KAMIYO Episode 26: The Birth of the Wind God, Shinatsuhiko

Prologue: A Beautiful Painting and the Stagnant Atmosphere

Since Owatatsumi-no-Kami descended to the abyss of the ocean floor and brought the "pulsation of life" to the endless seas, Oyashimakuni (The Great Eight Islands) had been enveloped in an unprecedented sacred radiance.

The land raised by the Ame-no-Nuboko (Heavenly Jeweled Spear) grew lush and green, and the sea overflowed with rich tides.

However, the world looked upon from Onogoro Island, where Izanagi and Izanami stood, was dominated by a strangely heavy sense of pressure.

It was "absolute stillness."

Not a single leaf of the trees taking root in the earth swayed.

The white clouds floating in the heavens were pinned to a single point in the sky like rocks, entirely motionless.

Although the waves on the shore ebbed and flowed by the power of Owatatsumi-no-Kami, taking one step inland revealed that the air had settled heavily like sediment, covering the world suffocatingly as an invisible mire.

"Beautiful... But this is nothing more than a giant 'painting'."

Izanagi murmured in a low, heavy voice while gazing at the edge of the silent earth.

Stagnation born of perfection.

Heat, fragrance, and sound all remained exactly where they originated, never intersecting. As a "living world" meant to nurture the Yaoyorozu no Kami (Eight Million Gods) and life from here on, this was a far too fatal deficiency.

Chapter 1: The Inner Void and the Resolve of the Father God

"Yes, my husband. For life to prosper healthily and circulate, a power that sweeps away this heavy stagnation and violently stirs heaven and earth is necessary."

Izanami quietly stepped closer, gazing at her husband's strong back.

From her womb, the god governing the sea and the gods governing the water gates (minato) had already been birthed. However, to give will to the invisible "space" itself and set it in motion required a completely different dimension of divine deed (kamiwaza), distinct from birthing "matter" like earth or water.

"My wife. That which fills the gaps of this heaven and earth must not possess a tangible body, but must be a pure 'torrent of will'."

Izanagi nodded deeply and stepped forward before the Ame-no-Mihashira (Heavenly Pillar), the center of the world.

He then planted his feet powerfully on the earth and spread his arms grandly toward the heavens.

This time, he would not borrow his wife's womb. He would release the "strong will" within the father Izanagi himself and the "breath of life" that vibrates all creation directly into the world through his own physical body.

Izanagi slowly closed his eyes.

Within his chest, he envisioned the entirety of the vast Oyashimakuni.

Towering mountains, deeply carved valleys, and endlessly continuing plains. He began to inhale the unfathomable amount of air required to fill all those spaces into his lungs.

Zuooooo...

Every time Izanagi inhaled, the surrounding air was drawn toward his mouth with intense force, and a low rumbling that seemed to warp space itself enveloped the Yahiro-dono (Eight-Fathom Palace).

Chapter 2: The Great Breath, the Resonance of Heaven and Earth

How much time had passed?

Izanagi's chest had swollen massively to its limit, as if he had swallowed all the spirit (ki) of heaven and earth.

Then, the moment a fierce divine light surpassing even the sun dwelt in his wide-open eyes.

"Haaaaah!!!"

From Izanagi's mouth, a mighty, full-bodied breath was expelled, tearing through the stagnation of heaven and earth.

It was not merely the movement of air. It was a pure and overwhelming divine spirit of "motion," carrying the very soul of the Creator God.

Goooooo!!!

The breath became a massive, invisible swell, piercing through the Yahiro-dono and crashing into the world that had sunk in silence.

That tremendous impact violently shook the earth of Oyashima and tore the thick clouds lingering in the sky to shreds.

And when the divine spirit exhaled by Izanagi began to draw a giant spiral connecting heaven and earth, a sacred "whirlwind" arose there.

The whirlwind swept up to the heavens, blowing away all impurities and stagnation, and eventually, from its center, alongside a dazzling light, a single beautiful male god revealed his form.

