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Metropolis Japan
5 days ago
- General
- Metropolis Japan
Japanese Creation Myths Born from Water
Japan's oldest stories are told in water By Credit: WizData In the beginning, there was water. Not still water, but moving—swelling, spinning, restless. From the first ripple came form. From form, came gods. And from gods, came islands. Across the Japanese archipelago, stories of creation surface from sea and mist. But whose waters are we speaking of? Japan is often flattened into a single narrative. One language. One people. One myth. Yet its beginnings, like its islands, rose from many sources. Beneath the national story lie a myriad of tribal voices—from the Ainu in the north to the Ryukyuans in the south. Each carries its own vision of how land emerged from water. And though the details differ, the theme remains: life begins at the edge of the sea. The Mud-Stained Sea and the Heavenly Spear In the Kojiki, Japan's oldest written chronicle, the first scene is not fire or sky, but mud and water. A formless mixture, dense with potential, spins slowly in the void. Lighter parts rise. Heavier parts sink. From this cosmic sediment floats a single green shoot. It stretches skyward until it becomes a god. That god, in time, grows lonely. From its solitude come others. Finally, two remarkable ones: Izanagi and Izanami. Looking down upon the ocean's chaos, they wonder what lies beneath. Izanagi thrusts his spear into the water. When he pulls it out, drops of mud drip from its tip and harden into land. These are the first islands of Japan. Not sculpted, but shaken loose—accidental beauty born from curiosity. The two descend. They walk the islands in opposite directions, scattering seeds, calling forth trees. Later, they reunite and have children. Their daughter, the radiant and untouchable Amaterasu, becomes the sun, and their son, Tsukuyomi, becomes the moon. Their unruly son, Sosano-wo, is cast into the sea—his exile creating the first storms. Japan, then, is born not with thunder but with mud. A land stirred from water and tempered by wind. A place shaped by drifting gods and the droplets they leave behind. The Wagtail's Dance on Floating Earth Far to the north, in the cold cradle of the Ainu people, a different creation story is passed down—not written, but sung. In the beginning, only water and mud. No mountains. No trees. Only demons and gods in heavens far above and worlds far below. The first kamuy —the sacred gods of the Ainu religion—sends a bird to prepare the land. The water wagtail glides over the surface of the swampy sea, parting the water with the beat of its wings and stamping the muddy earth with its tiny feet. Earth rises—not all at once, but in soft patches. Islands drift into being. The Ainu call this floating earth moshiri —not conquered, not commanded, but coaxed into place. Land is not given, but earned with patience. Not shaped by spears, but by wings. Even today, the wagtail's flutter is remembered in rituals and place names. A bird with no tools, only time—and the gift of knowing how to move with water, not against it. Tides of the Divine in Ryukyu To the south, where the sea warms and coral rings the shores, the Ryukyu Islands speak of another beginning—one that crosses worlds. The Chuzan Seikan, the first official history of the Ryukyu Kingdom, tells of Nirai Kanai, a mythic land beyond the sea. A deity descends: Amamichu. Sent by the gods to build a nation, she lands first on Kudaka Island—a place still considered sacred. She brings stones to hold back the waves, plants trees, and bears five children—three sons and two daughters—who become kings, farmers and priestesses. Life here doesn't erupt. It arrives quietly, carried on tides. One story tells of a jar containing five grains washing ashore at Ishiki Beach. Amamichu scatters its seeds, and agriculture begins. Another recalls Amamichu molding land and raising shrines with her partner, Shirumichu. The world does not spring forth in one motion. It takes root, like salt crusting on rock, like the ocean courses sand, one wave at a time. In Ryukyuan cosmology, water is never just a setting—it's a corridor. A threshold between here and the divine. The gods live beyond the waves, in Nirai Kanai, and send their gifts by sea. Grains, wisdom, even rain itself. Even now, you'll find utaki —sacred groves near water—where islanders still whisper prayers toward the eastern sea, hoping for answers that wash in with the morning tide. Where Waters Divide and Join It's tempting to trace a straight line through Japan's history, to treat it as a single nation with a single past. But water teaches us otherwise. It divides. It connects. It carries fragments that do not always belong to the same shore. Beneath the dominant narrative of Yamato Japan lie many peoples: the Ainu of Hokkaido. The Ryukyuans of the Okinawa Islands. The Jomon, the Emishi, the Hayato—each with their own ways of living, believing and becoming. The stories they tell aren't just folklore. They are maps. They remind us that Japan was never just one origin, one god, one island. It was—and still is—a mosaic of myths. Of shared waters connecting different lands. Still, the Sea Moves From the spear that stirs the ocean, to the wagtail's quiet dance, to the waves that carry grain jars to Ryukyu shores—every story begins the same way: with water. Water that is never still. Water that erases and reveals. Water that listens before it speaks. Water that connects us all, far beyond Japan. These myths are not relics. They are tides. And even as they fade from textbooks, they continue to shape the way Japan sees nature, divinity and itself. You cannot bottle them. You can only trace their outlines in the stories we continue to tell. Stories where, before anything else—before the sun, before the gods—there was sea.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Brains Over Brawn: 10 Naruto Techniques That Weren't Meant to Kill
