Student Scholarship
Document Type
Research Paper
Abstract
This document, authored by Leslie L. Rodicek in 1973, explores the foundational role of Japanese creation myths in shaping the unique personality, worldview, and institutional structures of the Japanese people. By examining the primary eighth-century sources, the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, the author illustrates how these narratives serve as more than mere entertainment; they function as a charter for reality and a warrant for the existence of cultural practices. The text defines the myth as a sacred story accepted as truth within its society, providing essential insights into religious concepts and historical facts that remain part of a person's inner core despite modern societal contact.
Central to the analysis are the figures of Izanagi and Izanami, the divine pair responsible for consolidating the drifting land and giving birth to the islands of Japan. Their story is used to explain various human institutions, including the origin of divorce and the cultural precedent for male precedence over female, which the author links to the historical transition from a matriarchal to a patriarchal state. The document also details the myth of the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, whose withdrawal into a cave and subsequent return explains natural phenomena like eclipses and the origins of the arts.
Furthermore, the paper discusses the Three Imperial Regalia—the mirror, the jewel, and the sword—as symbols of divine authority directly linked to these myths and the hereditary divinity of the emperor. By comparing Japanese legends to Polynesian and other Asian traditions, the author highlights the universality of god-kings while emphasizing the specific nationalistic use of these myths during the Tokugawa Period to assert Japanese superiority. Ultimately, the study concludes that these ancient beliefs provided the ideological framework and historical continuity necessary for Japan's evolution into a culturally rich and highly developed society.
Research Highlights
The Problem: The author addresses the lack of insight into the unique personality development and worldviews of the Japanese people by examining how ancient mythology continues to shape their "inner core" and inherent beliefs.
The Method: This qualitative analysis utilizes a cross-disciplinary framework, synthesizing anthropological theories from Bronislaw Malinowski and Victor Barnouw with primary historical texts, specifically the eighth-century records of the Kojiki (A.D. 712) and the Nihon Shoki or Nihongi (A.D. 720).
Qualitative Finding: Japanese mythology functions as a "charter for reality" that sanctions social shifts, such as the transition from a matriarchal to a patriarchal state, and reinforces the divine lineage of the Imperial family; these narratives provide a cultural framework for natural phenomena, institutionalized behaviors like divorce, and the distinct Japanese perception of the environment.
Publication Date
5-1973
Recommended Citation
Rodieck, Leslie L., "Japanese Creation Myths" (1973). Student Scholarship. 181.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/student-research-papers/181
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
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