is a known fact that since the early nineties, the U.S. and not cool ... quite the contrary. Practical example: who you asked you to machinery Street Fighter 2, Ken or Ryu? I, and 90% of kids in my neighborhood, we would have answered without hesitation: "Ken" because it was American and was cool. But this character has now finished a bit marginal (in the latter until you have gitanazo suit with gold chains) for the original character: Ryu. Because what's hot now is Japanese. Where are the rice balls and other gastronomic atrocities do not know to pronounce, to remove the burger and Yankee imperialism! I never forgive and Mission Impossible II! Bush resigns, Europe will not support you! Ah no, it is not, well, to resign the new ... Thursday, May 14, 2009
Milena Velba Undmiosotis
Japanese Mythology II: Monsters and fantastic creatures
is a known fact that since the early nineties, the U.S. and not cool ... quite the contrary. Practical example: who you asked you to machinery Street Fighter 2, Ken or Ryu? I, and 90% of kids in my neighborhood, we would have answered without hesitation: "Ken" because it was American and was cool. But this character has now finished a bit marginal (in the latter until you have gitanazo suit with gold chains) for the original character: Ryu. Because what's hot now is Japanese. Where are the rice balls and other gastronomic atrocities do not know to pronounce, to remove the burger and Yankee imperialism! I never forgive and Mission Impossible II! Bush resigns, Europe will not support you! Ah no, it is not, well, to resign the new ...
is a known fact that since the early nineties, the U.S. and not cool ... quite the contrary. Practical example: who you asked you to machinery Street Fighter 2, Ken or Ryu? I, and 90% of kids in my neighborhood, we would have answered without hesitation: "Ken" because it was American and was cool. But this character has now finished a bit marginal (in the latter until you have gitanazo suit with gold chains) for the original character: Ryu. Because what's hot now is Japanese. Where are the rice balls and other gastronomic atrocities do not know to pronounce, to remove the burger and Yankee imperialism! I never forgive and Mission Impossible II! Bush resigns, Europe will not support you! Ah no, it is not, well, to resign the new ... Therefore, as my personality is flatter than a stick-stack of Panini and always go with the largest pressure group, it seemed interesting to a small summary of the creatures and more entertaining Japanese myths I know, without going into too much detail. If the idea succeeds, we will expand to the mythologies of other countries (Nordic, Greek, cthulhuiana, etc.). So, here we go, but beware if you look for information because the conversions of the names to the western alphabet (Romaji) are confusing and varied ...
The origin of Japan
According to Shinto myths, Japan was created by a pair of gods:
Tsukuyomi (god of the moon right eye) and Susano-o (god of the sea and storms, nose). Japan's imperial family is supposed to be descended from Amaterasu and direct line are considered, therefore, almost by birthright gods.
As a curiosity, Amaterasu and Susano-o are the stars of the game According to Shinto myths, Japan was created by a pair of gods:
Izanagi and Izanami 
, who descended from heaven by a bridge called Ame-no-
Ukihashi
. Once on land, Izanagi thrust his spear into the primordial matter of the earth, taking it out later, which drops fell, they formed the island of Onokorojima. Then, as a good match, they started to give the issue of sexual union and formed the other islands (about fourteen). The next time I got to him, born an almost infinite number of gods (or kami): water, wind, flowers, etc.. Unfortunately, the birth of the god of fire killed for Izanami during labor. Izanagi beheaded the god of fire and fell into the realm of shadows to get his wife back from there without it and horrified at having seen his body decomposed. His wife, in revenge for the frightened, promised to kill a thousand people every day. 
, who descended from heaven by a bridge called Ame-no-Ukihashi
To purify, Izanagi decided to wash the body and this ritual came the other deities:
Amaterasu (sun goddess and deity of Shintoism, which arose from his left eye), Tsukuyomi (god of the moon right eye) and Susano-o
The three imperial treasures
When Susano-o began to devastate the earth with its storms, in a dispute with Amaterasu, the latter took a major tantrum and retired to a cave , blocking the entrance with a large stone. The world was plunged into darkness and demons ruled the earth. To make out, Ame-no-
Uzume, goddess of fun fiestuqui and hung a
magatama
and a mirror from a tree at the entrance of the cave and began to dance seductively. Amaterasu, attracted by the dance, came by the cave entrance (the light beam that emerged is what is known as Dawn) and was fascinated by his own reflection in the mirror, because she had never seen his own light. The gods took advantage and closed the cave, convincing her to stay with them. Magatama mirror and thus became two of the imperial treasures of Japan (legendary, of course). The third came out of ...
