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writings is in the Nihongi, where the star-god Kagase-wo-no-mimi[1] is spoken of as being at first unwilling to submit to the fore-runners of Ninigi no mikoto, but nothing is said of the manner in which the stars came into existence. According to a theory proposed by one Satô Nobufuchi, which is quoted by Hirata with approval, when the two gods lowered the spear and stirred round the chaotic mass out of which the earth was to be formed, the muck which was unfit to enter into the composition of the earth was removed by the action of the spear point, and scattered lump-wise in all directions throughout space, taking up positions more or less remote. The five planets, the twenty-eight constellations and the host of common stars being thus formed, revolve round the sun together with the earth.[2] Hirata has another view of his own, which is, that as the Thing which formed in space, and afterwards developed into the sun and the earth, is said to have resembled a hen’s egg in shape, when the Thing separated, its shell must have burst, and the fragments flying off on all sides, would begin to revolve round the sun, being attracted by the powerful rotatory motion of that body.[3] It is customary to suppose that the stars have no practical purpose, bat it is evident that they are intended to guide the course of those barbarian mariners, who, if they knew their duty, would bring ships laden with tribute to the Emperor of Japan.
Diagram 6 in the Tama no Mi-hashira represents the sun as in the last, with the five black spots which stand for Celestial gods, and the earth is now marked off into Japan, foreign countries variously situated below it, and the sea. The passage from the Koshi on which this diagram is based narrates what may be euphemistically termed the courtship of Izanagi and Izanami,[4] which resulted in a
- ↑ Also called Amatsu-mika-boshi and Ama-no-kaguse-wo.
- ↑ Koshi-Den, vol, II. p. 36.
- ↑ Idem, p. 38.
- ↑ The following is an almost literal translation. Tunc Izanagi quaesivit ab Izanami, “corpus tuum quo in modo factum est.” Et illa, “Corpus meum crescens crevit, sed locus est qui continuus non crevit.” “Corpus meum,” inquit Izanagi, “crescens crevit, sed locus est qui superfluus crevit. Nunc mihi propositum est, si tibi videtur, mei cor-
