Yata-no-kagami: the Mirror of Yata, the Return of Amaterasu

Housed at the Imperial Shinto Shrine at Ise, Japan, is the Mirror of Yata. The mirror is believed
to be a gift to the Emperor of Japan in the 3rd Century ce directly from Amaterasu, the
Mythical Maiden of the Sun. Remarkably, there is an inscription on the reverse of the mirror
with sacred symbols from the major world religions of that era.

Figure 1: The Sacred Mirror Yata-no-Kagami with sacred inscription on reverse side

One day Amaterasu would return through the Mirror of Yata to enlighten the world. Is the return
of Amaterasu evident by the mystery unfolding in the center of this inscription? What appears to
be the Sun of Amaterasu contains an amazing hidden code of a reverse image of the Chinese
Yang symbol. Consider the following comparative diagram.

Figure 2: The Chinese Yang Character in Reverse Code on the Mirror of Yata

The reversed Yang symbol occurs where: ‘a’ corresponds to the chinese ‘jih’ sun character
written on the mirror in Japanese ‘ri/ra’ of the Hiragana and Katakana scripts; ‘b’ corresponds to
the place ‘hill’ or ‘city’ written in the Chinese ‘fou/i’ character; and ‘c’ corresponds to the four
rays of dawn or four marks of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton (the name of G-D) (see also
Supplement 2. Chinese Influence: b. Yin and Yang).
This blending of knowledge from various world religions has been the trademark of Japanese
spirituality for over a thousand years. Kukai (774-835), who was given the title Kobo Daishi
(Great Teacher), is one Japanese master who exemplifies this spiritual openness. He was raised
with Taoist and Confucian beliefs and became schooled in Buddhism, which inspired him to
seek training in China under Huiguo (746-805), a disciple himself of an Indian Buddhist master.
When Kukai returned to Japan he established his Shingon Buddhist Temple requesting the
protection of the Shinto kami (spirits) of the land (see Supplement 1. Japanese Influence: a. Kobo
Daishi and the Kanjo Enthronement Ceremony).

Today, Japanese homes and temples include altars to both Shinto kami and Buddhist bosatsu
(bodhisattva). In fact, the bodhisattva may be regarded as the heavenly aspect of the kami of the
land. For instance, the Shinto Amaterasu is regarded as one and the same as the Buddhist
Vairocana (lit. Coming from the Sun), who emphasizes that the primary association of
Amaterasu with the Sun involves spiritual enlightenment, not merely the physical aspect of solar
energy. Perhaps her return could not be more opportune when the enlightenment of humanity
toward restoring the land is precisely related to how ready we are to harness this energy from the
sun.

Has Amaterasu, Mystical Maiden of the Sun, truly returned? If so, what is she trying to teach the
world through the Mirror of Yata inscription? How can world religions build bridges toward the
common good? Can we come together in our diversity to shine more brightly spiritual light?

Has Amaterasu Returned in the Mirror of Yata?

‘Yes!’ would be the answer to this question if we consider the new light shed on the Mirror of
Yata itself, when in 1986 the Shinto followers presented to the world the sacred and mysterious
inscription on the back of the mirror.

This Imperial Mirror of Yata inscription was known only to the Emperor and his Shinto priest. It
was only after World War II that the Ise priest gave special permission to Yutaro Yano, a Shinto
believer, to faithfully record the sacred message. Yutaro was inspired to write the text from the
back of the mirror upon hearing rumors that the Hebrew name of God was written on the back.
Yutaro’s daughter, together with the Shinsei Ryujinkai Shinto believers, felt called after much
prayer to reveal the letters to the Emperor’s family and later to the public in the book of Shinto
researcher Wadoh Kohsaka.

← (He, Waw, He, Yod) These 4 letters represent the

Hebrew name of God on the Mirror of Yata.

The Sacred text on the Mirror of Yata not only includes the sacred Hebrew name of G-d and the
sacred Chinese Yang symbol written in early Japanese script, but also the early Hindu symbol for
Aum, and another mysterious inscription surrounding the central solar Yang symbol.

In the traditional Shinto purification ritual to Amaterasu, the priest cradles a purification wand in
his left hand signifying the passive yin, while grasping the wand in his right hand signifying the
active yang. The priest then dips a leaf in water and sprinkles it left and right. Left means an
alpha beginning (ah in Japanese) and right signifies the outer realms of omega (uhn in Japanese).
Combined they produce the ah-uhn (in sanskrit a-hum, aum, om) (Nelson, p. 46).

On the Mirror of Yata inscription, the ancient Brahmi symbol for aum occurs with the jewel on
the front of the letter, as if Amaterasu were producing the pure Incarnate God who would
become the Emperor of Japan. In fact, such sacred circular inscriptions are commonly referred to
as mandalas in the East. These mandalas often contain a sacred mantra, which Kukai presented
in his esoteric Shingon Buddhism as an instrument offering direct access to the divine Vairocana
(Amaterasu). It was this particular mandala like inscription on the Mirror of Yata that was used
in the Emperor’s enthronement ceremony, called the Kanjo (see Supplement 1. Japanese
Influence: a. Kobo Daishi and the Kanjo Enthronement Ceremony).

It is in this contextual and mystical light that the inscription on the back of the Mirror of Yata is
deciphered here completely for the first time as a storyboard for spiritual understanding between
world religions. Tibetan Buddhists call it a gterma, or hidden sacred text or icon awaiting a day
the world will be in need of its wisdom.

Japanese Mythology and Writing on the Mirror of Yata

Spiritual mythology represents Divine devotional sentiments expressed in human context and
settings. The author of mythology is the Divine Poet.

Would that they were flowers,

The white surges far upon the sea of Ise-
I would wrap and bring them home
As a souvenir for my beloved wife.

Prince Aki’s Manyoshu poem, on an imperial visit to Ise

(718 ce), province of the Shrine of Amaterasu
Anderson, p. 616.

Since some of the letters appear Hebrew and others early Japanese, there has been confusion as
to how to interpret the text. The similarity between the Hebrew and early Japanese scripts also
makes it more difficult to interpret the message on the Mirror of Yata. There are relatively few
true Japanese signs on the back of the Mirror of Yata. Of the 37 signs, only 11 appear to be from
the early Japanese script; 6 if repeats are excluded. Of these 6 signs, four are not only syllables,
but actual numbers as well, (see Supplement 1. Japanese Influence: b. Japanese Numbers on the
Mirror of Yata).

This mirror is considered a gift to Japan from the solar goddess, Amaterasu Omikami. In earlier
times, the emperors believed so much in the presence of Amaterasu in the mirror that they
assigned their own daughter to minister as a priestess over the shrine together with a large royal
entourage. In the legend of Amaterasu, she and her own group of maidens reigned over a
beautiful heavenly plain. They would tend the sacred rice fields, weave, dance and make
contests. Susanowo, Amaterasu’s brother, challenged her to a contest to see who could produce
more gods. Amaterasu took Susanowo’s sword and made three gods. Susanowo took
Amaterasu’s jewel necklace and produced five goddesses. Amaterasu claimed victory since the
female gods belonged to her. Amaterasu also produced three long rice fields of good yield, while
Susanowo’s three long rice fields were barren. Perhaps out of envy Susanowo desecrated the
heavenly rice fields of Amaterasu. Even worse, he flayed the heavenly horse and threw it
skinless into the weaving room of Amaterasu, where she and her heavenly maidens were
preparing clothing for the children of light. Amaterasu was injured by the falling horse and Ori-
Hime (Weaving Princess) was killed. Susanowo was banished to the headwaters of the Hi river,
where his father Izanagi was purified in his descent to recover his wife from the Underworld
(Littleton, p. 40).

Though Susanowo was banished for his crime, Amaterasu hid herself in a cave, causing darkness
over the heavenly plain. All the heavens and earth gathered outside the cave to draw out the sun
goddess and restore light to the world. They held their meeting in the dry bed of the Milky Way
(Underwood, 28). Long-singing birds of dawn (roosters) from the Eternal Land were set before
the cave to cry for the Sun-light of Amaterasu (At the Ise Shrine, the tonako dancers mimic the
bird cry for the dawn of Amaterasu, where tengu birdmen dress contains both yin and yang,
grotesque and benevolent guardian features) (Littleton, p. 27). Yet, nothing the gods would do or
say could bring her out of the cave.

Then came Ameno Uzume who danced before the cave, before which was placed a mirror. When
Amaterasu peered out to observe the dance, she saw herself in the mirror and was drawn out by
her own beauty (see Supplement 2. Chinese Influence: a. The Succession Dance). In the words of
the poet, the dance enticed her to come out of the cave like a butterfly her cocoon:

One hundred years -

The dance of the butterfly
Who dreamt he had spent
A hundred years enfolded
Within a flower petal.

Referring to Oe no Masafusa’s poem

in Horikawa-in Ontoki Hyakushu Waka,
during Zeami Motokiyo’s play, Sekidera Komachi

There was a great celebration as the entire universe was lit up once again. Having restored the
universe, Amaterasu turned to her son, Ame no Oshiho mimi to offer gifts to the human emperor
in order to maintain order until she return. Her son was not able to overcome the chaos of the
earth. So she turned to her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto. He offered the emperor the jewel
necklace of Amaterasu, the sword of Susanowo (who reconciled with his sister) and the mirror of
Yata that brought the light out of the cave. The emperor of Japan placed these three gifts in the
Shrine of Ise; the people learned the arts of agriculture, weaving and dance; the country was
united under the Shinto faith; and the world was restored to order until Amaterasu returns. The
Shinto believe one day this Princess of the Sun will return through the mirror (see Supplement 1.
Japanese Influence: c. Shinto Shrine Prayers, for more information on the reconciliation of
Susanowo applied to the Shinto community).
Consider that the Mirror of Yata inscription has been used as a seal of enthronement for newly
appointed Emperors of Japan. Also, consider that Amaterasu (Vairocana) became present to
Kukai through the Buddhist meditation of such mantra and mandala instruments. Is it then
plausible to consider the return of this Maiden of Heavenly Enlightenment, Amaterasu, is
occurring through this Mirror of Yata inscription and its interpretation you, the reader, are
witnessing this moment. Formerly, her son, Ame(a)-no-Oshiho-mimi, was not able to restore the
earth, it was left up to the ‘grandchild,’ and grandchildren. That is, the Emperor of Japan was
assigned the responsibility of restoration, together with all of those who are not God Incarnate.
Yet, this time when she returns it will be her own son, God Incarnate, who restores the earth.
Such spiritual expressions of the Creator’s return are common among global mythology. The
return of the Hopi Massau is one example. In India, he is called Maitreya. The Hebrews call him
Messiah. In Japan, he is the Mikado, also named Arahito-gami.

Will the Mikado (the Massau, the Maitreya, the Messiah) be found, then, by interpreting the
Mirror of Yata inscription for the enthronement of Amaterasu’s son. The inscription on the
Mirror of Yata is a secret Mantra. According to Kukai, it’s prayer is efficacious for the revelation
of the Divine Light to all and any believers. Was Kukai referring to a magical power bestowed
on the person meditating on his mandala or was Kukai speaking of an opportunity provided
through this meditation to meet with the Divine Light so high above our control yet so willing to
embrace the heart of the disciple? The answer is in the question, which raises the value of this
research of the meaning of these mysterious symbols from mere passing illusions of life to
names, values and principles that help identify this Divine relationship. To make a secret Mantra
for the Japanese Imperial enthronement ceremony, an impressive number of sacred symbols
from across Asia can be identified. This we know:

The Mirror of Yata inscription contains

Would the inscription writers be a group of sages from the different world religions associated
with the 37 letter text? Or was it a single author attempting to draw together the spiritual
diversity influencing Japan? Kukai (774-835), who helped develop Mahayana Buddhism in 9th
Century Japan, was willing to embrace benevolent Shinto kami at his temple on Mount Koya.
Also consider the Shinto revivalist, Yoshida Kanetomo (1435-1511). He followed in the spirit of
Taoist and Hindu scholars who united Buddhist thought with their own beliefs, where Buddha is
the Avatar of Taoist Laozi or the Hindu Vishnu. Similarly, Kanetomo used the 10th Century
phrase honji suijaku, ‘manifest traces of the original substance,’ to refer to the Buddha in relation
to the Shinto gods. But who would meet the requirements of those writing Hebrew on the
inscription of the Mirror of Yata or plausibly Hindi-Arabic Numerals or Latin cursive?

Perhaps a later Jewish community immersed in East Asian cultures and studied in their linguistic
history crossed paths with the Ise Shrine community. The 19th Century Hokoshima Jewish
community was forced to relocate by the 1832 earthquake. They likely passed by Ise on route to
their new home in Kobe, but did they stop at the Ise Shrine? Were not the 20th Century Shinto
convinced of an earlier antiquity in their sacred mysterious inscription?

Does the 16th Century Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier, meet all the requirements of script
writing on the mirror? Xavier may have had some awareness of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton in
his Jesuit studies. Xavier must have developed an understanding of Eastern spiritual symbolism
during his years in Goa, India, learning Sanskrit and perhaps some Brahmi still coded into
various Hindu sacred rites. Then, toward the end of his life, Xavier went to Japan, even visiting
the Capitol, Kyoto, to meet with the Japanese Emperor. Since he forgot to bring gifts, Xavier was
turned away from the modest Imperial Palace. The Emperor’s Shinto Shrine of Ise was only a
few days journey from Kyoto. Did Xavier visit the Ise Shrine, which housed the Mirror of Yata
to leave a lasting gift inscribed for the Empire of Japan?

There are two clues in Xavier’s favor toward influencing the inscription of the Mirror of Yata.
First, there is an 11 day gap in Xavier’s Kyoto stay after being refused an audience with the
Emperor. Secondly, Xavier had two ‘mysterious’ friends with him on his eastern journeys. He
brought them with him to the East during the 16th Century Portuguese inquisition of the Jews.
Even the Christian Jews were persecuted in Spain and Portugal during these inquisitions. Was
Francis Xavier with Hebrew-Christian friends and welcomed by the Shinto priest at the Imperial
Shrine of Ise during Xavier’s curious 11 day journal gap in Kyoto?

Regardless of who wrote the inscription, does the Mirror of Yata not remain under the protection
and reflective guidance of the Maiden of Enlightenment, Amaterasu? Moreover, its mystery
unfolds to enhance the spiritual history of the Ise Shrine through the prayerful discernment of the
Shinto community itself. For it was the Shinto community, who after much prayer and
discernment, published the inscription for the world community to reflect upon even while
knowing the Hebrew name of G-d was written on it. Consider also, the Hindu Aum shown twice
on the inscription:
The Brahmi Script on the Mirror of Yata

Given that the Hindu Aum symbol is written in 2nd or 3rd Century Brahmi script, is there evidence
of more such Brahmi occurring on the Mirror of Yata? In fact, early Brahmi matches close to
75% of the letters (27/37), where even the early Japanese or Hebrew matched closer to 25%.

Top 12 Letters left to right

1-2 gep Tremble 3 she weapon (used against) 4-5 jhe VI the Sleeping Six. 6 He! (the dance) 7
Aum! (Yod - the Jewel) The Sacred Utterance 8 pa (as) a leaf 9 ja sprouting. 10 o Oh! 11-12 jhe
VI The Sleeping Six.

Central 7 Letters (Form the Chinese Yang symbol and the following 2 words from 7 Hebrew letters)
1-3 Return to 4-7 G-d

Bottom 18 Letters left to right

1-2 Uma City 3 cha divided 4-5 mada rejoice (in being) 6 ja victorious (over) 7 ya the restraining
one (Yama) 8-9 (by) VI pa the six leaves 10 (in) ma the season (of autumn / of dying). 11 a Ah!
12 Waw! (the Sword) 13 o Oh! 14 Aum! (Yod - the Jewel) 15 ja Born from 16 va the wind 17 tha
to fear 18 ni upon.

Tremble weapon used against the Sleeping Six (Cities of the Underworld). Hey, the
Dance! Aum, the Jewel of Sacred Utterance of the Branch (the Leaf) sprouting.
Oh! The Sleeping Six.

Return to God! Enlightened in the City of the Rising Sun (The Seventh City)!

City divided, rejoice in being victorious over the restraining one (Yama) by the six
branches (leaves) in the season of autumn’s dying. Ah! Waw, the Sword! Oh! Aum, the
Jewel! The Sacred Utterance, born from the wind to fear upon.

For a more in depth translation of these Brahmi letters on the Mirror of Yata, see Supplement 3:
Indian Influence: a. Brahmi Letters on the Mirror of Yata.
The Hebrew Script on the Mirror of Yata

This sacred inscription may have been added to over time as new discoveries were made
concerning sacred words from distant lands. The seven central letters match the Hebrew script
used at the time of the Roman persecution of the Jews (the Roman siege against Jerusalem by
Emperor Titus, 67-70c.e. and the destruction of the Jewish communities of Salamis, Cyprus and
Leontopolis, Egypt early in the 2nd Century ce). There are traces of ancient Hebrew history along
the Silk Road to China, even as far as Korea. Another possibility is the 5th Century Nestorians
who fled east to Persia after the Catholic Church declared it heresy not to believe the person of
Jesus, the Christian Messiah, was both man and God. This spiritual idea of God Incarnate
surfaces again in each region that provides clues to Amaterasu’s purpose on the Mirror of Yata.
History follows the Nestorians along the Silk Road to China and perhaps even Japan. In 635 ce
the Nestorian missioinary, named Alopen, was received by Chinese Emperor Taizong. This new
religion, called Jingjiao, would influence China for the next 200 years, which can be attested to
by the stone monument called, the Nestorian Stele of 781. This branch of early Christianity
preserved much of their traditions for hundreds of years, including writings of the Aramaic
language that left Syrian priests weeping when Isis burned their sacred scrolls in Norther Iraq.

Were these Nestorians the means for Shinto Priests to learn of the sacred and secret Hebrew
name of G-d? It was the Shinto community who noticed the ancient Hebrew name of God on the
Mirror of Yata (see Supplement 4. Judeo-Christian Influence: a. The Hebrew Script on the
Mirror of Yata).

Conclusion:

Lo, our great Sovereign, the Goddess [Amaterasu Omikami]

Tarries on the Thunder
In the clouds of Heaven!

Empress Kakinomoto Hitomaro, composed on Thunder

Hill; Manyoshu Poem; Anderson, p. 608.

