KAMIYO Episode 39: The Birth of the Mihashira-no-Uzu-no-Miko (The Three Noble Children) — The New Sun, Moon, and Ocean

Prologue: The Final Purification, Wiping Away the Gazed Despair

In the pure flow of the Awagihara river, Izanagi scooped up plenty of clear water in both hands.

Reflected on that water's surface was the deeply exhausted face of the creator god who had brought forth countless lives and lost his most beloved wife.

The two eyes that had "seen" the putrefying figure of his wife and the horrifying forms of the Yakusa-no-Ikazuchi in the Yomi-no-Kuni.

And the nose that had "smelled" the intense stench of death and decay, which the living must never inhale.

He had rinsed off all the defilement clinging to him from the neck down, but this remaining impurity on his face was the very memory of terror most deeply carved into his soul.

"Izanami... I shall overcome the curse of 'death' you left behind with new life.

I will completely wash away the memories of darkness clinging to this body right here, right now."

Izanagi quietly closed his eyes and vigorously splashed the cold, clear stream he had scooped up onto his own face.

That was the opening to the moment that would bring forth the "ultimate light," changing the history of Oyashimakuni (The Great Eight Islands) for eternity.

Chapter 1: The Ultimate Light Overflowing from the Left Eye — Amaterasu-Omikami

"First, from the left eye that gazed upon that absolute darkness...!"

The moment Izanagi washed his left eye with water. Baaaaang!!!

With a roar that shook heaven and earth, an unbelievably intense "light" exploded from his left eye.

It was different from any fire or light he himself had produced thus far.

It was not a ferocious flame that burns everything to ashes like Hinokagutsuchi-no-Kami, but an "absolute light of compassion" that warmly enveloped all life, nurtured it to grow, and completely drove away the darkness.

From within the golden, shining pillar of light, a single goddess slowly revealed her form.

The highest-ranking god, harboring a blinding divine spirit and the power of the sun that illuminates the world.

It was the birth of Amaterasu-Omikami.

"Oh... ooooh...!"

Merely by her smile, all the flowers and plants on the earth bloomed at once, and warm spring sunlight poured into Izanagi's chilled heart.

She was the beautiful incarnation of light standing at the pinnacle of life, completely dispelling the despair of death.

Chapter 2: The Silver Light of Silence Spilling from the Right Eye — Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto

Trembling at the unimaginable miracle born from his left eye, Izanagi immediately washed his right eye with the pure water.

"Then, what will be born from the right eye...!"

Whooooosh... This time, rather than an explosive light, a cool and beautiful "silver light" quietly overflowed, as if enveloping the world in silence.

It was a soothing light of repose that softened the intense sunlight of Amaterasu-Omikami, gently guided those lost in the darkness of night, and calmed turbulent emotions.

From within the silver radiance, a god clad in a beautiful yet mysterious presence revealed his form.

The god of silence who governs the veil of night, the flow of time, and the ebb and flow of the tides. It was the birth of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto.

"What a beautiful, crystal-clear presence... Your light is a brilliance of mercy that stays close to the hearts of those engulfed in sorrow."

As Izanagi gazed into the quiet eyes of the moon god, he felt the faint impatience remaining in his heart subside like a receding wave.

Chapter 3: The Fierce Vitality Erupting from the Nose — Takehaya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto

What remained last was the nose that had smelled the stench of death.

The moment Izanagi took a deep breath and vigorously rinsed his nose with water.

Rumble, rumble, rumblllle!!!

A tremendous rainstorm, as if heaven and earth were being overturned, swirled up, and the surface of the Awagihara river waved violently.

It was the very energy of great nature's storms and the vast ocean—the "ferocity" and "strength" that life possesses, and the power to destroy the old to bring forth the new.

From the center of the raging wind and splashing water, a god harboring an overwhelming physique and unfathomable strength stood up with a mighty roar.

The strongest and most wildly unrestrained fierce god who makes the sea roar and shakes the forests.

It was the birth of Takehaya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto.

"Uwooooooohh!!"

As Susanoo-no-Mikoto raised his roar, the earth trembled and the sea swelled.

 While his power was exceedingly mighty, it was by no means evil.

It was the very fury that great nature sometimes shows, an absolute vitality meant to stir up a stagnant world.

Chapter 4: The Mihashira-no-Uzu-no-Miko and the Joy of the Creator God

On the riverbank of Awagihara stood side-by-side Amaterasu-Omikami emitting golden light, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto clad in silver silence, and Takehaya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto raging like a storm.

"Oh... ah...!" Before the three gods, Izanagi raised a voice of joy as he shed tears.

"I have created many worlds until now, and given birth to countless children (gods). Then, I wandered the abyss of death and tasted fathomless despair. But... at the end, at the very end, I have been able to obtain three such noble children (Mihashira-no-Uzu-no-Miko)!"

The sorrow of losing Izanami would never fade. However, it was precisely because he was smeared with the defilement of death in the Yomi-no-Kuni, yet still survived, returned to the surface, and performed the Misogi, that these ultimate three gods were born.

Izanagi realized that all the hardships he had tasted were a grand trial meant to birth these three gods into the world.

Chapter 5: The Dawn of a New Era, the Delegation of the Gods

"My noble children. I shall entrust this world to you."

Izanagi slowly removed the beautiful magatama necklace he wore around his neck and placed it around Amaterasu-Omikami's neck.

This necklace was a symbol of sacred authority, Mikuratana-no-Kami.

"Amaterasu-Omikami. With your absolute light, you shall rule Takamagahara, the heavenly world where the gods reside."

"Yes, Father. With this light, I shall illuminate the world far and wide."

Next, Izanagi turned to Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto.

"Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto. As the light that brings silence and harmony, you shall rule the Yoru-no-Osukuni (The Realm of Night)."

"As you will. I shall gently envelop the darkness of night with silver light."

Finally, he gazed at Takehaya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto, who possessed an excess of power.

"Takehaya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto. With your boundless, mighty power, you shall rule the Unabara (The Ocean)."

"...Understood!"

The sun rose into the sky, the moon guided the night, and the ocean waved powerfully.

The country-building of Oyashimakuni, which had begun from nothing by Izanagi and Izanami, finally reached its true "completion" with the birth of these three noble children and the delegation of their rule.

Overcoming the night of despair that was the death of the mother, a dazzling new sun now rose upon the world purified by the Misogi.

The history of the gods would now shift its stage greatly, moving from the creation of great nature to an "era of new myths" woven by love and conflict, order and destruction.