Chapter 3: The Wind God, Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami

"Oh... what a light and fierce figure."

Izanami let out a voice of admiration, her robes fluttering as they were caught in the wind.

The god dancing in the sky was completely freed from the laws of the earth.

He bore no heavy shackles requiring him to tread upon the ground. The void itself was his throne, and all of heaven and earth was his garden.

The translucent blue robes he wore constantly rippled by the wind he himself emitted, never retaining the same form for even a moment. His long, supple hair danced freely in the air, changing form like a raging storm or a gentle spring breeze.

He was the god born from Izanagi's breath that clears the morning mist.

Giving will to the invisible "atmosphere" and bringing the pulsation of life to all creation, it was the birth of the Wind God, Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami.

"..."

Remaining lightly suspended in the air, Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami slowly opened his pure eyes.

Beyond his gaze stretched the islands of Oyashima, still sunken in heavy air.

Without needing to be taught, he completely understood the meaning of his existence as the rhythm of the wind flowing through his body.

Chapter 4: A Father's Pride and the Mission to Connect All Creation

Izanagi looked up at his child dancing freely in the sky and commanding the whirlwind, wearing the proud yet warm smile of a father.

Unlike the fierce gods boasting of martial prowess or the god of the abyss governing the sea, this was a beloved alter ego to whom he had shared his very "breath."

"Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami. You have done well to be born."

As Izanagi's deep voice echoed, Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami floated down gently as if descending a staircase of wind, respectfully kneeling on one knee and bowing his head before his father.

"My son. In this world, there is land, and there is sea. But they are isolated from each other and possess no means to converse. A flower cannot deliver its fragrance, and a mountain knows not the sound of the ocean waves."

Izanagi placed his hand powerfully on Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami's shoulder.

"Become a refreshing wind and sweep away the heavy stagnation filling these islands. And become an 'invisible bridge' connecting all isolated lives. Carry the clouds of the heavens, scatter the seeds of the earth, and bring the true 'breath of change' to this world."

Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami etched his father's words deeply into his soul and answered quietly, yet powerfully.

"As you will, Father. This body of mine is the wind itself that races through heaven and earth. Allow me to show you how I shall deliver the circulation of life to every corner of Oyashima."

Chapter 5: The World Set in Motion, the First "Sound"

Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami stood up and grandly fluttered his sleeves toward the heavens.

It was at that moment.

A pure, great wind originating from him was unleashed all at once toward the entirety of Oyashimakuni, like an invisible great river.

Whooooosh!

Rustle, rustle, rustle...!

The stagnant air enveloping the islands was swept clean, and for the first time, "sound" was born into the world.

The countless trees taking root in the earth shook their branches and leaves all at once as if welcoming the wind's arrival, beginning to play a pleasant song of rustling leaves.

The fragrance of flowers blooming in the fields was carried by the wind to distant mountains, sweetly connecting lives separated by great distances.

The wind caressing the sea surface created regular waves, raising whitecaps that washed upon the shores.

The clouds that had been pinned to the sky began to sail across the firmament like ships with a will, bringing a beautiful shift of light and shadow to the earth.

"Oh...! Look, Izanami! The world is alive. All creation has begun to breathe!"

Izanagi raised a voice of joy, bathing his entire body in the wind that fiercely shook his hair and robes.

Izanami, too, narrowed her eyes at the pleasant breeze caressing her cheeks and smiled back beautifully.

Through the hands of Shinatsuhiko-no-Kami, "motion" and "change" were brought for the first time to the islands that had been a silent painting.

As the wind blew, the air circulated, the seasons shifted, and the weather changed. As if invisible blood vessels had been opened, all creation awakened in the truest sense.

Within the giant whirlwind connecting heaven and earth, the young Wind God continued his dance of joy.

The deed of the Birth of the Gods (Kamiumi) was about to plunge into a fierce and endless swell of creation, continuing to the trees, mountains, and fields, riding upon this great wind.