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Japanese Mythology

10 question trivia quiz, authored by Play3Away

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World Myth Trivia

As someone who respects Japanese culture, I have learned about some fascinating Japanese deities and
a wonderful creation myth of Japan. I hope you enjoy the mythos of Japan as much as I do.

Average score for this quiz is 6 / 10. Difficulty: Average. Played 243 times. As of Oct 08 19.

1. Early Japanese culture absorbed many cultural characteristics from China. Buddhism was brought to
Japan from China. Many Japanese people incorporated the new religious practice of Buddhism along
with their indigenous practice of Shinto. Shinto was the early practice of what importance to the
Japanese?

Shinto is a practice of meditation mixed with physical exercises.

Shinto is a form of monotheism where one primary deity is worshiped.

Shinto is a form of paganism where many deities are magically invoked.

Shinto is a spiritual practice which honors ancestors and native spirits.

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2. Japan was originally a name given to the Japanese from the Chinese word Jih-pen. What does Jih-pen
mean?

Great Islands.

Wise and kind people.

Source of the sun.

Land of rice.

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3. Japanese mythology is based on what two ancient texts?

"Jimmu" and "Tenno"

"Kojiki" and "Nihongi"

"Oh-kuni-nushi" and "Ashikaga"

"Tairas" and "Minimoto"

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4. In the Japanese creation myth a "Floating Bridge of Heaven" appeared and two divine gods manifest.
They are the primary "Male" and "Female" deities who where brother and sister as well as lovers. What
were their names?

Adam and Eve

Izanagi and Izanami

Guji and Norito

Amaterasu and Susano

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5. How did the original divine couple create the first island of Japan named Ono-koro (which means self-
coagulating)?

They danced around an enchanted tree.

They dipped a jeweled spear into an ocean of formless chaos.

A magical seed was planted on the marriage bed.

The couple conjure Japan from the imperial sword.

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6. The primary "Female" goddess died giving birth to her last son the fire god. She went to the
underworld called Yomi. She pleaded her consort not to try to rescue her from the land of the dead. He
ignored her pleas and went to Yomi where he discovered that she became a hideous rotting corpse.
What did her brother, the primary "Male" god, do once he saw her?

He fled in terror to run back to the surface of earth.

He grabbed her hoping to save her from death.

He kissed her and she became beautiful again.

He killed her because she became a demon.

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7. Bathing in the Hi River, the god Izanagi created the storm god Susano from his nose, and his daughter
the sun goddess from his left eye. What is the sun goddess' name?
Tsukiyomi

Amaterasu

Uke-mochi

Oh-kuni-nushi

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8. The storm god Susano was a bit of a pest towards his sister the sun goddess. What did he do that
offended her and led her to retreat into a cave where she wanted to hide herself from the world?

He destroyed her rice fields and threw a horse at her loom.

He won a bet where he claimed he could create more kami than her.

He attacked her with a typhoon.

He destroyed her beloved sacred silver mirror.

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9. The sun goddess hid in a cave which caused the world to be plunged into darkness. How did the other
gods and deities manage to convince her it was worthwhile to return to her kingdom in the sky?

They created a mirror that lured the sun goddess to her brilliantly shining reflection.

Susano apologised profusley and offered his sister his property.

The gods danced and sang enchantments which filled her with joy.

The sun goddess decided she was tired of living in a cave by herself.

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10. Why is the goddess Amaterasu so important to Japanese mythology?

The imperial family is said to be her earthly descendents.

Amaterasu is the sun and the sun is worshiped for its power and beauty.

She created most of the important minor gods and goddesses.

She is the goddess who protects Japan from enemies.