In the 3rd Century ce, the Emperor of Japan was given the gift of the Mirror of Yata. On its
reverse side it has a sacred inscription with 37 letters of Brahmi, Hebrew and early Japanese
script. These letters offer symbols and teachings from the great religions associated with early
Japan, including Shintoism, Buddhism, Taoism and even Hinduism and Judaism. For instance,
this sacred text on the Mirror of Yata offers the Chinese Yang symbol written in early Japanese
and Hebrew script. This Male Yang of the central circle may represent the Mikado (Japanese
term for God Incarnate as the Emperor: in Sanskrit, the Maitreya; in Hebrew, the Messiah), like a
Golden Child of Amaterasu. In the Japanese sacred texts, Kojiki and Nihongi, it is written that
this reign of Amaterasu’s divine Emperor will last forever (Underwood, p. 28). The priests and
sages who wrote the inscription reversed the appearance of the Yang in order to reflect the image
of a mirror and they not only incorporated Japanese Hirogana and Katakana, along with Chinese
script, but also the sacred Hebrew name of G-d in the rays of the Yang sun character:
This reversed Yang symbol is written in the central ‘solar’ circle of the mandala. Above this
circle are the 12 Brahmi letters and 18 below, representing the 12 lunar months and the Japanese
celebration of the 18 warmest days of the year. Hidden within these 30 letters (also representing
the 30 days of the moon month) are the sacred early Hindu symbol for Aum and three more
Hebrew letters reading:

Come forth! Return to God.

The Shinto priest of the Shrine of Ise was willing to blend his own beliefs with Brahmi and
Hebrew mythologies revealing Amaterasu as a type of Uma (consort of Shiva) among the Hindu,
or Maya (mother of Buddha), or Shekinah (female aspect of Hebrew G-d). She, whom all
peoples have become aware of in some form, is drawn out of the cave of ignorance. Even in our
exile in this mythical land of darkness She dawns to enlighten us. It is written in the literature of
the Rabbi:

Wheresoever they were exiled, the Shekinah went with them.

Megillah 29a

The light of Amaterasu is likened to pure enlightenment of which all people of good will are
capable of perceiving. The mythology of the world religions become a common storyboard for
drawing these people of goodwill toward spiritual understanding.

The writing on the back of the Mirror of Yata of Japan has been copied faithfully enough to
decipher the ancient Brahmi from northwest India with portions of Japanese, Chinese and
Hebrew. The evidence would suggest that Chinese sages were also present, together with the
Indian and Hebrew priests who shared in designing this inscription with the Shinto priests at Ise,
Japan. Could one person actually have written such a marvelous symbol of Eastern Mysticism?

This research offers the opportunity to witness the opening of a Sacred Seal loaded with
universal values to help bring those of all religions together for the first time just in time to
restore the earth. The Buddhist in Tibet calls it a great and hidden gter-ma; the Hindu of India
call it a nidhi; meaning ‘treasure’ and hidden by sages to be revealed in a future time when the
world would have a desperate need. The treasure contained a sacred word made secret until that
day of need, it reads:

Tremble weapon used against the Sleeping Six (Cities of the Underworld).
The warning is not to the reader whose spiritual quest ultimately ends in death, but the
warning goes to death itself (the weapon). It speaks of a type of power the emperor must
 become accustomed to, not the power of weapons, rather the power of hope.

Hey, the Dance! Aum, the Jewel of Sacred Utterance

The emperor is the Jewel whom the Shinto priest will dance before. The sacred utterance
is the word of appointment. Yet, only God Incarnate may be Priest and Emperor.

of the Branch (the Leaf) sprouting. Oh! The Sleeping Six.

The Emperor’s inaugural power is for the purpose of giving life to the people and the
land. Therefore, the each life (the leaf) is sacred and the emperor will one day stand
before each one as equals in death to give an account to the Divine Life.

Return to God! Enlightened in the City of the Rising Sun (The Seventh City)!
The central circle, the sun, Amaterasu, identifies the Real Person of God who brings
enlightenment to the heart, to all hearts that are open.

City divided, rejoice

The seventh city is the final destination of those in the six cities of refuge, the dead.
The One who lives in the seventh city is open to making room for all the openhearted
dead.

in being victorious over the restraining one (Yama)

All the dead will dance before the Victor of Light and Life.

by the six branches (leaves) in the season of autumn’s dying.

Life on earth and the inevitable end of life is a training ground to learn how to dance
before the Divine Light. The dance is about openheartedness and selfless love.

Ah! Waw, the Sword! Oh! Aum, the Jewel! The Sacred Utterance,
The Sword and the Jewel are one only in God Incarnate. No emperor has liberty to claim
power to wave authority while forgetting his own mortality.

born from the wind to fear upon.

All people are taken by the Divine Kami toward the fearful journey through death to new
life.

There is one last clue to consider. The mandala of India is known to have a most sacred point,
not in the center, but at the top. On the mirror there are two symbols represented at the top of the
inscription: the Hebrew He and the Brahmi AUM. Dance, the Jewel. It is here that the Mikado is
found to be both priest and emperor.

Glossary:

1. Esoteric Buddhism: mysteries of a direct experience of the Dharma-Body which immediately

and absolutely enlighten the disciple. Kukai’s esoteric Shingon Buddhism did not contradict
earlier schools, but fulfilled them where the learner fully awakened to the Dharma-Body present
in Maha-Vairocana. Esoteric knowledge led the disciple beyond the skillful means, using all
objects, persons and places, including the Shinto kami and shrines, to reveal the divine form:
“The kami deities manifest themselves in the world and mingle with its dust; they are
quiescent, ‘one’ and eternal. The two shrines of Ise are also thus. The patterns that
decorate the two shrines of Ise represent the shape of (the twin) Mahabrahmas, the sun
and moon, and the (2) precious gems that contain the wondrous origin. Because they are
traces containing the origin, they are the father and the mother of all sentient beings.
They are the form of that which has never come and will never leave” (Reikiki, p.
25).
Beyond the skillful means, one can mold objects by way of mandala meditation into the absolute
truth of reality over and against any contradiction of their purpose. “The keeper of esoteric
knowledge reads objects, places and texts as mandalas, ‘circles’ of absolute reality that manifest
themselves, unsoiled by any kind of duality, in our conditional world. Identifying objects and
places as mandali, unlocking their secrets and manipulating them as embodiments of the
Dharma-body was at the core of what we may call the esoteric Buddhist discourse on secrecy.”
(Breen & Teeuwen, p. 16).

2. Exoteric Buddhism: knowledge referred to as helpful teachings (dharma) or skillful means that
indirectly or conditionally lead one to enlightenment.

3. Mandala: the mandala has a fixed symbolic format: an outer protective ring of flames to purify
the seeker drawing near; a ring of Vajras to prove enlightenment as indestructible; lotus petals
represent the Pure Land environment. In the circle is a palace with four gates representing the
world. At the center sits the One whom the seeker hopes to find.
Among the Hindu, Vairocana and Indra attempted to identity the Self (Atman). Prajapati told
them, “That which is reflected in the eye, that is the Self.” This eye was likened to ‘the water’.
Vairocana felt that this was enough to know the Self. Indra further inquired about his own
reflection in the water. This is how Indra became fully enlightened.
Among the Buddhist, Vairocana is the first (or AbiBuddha) of five DhyaniBuddhas, Great
Buddhas of Wisdom. Together they appear in the Mandala of the Universe, which can be
meditated upon in picture, temple or imagined form. According to Kobo Daishi, this meditation
of the Mandala (Circle) achieved full enlightenment once Vairocana was identified at the center
of the circle.

4. Mantra: skt: the sound of speech of truth or suchness, Chin. ru yu; not vain. In the treatise of
Nagarjuna it is called ‘secret signs’ (Chin. Bimi hao). Emperor Fushini (1288) performed the
sokui kanjo, imperial enthronement initiation, where the regent revealed a secret mantra and
mundra upon the emperor’s accession to the throne (Breen and Teeuwen, p. 105).

5. Dragon-Fox: The name of the Japanese Imperial Enthronement Ceremony renamed by Kukai,
the (shikai ryosho no ho, the method of ruling the four seas). It was performed at the imperial
shrine of Ise. The Ise kora maidens daily offered together with the divine food this secret practice
of the emperor. It was granted to the imperial lineage by Amaterasu, who appeared as a dragon-
fox to kidnap a boy, Fugiwara no Kamatari, and gave him the sacred sickle, fujimaki no kama, in
which the boy used to save the throne by beheading the rebellious Soga no Iruka. As a reward,
Amaterasu gave him the secrets of the enthronement ceremony to inaugurate Japanese emperors
for all time. In the rock cave Amaterasu chose to appear as the dragon fox, since it glows in the
dark as the wish fulfilling gem (shinko or tatsugitsune). Thus, the Dragon Fox Enthronement,
where one becomes a king upon revering the sacred mythical animal. When the two treasures of
Amaterasu, sword (snake/dragon) and gem (fox), embrace, they produce the third treasure, the
Mirror of Yata, called Naishidokoro, meaning the Dwelling. (Breen & Teeuwen, pp. 105-107,
115). Interestingly, the Hebrew Shekinah, the Divine Mother of the Hebrews in Exile, also
means the Dwelling. In context, the snake and wolf (close kin of the fox), symbolize the Hebrew
tribes of Dan and Benjamin (cf. Hebrew Bible, Genesis 49. 17, 27; see also, Isaiah 65: 17-25;
Joel 4:13-17.). In one account, Amaterasu appears at the Ise kanjo to test the initiant as three
snakes with the three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance and then at the sokui kanjo as the
dragon-fox. In one account, it is said that the kami deities “manifest themselves in the world and
mingle with its dust; they too are quiescent, ‘one’ and eternal” (Breen & Teeuwen, p. 15).

6. The Three Threasures: Japan’s Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu, gave the Three Threasures, the
sword, the gem and the mirror, to the emperor and their offspring as gifts to honor and protect
the throne for all generations. The sword was a gift to Amaterasu from her brother, Susanowo,
who gave it to her as a reconciliation offering for his offenses that caused Amaterasu to hide in
the rock cave. Susanowo found the sword in the tail of the snake he killed for its attempt to
devour his beloved. Susanowo’s use of the sword to reconcile and defend family runs parallel to
this Japanese poetic sentiment:

Beware you leaders of our clan

Which bears a most illustrious name
In this wide land of Yamato!
Polish it like a double-edged sword,
Make it ever bright - the name
Borne through the ages, clean and without spot!

Otomo Yakamochi’s poem in honor of Otomo Kojihi

who lost his governorship by false witness in 756 ce.;
Manyoshu Poem; Anderson, p. 624.

The mirror was used with jewels on a tree outside the cave to help draw Amaterasu out, which
would cause light and life to return to the world. The emperor keeps the sword, the jewel and the
mirror at the Shrine of Ise as signs of the heavenly authority of the throne. In Medieval times, a
10 treasure tradition included a crown, called the Shinamono no hire. The emperor was given the
crown during the sokui kanjo, the esoteric Buddhist version of the Shinto enthronement and the
one who wears the crown becomes the embodiment of both Mahavairocana (Shingon Buddhist
God Incarnate) and Amaterasu, who stand together with all Shinto kami and Shingon Buddhas.
In the kanjo, Amaterasu used the mirror to transfer her divine light, causing the emperor to
become god incarnate. According to the original legends written in the Japanese sacred Kojiki
and Nihongi texts, this dynasty would last forever (Underwood, p. 30). The mirror reflects
reality, good or bad, beauty or the reverse and so the mirror emanates the virtue of truthfulness.
According to Chikafusa Kitabatake, Jinno Shotoki (1339) said,

...the mirror hides nothing. It shines without a selfish mind. Everything good and bad,
 right and wrong, is reflected without fail. The mirror is the source of honesty because it
has the virtue of responding according to the shape of objects. It points out the fairness
and impartiality of the divine will.
Oro, 1983, p. 23.

The jewel represents softheartedness, obedience and benevolence, while the sword is the symbol
of wisdom (Underwood, p. 32). All three treasures bring peace to Japan and the land of the
direction of the four seas.

6. Oharai Cleansing - the ritual purification with water before the shrine of the kami.

7. Kagura Ritual - the dance of the miko (shrine virgins) before the kami shrine as a celebration
of the renewal of life.

8. Kaimyo - the death name given seven days after death to the soul inscribed on an ihai,
ancestral tablet and kept at the Buddhist home altar or district shrine altar. The soul is regarded
as a tama (jewel) for the first 33 years and as a revered kami (deified ancestral spirit) after 33
years.

9. Matsuri - the most sacred Shinto festival of kami devotion. It is centered on the shrine with a
final procession with a mikoshi or portable shrine. The height of the festival is called the taisai
(big festival), where a sacred image of the kami is placed in the mikoshi. The essence of the
festival is for all Shinto believers to participate in the ‘will of the kami’ for the land by fulfilling
their everyday activities throughout the year with delicacy, sincerity and devotion.

10. Sakaki - is the sacred pine branch waved by the guji (head Shinto priest) at the matsuri.

11. Norito - Shrine prayers.

12. Wa shoi! - Victory chant before the mikoshi. Wa is the benign harmony syllable of Shinto
theology. It is represented in Classical Chinese as ‘pipes to the mouth’ and represents sound. The
wa sound is an integral part of natural and human relationships, uniting all in the same divine
breath and causing the individual to realize the self can only be fully realized by lifting up the
group. This benign harmony of wa would tolerate the social obedience promoted by
Confusionism, but not without the freedom of the Taoist and Shinto spirit and eventually the
Buddhist.

13. Aum Shinrikyo - apocalyptic sect that falsely used Buddhism in the deadly Tokyo Metro gas
attacks of 1995.

14. Sukyo - sects. Within Shintoism a vibrant diversity of spiritual and cultural practice has
developed with emphasis on family values. Community newcomers were drawn to these Sukyo
Shinto sects, since the traditional Shinto traditions base local attendance on extended family.

Supplement 1: Japanese Influence

a. Kobo Daishi and the Kanjo Enthronement Ceremony

According to Shingon Buddhism, founded by Kobo Daishi (Kukai), this spiritual understanding
occurs during a sacred oath ceremony, the dragon-fox kanjo initiations, where the internal
(esoteric) transmission of these spiritual secrets occur by mantra meditation of the circular
mandala, such as the mysterious inscription on the Mirror of Yata. In fact, Kobo Daishi visited
the Shrine of Ise to make this sacred oath and perhaps meditated on or wrote a portion of this
very inscription.

The Shingon Buddhist scholars transmitted the secret knowledge of these sacred oaths in four
steps (see chart below).

Transmitting Shingon Secrets Four Step Education Process for Monks

1. The surface meaning Flowers are given by devotion
2. The underlying doctrine of the sign Flowers represent good deeds
3. The sign represents the higher realm The flower is produced by six cosmic
elements which essentially belong to
Mahavairocana.
4. Each sign is absolute and unconditional, Mahavairocana is the God Incarnate outside
the unobtainable of the Self, yet whose friendship is
fully experienced by way of the Mantra
Mandala
in the Dharma Realm.

Steps and examples from Scheid & Teeuwen, 2006, pp. 115-117.

Consider these steps of knowledge applied to the Mirror of Yata Inscription:

Shingon Secret Four Step Knowledge Written on the Mirror of Yata

1. The surface meaning The weapon shakes, while the sleeping six
dance. The city divided rejoices as
the six leaves born from the wind.
2. The underlying doctrine of the sign Death trembles at the raising of the dead.
From death to life the many are
enlightened. 3. The sign represents the higher realm The Breath of Mahavairocana (the
Mikado, the Maitraya, the Messiah)
liberates the
kami/spirit to the Dharma Realm/Heaven.
4. Each sign is absolute and unconditional, There is no life outside of Mahavairocana

the unobtainable who is the God Incarnate proceeding from

the Light of Amaterasu, the
Shikenah, the Nourishing and All-
Embracing Great Mystery of Divine
Life.
Also the Sacred Treasures of Mirror, Sword and Jewel as written on the Mirror:

Shingon Secret Four Step Knowledge of Sacred Treasures

1. The surface meaning i. Mirror; ii. Jewel (Aum); iii. Sword
2. The underlying doctrine of the sign i. Realities reflection or truthfulness;
ii. Tenderheartedness, obedience,
benevolence; iii. Wisdom.
i-iii. all three bring peace.
3. The sign represents the higher realm i. The Mirror represents the heart of
Amaterasu; ii. The Jewel as seen on
the Mirror represents the Emperor and
the High Priest of Ise. On the Mirror
the Aum Symbol is written in early Brahmi
with a Stone of Decision as if on the
breastplate of a standing
person, much like the Urim and
Thummin of the High Priest; iii. The sword
represents the reconciliation gift of
Susanowo to his sister Amaterasu.
4. Each sign is absolute and unconditional, i. The Mirror reflects the truth as revealed

the unobtainable by the light of Amaterasu; ii. Only God

Incarnate, the Mikado (Maitraya,
Messiah)
can occupy both positions of Emperor and
High Priest. iii. Every human being stands
face to face to offer Amaterasu the Mikado’s
reconciliation gift.

That the Mikado is likened to the Maitraya or Messiah is not unfounded. India’s enthronement
ceremony for an new king, called in Sanskrit, Abhiseka, is one and the same as the Japanese
Kanjo consecration. Kanjo’s literal meaning is pouring water on the head. From medieval times,
the Japanese Shitton Kanjo involves the study of Sanskrit “in which the deep meaning of the
characters is handed down to a disciple (who becomes a new master)” (Scheid & Teeuwen, p.
119). Sanskrit in Buddhist chanting was also studied at the Kyoo Jojuin, a center for advanced
studies in esoteric Buddhism from Emperor Go-Uda’s reign (1267-1324). The Shigon Kanjo
consecration involves denying history in order to become present to the 8 patriarchs, including
Kukai. The disciple sits on an 8 petal lotus mandala on the floor and reflects on various objects
presented by the master, including a mirror (Scheid & Teeuwen, pp. 119-121).

