INTRODUCTION

The sun rises, and I rise with the sun.

I greet the world with my radiant countenance.

The world greets me with reverence and appreciation.

I am everything to everyone…but I am nothing to myself.

Like the cycles of the sun, my sorrow repeats, never truly gone even when hidden. Every time I walk through the empty halls of my heavenly abode, I wonder back to how it ended up being my reality.

Long ago, the sun, moon, and heavens emerged from the bud of creation, and with it, a drove of gods and goddesses, who paved the way for the world’s geography, and the humankind, animals, and other deities that dwell on it. Among these first deities were the God of Air, Izanagi, and the Goddess of Clouds, Izanami.

Upon descending to the first island of Onogoro, the two gods found love in each other and eventually joined hands in marriage. From their union, the eight islands of Japan came, and the numerous Kami presiding over the aspects of nature were born.

Izanami soon gave birth to children: a son of the storms, my brother, Susanoo; a son of the moon, my second brother, Tsukuyomi; and a daughter of the sun, myself, Amaterasu.

When I came of age, Father took me up to the heavens, over the rainbow bridge connecting them to Ongoro’s mountain summit. He proclaimed me the only worthy recipient of dominion of the heavens and oversight of the mortal world. He gave me his jeweled necklace, and we watched the sun set from the shimmering throne.

Looking back, I don’t see what he was thinking, especially considering what soon came after.

Mother, she…favored humankind quite well, bestowing on them prosperous land and water. Many of the other gods did not stand for this. They felt she placed mortals above gods in this way, even Susanoo – my own brother – accused her!

They consigned her to the death of a mortal for “sullying her immortal vesture.” She eventually did die and fell to the land of the dead, Yomi.

Despair overwhelmed Father, so much so he went to seek her and bring her home, himself. I know not what happened, but when he returned, his gaze looked empty and cold. I knew he failed. Soon after, he departed for the island of Ahaji, and remains there to this day, staring at the clouds longingly.

Many attempts were made to assuage his despair…but all failed.

Ever since, I continue to watch over the mortals and gods of this world, to honor my mother and my father, surrounded by the same divine arrogance that broke apart my parents.

Susanoo did not accept this either, and left in anger, wild thunder booming in his wake. I recall being so distraught I fled to caves deep in the sea and did not come out for a good long while.

I don’t want to lead, but I must, even if this world appears hopeless. And yet I…feel so lost.

Lost?

Now that I mention it, I do recall something Father once told me up on Onogoro’s summit back when he gave me his necklace, and I felt uncertain about my ability to inherit the throne.

“My cherished daughter,” he said, “so long as you act with the interest of your subjects at the forefront of your heart, you will rule splendidly. And should you ever find you have lost your way, gaze upon the mirror I keep in my chambers and reflect on what burdens your mind.”

Father’s mirror. I remember he used to polish it daily. Apparently it was a prized possession of his. I can understand meditating on one’s purpose, but why stare at the mirror?

I suppose, at any length, I can ensure it has not collected dust since Father left.

Departing from the alabaster and tapestry laden throne room in my palace’s center, I made my way through the northern garden, strewn with trees of red leaves, and to the sleeping quarters at the rear of the building until I approached my parents’ room and entered.

After some careful rooting around so as not to potentially damage any of my parents’ belongings, I pulled the mirror out of the closet and set it before me on the dresser across from the bed.

Looking at the mirror, it appeared in decently pristine condition; its bronze sheen gleamed brightly around its round shape, layers of rings carved into its inner circle with what appeared to be a carving of a sun in the center.

I stared and stared at the mirror for about an hour, but felt no closer to inner peace and had started to become annoyed. If this mirror cannot provide peace of mind, then the faults of gods are irreconcilable!

Huh? What was that? Just as those words entered my mind, I could have sworn I saw the mirror shimmer. No, wait, my eyes aren’t tricking me; the carvings on the mirror are glowing? And they’re becoming brighter!

The light turned so intense I had to shield my eyes with the sleeve of my robe. I lowered my arm. The surface of the mirror is rippling like hazy water.

What sorcery lies before my eyes? Is this what Father meant when he told me to gaze into the mirror?

I approached the mirror hesitantly, stared deeply into the bronze pool, and I saw something take shape.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

My thought when writing the intro, and my general approach to writing Amaterasu, is grounded in the Japanese writing tendencies of flowery details as well as Amaterasu's background of something akin to nobility leading me to believe she would be a well-spoken individual. However, her usual depictions as a young maiden and the time frame of The Romance of Old Japan leads me to write her as somewhat inexperienced, lost, and somewhat impulsive. This was the base I always returned to when writing each story and planning out the overall plot structure of the storybook.

The open-ended wording and characterization of the Japanese mythological figures and set-pieces gave me plenty of headway to interpret the characters' motivations, emotions, actions, and the world they live in. Setting the stage of glamour and then breaking it down with my interpretation of Amaterasu is key to this storybook, and was one of my favorite aspects of writing it.

The Yata no Kagami that would serve as a basis for Izanagi's Mirror serves a similar purpose as it does in Japanese mythology; similar to how it was forged by Ishikoridome to draw Amaterasu out from her despairing in a cavern when forced to hide from the world, this mirror is also meant to lure Amaterasu out of a despair-filled place. The Yata no Kagami is meant to represent wisdom and honesty, as mirrors in ancient Japan represented truth because they depict what is shown. Of course, this mirror is going to take things to an entirely different level...

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Romance of Old Japan by Elizabeth Williams Champney

Wikipedia research on the Yata no Kagami

IMAGE INFORMATION

三神器, Artist's impression of the Imperial Regalia of Japan taken from Wikimedia Commons