Yasaka Shrine’s deities Part 21

How are you everyone? This is the defeated soldier. I heard this story from a great teacher who told me that during the Yamaboko Junko of the Gion Festival, each of the gods is carried on a float to purify the road to the Otabisho, and the portable shrines that carry the deities to the Tabisho are the symbol of Susanoo-no-Mikoto riding on them and coming out to meet us.

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Well, let me continue my story.

Then, Susanoo-sama asked “what appearance the Yamata-no-orochi has.”

Then, the old man answered. “The eyes of this Yamata-no-orochi are as red and flaming as a red-ripened holly berry, and in one body it has eight heads and eight tails.”

He continued, “And its body is covered with moss and thickly covered with cypress and cedar trees, and his length is eight valleys and eight mountain ridges, and when I look at its belly, I see that it is always covered with bright red blood.” Here what we call akagakachi is now a hollyhock.

(*In the old days, there were cliffs in the mountains from which people could fall unexpectedly and get covered in blood, or be attacked by bears, bees, etc., and those who entered the mountains sometimes did not come back. So, the deep mountains themselves may have been represented as Yamata-no-orochi, and the priests and Shinto priests as representing Susanoo-sama, who would exorcise various calamities with a large staff.)

(*Naturally, Shinto priests and priestesses are not deities, but people who pray to them, but in this country, old women and other devout believers have long revered and respected Shinto priests and priestesses with great enthusiasm.)

Then Hayasusanowo addressed the old man with divine majesty. “If you permit, will you give your daughter as my wife?”

Then the old man replied, “I am very sorry, but I don’t even know your name.”

(To be continued.)

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Author

落ち武者(Surviving Soldier)
Nice to meet you, my name is Surviving Soldier. My star sign is Cancer and my blood type is O. My hobbies are visiting shrines and reading books. I have a loud voice, which is easy to understand at best, but at worst, I am noisy, so I would like to be careful. I am looking forward to working with you.