The Ise Shrine version of the Kanjo consecration is called, sakui ho, by the 14th Century Dojun.
This oath combines the gestures of the Ise kora maidens with the mantra of Dakini and the use of
the Sanksrit seed syllable bhrum. In Chien’s Bikisho text, Dojun speaks to Jibu Risshi, “I am
prevented from initiating you directly into imperial matters of the Sanbo of Shingon, but I will
make an exception for you to enhance the Buddhist services to the Great Deity (of Ise).” Chien
then describes how Dojun initiated Risshi in the important dragon-fox consecration performed at
the emperor’s enthronement at Ise. This secret practice of the emperor renamed by Kukai, the
(shikai ryosho no ho, the method of ruling the four seas) is daily offered together with the divine
food by the kora maidens at Ise. Dojun placed the ritual within the context of Buddhism where
Amaterasu appeared as Kobo Daishi to produce the esoteric advancement of the initiation rite
(Scheid & Teeuwen, pp. 191-194).

It is important to understand that these daiji (important matter) exchanges occurred while
overlooking affiliation to lineage or school, if only the ‘secrets’ would continue to be practiced
with devotion.

Chien Risshi had come to Ise to pray at the Great Shrines.... Chien initiated Jibu Risshi
in the important matters (daiji) of the Hirosawa branch [of Shingon]. Jibu Risshi was
elated with joy, and told [Chien] about various methods that had been revealed to him - among
others, the secret practice of the emperor’s enthronement. Chien wished to learn about
this method, so he became [Jibu’s] disciple and was initiated in it.

(Scheid & Teeuwen, p.194; quote from Shingon Shinto 2. P 512).

Was Francis Xavier and his assistants involved in this exchange with the Mirror of Yata
inscription?

In his tern, Chien initiated Kakrijo of the Ritsu school. Kakrijo described the sokui kanjo in
relation to the dragon-fox consecration at Ise. Kakrijo also stated how the emperor’s
enthronement can be practiced by monks, lay people and even those outside the Shingon school.

In Ise, Dojun... Traded secrets with a range of other religious figures. In his wake, the
sokui ho that he had generated spread widely and rapidly to other schools and liniages,
taking one even more elaborate forms.
Scheid & Teeuwen, p.196

A balance was necessary to protect the integrity of the secret rites of the Emperor’s lineage,
while at the same time enabling these rites to gain renown. Perhaps the questions of the sages
were, if a lay person is perfectly enlightened could he not be trusted with the Imperial secrets?
What good would the secrets be if the Emperor was not perfectly enlightened? There comes to
mind a phrase from the Christian text of the Gospel of Luke, where the entire letter is addressed
to the “most excellent Theophilous.” Scholars have wondered who this dignitary might be, as
there is no record in history apart from Luke. Yet, the name means, Friend of God. Perhaps Luke
is raising the same questions as the Shingon and Shinto sages, such as: Are we not all born again
into a palace when we meet God Incarnate face to face?

These Japanese Buddhist oaths express openness to all and any useful symbols from other
religions: the Shinto Mirror of Yata, the Hebrew Name of God on its reverse inscription, together
with the Taoist Yang. This universal spiritual learning becomes evident on a study of the Mirror
of Yata’s reference to the mythical underworld guardian: Yama of the Brahmi who is likened to
Yamato of the Shinto. Perhaps Princess Amaterasu is related to Sarah (meaning Princess), wife
of Abraham, akin to Brahma and Sarasvati of the Hindu tradition. Sarasvati’s father is Sagara,
King of the Solar Clan, or Enlightened Ones, which brings us back to Amaterasu, Maiden of the
Sun. (For more on this parallel mythology see Brahma and Abraham, the Common Origins of
the Divine Covenant. Boloji: Anonymousforprajapati).

b. Japanese Numbers on the Mirror of Yata

At first glance, the use of numbers corresponding to the early Japanese calendar and sky charts
are evident on this mysterious inscription on the Mirror of Yata. Consider the diagram below:

The inscriber must have been aware of these Japanese calendar events, which are respective of
the early Shinto prayers and festivals.

There are four early Japanese number signs on the Mirror of Yata appearing among the lower 18
signs as follows:

These early Japanese numbers are the ‘Hi’ ひ sign, the ‘Fu’ フ sign (upsidedown), the ‘Mi’ み
sign (upsidedown and ‘piercing’ line is extended), the ‘Yo’ ヨ sign (upsidedown). These native
Japanese numbers 1 to 4, correspond to (ichi, ni, san, shi) in modern sino-Japanese.

The ‘Hi’ ひ sign represents the Sun and is the only one of the four numbers upsideright. These
numbers slant within the 30 signs on the mirror to represent the earth as it appears slanted 23º on
its axis. The astronomy of a stationary Sun (the upsideright ‘Hi’) with the Earth overturned (the
upsidedown ‘Fu’, ‘Mi’ & ‘Yo’) represents two possibilities: first this Summer Solstice
configuration turns into a Winter Solstice after half a year; secondly the Earth turns over in
relation to the galaxy every 26000 years during the galactic alignment. The Japanese numbers
on the Mirror of Yata not only tell of the Sun and Earth, but also represent the moon and stars:

The Galactic Alignment occurs on December 21, 2012 when the Sun rises with the invisible
Cygnus constellation in a position much like the upsidedown cross tilting to the left on the
mirror. There are 4 sky objects that rise with Cygnus at dawn of December 21, 2012. The Sun
visible at dawn hides Mercury, Venus and Saturn. Since ‘Hi’ ひ, corresponds to the Sun, the
upsidedown (or invisible) ‘Fu’ フ, ‘Mi’ み and ‘Yo’ ヨ signs correspond to Mercury, Venus and
Saturn respectively. While ‘Hi’ and ‘Mi’ are written in Hiragana (Japanese syllables), ‘Fu’ and
‘Yo’ are written in Katakana scripts (for pronunciation of foreign words).

Regarding the numbers 1, 1 & 4 among the 12 moon signs in the upper portion of the Mirror of
Yata, it is exactly 114 days to April 14, 2013 from December 21, 2012. We know that December
21, 2012 is an astronomical day that occurs once every 26000 years (the Galactic Alignment),
but what is the big deal of April 14, 2013? It is a day when Mars, Venus and the Sun are almost
conjunct in Pisces. In fact only 7 days earlier, Mars and Venus aligned; and only 3 days later
Mars disappears behind the Sun. In between these unusual events the Moon and Jupiter are
conjunct (in Taurus) exactly on April 14, 2013 and the moon is 4 days old.

In Japan, Pisces is regarded as the Rabbit Constellation (pronounced U, just as the number 1 is
written in Japanese). As well, Taurus is known as the Snake Constellation (pronounced Mi, just
as the number 3). This mystical exploration goes beyond the intent of the author of the
inscription. It is mystical in that the Creator puts all the letters, numbers, the sun, moon, stars and
planets all in order, in a sacred setting in which humanity is given every opportunity to
participate. The Creator allows mystical interpretation to show agreement with those who are
positioning themselves at the banquet feast of that sacred setting. Coming together is a defeated
snake in the myth of Amaterasu’s brother Susanowa; in the look of the number 3 on the mirror as
a coiled snake with a sword through it, much like a serpent on a pole; in the Snake Constellation
represented overturned as Mi in opposite of the 114 days on the Mirror of Yata. 113-114 days
before December 21, 2012, is August 29-30, 2012, when Mars and Saturn are in Virgo setting in
the West, while Jupiter in Taurus and Venus in Gemini rise in the East.

According to the inscription on the Mirror of Yata, the mystical interpretation of these celestial
phenomena are represented in the design of the Chinese pictographs from early times. The
Chinese symbol 良 ‘liang’ in its original seal form is a compound of ‘eye’ + ‘knife’ or ‘eye’ +
‘woman’, to put into order, to divide, a seed, to nourish. The Chinese 良 liang/yang symbol is a
pictoglyph combination of ‘eye’ and ‘knife/woman’ symbols, telling of the mythology of
Amaterasu born from the eye of her father, Izanagi.

Is it significant that the Hiragana and Katakana symbol for ‘ra’ originates from the Chinese
sound of Yang? And is this significance related to the Chinese philosophical words for Yin and
Yang 陰陽?

The four letters beneath the three Japanese Ra/Yang letters is the Hebrew 4 letter name of God,
the Tetragrammaton. Openness of the Shinto to this reality honors people abroad by inviting the
Hebrews into the mythical story of Japan. The Mirror of Yata’s Virtuous City can freely expand
to include other Cities of God around the world, including Jerusalem. The Hebrew sages include
a word play on the City of the Sun (or Ra) to place their hearts not only in Jerusalem, but also in
this land of exile where the nearest Hill awaits the Dawn of Amaterasu. As a result, these
Hebrew sages would be likening the mythical Amaterasu to a reflection of the Hebrew Shekinah.
This openness to other ‘names’ of the Divine gives the Divine Light the opportunity to define the
Divine Self so humanity is able to explore Ultimate Wisdom, the Kami, in a limitless virtuous
manner of endless blissful discovery.

What does the Mirror of Yata’s Yang symbol and Hebrew name of God inscription reveal? The
Shinto sages welcomed the Jewish sages much like the Chinese wisdom keepers welcomed the
Shinto. That is the Chinese Yin and Yang symbols can be understood directly from the Chinese
pictoglyphs to mean what they teach to the Chinese, while expounding on the beliefs of others.
In this way, the Divine Light is teaching us through the Mirror of Yata inscription that human
beings are all at the same level. Only the Divine is at a higher level and, therefore, the Incarnate
God is the One Source of connection between heaven and earth.

Who is Amaterasu?

The world religions and all people of good will reflect the light of Amaterasu by raising all
restrictions on Her. Every religion has been guided by her and at their own pace has come to
know some of her qualities, but She is more than we have all perceived and practiced. She is so
much more. She is Kami, Creator, Mother, Father, the Great Spirit, the Great Mystery, Shekinah,
Amaterasu, and She has determined God Incarnate to be King and Priest, for only He has been
the Perfect Selfless One to Humanity.

The Mirror of Yata Inscription is one Sacred Restriction that together we may raise. If we raise
this Mirror of Yata restriction, we will be participating in the Inauguration Ceremony of the
Emperor of Japan. For the Emperor is given charge over the secret inscription of Amaterasu,
which ushers the return of her true son. For Amaterasu’s son, Ama-no-Oshiho-mimi, he rose to
the celestial bridge and returned to the east rather than ruling over the earth, which is a
description of Venus as Morning Star. His return as Evening Star, expresses the Mikado’s return
at the end of one era to restore hope in a new dawn. That the Mikado seen in the light of
Amaterasu is one and the same as Vairocana in Kukai’s Shingon Buddhism expresses the
understanding that Heaven regards the earth as a single domain under the Divine Light.

It speaks of the openness of the Shinto priests and Emperor of Japan, who were just as willing to
embrace Hebrew teachings from the Middle-East as they shared in the spirituality of Buddhism
and other beliefs from China and India. This warmheartedness is a virtue given by Amaterasu to
essentially ground spirituality toward listening, learning and enlightenment.

She will guide this research of the inscription on the mirror with this primary all embracing focus
by involving all people in the story of verifying its origins in relation to the mythology and
history of the Mirror of Yata itself.

Kukai (Kobo Daishi) identified the Divine Sun, the Buddhist (Maha)Vairocana (lit. Coming from
the Sun) as one and the same as the Shinto Amaterasu. There are two representations of the same
Divine Being in Japan’s Shinto and Buddhist history. When Kobo Daishi built his temple of
Mount Toji, he prayed to the Shinto Kami of the region to bring goodness to the sanctuary. For
instance, Inari is both deity of the Toji temple and the kami embodiment of Amaterasu, the
young goddess of the Sun seated on the white dragon-fox holding a wish fulfilling gem. It is in
the rock-cave that Amaterasu appears as the dragon-fox, since its body glows in the dark. The
Buddhist equivalent of the Three Treasures becomes the Wish Fulfilling Gem glowing inside the
Dragon-Foxes body. This gem is the embodiment of the original emperor appointed by
Amaterasu. She is also called Dainichi, whose renown was to tame the man-eating Dakini
demonesses and teach them to enlighten humanity before death and only after death consume
their mortal bodies. Dakini also becomes the deity of foxes, together with the kami Inari (Breen
and Teeuwen, pp. 105-106). This openness to Hindu, Buddhist and Shinto deity names expands
the understanding of Amaterasu. Can a religion err in its understanding of their Named Deity?
Yes. But openness to understanding how they did not err is important also. The seeds of true
wisdom can still be found in the journey of each region regardless of how often its humans err.
The Divine Light alone exposes these errs and truth finding sacred moments.

The Japanese ‘ra’ character, which parallels the symbolism of the Egyptian Ra, signifies that
Amaterasu’s return involves the deified spiritual Sun. That is, the One who will enlighten the
hearts of humanity to bring the world out of an era of darkness and into the light of the Era of
Heavenly Reign. The symbol of the Divine Womanhood of Amaterasu stresses the essential
inclusion of all her children around the world no matter what state or religion of origin. This
illuminating motherhood embraces each one and gives each a voice and active contribution to
build individual identity within the greater and dynamic cycle of Her creation.

Ameno Uzume (Dread Female of Heaven), ancestress of Sarume (Monkey Woman). Ameno
Uzume performed a dance in front of the cave. Her dance was performed upon an upsidedown
tub which served as a drum and she chanted, “Hi, fu, mi, yo, itsu, mu, nana, ya, kokono, towo”
(from the sacred Kojiki text) or expanded as:

Hito futa miyo Lo, ye gods, the rift see,

Itsu muyu nono Whence the Kami’s splendor
Ya kokono tari (to) Shineth for your pleasure
Momo chi yoruzu My charms so excelling

Kojiki (712ce) Nihonshoki (720ce)

This chant, using the early sacred Japanese numbers one to ten, beckons the gods (kami:
enlightened human ancestors) to look at the cave of Amaterasu, the Ultimate Shining Kami
(Amaterasu literally means Great Sky Shiner). It is there, according to Kukai, that we with
offering meet Amaterasu who brings her own gifts. These are the ‘excelling charms’, which are
those items given by the Divine Kami, Amaterasu, that go beyond anything we can hope or
dream. The sword, the jewel and the mirror. The sword defends us against the enemy in the cave
of death, the jewel is the gift identifying the Incarnate God and the mirror enables us to reflect
the Divine Light back upon itself as a pleasing offering enlightening us all.

The cave is called the rift and the rift is seen in the night sky at the dawn of the Day of
Enlightenment, or the day of Amaterasu’s return. According to Hindu, Mayan and Hebrew
mythical calenders, this rift is the Dark Rift of the Milky Way at sunrise December 21st, 2012.
Proof of this as the original Japanese intent is found in Kojiki (712ce) and Nihonshoki (720ce)
sacred text, where the parents of Amaterasu, Izanagi and Izanami stand on the Floating Bridge of
Heaven where they embrace once a year, which in Chinese lore is the Magpie Bridge over the
Dark Rift of the Milky Way. This Celestial Lover’s embrace is well known in Japan as written in
the No Plays:

So long awaited, autumn has come at last,

So long awaited, the lovers’ autumn meeting!
Now let us begin the Festival of Stars.

Zeami Motokiyo’s Sekidera Komachi

Keene, Twenty Plays of the No Theatre

This Tanabata Festival of Stars is celebrated in Japan on the seventh day of the seventh month to
commemorate this devotional meeting of Amaterasu’s parents. It is by way of this devotion that
Amaterasu passed on the Emperor’s gifts and celebration of devotion to Japan.

The festival of Ameno Uzume is called, Torino Machi (Matsuri). At the height of the festival the
picture of Ameno Uzume is carried on bamboo rakes made of wood that supported coffins. The
image is that Ameno Uzume rakes the souls of the dead who represent jeweled fruit from the
Tree of Life. Her upside down tub represents the completed cleansing ritual that the dead have
undergone. In her dance, she raises the taboo on clothing and this represents the original purity of
humanity in the Reed Plain of Heaven. Like the Hebrew King David dancing naked and joyful
before the Ark of God, it is such elated purity that will essentially draw out the Perfect Sun of
Enlightenment, Amaterasu, from her cave. And there is an actual tree in the Japanese mythology.

The great 500 branch Sakaki tree was taken up by the roots. This is the tree Susanowo, the Moon
and brother of Amaterasu, leaned against while begging for food (Susanowo’s three rows of rice
failed, while Amaterasu’s succeeded). Strings of jewels were hung upon the tree and it was
placed in front of the cave of the hiding Amaterasu (Similar to the Chinese tree of life, the peach
tree, appropriately called the Tao, with its massive fruits akin to jewels. A mirror was then
fastened to the center of this tree. The ancestors who have died, are raised up on the tree of the
Milky Way, and then the full moon mirror of the Sun sets, while the Sun Rises. These sky
objects become symbols of the death and rising of the ancestors to the High Reed Plain of
Heaven. Yet, a new dawn of the Divine Light is required for individual kami and at the end of
the darkest age of humanity to inaugurate an era of peace at the time and place appointed by the
Creator. This is when Amaterasu peered out in curiosity at the festive sounds of laughter.
She came out of the cave of darkness and is establishing Her light to the earth. Even Susanowo,
who was banished to the source spring of the river Hi, a place of heavenly purification (Littleton,
40), repented for his irreverence and offered his own reconciliation gift. He killed the eight-
headed dragon, Yamata no Orochi, for threatening to devour his beloved and gave the sword
hidden in its tail to Amaterasu (Littleton, p. 28). The dragon with sword in tail is a mythical
parallel with the Hebrew angel with flaming sword blocking humanity from reentering the
Garden of Eden. The birthplace of Susanowo was the source of the river Hi, where his father,
Izanagi, purified himself after attempting to retrieve his wife from the Underworld of Yomi.
When Izanagi washed his face in the river Hi, three of his children were born: Amaterasu, the
Sun, Tsukiyomi, the Moon, and the storm god, Susanowo. The waters of his birth, were also the
waters of his redemption, as in the words of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, “...unless one is born
again, they will not enter the kingdom of heaven” John 3.3.. For clarification Jesus also said:
“...it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God” Matthew 19.24.. This theme of rebirth is also used in the Bhagavad Gita,
where the Hindu have a sacred thread to remind the rich man of his need for the Divine Wealth
and Life:

Now of our host the chiefest learn, O noblest of the Twice-born [Anderson’s note: A high
Brahman, who has been invested with the sacred thread, symbolizing his rebirth in
sanctity], the captains of my army; that thou mayest know them I declare them to thee.

Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God 1.7.

