Week 6 Essay: Battle Without Honor or Humanity

Where does Japanese mythology fall into with the other mythologies that have been studied throughout the semester so far? Well, that is a very interesting question. Thanks so much for asking. Here is the deal with Japanese mythology: there are multiple gods and everything, but they aren't that important. The focus of the mythology is on the heroes of that time. It appeals to a sense of "the gods will bless you if you are a stand-up individual, and if you don't believe me, here's a story to prove it" as a mentality. So there are gods, and they are responsible for creation and the weather and other things of that sort, but they are just there. It's not like it is "The Young and the Restless - Mt. Olympus Edition", because these deities are not simply above the world, they are of the world, and are only there to assist warriors of a pure heart.

This brings me to the real crux of what Japanese mythology is all about - the hero. Especially in the collections of stories available to read for this class, it all focuses on what the heroic warrior can do for other people. He goes on many adventures and he helps out those in need because he has the skill and the means to be of assistance. The gods are intermingled into the stories, but they are either the ones in need, or they are there to help out the hero because he is so virtuous. This, of course, is the key to everything. Virtue, honor, and integrity line each Japanese story to the point that good things happen to those with these qualities, and bad things happen to those who would undermine such gallantries.

It seems as though the battle of good and evil relies solely on the mindset of the individual and destiny is what you make it. The outcome of the hero will always be good if he desires to do good with what is given to him, and vice versa for whomever is obsessed with self-preservation or some other selfish desire. Because of this, there can probably be many comparisons made to other heroic folktales such as Robin Hood, as the semester progresses and the mindset of overly-dramatic gods begins to be abandoned.

The Balances of Good and Evil

Author's Note
This week I read the section on Japanese Mythology, and I loved it a lot! Great reads all throughout and I would recommend it to anyone. Again, the main focus of the reading was on the hero, Yamato, and I wanted to reflect that in my essay and how the focus had shifted from prior readings.