Episode 9The Blinding Giant and the Smallest DancerThe Descent of the Heavenly Grandson
Episode 9. As the young god Ninigi prepares to descend to the earth, a blinding god who lights both heaven and earth blocks his way. Uzume, the smallest of the dancing goddesses, goes to him alone, stepping as if she were dancing, and demands to know who he is. Ninigi lands on the earth carrying his grandmother's mirror. Uzume then sees the guide god off to the sea and takes his name as her own.
Tenson Korin Explained: Ninigi, Uzume and Sarutahiko in the Kojiki
The Original Myth: A Summary
The story comes from the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), Japan's oldest surviving chronicle. Ō no Yasumaro compiled it in 712 CE. By this point in the book, the thunder god Takemikazuchi has made the earthly realm submit, so heaven sends a ruler down. Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Takagi, a primordial creator god also called Takamimusuhi, first order Amaterasu's son Oshihomimi to go. He answers that a son was born to him while he was getting dressed for the journey, and that the child should go in his place. The child is Ninigi. His mother is Takagi's daughter, Yorozuhata-Toyoakitsushihime, and he has an older brother named Hoakari.
As Ninigi sets out, a god appears at the Eightfold Crossroads of Heaven. His light reaches all the way up to the heavenly plain and all the way down to the earth. Amaterasu and Takagi pick Ame-no-Uzume to question him. They call her a delicate woman, but also a goddess who never backs down when she faces another god. She goes alone and asks who stands in the path of the heavenly child. He says he is Sarutahiko, a god of the earth, and that he came to lead the way.
Ninigi then leaves with five chieftain gods. He carries the curved jewels, the mirror and the sword Kusanagi, and three more gods go with him: Omoikane (the god of wisdom), Tajikarao (the god of strength) and Ame-no-Iwatowake (a guardian of gates). Amaterasu tells him to worship the mirror as if it were her own spirit. Ninigi pushes through layers of cloud, stops on the Floating Bridge of Heaven, and comes down on Kujifuru Peak of Mount Takachiho in Himuka, on the island of Kyushu. Two armed gods, Ame-no-Oshihi and Amatsukume, walk ahead of him. He praises the land as one that faces Korea, leads straight to Cape Kasasa, and gets both the morning and the evening sun. Then he builds a palace with deep pillars and roof beams that reach toward heaven.
Ninigi tells Uzume to escort Sarutahiko home and to take his name as her own. Her descendants become the Sarume clan. Later, Sarutahiko is fishing at a place called Azaka when a shellfish clamps onto his hand, and he drowns. The Kojiki gives him three spirit names, one each for sinking to the bottom, for the water bubbling and for the bubbles bursting. When Uzume comes back, she gathers all the fish and asks whether they will serve the heavenly child. Only the sea cucumber says nothing. She slits its mouth with a small knife, and the story says this is why a sea cucumber's mouth looks split today.
Main Characters
Ninigi is the Heavenly Grandson, the young god sent down to rule. Amaterasu is his grandmother on his father's side, and Takagi is his grandfather on his mother's side. The two of them give the orders together. Ame-no-Uzume is the same goddess who danced outside the rock cave to bring Amaterasu back out, earlier in the Kojiki. Here her job is to face a stranger no one else is sent to question. Sarutahiko is a shining god of the earth who offers to guide Ninigi. Later he is called a great god.
What This Myth Tells Us
The main point of the episode is to explain where Japan's rulers come from. In the Kojiki, Ninigi is the great-grandfather of Jimmu, the legendary first emperor, so this descent ties the imperial family directly to the sun goddess. The jewels, mirror and sword match the objects known today as the Imperial Regalia of Japan, which still play a part in enthronement ceremonies. The Kojiki adds that the mirror and Omoikane are worshipped at a shrine called Isuzu. That name is usually taken to mean the Inner Shrine at Ise.
Much of the passage also explains where certain families came from. The five chieftain gods are named as ancestors of clans that held ritual jobs at the ancient court, such as the Nakatomi and the Imibe priestly families and the mirror-makers. The Sarume took their name from Sarutahiko, and the story says this is why they received the first sea cucumbers sent from Shima Province. Stories like this gave real court customs a divine origin.
Scholars usually place Azaka in old Ise Province (part of modern Mie Prefecture), so they read the story as Uzume taking Sarutahiko home to Ise. The Kojiki itself says only that she escorted him. Today Sarutahiko is widely worshipped as a god of roads, guidance and new beginnings, which fits his role at the crossroads.
What the Manga Changes
The Kojiki says very little about how anything looks, so most of the visual side of the manga is new. The original mentions only parting the clouds, forcing a way through, and standing on a floating island. The manga's clouds, light and Floating Bridge are the artist's own designs, as are the gods' faces, clothes and apparent ages. The Kojiki never says how old Ninigi is when he comes down.
The Kojiki never describes what Sarutahiko looks like. The famous image of him with a long nose and glowing eyes comes from a later chronicle, the Nihon Shoki (720), so the way the manga shows him is a design choice. Calling Uzume 'the smallest of the dancing goddesses' and having her walk toward him with dancing steps are the manga's own touches. They build on the Kojiki's words about her being delicate but fearless. The text keeps the core of her question and his answer, but the pauses and facial expressions are added. Showing Ninigi holding the mirror and sending Sarutahiko off toward the sea are also visual readings. The original gives no destination.
Where to Read It
If you'd like to see this story drawn out, from the shining stranger at the crossroads to the landing on Takachiho, Episode 9 of KOJIKI: Chronicle of the Gods tells it in a few minutes. Every episode is free to read, and you don't need an account, so you can start from the beginning and follow the myth from Japan's creation all the way to the Heavenly Grandson.
Characters in this episode
Ninigi
Amaterasu's grandson, sent down from heaven to rule the land and the ancestor of Japan's legendary emperors.
Ame-no-Uzume
A fearless dancing goddess who questions the shining stranger alone and later takes his name for her clan.
Sarutahiko
An earthly god whose light fills heaven and earth, and who offers to guide Ninigi on his way down.
Amaterasu
The sun goddess who orders the descent and gives Ninigi the sacred mirror as her own spirit.
Takagi (Takamimusuhi)
A primordial creator god who gives the orders alongside Amaterasu and is Ninigi's grandfather on his mother's side.
Oshihomimi
Amaterasu's son, who sends his newborn son Ninigi down in his place.
FAQ
Who is the Heavenly Grandson in Japanese mythology?
The Heavenly Grandson is Ninigi, the grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu. In the Kojiki, he is sent down from heaven to rule the land, which makes him the divine ancestor of Japan's imperial line.
Where did Ninigi descend from heaven?
The Kojiki says he landed on Kujifuru Peak of Takachiho in Himuka, in Tsukushi (Kyushu). Several places in southern Kyushu claim to be the site today.
Who is Sarutahiko?
Sarutahiko is an earthly god who stood at the crossroads of heaven, shining so brightly that his light reached heaven and earth, and offered to guide Ninigi. He is worshipped today as a god of roads and guidance. His well-known long-nosed look comes from the Nihon Shoki, not the Kojiki.
What are the three sacred treasures given to Ninigi?
Amaterasu gave him curved jewels, a mirror and the sword Kusanagi. They match the Imperial Regalia of Japan, and the mirror was to be worshipped as Amaterasu's own spirit.
Why does the sea cucumber have a split mouth in Japanese myth?
In the Kojiki, Uzume asked all the fish whether they would serve the heavenly child, and only the sea cucumber stayed silent. She cut its mouth with a small knife, and the story says that is why it looks split today.