It is appropriate that the captain offered his army up to God through the ‘Twice-born’ Brahman,
since many were about to die are realize death as their own second birth. In the case of
Susanowo, he was dead to his Sister, Amaterasu, because of the violence he caused Her. She was
distressed enough to hide in a cave and so deprive the world of Her own gifts. Susanowo
returned with gifts of reconciliation. He made himself little by admitting his wrong and repaying
his debt by killing the serpent and offering the sword. With Susanowo’s sacred thin thread of
hope, he was able to noose the Sun, the Heart of Amaterasu. She forgave him and restored him to
the family and the land. This is the human story of reconciliation with the Divine. In 2016, our
reconciliation regards learning to weave human identity back into the land as our Mother.
c. Shinto Shrine Prayers

Ancient Purification Prayer

To the venerated kami Amaterasu Omikami, created by the water purification of Izanagi
after his descent and defilement in the land of the underworld, please hear our prayers
and grant us a similar purification as we humbly beseech you now.
Nelson, p. 46.

The purification wand (haraigushi) is taken off of the altar by the priest and cradled in his left
hand (passive yin) while grasped in his right hand (active yang) - a Taoist sign. A single leaf is
dipped in a small cup of water and sprinkled left and right. The left indicated the alpha or
beginning (the letter ah in Japanese). The right represents the outer realm of omega (the letter
uhn in Japanese)(Nelson, p. 46). Together the ah-uhn (a-hum, aum or om in sanskrit) represents
the most sacred utterance of Hindu and also used in Buddhist mantra, such as, Om Mani Padme
Hum. The utterance is so sacred to the Hindu it names a deity. It is the sound of the Divine Drum
and perhaps represented in the sound of the upsidedown tub used in the dance outside the cave of
Amaterasu. Interestingly, the Hebrew aleph and mem form the word for mother or maiden, a
reflection of Amaterasu. The Hebrew gahyin and mem produce a similar sound meaning with, or
one standing beside another, juxtaposed, as if in front of a mirror.

In the dread presence and before the sacred shrine of Suwa-no-om-i-kami the chief of the
shrine.... with trembling makes utterance:
By command of the Sovereign Ancestral Male and Female Deities,
Who divinely remain in the High Heavenly Plain,
Do we come cleansed and purified into the great presence.
And make offerings on this day of heavenly alignment
(with food, rice, drink, fruits of the mountains, plains and ocean, sweet and bitter herbs,
fish and seaweed)
All these various offerings we place and raise high
Like a long mountain range, and prepare them.
And, as the full and glorious sun of the day of life and plenty rises
Do thou hear to the end of these words of praise, in tranquility and peace
Since they thus serve thee, grant to protect and favor truly
Both your followers and the people of this community
Keep them contented in heart and sound in body.
Make their homes peaceful and their occupations prosperous
Thus, with reverence and dread, we declare the ending of the words of praise.

Nelson, p. 50.
Shinto Shrine
Here me, all of you assembled princes of the blood, princes, court nobles, and all
officials. Thus I speak
The warriors sins are to be exercised, are to be purified
In the great exorcism of the last day of the sixth month
Here me all of you.
 The eight myriad deities were convoked in a divine convocation,
And spoke these words of entrusting:
“Our Sovereign Grandchild is to rule
The Land of the Plentiful Reed Plains,
Of the Fresh Ears of Grain,
Tranquility as a peaceful land.”
Having thus entrusted the land
They inquired with a divine inquiry
Of the unruly deities of the land
And expelled them with a divine expulsion;
The silenced to the last leaf
The rocks and the stumps of the trees,
Which had been able to speak,
And caused him to descend from the heavens,
Leaving the heavenly rock-seat,
And pushing with an awesome pushing,
Through the myriad layers of heavenly clouds
Thus they entrusted the land to him.
Nelson, p. 109

Oharae Chant - by sacred pond with all present: nobles, priests, miko and even janitors... with the
white paper dolls cast into the pond....

The warriors sins perpetuated and committed

By the heavenly ever-increasing people to come into existence
In the land which he is to rule tranquility as a peaceful land;
First the heavenly sins:
Breaking down the ridges, covering the ditches,
Releasing the irrigation sluices,
Double planting , setting up stakes,
Skinning alive....
Many sins such as these are distinguished and called heavenly sins.
The earthly sins:
Cutting living flesh, cutting dead flesh...
The sin of violating a mother and her child...
Woes from creeping insects,
Woes from the deities on high...
Killing animals, the sin of witchcraft...
Let the Great Nakatomi cut off the bottom and cut off the top
Of the heavenly piece of wood,
And place them in abundance on a thousand tables...
And let him pronounce the heavenly ritual,
The solumn ritual words.
When he pronounces them,
The heavenly deities will push open the heavenly rock door,
And pushing with an awesome pushing
 Through the myriad layers of heavenly clouds
Will hear and receive these words.
Then the earthly deities will climb up
To the summit of the high mountains and low mountains,
And .... will hear and receive these words.
Then , beginning with the court of the Sovereign Grandchild,
In the lands of the four quarters under the heavens,
Each and every sin will be gone.
As a result of the exorcism and the purification,
There will be no sin left.
They will be taken to the great ocean
By the goddess called Se-ori-tu-hime,
Who dwells in the rapids of the rapid running rivers...
Oh drivers of the four lands,
Carry them out to the great river
And cast them away.
Thus I speak.
Philippi, 1959, pp. 45-49; Nelson, pp. 109-110

Those at the Shinto Shrine performing the harae would then break out into song:

Mina-zuki no nagoshi no harae suru hito wa sen

Yowai nohuto iu nari.
All people who do the harae of the sixth Month
Are said to lengthen their lives a thousandfold.

As the community makes a line and forms a figure-eight passing through a seven foot diameter
grass(reed) circle. Each pass means the people are cleaner than before.

It is a beautiful sight as the priests, businessmen, grandmothers, miko, schoolchildren,

toddlers and babies strapped to their mother’s backs, even a couple of foreigners,
all slowly proceed through the ring, each time ‘cleaner’ than before, each time the
song a little truer in their voices... Shrine helpers appear with enough ‘odango’ snacks
(small rice balls) for everyone.... No one goes away spiritually or physically
undernourished.

Nelson, pp. 111-112

d. Spiritual History of Japan (Littleton, 2002)

There comes a crossroads in the history of all people where the Age of the Gods intersects with
the Age of Human Beings. At that moment Amaterasu looked with pity on humanity and came to
offer certain signs and gifts of her love. She understood the words Komachi would later express:

With no outward sign

It withers -
 The flower of the human heart.

Ono no Komachi, from Kokinshu poem # 757

As quoted in Zeami Motokiyo’s play, Sekidera Komachi

300 bce to 300 ce: Yayoi culture with early Shinto spirituality based on animal and ancestral
worship and ritual use of talisman swords, magatama jewels, ceremonial mirrors and other
significant items (Littleton, p. 15). The Amaterasu (Great Sky Shiner) legend arises out of the
Dragon-Fox worship to support the Emperor in the Yamato (Sun) Clan. As Sun goddess,
Amaterasu appoints Jimmu Tenno as the first Emperor. He guides the Japanese people to their
home islands with the help of the Divine Crow (Littleton, pp. 46-47).

300 to 550 ce: Kofun era comprised of clan rivalries toward the establishment of one dominant
clan. Horse riding nomads conquer Japan in the 4th Century. The Emporer’s role grew with that
of Amaterasu.

550 to 1200 ce: Buddhism influenced both Korea and Japan through China, together with
Confucian and Taoist elements. In 592, Buddhism becomes the official religion of the Japanese
imperial court. In 712 the Kojiki is written, which is a text of sacred ancient matters with uji
(clan) genealogies back to the original Kami (Spirit) and the dominant Yamato (Sun) Clan based
on Chinese legitimization of dynasty. In 720, the Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan) written in
Classical Chinese blended Shinto kami lore with Chinese mythology (Littleton, p. 38). Much of
the Japanese populace have embraced Buddhism by the Heian era from 792 to the 1180s. Kukai
(Kobo Daishi) becomes a spiritual leader in 9th Century Japan, founding the esoteric branch of
Shingon Buddhism, where Mahavairocana is God Incarnate revealed directly through Mantra
and Mandala meditation. Another significant spiritual guide in Japan is Tenjin, meaning Heaven
Person (originally Sugawara no Michezane of 845 to 903 ce). He was falsely accused by envious
colleagues of misconduct in the Heian court. He was banished and died unhappily on the island
of Kyushu. The capital Heian, (now Kyoto) was then ravaged by fire and pestilence. The
Emperor chose to vindicate the scholar Sugawara, building a temple to his divine kami naming
him the bosatsu, Tenjin. Heian’s fate improved and honor of Tenjin spread over Japan in shrines
for scholars and students. Such worship of the kami-bosatsu exemplifies that the Shinto kami is
the human form of the ancestor who dreams of his bodhisattva self forming the Shinto and
Buddhist deity couplet into one divine entity (Littleton, p. 15).

1200 to 1867 ce: The Shogun warriors dominate Japan, while the Emperor remains a token
leader and the Shinto beliefs remain true to Japan during the development of a complementary
Buddhist thought. There is a 17th to 18th Century Shinto revival called Kokugaku, the National
Learning Movement. It defines Japan by the Shinto texts (Kojiki and Nihonshoki). Leading the
way in this Shinto revival are the Buddhist monk Keichu (1640-1701) and Mabuchi (1697-1769).
Motoori Norinaga (1730-1800) writes the 44 volume Kojiki-den (Interpretation of the Kojiki,
1798).

1867 to 1945 ce: The Emperor reigns over the Shoguns and Shinto becomes the state religion. In
1872, State Shinto edict declares emperor as the living incarnation of Japanese nationhood and
divine. From 1930 to 1945 this edict was used to justify imperialistic expansion.
1945 to present: The Emperor renounced his claim to divinity and Shinto local worship in the
jinja (shrines) continues often with both Shinto and Buddhist deities. In 1956, the Constitution of
the Association of Shinto Shrines declares: “In accordance with the emperor’s will, let us be
harmonious and peaceful, and pray for the nation’s development with all the world’s co-
prosperity” (Littleton, p. 47).

With some important exceptions, most Japanese people would probably consider
themselves to be both Shintoist and Buddhist and would perceive no contradiction in
practicing two faiths with such radically different roots.

Littleton, p. 10.

Where Shintoism focuses on spiritual purity and physical well being, Buddhism highlights
salvation and the afterlife. Shintoism holds procreation, fertility and worldly matters, where
Buddhism looks at the denial of self in relation to the other.

The rice paddy, introduced to Japan in the late 1st millennium bce, is labor intensive:
before mechanization, each rice plant had to be individually inserted into the ground.
Even in modern times, household members subordinate their personal inclinations to
work together for the good of the crop - and, by extension, for mutual survival. At
a broader level, it is a village affair, in which a cluster of households assist one
another in planting, weeding and harvesting.
Littleton, p. 11.

And again on self-denial in relation to worldly desires:

Life is a lying dream, he only wakes

Who casts the World aside.

from Zeami Motokiyo’s No Play, Atsumori

Shintoism is characterized by such social interdependence, which not only extends from family,
to society, even the deceased, but also includes a filial devotion to the natural environment. This
love of the land and its creatures is evident in Japan’s vitality in poetry. The poem is an integral
instrument in the spiritual life of Japan.

Spring that no man has seen: plum-bloom on the back of the mirror.
Hito mo minu haru ya kagami-no ura-no ume
Person even not-see spring: mirror’s back’s plum tree

Basho (Matsuo Munefusa, 1644-1694)

Zen Buddhist hermit

Basho is referring to the hand-held mirror, which is always viewed for one to look at themselves
and never to admire the branches molded on the reverse side. There is nothing to suggest that
Basho was not merely referring to personal mirrors, but also the Mirror of Yata and its
inscription kept secret on the back. But then again cannot poetry venture beyond science to such
a mystical suggestion? For it was such a mirror that calls forth Amaterasu like a new springtime
for humanity to inaugurate her Incarnate Son. For such a sacred occasion consider how
appropriate is this poem, In Naniwa Harbor, used during the Emperor’s enthronement ceremony.

In Naniwa Harbor
The flowers have come to the trees;
They slept through the winter,
But now it is spring -
See how the blossoms have opened!

Legend tells it was composed

for Emperor Nintoku, 4th Century ce
Anderson, p. 731

Supplement 2: Chinese Influence

a. The Succession Dance

Proven in aesthetics, poetry and philosophy, to name a few disciplines, the Chinese spirit has
taught humanity to long for beauty. The celebration of this beauty was evident in the
inauguration ceremony of the famous emperor Shun:

The Master spoke of the Succession Dance as being perfect beauty and at the same time
perfect goodness; but of the War Dance as being perfect beauty, but not perfect
goodness.

Confucius, Analects III, 25

Anderson clarified the War Dance originated when ‘Emperor Wu, overthrew the Yin’
(Anderson, p. 393). It was clear, the Succession Dance with peace, goodness and beauty was
superior over greed and conquest. This is the very dance of Ameno Uzume before the cave of
Amaterasu, since the result was not only beauty, but goodness and peace. These are some of the
virtues enlightenment brings.

Also consider the most celebrated ancient wedding song found in the Chinese Book of Songs.
The princess, Chuang Chiang, daughter of Lord of Ch’i, was married to the Lord of Wei.
Anderson raises the inquiry: Was her wedding song not sung to offer the Bride and Groom the
status of Emperor for a day? (Anderson, p. 377).

A splendid woman and upstanding;...

This splendid lady takes her ease;
She rests were the fields begin.
Her four steeds prance,
The red trappings flutter.
 The Book of Songs #86. 1,15-18

The poem marks the princess as a reflecting of the solar Divine Woman. Amaterasu longs that
humans regard the other as one would regard their bride who is to be regarded like Amaterasu.

b. Yin and Yang

The Chinese loaned syllables to the Japanese that offer an expanded Japanese meaning to the Yin
Yang symbols.

The Yin and Yang were brought together to bring forth creation, much like the Japanese Izanagi
and Izanami, Divine Father and Mother of Amaterasu. Regarding a personal vision, Lao Tzu said
to Confucius:

I saw Yin, the Female Energy, in its motionless grandeur; I saw Yang, the Male Energy,
rampant in its fiery vigour. The motionless grandeur cam out of the earth; the fiery
vigour burst out from heaven. The two penetrated one another, were inextricably blended
and from their union the things of the world were born.

Anderson, p. 411

Consider the Yin Yang symbols as they translate from the Chinese writing. As described above,
the Yang symbol means Hill of the Sun’s Rays. Below is a breakdown of these Chinese
meanings:

阝 ‘fu’, place, ladder, sacred mound

日 ‘ri’, sun
‘yi/yid’, one
勿 ‘wu’, rays of the sun, enclosure
昜 ‘yang’, male, sun, to open, bright, rays of the sun
陽 ‘yang’, place of sunlight, Mound of Dawn; personified by Mu Kung (Tung Wang Kung),
god
of Immortals and consort of Hsi Wang Mu.

The Yin symbol breaks down as follows:

阝 ‘fu’, place, ladder, sacred mound

二 ‘ngi’, two, in Hiragana ‘ni’, also meaning dual, as in the dual nature of Yin and Yang.
厶 ‘mou’, secret or breath; the Katakana ‘mu’ equivalent to the Hiragana む ‘mu’; originally
from the Chinese 牟 ‘mou’ meaning cow/ox
云 ‘yun’, air, speak or clouds; originally 雲 rain above air (雨 ‘yi’ rain)
侌 ‘yin’, darkness, shade
陰 ‘yin’, place of darkness, shade, secret, female; personified as Hsi Wang Mu, Queen of
West/Tortoise reigning over gnii of Kun-lun Mountains (Taoist – Mt. Sumeru)

The Yin Yang symbol corresponds with the Chinese pictograph meaning as the Place of
Shadows revolving with the Place of Dawn. As a result, the Taoist spirituality incorporates time
(night/day) with mystery (the unknown/enlightenment) with identity (female/male) and so forth.

Japanese sages can approach the Yin Yang symbol from their own mythology, where the Sun
Goddess Amaterasu hid in Yin looked at the Mirror of Yata and she rose at Yang. The Yin Yang
symbol corresponds precisely with this mythical image which is also regarded as a sacred
mirror.

Japanese sages can also approach the Yin Yang symbol from the perspective of their own
Hiragana and Katakana syllables.

阝 ‘fu’, on the mirror of Yata is placed right and therefore means City.
日 ‘ri’, synonymous with the Hiragana also meaning Sun and occurs on the Mirror of Yata
three times. Recall that ‘hi’ is synonymous with ‘ri’, but actually comes from the Chinese
Han symbol 比 ‘pi’, meaning to compare as one person after another.
‘yi’, one in Japanese is pronounced ‘ichi’, but in the early Kanji is actually ‘hi’, or ‘hito’.
勿 ‘wu’, can only be matched with the Katakana syllable ワ ‘wa’, as there is no ‘wu’
designated for the Katakana or Hiragana syllables. As described above, the Hiragana わ ‘wa’
comes from the Chinese symbol 禾口 meaning peace, harmony or an ancient mouth organ and
representing a tree beside a hole or mouth. Notice the Classical Chinese version 龠禾 of
harmony contains the mouth organ with four bamboo reeds similar in number to the four rays of
the Sun as they appear on the ‘wu’ syllable above.

Therefore, the Japanese Hiragana and other symbols on the Mirror of Yata expand the Chinese
Yang symbol from a Japanese mythological perspective. The Hiragana and Mirror define Yang
as the City of the Sun reflecting the One who brings peace, like the sound of pipe and laughter
that beckoned Amaterasu to gaze out of the cave at the mirror hanging on the tree of life.

If these Hebrew sages in exile regard Amaterasu as a mythical reflection of the Hebrew
Shekinah, Shekinah being the Presence of God before the Tabernacle, then the Yin/Yang symbol
can be likened to the Pillar of Fire and Pillar of Smoke protecting the Hebrew people as they
journey through the desert. Is not this Hebrew symbolism literally expressed in the appearance
of the Yin/Yang ? Also consider the Yin Yang mingling to produce creation, above all that
aspect of Creation that represents God-Incarnate, and this is the Jewel. The Analects of
Confucius come to heart and mind:

Tzu-king said, Suppose one had a lovely jewel, should one wrap it up, put it in a box and
keep it, or try to get the best price one can for it? The Master said, Sell it! Most certainly
sell it! I myself am one who is waiting for an offer.

