ABSTRACT
ACCORDING to the legend, the Japanese islands were created by the god Izanagi-noMikoto and his wife Izanami-no-Mikoto. Their daughter, Amaterasu-Omikami,1 the sun goddess, was charitable, virtuous and clever; she taught men to cultivate the earth, to obtain silk and weave it in the loom. Her brother, Susa-noo-no-Mikoto, in contrast to her, was cruel and fierce. Therefore he was banished from Heaven to Izumo, a province on the island of Honto.2 He built a house there, and married a beautiful girl who bore him a son named Okuninushi-no-Mikoto. He was kind, clever and brave; he defeated all the frontier tribes and encouraged agriculture. When Amaterasu-Omikami sent an ambassador to demand the whole of his kingdom, he obeyed, and at once delivered up the land. He withdrew to the village of Kizuki in the province of Izumo and dwelt there till the end of his days, There is a large temple, Izumo-no-ōyashiro, in which he is still worshipped as a god.
