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Outline Lecture Sixteen—Early Japanese Mythology and Shinto Ethics

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Outline Lecture Sixteen—Early Japanese Mythology and Shinto Ethics Outline Lecture Sixteen—Early Japanese Mythology and Shinto Ethics General Chronology: Jomon: 11th to 3rd century B.C.E. Yayoi: 3rd B.C.E. to 3rd C.E. Tomb: 3rd to 6th C.E. Yamato: 6th to 7th C.E. I) Prehistoric Origins a) Early Japanese history shrouded in obscurity i) No writing system until 6th century C.E. at best ii) No remains of cities or other large scale settlements iii) Only small-scale archeological evidence b) Jomon (Roughly 11th to 3rd century B.C.E.) i) Name refers to the “rope-pattern” pottery ii) Hunter-gathering settlements c) Yayoi (3rd B.C.E. to 3rd C.E.) i) Named after marshy plains near modern day Tokyo (1) Foreign elements trickle in, then blend with indigenous elements ii) Increasing signs of specialization and social stratification d) Tomb or Kofun Period (3rd to 7th) i) Two strains in Japanese religious cosmology (1) Horizontal cosmology—“over the sea motif” (2) Vertical cosmology—earth and heaven ii) Emergence of a powerful mounted warrior class (1) Uji and Be e) Yamato State (6th to 8th C.E.) i) Loose confederation of the dominant aristocratic clans II) Constructions of Mythology and Religion a) Function of Mythologized history i) Political legitimacy required having a “history” ii) Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters 712) and Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan 720) b) Yamato Clan’s Kami—Amaterasu i) Symbiosis between mythological and political authority ii) Myth of Yamato lineage (1) Symbolism of Izanagi and Izanami (2) Contest between Amaterasu and Susano-o (a) Transgressions of Susano-o (3) Mythical contest reflects political clan rivalry (a) Amaterasu—Sun-goddess, the kami of the Yamato clan (b) Susa-no-o—Storm god, the kami of the rival Izumo clan (c) Lingering legacy of myth III) Shinto—The Way of the Gods a) The Omnipresence and Proliferation of Kamis i) Patron kamis like Amaterasu and Susa-no-o ii) Spiritual powers found in nature (1) Varley: “everything that is strikingly impressive, possessing a quality of excellence, or inspired a feeling of awe was called kami” b) Simple life-affirming code of conduct i) Makoto: Sincerity of feeling and actions ii) Poems from the 8th century Man’yoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) (1) “In the sea of Iwami…” (p.34) (2) “Since in Karu lived my wife…” (p.37) (a) Tama—animating spirit that gives life to body iii) Sublime expressions of makoto .
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