Confucius, The Analects

Concerning this verse, Anderson notes that “a talented person should be eager to perform public
service” (Anderson, p. 398). In this regard, does the Mikado (Maitreyah, Messiah) not approach
creation with eternal hope, courage and devotion?

Supplement 3: Indian Influence

a. Brahmi Letters on the Mirror of Yata

Consider the chart below which names the Brahmi and Hebrew found on the mirror. The number
six occurs three times in the 2nd Century ce Brahmi numeral for six. The central Hebrew letters
correspond with a blend of 3rd Century c.e. Hebrew and ancient Indian Brahmi (200-300 c.e.
Kshatrapa or 300-500 c.e. Gupta). The presence of 7th Century ce Japanese Hiragana and
Katakana adds several questions to the inscription. Is the mirror inscription a 7th Century addition
to the original Mirror of Yata? Was the inscription a 3rd Century ce genuine artifact and so used
to help design the later Japanese scripts? Or were the Japanese scripts used even earlier than the
current archaeology has found?

Also, there appears to be Hindu-Arabic numerals on the inscription from as late as the 10th
Century, together with Latin letters that appear to refer to the Hebrew Scriptures. Is the Mirror of
Yata inscription a later addition? Perhaps it was inscribed by those who forged the Five Classics
of Shinto (14th Century ce), which were intended to renew Shinto beliefs but contained plenty of
Buddhist philosophy.

Apart from a forgery or late inscription during a Shinto revival, two other possibilities remain.
One is, that the Shinto priests, along with any foreign sages, added to the inscription over the
centuries, causing it to contain several eras of information. Another possibility is that the original
circle of sages had a mystical or prophetic experience in writing the inscription. Apart from any
such miracle, a late inscription by a sage or group of sages with access to plenty of religious and
linguistic history, perhaps on earlier readings of the inscription must be the case.
Top 12 Letters
1-2 gep Tremble 3 she weapon (used against) 4-5 jhe VI the Sleeping Six. 6 He! (the dance) 7
Aum! (Yod - the Jewel) The Sacred Utterance 8 pa (as) a leaf 9 ja sprouting. 10 o Oh! 11-12 jhe
VI The Sleeping Six.

Bottom 18 Letters
1-2 Uma City 3 cha divided 4-5 mada rejoice (in being) 6 ja victorious (over) 7 ya the restraining
one (Yama) 8-9 (by) VI pa the six leaves 10 (in) ma the season (of autumn / of dying). 11 a Ah!
12 Waw! (the Sword) 13 o Oh! 14 Aum! (Yod - the Jewel) 15 ja Born from 16 va the wind 17 tha
to fear 18 ni upon.

Expanded in Relation to the Japanese Tradition and Mythology of Amaterasu (along with
Indian, Chinese and Hebrew Mystical Parallels)

Top 12
1-2 gep Tremble
With the community present, the Chief of the Shinto Shrine trembles before praying. The
tremble is a visible sign to show reverence. Legend states that Kuji Hongi (574-622), would
revive the dead when shaking the treasures of Amaterasu and reciting, “Furue, furue, yura, yura,
furue!” meaning, “Shake, shake, sway, sway!” (Scheid & Teeuwen, 2006, p. 25) In the Hebrew
tradition, when Eli awaited news of the battle between Israel and the Philistines, “...his heart
trembled for the ark of God” I Samuel 4.13. And Job 26:11 relates, “The pillars of heaven
tremble and are astonished at his reproof.” Job 26:8-9 also parallels with the myth of Amaterasu,
where the divine face is hid, the waters are held back and day comes to an end.

3 she weapon
The weapon is the sword Susanowo found in the snake he killed to save his potential wife. The
weapon was found in the tail of the snake who must have trembled at Susanowo’s attack.
Interestingly, Shepa (3 and 2 above), means tail in Sanskrit, where She, the weapon, is literally
hid in the tail, Shepa. Susanowo offered Amaterasu the sword as a gift of redemption. Is the
sword in the snakes tail related to the flaming sword of the Hebrew Eden placed there to prevent
anyone from reaching the Tree of Life, near the snake that tempted Eve? Cf. Genesis 3.14,24.
Consider also, Isaiah 9.14-15, “Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail.... the
prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.”

4-5 jhe VI the Sleeping Six.

The sleeping represent the dead awaiting judgement trial for actions of life. The number six is
written in the early Brahmi numeral for six. Six symbolizes all people, perhaps the six direction
of north, east, west, south, above and below. Consider the Six Cities of Refuge in Hebrew
tradition. Cf. Numbers 35:11-14, 25-32.

6 He! the dance

Ameno Uzume, Dreaded Female of Heaven, dances before the cave of Amaterasu. She dances
on an overturned tub which mimics the pounding of a drum. The overturned tub is symbolic of
the cleansed community who joyfully laugh at the taboo raising dance of Ameno Uzume.
Amaterasu is drawn out of the cave of the Underworld by this dance and by her own reflection in
the Mirror of Yata. The light of Amaterasu restores life on earth. Consider the Mirror of Yata
akin to the ‘Molten Sea’ in I Kings 7.23, which was a water basin 10 cubits across in the porch of
the Temple of Solomon. Such basins were used by the priests of the Middle East to view the sky
day and night without looking up as a reflection on the mirror surface of the water. The skies
were essential in keeping the calendar and feasts for the sacrifices in the Temple.

7 Aum! (Yod - the Jewel) The Sacred Utterance

The Japanese Buddhist community shares the Tibetan Buddhist prayer, Aum (Om/On) Mani
Padme Hum. It means, Sacred Utterance, the Jewel in the Lotus, Amen. The Aum symbol
inscribed on the back of the Mirror of Yata appears like the symbol for Yod with the addition of
the bar/dot. It is as if the Yod has been given a breastplate with a jewel stone placed upon it. The
breastplate of the Hebrew High priest contains this Urim/Thummin jewel called the Stone of
Judgment or Decision. Are the diaspora Jews that wrote this inscription relating the most Sacred
Utterance as the sounding of the appointment of the Kingship of Israel (ie. with the blowing of
the sophar)? Notice this 6th and 7th letter on the Mirror of Yata, He Yod, meaning 5 jewels in
Hebrew symbolism. The five jewels were used in the mythical contest between Amaterasu and
Susanowo on who could make the most Kami (gods). Amaterasu picked his sword, broke it in
three and made three goddesses. Susanowo took her necklace and made five gods, one for each
jewel. Notice there is not only 5 Jewel represented on the Mirror, but also three Hebrew Waw
letters representing the 3 Swords.

8-9 pa a leaf ja sprouting.

The Shinto priest dips a leaf into a cup and sprinkles in a left-right motion. Left represents a
beginning, ah in Japanese. Right is for the end, uhn in Japanese. Together this ah-uhn
corresponds to the Buddhist and Hindu aum and so is readily embraced in prayer by various
Japanese traditions. Unfortunately, there are those who would misuse the sacred aum, such as the
apocolyptic Aum Shinrikyo sect. This sect was responsible for the murderous gas attacks of 1995
in the Tokyo Subway. Perhaps there are those who would now shy away from using the aum
symbol. Yet, was the aum prayer to blame for this attack or was it for a lack of prayer and action
with the appropriate integrity, devotion and kindness?

10-12 o jhe VI Oh! The Sleeping Six.

Does the cave of Amaterasu not represent the Underworld of the dead, here sleeping in the six
underworld cities awaiting judgment. The Six Cities of Refuge in the Hebrew tradition comes to
mind (Cf. Numbers 35.1-14, 24-32). There is a seventh city in this Hebrew tradition, which is
Jerusalem, built upon Mount Zion. Zion’s daughter, the name given for Jerusalem in the Hebrew
Bible may correspond with Amaterasu according to these diaspora Jews expressing such
mythology on the Mirror of Yata. If the diaspora Jews truly wrote the inscription on the Mirror
of Yata, the awakening of the Sleeping Six, the restoration and peace of Jerusalem and the
appearance of Amaterasu to bring light to the world through the mirror all amount to one single
event. This event involves the enlightenment of humanity towards a global spiritual awakening
of civilization, which includes the appearance of the divine Messiah.

Bottom 18

1-6 uma cha mada ja City divided rejoice victorious

The human community is the city shaken and divided by wars, disease and strife throughout
history. And death itself is the human condition that divides earth from the heavenly reality. Yet,
there is a cause for joy. This joy is evident when the mystical Amaterasu hears laughter outside
the entrance of her underworld hiding cave. Those who want to return light and life to the earth
at the dawning of Amaterasu are laughing at the taboo raising dance of Ameno Uzume. When
taboos are raised, a passage-rite is being inaugurated. It is the reversal of the leaves put on Adam
and Eve after falling asleep in the darkness of human failings. It is a time for the City to wake up
and watch expectantly the entrance of the cave of death. It is a time of rejoicing in the cleansing
symbolized by this naked dancing on the wash tub soon to be clothed in the beauty of the light of
Amaterasu. The Hebrew Bible expresses this City rejoicing after a fall in Isaiah 52:

Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem,
the holy city.... Shake thyself from the dust; arise... O captive daughter of Zion....
The watchman shall lift up the voice; with the voice together they shall sing: for they
shall see eye to eye.... Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for
the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.... So shall he
sprinkle the nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not
been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they
consider.
7 ya the restraining one (Yama)
Both cha and ya syllables on the Mirror of Yata represent pictographic images of the snake
Susanowo has killed with the sword. Cha appears as a figure eight on the mirror and in 3rd
Century Brahmi means divided. The Shinto community prays a collective repentance prayer
while walking upon grass in a figure eight. Susanowo gravely offended his sister Amaterasu by
desecrating her weaving room with a horse he had disrobed of skin. Japanese tradition offers two
possibilities for maintaining face (tatemae) for such serious offenses, such as Susanowo
committed: to end one’s life with a sword; or to offer a reparation gift. Susanowo’s reparation
gift to Amaterasu is this sword he obtained from the tail of the slain 8-headed serpent, named
Yamato-no-Orochi (Littleton, p. 61). Is the sword Susanowo gives Amaterasu a sign of his
complete reparation by the slaying of his own false nature?

Yama, Deity of Underworld, is child of the sun, Vivasvat, and brother of Manu, who survived
the flood. The Dakini are female spirits of the Underworld which become the One Dakini, Wish
Fulfilling Gem riding the dragon-fox where

all the elements of esoteric imperial ritual are combined into a single, powerful figure ....
(the) body of Amaterasu. Toji kuden elaborates on this point by claiming that the
sokui kanjo was first taught by Amaterasu (= Dakini = dragon fox) herself, to
Nakatomi no Kamatari (614-69), the ancestor of Fugiwara
Breen & Teeuwen, p. 109

8-10 VI pa ma the six leaves (in) the season (of autumn / of dying)
pa may mean leaves in 3rd Century Brahmi, but it may also mean the soul. When the Shinto
priest dips the leaf to sprinkle a cleansing prayer is he testifying to both the frailty of the soul and
the resulting need to be cleansed?

11-14 a Ah! Waw! (the Sword) o Oh! Aum! (Yod - the Jewel)
As the Hebrew He symbolizes ‘the dance’, the Hebrew Waw and Yod symbolize ‘the sword’ and
‘the jewel’ respectively. Of the 22 possible Hebrew letters, what are the odds that these three
significant symbolic gifts of Amaterasu would be inscribed on the Mirror of Yata? Are these
three symbols the key to unlocking the teaching of Amaterasu who is returning through this
mythical mirror? Are these symbols of Amaterasu one and the same as the Dancing Sword of
Eden awaiting the One who will bears the Jewel of the Tree of Life?

15-18 ja Born from va the wind tha to fear ni upon

The leaves, or frail souls, fear the wind which bears them off of the tree to the ground and their
final resting place. Or is it a ‘final’ resting place at all? The inscription gives profound meaning
to death by offering a way to face the afterlife beyond our fears. This is what Amaterasu has
learned in her stay in the Underworld cave of Yomi. She wants to teach us that we have nothing
to fear if we will repent just as her brother did, and put away our swords of hatred, in order to
obtain that Jewel of great price, which is the kingdom of heaven. If the sword represents our sin
and failings, the jewel represents our perfected soul once it is cleansed and redeemed. What is
Amaterasu saying now that she has appeared to us in the great mirror and remarkable sign of our
human history and destiny? This are the words of Wisdom, the Maiden of Divine Light:
 Have you stepped on the snake of fear and failing, which has been nipping at my heals?
Have you humbly walked the community’s figure eight by turning your swords into
instruments of the harvest and gifts of redemption? Now take this Mirror of Yata,
the gift of Amaterasu, and turn it my way, so when I look at you, I may see only
my own Divine Light.

b. Sacred Indian Text of the Sun Pierced with Darkness

Here in the Rig Veda, the Sun is hidden by darkness due to an act contrary to commandment,
much like Ameno Uzume when she dances against taboo before the cave of Amaterasu.

When, O Sun, Svarbhanu Asura pierced you with darkness, the creatures perceived like a
bewildered one, not knowing the territory.
Then, I Indra, when you smashed down from heaven the circling magic spells of
Svarbhanu, Atri with the forth formulation found the sun, hidden by darkness because of
(an act) contrary to commandment. [See MS 2.5.2. below - the forth Ewe sacrifice. Also
notice the parallel in the Shinto dance of Ameno Uzume before the cave of
Amaterasu].
[The Sun:] ‘O Atri, let him not, deceived by jealousy and fear, swallow me, being this
one of yours. You are an ally, whose gifts are true; do you and King Varuna help me here.’
The Brahman (Atri), yoking the pressing stones, serving the gods with plain/mere
reverence, seeking to win (the sun), Atri placed the eye of the sun in heaven. He hid away
the magic spells of Svarbhanu.
Which sun Svarbhanu Asura pierced with darkness, that one the Atris found, for no other
were able.
Rig Veda 5.40.5-9

The mythical territory that bewilders the Divine Sun is the land of the dead. That Amaterasu
resides in the cave of the dead should be no surprise. The Divine Life is capable of raising the
dead (Rig Veda 10.58; 60.7-12). Like Amaterasu, as the Sun, was produced from the eye of
Izanagi, Varuna (with Mitra, Angi, Dawn and Surya) is India’s Solar deity whose eyes are the
sun. In understanding the spirituality of India, a greater understanding can be gained of
Amaterasu’s devotion over Japan.

The beauteous eye of Varuna and Mitra,

The Sun, now rises up, his light extending,
Who with his gaze looks down upon all creatures:
He ever notes the burning zeal of mortals.

Rig Veda 7.61.1-4 (continue to verse 28)

See also RV 1.115: Surya - God of the Sun

Indra compares with Susanowo as the serpent slayer:

I will proclaim the manly deeds of Indra,

 The first that he performed, the lightning-wielder.
He slew the serpent, then discharged the waters,
And cleft the caverns of the lofty mountains.

Rig Veda 1.32.1-4

These parallel agreements between Hinduism and Japanese spirituality are not only favored by
the Japanese. Anderson writes, “...the Hindu mind is synthetic, prone to stress areas of agreement
in matters of faith rather than differences” (Anderson, p. 154).

The Mahabharata elaborates as gods and Danavas were fighting in darkness:

Svarbhanu pierced the moon and sun with arrows.

Then swallowed by darkness the gods....
The gods plea to Atri [whom they find praying in the forest practicing austerity], ‘And we
being slain by our enemies (the Asuras/Danavas) under cover of darkness. And we
cannot reach peace. Rescue us from fear. O Lord.’
[Atri said] ‘How shall I protect your graces?’
They said, ‘Become the moon. And (become) Savitar [= the sun], smasher of the dark,
and become the smasher of Dasyus for us’....
Atri made (each) visible by use of his own austerity. And he also made the world free
from darkness, blazing. Emboldened the gods joined in victorious battle the
Asuras were ‘smashed’....
Behold, O royal seer, the deed done by the incomparable ascetic, muttering (prayers),
dressed (only) in skins, eating (only) fruit - by Atri.

Mahabharata 8.141.2-3a, 6-7, 9b-10, 13

The battle to release the gods (enlightened humans and deceased ancestors) from darkness
involves Atri’s defeat over the Asuras and Danavas (enemy clans) by fasting and prayer (Atri
from atti, meaning to eat, thus by fasting and prayer Atri goes against his own nature to seek the
Supernatural). Rival clans on earth become involved in spiritual matters. Perhaps if the
individuals of Atri’s clan become enlightened, they will make peace with the Asuras and
Danavas, as in the mystical Churning of the Ocean. Not only the earth is mixed in the prayers of
enlightenment, but also celestial events, such as a solar and lunar eclipse (Jamison, 142):

Then an eternal quarrel was created between the head of Rahu and the Moon and Sun.
Even today he swallows them both.

Mahabharata 1.17.8.
See also M.Bh.5.183.22.

(Siva) who, having entered the mouth of Rahu, drinks soma/the moon at night
And swallows the sun, having become Svanbhanu - let him protect me.

Appendix of M.Bh.12.App.1,28,363f.
 Svarbhanu Asura pierced the Sun with darkness. The gods smashed away the darkness.
The first day they smash away became a black ewe. The second a reddish ewe. The third
a white one. What he cut out from (?) became a vaca ewe. The gods seized her for
sacrifice and plants and trees grew on the bald and hairless earth.

MS 2.5.2.

See RV 8.91.1. where Apala retrieves fresh stream water and finds soma, which he presses for
Indra. (JB.1.220) 26. ‘Drink this (Soma), pressed by the jaws - (Soma) accompanied by grain, by
gruel, by cakes (as in priestly ritual). Apala praise for growth of father’s head, hair, grain and
belly hair.
RV 3.52.7 In the nave of a chariot, in the nave of a wagon, in the nave of a yoke, O 100 owered
Indra/ Apala, O Indra, having purified (her), you made (her) sun-skinned. Her form became the
most beautiful of forms.

Mikado, Maitreya, Messiah: AV 13.2.36.; RV 5.40.4-6.; MS 4.5.9.; RV 37.2d; RV 8.91.1a.

MSS 4.1.1.14 “Having broken off a lump (of clay) having made a horse sniff it (with the words),
“Establish Life”.... (See also RV 5.78.4-5.; KS 8.5.; KS 27.3.; MS 4.5.8.) Speech; (just) created,
did not become separated, she just sounded. Indra said, “Let (as soma cup) be drawn for me here.
I will separate her.” M 4.5.8. Speech separates like the Hebrew tower of battle.

