A green sprout and a rainbow
It was springtime in Japan, and Sayuri was glad. The cherry trees were
in bloom and the warm air was filled with their fragrance. It really is
wonderful, thought Sayuri, how everything seems to come to life in the
spring. I wonder how it happens? Has it always been this way, or was it
different once?
\”Has the world always been here?” she asked her mother.
Her mother smiled and shook her head. \”No, not always. At one time,
long ago, there was no earth, there was no heaven. All things were mixed
together in a great cloud. Slowly, the clear, light parts of the cloud
rose up and became heaven. The heavy parts of the cloud sank down and
became a lump of muddy water. That was the beginning of the world.”
“Where did all the people come from?” asked Sayuri.
\”Between earth and heaven, a pale green sprout, like a young bamboo
plant, began to grow,” said her mother. “It grew swiftly and was very,
very strong. When its flower burst open, it was the First God, the One
Who Made All Things That Last Forever.
“The First God stretched out his hands and created the first man,
Izanagi, and the first woman, Izanami. He gave them a jeweled spear and
said, ‘Go now, and finish making the world.’
“The man and woman stepped upon the rainbow, the floating bridge of
heaven that hung above the earth. Izanagi reached out and dipped the
spear into the muddy water. Then he raised it high. A bit of mud that
had stuck to the spear dropped off. As swiftly as a shooting star it
fell back toward the water. When it struck the water, it became an
island.
“Izanagi and Izanami went down to the island and built a house. There
they lived, and together they made the islands of Japan. They also made
all the gods and goddesses and, later, the first people who lived upon
the islands.”
“But where did all the animals come from?” Sayuri asked.
Her mother smiled. “That’s another story.”
