Week 6 Reading Diary: Japanese Mythology Unit

I did the half-reading for the Japanese mythology unit, and it was such a fun and adventure-filled read that I wished I could have found the time to do read the whole thing. Going through the second half of the unit, I read about the labors of the heroic warrior Yamato, the campaign of the Empress Jingu, and the unusual life of the fisherman Urashima, among other stories. The main thing that stuck out to me about this unit was the preponderance of strong female characters. I would have expected Japanese myths to be fairly male-dominated, but these stories proved otherwise. From the devoted Tacibana to the dangerous siren Benten to the warrior empress Jingu, these stories are thickly populated by formidable women with strong agency.

All of the labors of Yamato were great reads, but my favorite among them was the labor involving his climactic battle with Susa-no-wo the dragon-god. Ironically, it wasn't the battle itself that made this my favorite, but rather the scene prior to the fight. The prose in the Yamato tales is consistently good throughout, but I really liked the way the author describes Tacibana's rescue of Yamato from Benten's clutches. This is a triumphant moment in the story when Yamato finally comes to realize Tacibana's worth. The scene speaks quite well for itself:

Then dim and far, above the endless leagues of jade-green water, Yamato was ware of the Princess Tacibana gently murmuring his name. Through the infinite depths he beheld her lovesome face smiling to him from out the dusky cloud-rifts of her hair. 

Then knew Yamato that “the goddess more beautiful than Benten whose love was greater than her own,” was none other than his faithful Tacibana. 

Downward, like the tendrils of some miraculous vine, grew the dusky tresses of Tacibana. They enveloped Yamato in a fragrant cloud and enlaced him in the meshes of a silken net. Like strong encircling arms they upbore him, through endless leagues of water, to the sea-swept isle of Enoshima.

The two stories centering on Empress Jingu and Prime Minister Takeuchi were also very enjoyable to go through. While I would not exactly recommend "The Jewel of Heart's Desire" to any of my Korean-born friends, it's a neat a tale about Japanese conquest guided by the strong hand of Empress Jingu. Jingu is a great character whose likeable in her strength and occasional impetuousness. The way she tests the gods by asking for them to show her certain signs, like girding her with armor and weapons in preparation for her campaign after she dives into the ocean, was my favorite moment in the story.

Another quality female character shines through in the succeeding story, "The Quest of the Jewel." Tamatori, a peasant women who is in love with the Prime Minister, boldly plunges into the ocean and retrieves the stolen Jewel of Heart's Desire from the palace of Benten for the sake of her beloved. When surrounded by the servants of a sea-dragon, Tamatori kills herself and hides the jewel in her own lacerated body, knowing that the sea monsters will not attack a corpse. In this way, she brings the jewel back to a grateful Takeuchi. Although Takeuchi reaps the benefits of the courageous woman's labor and is declared emperor by Jingu, Tamatori shines forth as the true heroine of the story.