Jamison, p. 153: “The surface of the sun as it normally is represents the ideal skin surface. (hence
the adjective surya-ivac - sun-skinned at the very end of the Apala hymn) (as with gold) When
the sun is pierced with darkness, its surface becomes flawed, imperfect as with a skin disease, ...
this samala (blemish, affliction).” see MS 2.1.5.

Pg 157 note 33: Where in the Svarbhanu myth there are four acts of purification, the sun is only
touched three times. The forth ewe comes from some substance other than the sun.

Amaterasu’s purpose that others become like her - the weaver - ewe has wool for clothes.
See AV 1.24.1 Sun as well-winged horse - wings of Asvines cut (flayed horse).
Pulley thread through weaving loom - shepherds weaving

JB 3.334-335 (KS 8.5.) The darkness removed from the sun are embryo covers - Thus the
affliction or sin piercing the sun gives rise to a covering rite of passage where the piercing causes
birth rather than death. (embryo caul - apalumpatim - MS 1.6.4.; KS 12.13; KS 27.2; MS 2.1.5.
Smashed away blemish samals - darkness tamas - caul.

JB 1.221 instead of sheep, he pulled her through the nave of a chariot/became a lizard, the nave
of a wagon/became a chameleon.

JB 3.203: Atri uses praise to make the sun visible just as in the Svarbhanu and Amaterasu
legend.
See also, MBh 3.199.
AV 11.10.8.: The gods, freeing the sun (and the truth?) from the seizure of darkness, released
(him) from sin. [Similar to Susanawo]. TS II.2.10.1: Yonder Aditya [=the sun] did not shine
forth. The gods sought and expiation for it.

RV 10.72.8.: Eight (were) the sons of Aditi who were born from her body. She approached the
gods with seven. She ‘threw aside’ Martanda. (KS 11.6: the brothers smashed him forth; MS
1.6.12). Hebrew parallel, King David’s seven older brothers were presented first at the
inauguration. It was the 8th son chosen, who was least attractive in worldly stature, but God knew
the heart. Martanda (Vivasvat, Surya), is a sun god also. Surya means Shiner, as in Amaterasu
(Great Sky Shiner).

As Amaterasu comes out of the darkness and into the light, Atri does also and reveals his rite of
passage for others to follow:

They resorted to Atri, Atri smashed away his darkness with the Bhasa (Saman). The first
(darkness) he smashes away became a black ewe. The second a silvery one. The third a
reddish one [fem.]. With which he bored through to (his) color, that became a bright
white one.
PB 6.6.8.

The passage rite involves four offerings, similar to the Blackfoot Sweat Lodge mythology with
Scarface Mistaken for Morning Star who looses his scar after four rounds of the sweat. Rapa Nui
(Easter Island, Polynesia) originally had a tattoo soothing chant, which involved the piercing
“once, twice, three times and four times to complete the human being” (see The Decipherment of
the Easter Island Tablets or Ten Chants).

Other Hindu texts with the sun pierced with darkness and then the darkness is smashed off of the
sun:
MS 4.5.7.; KS 11.5. (KS 11.1.5.); TS 2.1.2.2.; SB 5.3.2.2.; SBK 7.2.1.1.; PB 4.6.13.; PB
14.11.14.; PB 23.16.2.; JB 1.80.; JB 2.390.; KB 24.3.

Consider the parallel spiritual development of Japan, China and India, as well as, world-wide,
from almost governmental centralized ritual worship to the sensitivity of individual spiritual
development. Anderson refers to this development in India, where the Rig Veda and Upanishads
focused on the centralized sacrifice, where the time of the writing of the Mahabharata,
specifically, the battle speech, the Bhagavad Gita, brought about the Krishna

India’s Spiritual Development (Anderson, pp. 153-155)

From Brahmanical Tradition to Krishna Oriented Tradition
4 Vedas and Upanishads Mahabharata and later texts
‘Orthodox’ rituals benefit priest Less focus on renunciation and more
and to individual indirectly; the on every person effects (karma) society
monk or priest focus on renunciation by their own daily work (yoga)
to join with Universal Soul no matter what social status
Man’s individual salvation with liberation Man seeks moksha by unselfish and
 (moksha) by renunciation faithful involvement in society

In the Mahabharata, the epic battle is about to begin and Prince Arjuna looks over the ranks in
dismay over the brutality about to unfold. Krishna, disguised as a human, is his charioteer who
convinces the prince of his duty (dharma) as a warrior (Anderson, p. 155).

And here, Krishna is God-Incarnate in the epic 18 day battle. The Divine is One of us, fighting
along side with us. The development of spirituality begins and ends with this Divine offering of
Krishna, Maitreya, Messiah, Mikado. Then, Prince Arjuna and Krishna in chariot may very well
represent the Sun of Enlightenment. Upon surveying the Gita battle and hearing Arjuna accepts
Krishna’s call to fight with courage, Krishna speaks:

For them hast thou grieved for whom no grief should be; yet speakest though words of
wisdom [on Arjuna speaking of lordship over ‘Heaven’s Lords’]. The wise grieve not for
dead nor for living. [since Heaven’s Lords are the living, lordship regards the joyful
dance of bliss during the Divine Inauguration of Enlightenment].
Verily never was I not, never wast thou not, nor were these princes not; nor yet
henceforth shall any one of us be. [Since the Battle of Enlightenment is spiritual, the
Divine Self is Eternal and offers eternity to those who do battle]
As in this body the embodied soul knows childhood, youth, and eld, so too another body
doth he win; herein the steadfast man is not perplexed.... [Another body is heavenly like
the sun, with its own three measures of morning, noon and night. Following his
spiritual destiny, the man is able to model and embrace the Life of God-Incarnate].
Of what is not there is no being, and no not-being of what is; and of these two is seen the
boundary by seers of the truth. [The self is defined within the design of dharma (truth)]
Know verily that cannot be destroyed whereby all this is pervaded; of this immutable
none can work destruction. [The Self cannot be fully defined within the design, apart
from what a Divine Indestructible Mirror can convey until the Ultimate Appearance].
They have an end, ‘tis said, these bodies of the embodied soul; but permanent is he and
indestructible, incomprehensible. Fight therefore, Bharata! [Krishna calls Arjuna
(Shine), Bharata, meaning Servant. To Shine, he must Serve to people by fighting with all
his soul, parallel and just below the Ultimate Soul Who has come near in Krishna].
He who thinks of him as slayer, he who deems him slain - these both are void of
judgment; he doth not slay, nor is he slain. [Make no mistake: life after death is not an
excuse for violence. Our relationship with one another that includes joys and sorrows can
only be justified by the One God-Incarnate who chooses freely to dwell in our joys and
even our ultimate sorrows. The Accuser is ‘void of judgment.’ It is as if Amaterasu gave
Susanowo Ultimate Mercy and wrote upon his gift of sword at the Ultimate Judgment:
‘He did not slay, nor will he be slain.’
Never is he born or dies; he came not into being, nor shall come hereafter; unborn,
abiding, eternal, ancient, he is not slain when the body is slain. [Krishna’s boon is this
Great Secret, and so He is Mikado, Maitreya, Messiah].
If a man knows him to be indestructible, abiding, unborn, and immutable, how and whom
does he cause to be slain, or slay, O son of Pritha? [Arjuna, who became Bharata, is now
son of Pritha (Joyful); The Shining One, who became a Servant, is now son of the Joyful,
because he has learned the Great Secret, not because he has an excuse to kill people in
 battle. Krishna’s Great Secret can only be seen through a cloud of mystery lighting up the
human heart.]
As a man puts off worn-out raiment and takes other new, so does the embodied soul put
off his worn-out bodies, and enter other new. [It is Amaterasu’s weaving room that
enables the soul to shine white (arguna)].
Him no weapons cleave, him no fire burns, him no waters wet, and no wind
dries....[When Susanowo gave the sword as reconciliation gift to Amaterasu, She shone
Her mercy upon him like a mirror and Her presence restored and brought like to the land
through Susanowo. His sword was passed onto the emperor of Japan.]
Marvelous is one who sees him; marvelous, likewise, another who declares him;
marvelous another who hears him; yet even though one hear of him, one knows him not.
[Those who have see Krishna are ready for the battle of the soul. Those who declare him
have won the battle. Those who merely here of Him and believe have a greater boon. But
to merely declare, ‘I know Arjuna, who has spoken of Krishna!’ it is not enough. He
would be better off born again.]

Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God 2. 11-13, 16-23, 29

In the Hindu Ramayana (1st Century bce), there comes another hero in battle and in love. His
name is Rama and he won the love of his wife Sita by raising and stringing the Bow of the Gods.
Like Susanowo he had to defend his love from a demon. Rama’s enemy, was Ravana, king of the
demons. Ravana abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. Rama prompted the animals to build a bridge to the
home of the demons and Rama himself cut off the head of Ravana. Sita was cursed by the law
for being in the home of one who was not her husband. She walked into a fire in defiant sorrow
and Angi, God of Fire, refused to consume her. In this way Sita’s innocence was proven
(Anderson, pp. 168-169). Amaterasu enables all souls who hope in Her to pass through the fire
of death, by gazing upon Her mirror in faith and devotion and participate in the dance of joy in
eternal bliss.

c. The Myths and Liturgy of the Great Goddess

The Mahadevi (Great Goddess) is most often worshiped in India in the form of Durga. She
embodies all powers and weapons of the gods. She is mother of creation and sustains the cosmos.
Her primary festival, the Durga Puja, occurs across India in autumn over the nine days of waxing
of the lunar month of Asvina (the horse twins of the Dawn). In 1411 a form of the festival was
celebrated in Calcutta under Durga’s aspect of Candi riding her lion. But it was in Bengal of
1583 when the festival was celebrated under the Mahadevi’s name Durga, in place of the Vedic
horse sacrifice (Rodrigues, p. 1). The Vedic sacrifice of the horse (elsewhere oxen, rams, etc.)
centralized worship to the Temple of the royal cities, as only the wealthy could afford such an
offering. The offering was intended to expiate the sins of all the people for the entire year, yet
there remained a distance between the penitent and the offertory act. The Buddha and Krishna
extended worship to temple of the heart, where the mere act of washing or even breathing was
considered a pleasing offering to the divine. Kukai picked up on this personal experience of
worship in Chinese Buddhism, which was learned from India (see Supplement 1a). His Shingon
esoteric visionary experience with mantra and mandala are akin to the darsana practiced by the
Indian priest (purohita) with austerities to purify him and ritual objects to embrace Her during
the Durga Puja.

Darsana can be simply defined as temple worship or an intimate perceptual contact with the
deity. Consider the expanded meaning in Rodrigues, Ritual Worship of the Great Goddess:

In a successful ritual performance the purohita forges a link between the divine and
mundane realms, so that the deity, tangibly manifest in material forms, and the votaries,
with their senses suitably refined and purified, can meet each other in the most intimate
act of perceptual contact. This profound meeting of the senses, gross and subtle, active
and passive, outer and inner, with the material embodiment of divinity, is known as
darsana.
Rodrigues, p. 28.

This pinnacle of devotion can be expressed in one way or another in the highest forms of
worship of people from any religious background who are able to sincerely and freely express
their spirituality. Kukai and Japanese spirituality as a whole has been keenly aware of this
universal appeal of worship beyond the 5 senses to the 6th sense of the heart.

Puja may be simply defined as devotional worship rituals. Rodrigues adds:

Pujas bring together the human and the divine worlds at specific times and places by
actualizing the presence of the deity in a physical form that in some way ‘embodies’ the
reality of that deity. All the events, in turn, rest upon a network of shaped beliefs,
assumptions, myths, and ritual formulations.
Rodrigues, p. 35.
In essence, pick a sacred time and place with some devotional objects and prayers, and the
Divine will considered the Self invited. The Hindu have designed through the Puja “their own
world of meaning” (Courtright 1985b: 33) developing a relationship with the Divine by
embodying “the reality that it seeks to adore” (Rodrigues, p. 35). The First Nations of the
American Plains would do the same by envisioning a new reality during crisis by way of Vision
Quest and Sacred Bundles with corresponding mythology. The true devotee is one who can live
out this new reality. With enough devotion, action, people and time, the new reality is fulfilled. It
was no accident that Amaterasu provided the Japanese Priest and Emperor with ritual objects of
Mirror, Sword and Jewel to be housed in a sacred temple and meditated upon with the
mythology and prayers of the Shinto faith. A dawn of a new reality was emerging in Japan. The
inauguration of the Incarnate God.

In India the specifics of the Puja in its nine nights of Devi worship is called the Navaratra, which
is celebrated in Spring and Autumn. The community (lay people in their homes and purohita at
home and at the temple) sings songs to prepare for the Devi who is about to appear. The ritual
event can be described in steps:

The Navaratra (Rodrigues, p 38, 52-3, 197).

Step 1: sip water; purohita purifies water (jala suddhi), flowers (purpa suddhi) and elements
(bhuta suddhi) of cosmos and body. The priest uses the ritual implements of hands and limbs
with mantras to retrain the directions; disperse obstacle forces; offerings to the Brahmanas;
uttering of oath with hymn (sankalpa). In the Shinto Temple prayers to Amaterasu, the priest
sprinkles water with a leaf upon the temple; he shakes his body with a tremble before the divine.
The gesture recalls the legendary oath to Amaterasu of Kuji Hongi (574-622), Furue, furue, yura,
yura, furue!” meaning, “Shake, shake, sway, sway!” (Scheid & Teeuwen, 2006, p. 25), which
was powerful enough to revive the dead.

Step 2: Bodhana: rite to awaken the Goddess. A ritual jar is used with a coconut lid (see The
Legend of Dhyan Bhagat below), a wood apple tree or branch and sacred yantra diagram on the
ground. Notice that Durga is awakened with jar, tree and diagram, much like Amaterasu comes
out of the cave because of an upsidedown tub (used as a drum), a tree and a mirror with a
mysterious diagram. During the Bodhana, the design of the Yantra diagram is that of an 8 petaled
lotus, like the Mirror of Yata. This also represents the eight directions, each with a Sanskrit
name. In the Durga stuti, the hymn of adoration, Uma is evoked from the North East, which is
called, Isana, toward Ise, Japan.

Om! Consort of Siva you are Durga, Siva, Brahmani of Brahma, creative, pure, O Uma,
mother of Yoga, Isana.

It is considered the Diagram of All Auspicousness, just as the mirror is the embodiment of
Amaterasu. It is worth noting that the purohita takes this moment to offer worship to goddesses
of other regions. This is the Mandala or Sphere of All Auspiciousness, where there is the worship
of Durga’s weapons within the mandala. Notice on the Mirror of Yata inscription the three
swords of Amaterasu’s mythical origin can be found represented symbolically by the Hebrew
letter Waw. Durga is worship as carrier of all weapons in the Durga Saptasati (DSS) 2:1-2, 8-12,
19-30;3:20-32,35-39 and the Devi’s Bhagavata Puranas (DBP) 5.2.3-14;5.16.35-65;5.18.54-70.
It is also important to consider that the sword (khadga - a sacrificial knife from the horn of a
rhine) represents the body of the Devi. It makes sense then that the sword of Amaterasu was
found in the tail of the snake of death. That is, when we consider that in the myth of Vaisno-Devi
(see below), an aspect of Durga, she enters the cave of death and breaks through the other end
with her trident. Where Durga is sword and mirror, Amaterasu is also sword and mirror. The
Yantra can be simple or complex. The Durga Japa or the Arati (Lamp Waving) ceremony is
made of 108 ghee lamps lit by yajamana in the shape of a Star of David. The Hebrew
relationship is obvious, and can be likened to Amaterasu where the pillars on the gateway path to
the Shrine of Ise are carved near the top with the Star of David.

Step 3: Bhuta Suddhi: Elements of purification using body, breathing and yoga. Again the
trembling of the Shinto priest before Amaterasu comes to mind.

Step 4: Nyasa: is the conceptual imprinting of the purified body with syllables of Sanskrit
language (50 in all). The Hindu worship Durga in this way to honor her aspect as Vagdevata,
Goddess of Speech. Kukai found it important to design the Hiragana script of 50 Japanese
syllables to assist in actualizing his esoteric worship.

Step 5: Adhivasananu: anointing the Devi. The jar, a conch shell and bilva tree are anointed by
gently rubbing materials also symbolic of the Devi; among other objects: soil, rice, durva grass,
sword (khadga), mirror (darpana) and light of a lamp with a mantra for each. These symbols are
also associated with Amaterasu.

Mirror Om! Then, verily, they see the light refulgent of primeval seed,
Kindled on yonder side of heaven.
Lamp. Dipa - Om! The light of longevity, the light of the sun,
Or the light of arka [fire].
(3 times the purohita picks up the materials of worship of
the Devi and touches the earth while praying:)
Om! Illuminate the path of light. Illuminate this world.
Let the world shine as your progeny.
Let the universe shine in thy light.
Rodrigues, p. 28.

6. Mahasaptami: meaning the Great Seventh. This is the day of bathing Durga. The purahita is
symbolically identified with the sun (or son of the Sun). Amaterasu uses the jewel to represent
the emperor until the Incarnate God would appear, who is Son of the Sun according to
Enlightenment. Generally speaking, sun worship was usually intended as a symbolic
representation of the Divine. Notice the universal appeal of such devotion, where even among
the Mayan Popol Vul it reads:

And then the face of the earth was dried out by the sun. The sun was like a person when
he revealed himself.... Since he revealed himself only when he was born, it is only his
reflection that now remains. As they put it in the ancient text, ‘The visible sun in not the
real one.’
Popul Vuh; Tedlock, p. 161

Also, notice the number seven represented on the inscription of the Mirror of Yata. It appears
that the Hebrew name of G-d hidden on the mirror is riddled with the ‘Great Seven’, as well as
the Brahmi AUM symbol.

7. Clay image is brought to life. The purohita breaths vital energy into the clay image (prana
pratistha). Notice the Rig Veda 10.90.13. where Vayu as the Divine Wind comes from the prana
(breath) of Purusa, the human form out of which came the cosmos; or the first man form as
Brahma or Vishnu. Notice the common ground with the Hebrew creation of human beings from
clay and the breath of life.