The fight against the monster Orochi
Of course, Susano-o was not going to go piss off scot-free after Amaterasu, so it was expelled from heaven. Once on land, in the province Izumo, he met an elderly couple who begged for help: every seven years had to sacrifice one of his daughters to
Yamata-no-Orochi
and a mirror from a tree at the entrance of the cave and began to dance seductively. Amaterasu, attracted by the dance, came by the cave entrance (the light beam that emerged is what is known as Dawn) and was fascinated by his own reflection in the mirror, because she had never seen his own light. The gods took advantage and closed the cave, convincing her to stay with them. Magatama mirror and thus became two of the imperial treasures of Japan (legendary, of course). The third came out of ...
The fight against the monster Orochi
Of course, Susano-o was not going to go piss off scot-free after Amaterasu, so it was expelled from heaven. Once on land, in the province Izumo, he met an elderly couple who begged for help: every seven years had to sacrifice one of his daughters to
Yamata-no-Orochi
, the eight-headed monster. So far, they had sacrificed to seven and they only had one, called Kushinada. Susano-o loved her and decided to help, in exchange for his daughter, in addition to asking eight barrels of sake. 
To protect his future wife, became a comb and put it in his head. He offered the barrels of sake to the monster, one for each head, and got drunk while he slept. God quietly cut off the eight heads and found in one of the tails monster a legendary sword (according to Wikipedia is the Japanese equivalent of Excalibur), which later was named Kusanagi
and became the third treasure of Japan. After giving this sword to Amaterasu, the dispute was settled and Susano-o returned to its rightful place.
To protect his future wife, became a comb and put it in his head. He offered the barrels of sake to the monster, one for each head, and got drunk while he slept. God quietly cut off the eight heads and found in one of the tails monster a legendary sword (according to Wikipedia is the Japanese equivalent of Excalibur), which later was named Kusanagi and became the third treasure of Japan. After giving this sword to Amaterasu, the dispute was settled and Susano-o returned to its rightful place.
One day, an elderly woman found a giant peach floating in the river. " After getting open at home with the help of her husband, were to be a picnic and found with surprise that Inside was a living child, a gift from the gods. This child grew taller and stronger than other children his age and went one day to the Oni Island, inhabited by many demons, with the noble purpose of heating the muzzle.
By the way, Momotaro meet a monkey, a dog and a pheasant, which convinces him in his journey, in exchange for a small bribe of food (the bugs do not know na) Together, the four fight demons and get back victorious, with a hero Momotaro. Urashima Taro and
Dragon Palace Urashima Taro, a fisherman by profession, he rescues a day to a small turtle on the beach. Some time later, receives a visit from another turtle that reportedly saved the tortoise was a daughter of the Emperor of the Sea, you want to thank you in person. Taro, equipped with a brand new guts courtesy of the turtle, go into the palace of the Dragon God at the bottom of the sea, where he met the emperor and his daughter, and get a strange box as a gift, which will not be opened under any circumstances.
After a few days, Taro decided to return to see his sick mother, but to his horror discovered that the area had gone 300 years, so that all his acquaintances have died long ago and, without thinking about what it does, opens the box he had been given, from which emerges a cloud of smoke. To dissipate, Taro discovers he has become a very old man with a long white beard. From the ocean comes the voice of the princess who says "I told you not to open it, because inside the box were locked your lost years."
is also quite obvious that the Master Roshi's Dragon Ball is based, among others, in this character.
Although there are many more stories to tell, I think that as a sample is enough. Japanese mythology is as rich as any in Europe, making it impossible to cover much more around here (mostly because I intend that this entry is legible). If anyone is interested in the subject, tell me and prepare another delivery with some more. For now, it's time to move on to discuss some curious monsters in the next inning.
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