Ame-no-ukihashi (天浮橋,[1] 天の浮橋;[2] English: Floating Bridge of Heaven) is the bridge that connects the heaven and the earth in Japanese mythology.[3] In the story of the creation of the Japanese archipelago, narrated in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, the gods Izanagi and Izanami stood upon this bridge while they gave form to the world.[4] The concept of the Floating Bridge may have been inspired by the rainbow,[3][5] although it has also been suggested that it represents the Milky Way.[6]

In another story, the bridge is said to be guarded by the god Sarutahiko Ōkami, who refuses to allow Ninigi-no-Mikoto to descend to earth. Ame-no-Uzume persuades Sarutahiko to relent, and subsequently marries him.[3][7]

According to the Tango Fudoki, the floating bridge eventually collapsed and fell to earth, with its remains forming the area west of Kyoto.[3] However, the 19th-century nativist Hayashi Ōen believed the bridge had survived into modern times but was ordinarily both invisible and intangible to those who had not purified their hearts of foreign cultural influence.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Picken, Stuart D. B. (1994). Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 356. ISBN 978-0-313-26431-3.
  2. ↑ Goto, Akira (2020-11-19). Cultural Astronomy of the Japanese Archipelago: Exploring the Japanese Skyscape. Routledge. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-000-22109-1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Roberts, Jeremy (2009). Japanese Mythology A to Z. Infobase Publishing. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4381-2802-3.
  4. ↑ Picken, Stuart D. B. (2010-12-28). Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Scarecrow Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8108-7372-8.
  5. ↑ Lee, Raymond L.; Fraser, Alistair B. (2001). The Rainbow Bridge: Rainbows in Art, Myth, and Science. Pennsylvania State University Press. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-0-271-01977-2.
  6. ↑ Ashkenazi, Michael (2003). Handbook of Japanese Mythology. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-467-1.
  7. ↑ Picken, Stuart D. B. (2004). Sourcebook in Shinto: Selected Documents. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-313-26432-0.
  8. ↑ Ishihara 石原, Shiko'o 醜男 (April 13, 1935). 神風連血涙史 Shinpūren Ketsuruishi (1st ed.). 大日社 Dainichisha.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.