8. Mahastami: The Great Eight is a repeat of the Mahastami to the bathing of Durga in the clay
image using the mirror. The Balidana, a sacrificial offering to Durga, involves a blood sacrifice
offered just after the Devi is shown her own reflection in the mirror (darpana). The Sword is
washed and cleaned before the animal. The priest marks it with a red disk and with a bilva leaf
stem writes the sacred Hrim in a secret script (Rodrigues, p. 211). Perhaps this is the early
Brahmi writing also found on the Mirror of Yata. Regardless, it is a sign that secret scripts are in
use in the East and may have been known with similar origin from the Brahmin to the Shinto
priests. Like the Mirror of Yata is for Amaterasu, the Yantra is for Durga the maternal portal
where all her forms emerge. Since it is written in DSS 10.1-5 that Sumbha accuses Durga in not
fighting, but Durga then absorbs all the fighting devis within herself and says that they are all her
own manifestations. Out of these forms the Yantra is transformed in vision into the jeweled net
of Indra (Rodrigues, p. 271). Amaterasu is the parallel vision coming out of the cave of death’s
battle to shine through the Mirror of Yata before the jeweled tree of our ancestors.

The Navapatrika

While the Navaratra offers devotion to the eight goddesses of the eight petaled lotus of Durga,
the Navapatrika offers devotion to the nine goddesses of nine sacred trees.

Brahmani, as Durga and Uma whose name is on the Mirror of Yata inscription.
1. Brahmani in rambha (heavenly damsel - most beautiful of Indra’s paradise)
Om! O Brahmani, who abides in the Rambha (plantain), come here,
Stay here, take up residence here... and then as Durga... offer peace....
Jayanti means victorious and is also written in Brahmi on the Mirror of Yata.
4. Om! In the war of Sumbha and Nisumbha with Indra and the other gods, she who
killed them is Jayanti. O Jayanti, you have been worshiped here. Be the
bestower of boons to us.
Siva in the bilva (wood-apple) tree leaves of trident. Fruit is medicinal.
5. Om! Whatever you do is always favored by Siva and Vasudeva.
O tree, you cause delight to Uma.
I pay obeisance to you are in the form of the bilva....
Uma means light (gracious) just as Amaterasu is light. Siva’s dance brought his Sati back
to life as Uma (thus, the image of Dawn). Uma is also a rice goddess. Uma is Japanese
horse sign of Zodiac.
6. Om! O Pomegranate (dadimi), in former times, while waring against Raktabija you
have done the duty handed over by Uma well. Therefore, please be the bestower of

boons on us....
Uma is patroness of the rice paddy just as Amaterasu.
9. Om! For keeping the world alive, O paddy (rice paddy dhanya) you have been created
by Brahma in ancient times. It is favored by Uma. Please protect us for this reason.

(O Laksmi)

The Myth of Vaisno-Devi

Vaisno-Devi was the eldest of seven sisters and an aspect of Durga (Shakti, Kali, Parvati, and
Uma). On Trikut Mountain she lives in a cave (like Amaterasu). On route to her cave she
produced a stream (Ban Ganga) for a thirty friend by striking a rock with an arrow (similar to the
Hebrew Moses). Closer to the cave her footprints can still be found where she turned to see if her
pursuer, Bhairo, was still following her and then she remained in a small cave for nine months
performing austerities (similar to the Hebrew Lot’s wife who turned back and turned into stone).
When Bhairo entered the cave Vaisno-Devi used her trident to make an opening at the other end
of the cave. Bhairo was about to kill her guard Langus Vir (an aspect of Hanuman), when she cut
off his head. His body turned to stone before the cave and as his head rolled down to the valley
he cried out:
 O Adi Sakti [Primeval Energy], O Generous Mother, I am not sorry to meet death,
because it is at the hands of the Mother who created the world. O Matesvari
[Mother Lord], forgive me. I was not familiar with this form of yours. Ma, if you
don’t forgive me, then the coming age will view me as a sinner and castigate my
name. A mother can never be a bad mother.
Erndl, p. 42.

She graciously forgave him and prompted her people to worship him, for he in the end finally
worshiped her. So, at the place where his head stopped in the valley was built his wish fulfilling
temple. When devotion to Vaisno-Devi was waning, Shridar had a dream and a vision face to
face (saksa, darsan) in order to make the location of her cave known for temple worship.

As Vaisno-Devi was one of seven sisters (or nine, all forms of Durga). These sisters rose out of
the tongue of the dismembered Sati as tongues of fire (similar to the Judeo-Christian story of
Pentecost). Jvala Mukhi (Flame Mouth) is one of the four great pithas in Buddhism and
Hinduism. Her shrine is in a cave where flames mysteriously appear on the floor of the cave.
Tibetans call her Me lee zhal mo (Erndl, p. 44).

In the ritual all night vigil to Jagrata, within a flame the Devi visits devotees and answers their
prayers (offers them boon).

The Myth of Queen Tara

Queen Tara and Rukman, her sister, were observing the 11 day vow (fasting from meat).
Rukman ate meat too soon to the frustration of Queen Tara, who instructed her younger sister to
redeem herself by certain virtuous acts. Rukman thus repented (similar to Amaterasu and her
brother Susanowo). Rukman (also, called Kanya) continued her amazing adventures by saving
millions of people from poisonous snakes. She did so by shapeshifting into a lizard and jumping
into a pot of rice where the snakes were hidden. King Haricand placed her in a box to float down
the river (similar to the Hebrew Moses). Rukman was found by a sweeper, and married his son.
She then became the palace sweeper for the king, where her own sister was Queen Tara. Tara
recognized her and went to the sweeper Rukman’s house to perform the jagrata ritual fast. Tara
was accused of destroying the royal lineage by eating only rice in a poor person’s house. The
king demanded Tara open her fasting bag with food used in the Devi’s worship. The king
witnessed a miracle when the bag was opened (Erndl, p. 93)(similar to the Mediterranean
Pandora’s box). When the bag was opened there came a flame without flint. The amazed king
cried, “Tell me the way (panth). How can I get a direct vision (pratyaks darsan) of the Mother? I
will do anything.” The king was guided to sacrifice his favorite blue horse and his son. He was to
cut them up and cook them in a cauldron. He was to serve five plates, one for Mata, one for the
king, one for the horse, one for the son and one for the queen. Upon eating his share his tears
restored the horse and his son back to life. The Devi granted the king a vision (darsan) of her on
her lion. The king worshiped and begged forgiveness (similar to Susanowo). Mata forgave him
and vanished. The king finally praised Tara and built a temple of the Devi at Tara’s request.
Queen Tara, King Haricand and Rukman attained mukti (liberation) in this life. Whoever reads,
tells or hears this story will have all his or her wishes fulfilled.
The 16th Century Legend of Dhyan Bhagat

Dhyanu led pilgrims to the temple of Jvala Mukhi. The Mughal Emperor Akbar wondered why
there should be devotion to Jvala. Dhyanu pointed out how the Devi grants requests. So Akbar
cut off his horses head and the Devi put it pack on. Dhyanu also prayed, but with no answer. He
then decided to offer the Devi his own head and she appeared to him on her lion and fixed his
head. She gave him the boon that worship in the future would not require heads, but only
coconuts (Erndl, p. 44). There is a common element here with global myth and ritual regarding
the dying god who rises and enables the people to ‘eat’ the god sacramentally using a sacred
food (thus the coconut is similar to the Polynesian sacred yam feast, the Judeo-Christian bread
and wine meal, the rice feast at the Shinto Shrine of Amaterasu).

The Mantra

Kukai relied on the esoteric mantra to meet Vairocana (Amaterasu) face to face directly. The
Mirror of Yata promises that revelation ‘one day’ and now we know that a mantra exists on the
reverse of the mirror. Consider the Hindu sacred text:

She shimmers with that sequence of shaktis beginning with Brahmi who are the inner
controllers (adhisthatr) of [the constituent elements of the cosmos] such as the vargas
and the kalas. She incites the assembling of the sequence of letters which is well known
from the Sarvavira and the agamas. She is graced (-cumbrita) with the circle of power
(sak-ticakra) whose names are Alinba, Jyestha, Raudri, and Vama. She is Sakti the inner
controller.
SSuV.17.1.4.; Alper, p. 273

In Bhartrhari’s Vakyapadiya, mantras are inherently meaningful, powerful in purging ignorance

and revealing truth, and effective instruments for the realization of release (moksa) (Alper, p.
174). Gonda, in The Indian Mantra, 1963, p. 247, defines mantra as “flashlights of the eternal
truth, seen by (those) who have come into super-sensuous contact with the unseen.” In Nirukta
1.18 it is written: “What is merely vocalized without being understood, like dry wood without
fire, never ignites.” Therefore, this opportunity to understand the mantra hidden in the inscription
on the reverse of the Mirror of Yata is a sign of the light in the soul of those willing to
understand.

The one denoting him (Isvarah) is the pranava (muttering) [om]. The denoted one
(vacyah)[related] to the pranama is god (Isvarah). (Has this come about through
convention or as the shining lamp of existence beforehand)?
Answer. The relation between the denoted and the denoter exists (beforehand). The
conventional usage (samketah), however, meditates (abhinayati), the object of god
(isvarasya) that exists beforehand [correlated to the pranva] as indeed the existing
relation between father and son is expressed through the conventional usage of language
[when one says], “He is one’s father, this one is his son.”

Yoga-bhasya 77, 2-6; Alper, 205

The mantras are muttered to remove Adharma (destruction, Brahma as destroyer), to turn from
evil and fix the mind “upon the continuous series of words [of that] Brahma[-mantra].” OM - is
the “being-an-object for contemplation” of god himself without requiring any meditation by
sentence meaning - toward the end of suffering (Alper pp. 208, 216-217).

A mantra is known as a sonic phenomenon which always saves an adept of mantra who
through yogic practice has totally understood its secret purport and so is convinced, ‘It
will save me.’ It is a sonic manifestation of the divine personality of essence, emanating
from the complete divine personality and thus is identified with pure consciousness/
knowledge.
Laksmi Tantra 18.44-45
(also see LT 3.13...)

Japa is the progressive realization of the supreme state (pare bhave)

It is this -one’s own primeval sound (svayam nado) which is a mantra that is to be
repeated (jap)....
SSu3.27; Alper p. 282

One me the universe becomes visible, in the same way as a mountain in a mirror.

LT 18.16; 21.5

I am the supreme Sakti of Narayana, His ‘I-hood’. In order to help people I become the
preceptor and in the form of Samkarsana, I radiate the sacred scriptures. Dwelling in the
flame of the guru and equipped with true knowledge I, through my glance full of sakti
and by means of compassionate mantras, protect the disciples who approach me. [Guru]
Hence disciples should always regard their preceptor as identified with myself.

LT 23.1-4

Amaterasu as Mother, according to Kukai’s Shingon Buddhism, is one and the same as Father
Vairocana. Consider this in the light of the Hindu “Goddess Durga, who represents the energy
aspect of Lord Shiva.... Without Her, Shiva has no expression and without Shiva, Durga has no
existence. In the words of Swarni Shivananda: - ‘Shiva is the soul of Durga’” (Durga is identical
with Shiva) (Alper, p. 19).

Durga’s battle against the demonic spiritual forces “is symbolic of .... The human battle from
Jivahood (viz., the state of individualization) to Shivahood (viz., the state of Self-realization)
(Alper, pp. 18-19).

Amaterasu as Mother offers the direct esoteric manifestation or birth of God-Incarnate. Myths,
legends and even riddles are always signposts along the path to this ultimate realization.
Consider the Hindu Saivagamic myth of Matrka, the cosmic mother of miscognition. Ksemaraja
weaves together metaphorical and literal statements (SSuV.1.4.) where understood “God as the
Word that becomes the World” (Malinivijaya Tantra) where visions and dreams are realized and
tears of children are wiped away (Alper, pp. 272-273; see note p. 291).

The uncognized mother (ajnata mata), of this [threefold blemish] is Matrka, [the matrix] who
begets the world (visvajanani) and whose form [is the verbal cosmos extending] from “a” to
“ksa” [the first and last of the Sanskrit alphabet). [She is Sarasvati, who is Vac, Goddess of
Speech.] [She is the Matrix] who imparts (adadhana) forms such as sorrow, astonishment, joy,
and passion to cognitions that involve the appearance of various limited (samkuata) objects of
cognition (Alper p. 273).

The Dance of Siva

The Dance of Siva is related to the Mythology of Amaterasu by way of Ameno Uzume. When
Siva, the moon deity, was not invited to the feast of the gods, Sati immolated herself. Siva
became Nataraja at her funeral, meaning Lord of the Dance. His dance was followed by many
days of meditation which brought Sati back to life and Uma. Ameno Uzume may also be
regarded as the moon, since she disrobed in front of the cave of Amaterasu, the Rising Sun.
Ameno disrobing is similar to the moon waning until it becomes the New Moon. Ameno then is
both Siva and Sati, in that she appears like the moon waning and she becomes disrobed as the
New Moon, or dies to her former self. Then all at once Ameno becomes Uma, revived like Sati,
once Amaterasu peeks out of the cave upon the mirror (the mirror, which is the moon), thus
making the moon full once again. That Uma appears in Brahmi on the inscription on the Mirror
of Yata confirms the interaction between the Japanese myth of Amaterasu and the Indian myth of
Siva who revives Uma.

Both the dance of Siva and the dawn of Amaterasu, are myths reflected in the way the sun and
moon interact in the sky. But more importantly, they weave a story through the sky about how
humanity is born to die, yet become enlightened in this life and toward an ultimate heavenly
realm. The sacred Indian text writes Siva is “that God Whose Dance is manifest in the sportive
manifestation of consciousness” (Cidvilasaprakati tanatanam, 293; ref. Smith, p. 21). This light
and life of the newly awakened involves individuals and the entire cosmos:

The dance, in fact, represents His five activities (pancakrtya), viz, srsti (overlooking,
creation, evolution), sthiti (preservation, support), samhara (destruction, evolution),
tirobhava (veiling, embodiment, illusion, and also, giving rest), anugraha (release,
salvation, grace). These, separately considered, are the activities of the deities Brahma,
Vishnu, Rudra, Mahesvara and Sadasiva. This cosmic activity is the central motif of the
dance.
Coomaraswamy, p. 70; ref. Smith, p. 17

The earliest known writing of these five acts of the Lord of the Dance (Siva-Nataraja) is:

Hara’s drum is creation

Hara’s hand gesturing protection is preservation
Hara’s fire is dissolution
Hara’s foot planted down is concealment
Hara’s foot, raised in dance, is grace abiding
 Tirumantiram 2799i
Natrarajam, p. 430.

That Siva-Hara has a drum relates to Ameno Uzume’s upsidedown tub used as a dancing drum.
And now we know that the drum-tub turned upsidedown represents concealment. Protection and
preservation involves the taboo raising ceremony of the disrobing of Ameno. This event
ultimately draws Amaterasu out of the cave, since the laughter of those witnessing the dance of
disrobing drew the curiosity of Amaterasu. From earth’s point of view it appears taboo, and
therefore, protected. The earth turns away from the dance and death is the price of turning away.
But from the point of view of the Heavenly Plain, perfect purity does not notice the unclothed.
Like with the Hebrew myth in Eden before the fall. Amaterasu did not notice the unclothed, but
rather she noticed the laughter of those stuck in the taboo. When the dawn appears the stars
disappear, just as when Amaterasu, the Perfect, appears to the earth, they fall down as dead. Yet,
she raises them to the heavenly plain, like Ameno, that their earthly clothes (like the horses skin
of Susanowo’s sin) are removed and the new clothes from Amaterasu’s weaving room may be
put on.

With Siva-hara’s five acts, Amaterasu has five acts. The drum is creation and because it is a
drum, it is a call to action. Amaterasu needs the help of all who hear the drum call. That is why
she has three long rice fields. For the Japanese, rice is planted by hand, one at a time, and
therefore, it requires young and old, high status and lowly to complete the seedlings. The hand
gesturing protection is preservation that Susanowo does not come and destroy the rice fields of
Amaterasu. Since Susanowo’s own rice fields were destroyed by drought, the fire is dissolution.
We are the rice, just as the Mikado, God-Incarnate, allows us to participate in his body during the
rice meal at the Shinto Shrine. The foot planted down is concealment and this we know is the
overturned drum-tub of Ameno-Amaterasu. What is concealed from the eyes of the earth is the
washing tub that cleanses those who need to dawn the newly weaved garment of Amaterasu.
That is, the cleansing ceremony is a heavenly ritual and, just as Kukai has taught, is a direct
esoteric experience with the Divine. The foot, raised in dance, is grace abiding and represents
the dawning of Amaterasu and the bringing forth of the Mikado God-Incarnate. Her first born
was not the Emperor, but influenced the restoration up to the ultimate return of Amaterasu.

Susanowo’s three long fields of sunburned rice is reflected in the three rows of ash on the
forehead of Shiva:

Putting the three lines of ash on His forehead,

The hooded snake on His throat,
And the demon as the pedestal for His foot,
And holding fire and the dhakka drum in his hand,
And sun, moon and fire on His lotus face,
The host of gods and worlds in the radiances called OM,
The musician on each side,
He performs the Dance of Bliss in His own hall,
Him Whose foot is curved
I worship
 Smith, p. 21

Where Amaterasu lives on the High Plain of Heaven, Indian mythology speaks of the Dancing
Siva on the Cosmic Plain and with multiple hands. His cosmic form is joined with Umapati with
reference to the cremation ground where Siva dances:

His eyes are sun, moon and fire,

His feet reach down to the subterranean world of snakes,
His hair is in the sky,
The eight directions are his clothes,
His hands reach out to all worlds,
He is unparalleled,
His stomach is all the oceans,
And the cemetery, Rudra’s ground,
Is the auspicious spot for his dance,
That God, eternal, Lord of the Cit Sabha,
Above praises are sung by the throng of sruti,
Whose foot is curved,
I worship.
Smith, pp. 28-29.

Elsewhere, Siva with fresh rays of his smiling face performs the dance of a bee...(Smith, p. 30).
The Dancing Siva (Ameno Uzume) ushers the dawn. And on the Mirror of Yata, where the dawn
of Amaterasu is to return, the ‘fresh rays’ literally spell out the Hebrew Tetragrammatron. As
well, the ‘bee’ and its dance represents true authority, which is not involved so much in the sting
of war, but rather guides others toward the production for the common good (honey).
In the Cidambaram myth, the Dance of Siva (Ananda Tandava) is repeated by Sesa-Patanjali,
Vishnu’s serpent and Vyaghrapada (Tigerpaw). Therefore, the Dance of Siva is a rite of passage
to be followed. Sesa (meaning remnant) is similar to Shash, the Brahmi number six, and a near
synonym of dance and sleep. That the Brahmi shash or six appears on the Mirror of Yata three
times is significant, since dance (symbolized in the Hebrew He) and sleep (in the Brahmi Jhe)
also occur on the inscription. The number six and the snake are both symbolic of death. Yet, the
hope expressed during the dance confirms that the Mikado regards death as merely a form of
sleep with the eventual rising dawn of Amaterasu.