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Multiple Choice Questions

A matsuri is a

a. Confucian ritual

b. Buddhist ceremony

c. Shinto festival

d. None of the above

Shinto literally means:

a. The way of the gods

b. The way of the Buddhas

c. The leanings of the heart

d. The New Way

The Shinto text Kojiki is all of the following except for

a. Compiled in 712 c.e.

b. Contains a creation myth

c. Is the oldest mythic-historical chronicle in Japan

d. Published during the Heian period

In the Japanese creation myth, Izanagi is the _____ of Izanami.

a. Father

b. Husband

c. Uncle

d. Cousin

In the Japanese creation myth, Amaterasu is the ______ of Susa-no-o.

a. Aunt

b. Mother

c. Cousin

d. Sister

According to Shinto myth, the Japanese imperial family is traceable back to

a. The Sun Goddess

b. The Moon God

c. The Storm God

d. The kami of Mt. Fuji

The region ruled by the first Japanese rulers was

a. Tokyo
b. Kyoto

c. Yamato

d. Kyushu

The Chinese account of Himiko says all of the following except for

a. Himiko was female

b. Himiko was a shaman

c. Himiko was a ruler

d. Himiko was a man

The principle of saisei-itchi in ancient Japan meant

a. Unity of the religious and the political

b. The renewal of the one

c. The restructuring of politics

d. None of the above

The divinity of the Japanese emperor was advanced by

a. Kokugaku

b. State Shinto

c. Both a and b

d. None of the above

The Shrine at Ise is dedicated to

a. Izanagi

b. Izanami

c. Amaterasu

d. Susa-no-o

The saishu is the Grand Priestess at

a. Ise

b. Izumo

c. Mt. Fuji

d. Nachi Waterfall

The Shinto ritual of harae focuses on

a. Purification

b. Appeasing the gods

c. Feeding the hungry ghosts

d. Entertaining the congregation

Misogi is the ritual of purification by

a. Salt

b. Water
c. Soap

d. Fire

In Shinto belief, the most serious pollutants are

a. Blood

b. Death

c. Both a and b

d. None of the above

Jinja, the Shinto shrine, literally means

a. Resting place for birds

b. Dwelling place of the kami

c. House of Amaterasu

d. Place of worship

Urikohime the Melon Princess

Once upon a time, an older couple that lived in a house at the foot of the mountains. One day, their
garden produced the biggest melon they had ever seen. They brought it in to eat, but when they opened
it they found a baby inside the melon. As the couple had no children, they named her Urikohime and
raised her as their own.

Urikohime grew up quickly and became a beautiful lady. She could weave, write poetry, sing, and was
kind to everyone; for all this she was much beloved in her community. She became so popular that
people from neighboring districts heard about her. Soon the prince of the land heard about Urikohime
and requested her hand in marriage.

But all way not well, as the demons of the mountains had heard of Urikohime’s beauty and kindness.
Since seeing any kind of joy bothered them immensely; one demon decided they would possess
Urikohime and use her to sow seeds of distrust into the community.
 Her parents knew about the demons of the mountains and that they might seek vengeance against
their daughter. So when they had to leave to bring the prince’s palanquin to the house; they warned her
not to open the door for anyone, for she would be safe as long as she stayed inside. Urikohime promised
and her parents went off to town.

While they were away, the demon from the mountains visited their house. It knocked on the door,
begging to be let in. Urikohime could not see who it was, but refused to open the door.

“Please, at least let me see your beautiful face,” the demon pleaded. “I travelled such a long way to see
it.”

Urikohime thought this was a harmless request and opened the door to let the visitor see her face. By
breaking her promise, the demon got through even that small of crack. It pinned Urikohime down and
tried to control her mind; but she had been born from a melon and was not truly human, so the demon
could not take her over.

Unfortunately, the demon did not give up easily. It killed Urikohime and flayed her skin off. The demon
put on the skin, and looked just like Urikohime. The demon hide the real body and when her parents
came home they were none the wiser. The false Urikohime was hoisted into the palanquin and taken to
marry to the prince. As the troop of people, including Urikohime’s parents, took the false bride to the
prince’s palace- a sparrow followed them.

The prince was delighted with his bride, but before he could announce the marriage; the sparrow
sang-

“Do not marry that bride, she is a demon in disguise. Poor Urikohime lies dead, while a demon is wed.”
For the sparrow was Urikohime’s soul. It had taken the form of a bird to warn those most important to
her.