The world of Naruto is full of explosive jutsu, intense battles, and powerful shinobi clashing in epic ways. But not every ability in the series was designed to cause destruction. Some of the most memorable and influential jutsu were created for support, strategy, or survival — yet they turned out to be just as impactful as any Rasengan or Chidori. Here are the 10 most powerful non-combat jutsu in Naruto, ranked from bottom to top. 10. Shadow Clone Jutsu What started as a basic duplication technique quickly became Naruto's signature move. The real brilliance of Shadow Clones wasn't in fighting, but in learning. Each clone passed its experience back to the original, allowing Naruto to train at lightning speed. 9. Mind Transfer Jutsu by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Fresh input at the top-class supporting program automatica | Messe München Explore Undo Used by the Yamanaka clan, this technique allows the user to control another person's body. Though slow and risky in combat, it's perfect for gathering intel or turning the tide through precision moves. 8. Summoning Jutsu While sometimes used in battles, the real strength of summoning lies in its versatility. From bringing in giant toads for travel to summoning weapons or messengers, this jutsu was crucial throughout the series. 7. Flying Thunder God Technique Minato's teleportation jutsu changed the battlefield forever. While not a direct attack, it allowed him to move instantly across space, making him nearly untouchable and brilliant at defense and rescue. 6. Reanimation Jutsu (Edo Tensei) Originally created for research, this forbidden jutsu brought dead shinobi back with their memories and powers intact. While it became a tool for war, its roots were scientific and strategic, not combative. 5. Sealing Jutsu Vital to the Naruto story, sealing techniques were used to contain demons, suppress powers, and lock away dangerous secrets. These jutsu required immense skill and were crucial in many key moments. 4. Infinite Tsukuyomi Technically not a direct attack, this genjutsu placed the entire world under an illusion. It was a dream of peace — twisted by power. Its non-lethal nature masked its enormous consequences. 3. Sage Mode Sage Mode wasn't a jutsu for offense. It enhanced perception, sensory range, and stamina, making Naruto and Jiraiya much more aware and in tune with nature. It was about harmony, not just strength. 2. Byakugan Though often overlooked, the Byakugan 's all-seeing nature gave the Hyuga clan major advantages. It wasn't built for attack but for insight — in battle, reconnaissance, and beyond. 1. Izanagi & Izanami These forbidden Uchiha techniques blurred the line between illusion and reality. Izanagi could rewrite death, while Izanami trapped opponents in time loops. They weren't about winning battles — they were about understanding fate and accepting truth. These jutsu prove that in Naruto, not all power lies in destruction. Some of the most incredible abilities weren't about fighting at all — they were about changing the game in smarter, deeper ways.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
The Japanese Island Known For An Especially Sweet Onion
Nestled between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku, the island of Awaji (or Awajishima) has more than a few claims to fame. According to the Shinto creation myth, Awaji was the first of Japan's islands created by the deities Izanagi and Izanami. It's connected to Kobe, one of Japan's largest cities (as well as what Wagyu cousin Kobe beef is named after), via the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the second-longest suspension bridge in the world. It also boasts several buildings from the legendary architect Tadao Ando. And it grows a whole bunch of truly delicious, irresistibly sweet onions. Awajishima isn't Japan's biggest onion producer (that would be Hokkaido, the northernmost island of the Japanese archipelago), but it's a solid second. The island is an ideal growing environment for the bulbs, with plenty of sunlight and rich soil, fed from minerals blown in from the ocean water, that lends the onions their trademark sweetness. Although Awaji has always been a reliable source for Japanese agriculture, the onion wasn't introduced to the area until the late 19th century, a time of rapid modernization for the previously hermetic nation. Once it arrived, though, it quickly became a prized commodity and a central part of the island's tourism. Read more: The Ultimate Ranking Of Pickle Brands Unfortunately, you're not likely to find the Awaji onion stocked in your local supermarket. That said, the Southern-grown Vidalia onion, the best choice for the TikTok-approved onion boil, has similar levels of sweetness, so it's not like you're totally deprived of allium goodness. If you do make the trek to Japan for your onion fix, however, you'll be glad to know that there are plenty of related activities for you to enjoy. Most eye-catching of all is the "Ottamanegi," a giant sculpture of an onion on a cliff over the sea; as you can imagine, it's a popular photo op. But that's only the start of your potential onion excursion. Do you want to visit an onion museum? Knock yourself out. In the mood for onion-flavored ice cream? Why not. Want to wear a little onion wig while you pose in front of the giant onion statue? Go ahead. Do you want to operate an onion claw machine where you can pick real onions? The world is your onion! (Er, oyster. Sorry, we got a little carried away with the onions, happens to the best of us.) While it may be a bit of a schlep to Awaji, especially when you have some excellent white, red, and yellow onions to choose from at home, it may very well be worth it. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout.
