushinada-hime.
“Kushi” means “rare,” “inada” means “rice fields” and “hime” is a suffix
for a girl. Therefore her name means “rice fields blessed with a rare bumper
crop.” Therefore Yamata no Orochi (Eight-forked Serpent) tells the story
of how Japan as a rice-producing country was born by protecting farmland
from floods. |
November 17, 2001 Excellent kagura rally
Chiyoda synthesis gym-Collection 41'51 |
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