The false bride tried to deny it, but when the prince pulled her hair the skin came loose and the
disguise was undone. The demon was killed and the community was safe from its evil influences, but
Urikohime was lost forever.

Tamamo-no-Mae (玉藻前, 玉藻の前, also 玉藻御前) is a legendary figure in Japanese mythology. In

the Otogizōshi, a collection of Japanese prose written in the Muromachi period, Tamamo-no-Mae was a
courtesan under the Japanese Emperor Konoe (who reigned from 1142 through 1155). She was said to
be the most beautiful and intelligent woman in Japan. Tamamo-no-Mae’s body mysteriously always
smelled wonderful, and her clothes never became wrinkled or dirty. Tamamo-no-Mae was not only
beautiful, but she was infinitely knowledgeable in all subjects. Although she appeared to be only twenty
years old, there was no question that she could not answer. She answered every question posed to her,
whether about music, religion or astronomy. Because of her beauty and intelligence, everyone in the
Imperial Court adored her, and Emperor Konoe fell deeply in love with her.

After some time had passed, with Konoe all the while lavishing all his affection on the beautiful Tamamo-
no-Mae, the Emperor suddenly and mysteriously fell ill. He went to many priests and fortune-tellers for
answers, but they had none to offer. Finally, an astrologer, Abe no Yasuchika, told the Emperor that
Tamamo-no-Mae was the cause of his illness. The astrologer explained that the beautiful young woman
was in fact a kind or evil (depending on the story variant being told) nine-tailed fox (kitsune Good fox
spirit. nogitsune malicious fox spirit) working for an evil daimyo, who was making the Emperor ill in a
devious plot to take the throne. Following this, Tamamo-no-Mae disappeared from the court.

The Emperor ordered Kazusa-no-suke and Miura-no-suke, the most powerful warriors of the day, to hunt
and kill the fox. After eluding the hunters for some time, the fox appeared to Miura-no-suke in a dream.
Once again in the form of the beautiful Tamamo-no-Mae, the fox prophesied that Miura-no-suke would
kill it the next day, and begged for its life. Miura-no-suke refused.

Early the next day, the hunters found the fox on the Plain of Nasu, and Miura-no-suke shot and killed the
magical creature with an arrow. The body of the fox became the Sessho-seki, (殺生石) or Killing Stone,
which kills anyone that comes in contact with it. Tamamo-no-Mae’s spirit became Hoji and haunted the
stone.

Sessho-seki, Nasu, Tochigi

Hoji is said to have haunted this stone in Nasu until a Buddhist priest called Genno stopped for a rest
near the stone and was threatened by Hoji. Genno performed certain spiritual rituals, and begged the
spirit to consider her spiritual salvation, until finally Hoji relented and swore to never haunt the stone
again.

In Matsuo Bashō‘s famous book The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Bashō tells of visiting the stone in
Nasu.

Tamamo-no-Mae’s legend forms the basis of both the noh drama Sessho-seki (“The Killing Stone“) and
the kabuki play Tamamo-no-Mae (or The Beautiful Fox Witch).

Source: Excerpted from Wikipedia entry “Tamamo-no-Mae“

Locked in the hotel

There's just some things that never change

You say we're just friends

But friends don't know the way you taste, la la la

'Cause you know it's been a long time coming

Don't you let me fall

Ooh, when your lips undress me

Hooked on your tongue

Ooh love, your kiss is deadly

Don't stop

I love it when you call me señorita

I wish I could pretend I didn't need you

But every touch is ooh la la la

It's true, la la la

Ooh, I should be running

Ooh, you know I love it when you call me señorita

I wish it wasn't so damn hard to leave ya

But every touch is ooh la la la

It's true, la la la

Ooh, I should be running

Ooh, you keep me coming for you

All along I've been coming for you

And I hope it meant something to you

Call my name, I'll be coming for you

Coming for you, coming for you, coming for you

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