That the snake Sesasayana means Remnant or Remainder reflects its purpose of supporting
Vishnu on the waters between destruction and creation, much like the Hebrew story of Noah
with the ark on the waters. Yet, in the Hindu flood there is also a cave, much like Amaterasu.

Once, meditating on His (Siva) dance

Vishnu’s body doubled in weight
And Sesa, his support, had his body squeezed.
Sesa drank the wine of what had happened
From the lotus of Vishnu’s mouth,
And practicing severe penance
Reached His Holy Place [where Brahmans chant the Mantra]
 Via the tunnel mouth of the Silver Mountain
And witnessed the dance of Sabha (the Place of Meeting).

Smith, p. 32. (cf. p. 64).

It was not only the Hebrew Noah that also produced wine, but the Shinto Amaterasu promised to
meet us one day at the mouth of this supernatural or spiritual cave where we find the Mirror of
Yata and a new vibrant growth began on the land. Consider where Sesa-Pantanjah witnesses the
Dance of Siva:

Brahma of a Hundred Sacrifices

Performed a sacrifice in great Antarvedi,
[the gods were watching the Dance of Siva in Cindambaram]
So that they could continue to worship Him
He gladly sent a dancer made of precious stone
He is the source of that image
His crown is of nine jewels
His foot is curved
I worship Him (Siva)

Smith, p. 35.

Brahma and Sarasvati of the Hindu, correspond to the Hebrew, Abraham and Sarah. Where
Brahma performs 100 sacrifices, Abraham lives to 100 and is tested with the near sacrifice of his
own son. The image of the jewel occurring here in reference to the crown of Siva, confirms that
the jewel provided by Amaterasu is indeed a symbol of the enthronement ceremony of the
Emperor of Japan and ultimately the Mikado. Yet, if the Emperor is given rule, he and his priest
must also be pure in their worship and judgments. Consider this Hindu text on the excellence of
the Brahmans:

Devoted to truth and religious observances, their radiance blazing like fire,
To topmost peaks of the mountain of Dharma, suns to the darkness of sin,
They bestow knowledge free from taint through the attainment of seedless yoga,
Seeing Siva in their hearts, these ascetics rejoice.

Cidambara Mahatmya 5.7-8.; ref. Smith, p. 61.

Free of lust, anger and other faults

Destined to good fortune (bhagysalin),...
The sight of them destroys other men’s misdeeds.
Root out men’s sins without extraneous aid...
Seeing them once has the fruit of long performance of asceticism.
Grave sins are quickly dissolved by thinking on these...
Seeing those twice-born just once, their bodies adorned with ash,
Is very great tapas for the body and removes the taints.
 Cidambara Mahatmya 5.6,9,14,21

They are rich in their servitude divine

Of the great Lord of the Grand Dance
The descent of a Hawk race and are impeccable;
By their sovereign acts sixfold, they have chased Kali away
They deem as wealth true, only the Holy Ash;
Love of Siva is all they seek after; thus they (are) thine.

Periya Puranan 354b-357

The Bull and Brahma are here two instances of the 18 servants of the Dance
(nrttasevaka),
Whose number begins with Ganesa and ends with Apasmara.
Food offerings (bali) are made to Indian and other gods....
The pure worship Him with reverence
Then with pure lamps - the snake lamp....
And with ash, with fan, with excellent white umbrella and cowry;
With mirror, with mantras, with flowers;
With fine camphor flames held high.
Quickly they abandon ignorance
And see Him clearly every day.

Smith, p. 74

It’s well known that what is a year for men

Is a day for the gods
In six of the months
Of what is declared to be that day in Sagittarius, Aquarius, Aries, Gemini, Leo and Virgo,
Were the excellent forms of worship beginning with sunrise for His Dancing Form.

Cidambara Mahatmya 202; ref. Smith, p. 75

The Great Secret

The Rahasya is the Secret of Cit Sabha (the Hall of Consciousness). Umapati, and the sacred
texts of Cidambaram, regard the Rahasya as a Yantra (a modified Sri Cakra), its diagram of
Nataraja (the Dancing Siva) and his consort, Sivakanasundavi, in the center. The diagram in the
center of the Mirror of Yata is a parallel secret, since Enlightenment is attained at the appearance
of Amaterasu one day through the mirror. Where in India the Temple of the Cit Sabha is located,
the Secret Yantra appears on the wall right of Nataraja and covered by a curtain from profane
view. Others say that the wall contains only a garland, where the Yantra is written only on the
heart (Smith, p. 256).

In sacred text, Umapati has referred to the Cit Sabha:

 This Hall is formed from the letters of the alphabet....
The Lord of the Cit Sabha is dancing,
His many deeds are praised
By the five elements, the six sciences,
And the four vedas
Each manifest in the form of pillars.

Kuncitanghristava, ref. Smith 91.

cf. Cit Sabha Festival Ritual Text mantras described
Beginning with and progressing through the alphabet

On the Mirror of Yata, most of these letters come from the Brahmi, prelude to the Sanskrit
alphabet. This Hall of Consciousness has many mirrors, since Amaterasu (Vairocana; even Siva)
has many forms:

The Lord of Dance by whom Nandikesa

Saw in the Golden Hall
As His form as Half-woman
Afterwards as Half Narayana
Then again as parvati
As the Formless Linga
As OM, the Saving Syllable,
As the fire within that circle....

Nandikeivara, 246; ref. Smith 96

Consider that the Hebrew HE (symbol of the dance) and the Brahmi AUM (OM) symbol are
written at the most important portion of the mandala inscribed on the Mirror of Yata. In relation
to the following Hindu sacred text, the Cit Sabha (or Golden Hall of the Secret) is identified as
one and the same as the OM itself:

By looking at His Dance of Bliss,

From which streams forth
The radiance of the supreme Siva
In the Golden Hall which is OM itself.

Nandikeivara 222; ref. Smith, p. 97

The Hebrew HE also means the numeral 5, as it is the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Notice
5 and the letter of the Dance are referred to, where the Hebrew symbol HE corresponds to the
Hindu symbol CI, (meaning to gather; line in order - as a dance).

Letter 5 is the seat of Nandi

Letter 5 is the Holy Mantra
Letter 5 is the Divine Chakra
Letter 5 is the Lord’s Abode
 How do you see the Dancer?
Many are the ways;
Chant first letter of Dance (Ci),
Thou with Dancer will one in thought be;
That is the way to see the Dancer truly.

Tirumantiram 934-935

Who wrote the inscription on the Mirror of Yata, then, was aware that the most important letter
on the mandala was indeed 5, OM, the very seat and abode of the Divine experience through the
mantra. Na and Ma are syllables chosen, where Na means a jewel and Ma means the season.
Both letters are inscribed in Brahmi on the Mirror of Yata.

Kindle the Fire (Kundalim) where it dormant lies

Chant letter Na that is in the chakra
Then the symbolized Na
Brings the Lord there.
She Herself grace grants
If upward you lift Kundalun;
She Herself granting grace.
High above in Sahasrana places thee;
There do you chant Her syllable Ma
You shall indeed be placed
Like a gen or ray serene.

Tirumantiram 937-938

What else can the OM is the Jewel Born Son Mikado (Maitreya, Messiah), God-Incarnate, of
Amaterasu (Vairocana), through the Cit Samba wall yantra teach us:

We praise the Cidambaram Rahasyam,

This place that is the wall,
Where the specific yantras of the Sricakra and others are fashioned,
Wet with musk
Made of the knowledge of eternal bliss,
Manifesting the mingling of Natesa and Siva,
Marked with strings of garlands of golden bilva leaves.
I worship the great Cidambaram Rahasya whose glory is world-surpassing
Whose life-giving drug, the Pancaksara, gives good things to all the world,
In which at the end of the day
Shell-haired Siva swallows all the saktis and is embraced by Gauri,
From which at dawn the universe rises, Sakti Shines
Let that shine forth in my heart.

Hymn of Praise - the Devataslotra,

 published by the Patanjalipigasutra

According to Kukai, the Dance is the direct esoteric presence of the Divine in the cave of the
heart muttering with devotion the sacred and secret mantra, OM.

His dance that is pure consciousness

He, inconceivable, performs in the heart more subtle than the subtle,
In the palace called the lotus of consciousness, in the little cave.
Him whose foot is curved,
I worship.
Nandikeivara, 273; ref. Smith, p. 102.

Kukai spent two years learning from a Chinese Master who learned from an Indian Master this
esoteric divine dance. What does India speak of the dance of Amaterasu?

....In union with the First Causes, and yet

She is One only Who is mala-free;
She is the seed of the Lord’s five fold acts; [during the Dance of Shiva]
She, the Mother, to deliver to souls
From their misery of transmigration [through the cave of death to rebirth]
Witnesseth in Tillai’s golden forum,
The dance of the Lord; we wear on our crown
Her Lotus feet of grace, and Her adore.

Ramachardran, p. 155.

The Goddess Who is the visible form of Saccidamanda

Is resplendent in Her palace
Shining on Ganga’s western side.
Her lotus mouth
The abode of all intellectual systems,
She has as many hands as there are Vedas
She is His Jnana Sakti
The Companion of final liberation,
Kamasundari is her name.
She it is Who beholds his dance.

Kuncitanghristava 77

Your face is beautiful, O Lady!...

I am desparately hit by loves arrows
‘Console me here and now.’
Thus spoke the Blessed One
And He followed Uma on the mountain,
She hurrying away
Though held back by her companions.
 Nandikeirvara 256

There is one time Umapati speaks of Siva’s wife, Parvati, as human born:

...Gaining the lotus-hand of Katyayani in her father’s ashram -

That ascetic who put down darkness, whose heart experienced bliss
Through understanding the meaning of the Vedas
Learned from the face of the sun...

Smith, p. 143

India can teach us that Amaterasu resides in a sacrificial cave, where others can bring an offering
in order to pass through to Siva’s eternal city.

When Lord Siva along with His ganas

Disguised His true form and entered
The sacrificial enclosure of a Brahman called Mana [Reason],
Altered by Heramba, the man
With great devotion and delight
Willingly gave into his lotus hand
The heap of oblation in the pressing
Of Soma sacrifice called Jyotisthoma, ‘Hymn of Light’.
Through this sacrifice he went to Siva’s city.

Smith, p. 211

It was the Vedic sword, asi, that was used as a sacrificial knife, which Indra used to sever the
wings of the horse and so the divine horse twins, the Ashvins were unable to fly back to heaven.
In China, Lady Rice Ear cuts the wings of the heavenly horse off, and its stomach breaks open
full of rice. Thus, rice grows upon earth. This is related to Susanowo’s flaying of the horse and
tossing it in Amaterasu’s weaving room. This weaving room, must then be the earth, the land
where Amaterasu’s children learn to weave her sacred robes and put them on in order to fly to
heaven. In the Kuncitanghristana, Umapati tells of the first Dance of Bliss where Vishnu
describes the experiences of Sesa:

And I shall tell how I behaved towards all their husbands,

...they committed a succession of offenses,
Bringing about rebirth for themselves....
She, the Goddess, Mother of the Universe,
Her face like a blooming lotus,
When she saw me said, ‘Well done, well done!’
And was much amused for a good while.
...Having spoken thus, the Blessed One,
The Mountain Lord, with a glance at Gauri
Quickly disappeared in the sky,
 O Sesa! With His great spouse, Mahabhavani,
Then the gods bowed joyously...
Deeply satisfied with having seen Siva.
O Sesa, with my mind fixed on it,
I have continuous and measureless bliss.
Now I think on that alone,
And am indifferent to my Yoga-sleep.

Citambara Mahatmya 13.1-74

In this meeting of the God’s, Kali is defeated and then becomes protector (restored like
Susanowo) (Smith, pp. 145-146).

At Parvati’s command the Supreme Mistress (Paramesvari) slew the demon Daruka who
had been slaying the lords of the gods. ...by the fire of her anger all the world was
afflicted. But Siva who is the Being (Bhava) to drink up the fire of her anger, cried in the
form of a baby boy in the burning grounds full of ghosts, through illusion (Maya). She
saw the baby boy who was the Lord (Isana) and was deceived by his Maya. She
picked him up, sniff-kissed him and gave him her breast. Then along came her milk he
drank up her anger. With this wrath the boy became the Protector of Holy Places
(Ksetrapala)...

Supplement 4: Judeo-Christian Influence

a. The Hebrew Script on the Mirror of Yata

Five out of seven of the Hebrew letters have added marks on the letters of the mirror. Perhaps the
authors attempted to hide the Hebrew somewhat so the mirror was not broken by those causing
the exile. Coming to the ‘Light of God’ on the central circle of the mirror fits the mythology of
Amaterasu, but the inscription appears to more closely resemble the early Hebrew words for
‘Return to God.”

Also, the three Hebrew letters in the 12 and 18 Brahmi portion of the text taken by
themselves as ‘He’, ‘Waw’ and ‘Yod’ make up the Hebrew word for “Woe!; Alas!;
Come forth!” When taken to mean ‘Come forth!’ the word occurs once in the Hebrew
Bible in the following verse:

Ho! Ho! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord; for I have spread you
abroad as the four winds of the heavens, says the Lord. Ho! Escape to Zion,
you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.
Zechariah 2: 6-7

The sound of Aum is similar to Hebrew ‘Ayin’ and ‘Mem’ producing the word for ‘beside,
before, juxtaposed’, like one standing across from a mirror, as in Psalm 72.5, where Solomon
pleads with the King of Justice to send God’s glory over all the earth:May he (the king of justice)
live with (aum) the sun and before the moon, through all generations! Such a verse
symbolically summarizes the entire mythology of Amaterasu. What circle of sages did the
Hebrew diaspora meet with among the Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto in the early Centuries
of the common era?

Did sages of a Hebrew diaspora leave this message on the Mirror of Yata? Each of the Scriptures
appears to emphasis a religious practice shared by both Hebrew and Shinto priests. For instance:
Numbers 4.6 involves the sprinkling of the altar; Exodus 24.6 refers to a portable shrine or ark;
Leviticus 8.8 regards a sacred stone for the priest, in the case of Israel used to decide who the
new King will be, in the case of Japan, the emerald stone, shaped like a new born baby, is one of
the three gifts for the Ise Shrine from Amaterasu and used in the enthronement ceremony of the
new Emperor; Deuteronomy 33.16 tells of a sacred burning bush, not unlike the Tree of
Amaterasu shining with jewels reflecting her blazing solar light; 2 Kings 7:2 opens a window in
heaven with rains of grain uneaten by the irreverent, similar to the cave of Amaterasu opened for
her light to end the sacred rice famine and drought upon the earth; Isaiah 57.13 speaks of the
divine wind carrying off those in distress, yet those who find refuge in the Lord will inherit the
land and possess the holy mountain. Is this not the same Kamikaze, Divine Wind, that saved
Japan from invading ships in the 13th Century? In the Yin-Yang way, what positive return of the
breath of the Divine Kami has been stored up for Japan since the telling of the inscription on the
Mirror of Yata?

The imagery also beckons a High Priest of Y-hw-h, wearing the Jewel of Decision (Urim and
Thummin) on his chest to determine who would be the King of Israel.

b. Xavier (and possible Hebrew-Christian Companions): Ambassadors of Amaterasu?

Xavier and his friends (perhaps of Heberw origin) had a similar experience of Kukai in this
development of devotion to Amaterasu, the Divine Mother, according to their understanding of
the Hebrew, Shikenah. In the Talmud, the Shikenah is known to travel directly (or esoterically)
with the Hebrew diaspora. Perhaps no Hebrews were rejected more in 16th Century Portugal than
the Hebrew-Christian. And tagging along with Xavier to Goa, India did not free them from the
Portuguese Inquisition, which followed them to this distant Eastern land. What would inspire
such a Hebrew-Christian more than to discover ancient Nestorian churches along the way
through the Middle-East and to find original Hebrew and Aramaic documents with priests who
could still understand their ancient tongue. The Hebrew-Christian would also consume the
parallel cleansing rituals performed by the Hindu and Buddhist sages of India (see supplement on
India). In their temple libraries would be found ancient documents with this secret tongue called
Brahmi which would enable them to carve out a secret inscription with Hebrew and Brahmi over
1000 years after they were believed to be no longer in use.

That they were Hebrew is why the Hebrew Bible quotes are found on the inscription - yet what
of the Messiah? The one who dances? Hebrew 7 - Priest of Melkizedek. What is the name of
your God and why is your priest superior to mine?

Was Francis Xavier involved in writing the inscription on the Mirror of Yata? The number
system used to accompany these Latin letters on the mirror were only in use after the 9th Century.
Xavier becomes a prime candidate for writing the Mirror of Yata’s inscription, due to his Jesuit
training in Scriptural languages from the Hebrew Bible and Latin Vulgate and his exposure to
Eastern languages at his mission headquarters in Goa, India. Consider one final code Xavier may
have hidden on the mirror - the Hebrew ‘He’ and the Aum symbol plausibly represent an
abbreviation for Hebrew 7 of Xavier’s Christian New Testament. Mystically, at least, it all
makes perfect sense. That is, the He - Hebrew symbol for dance and the Aum represent the dance
of the priest before the ark as he identifies the true King of Israel while using the sacred
Thummin and Urim stone represented as the circle on the Aum symbol. Hebrews 7 identifies this
High Priest and King in full Shinto and Hebrew fashion as Jesus of Nazareth, the actual Messiah
(Mikado/Maitreya) in who Xavier fully believes. Is this the return of Amaterasu, the Shekinah,
begetting Jesus the Messiah? If so, the final question may very well be: Did the Emperor of
Japan miss his opportunity to receive the Greatest Gift of All? To what extent did the Emperor’s
priest of Ise embraced Xavier’s Messiah?
Francis Xavier traveled as a Jesuit missionary to Goa, India in 1541. In 1547, Xavier converted a
Japanese from Kagoshima, Kyushu, named Yajiro. Yajiro escorted Xavier to Kagoshima on
August 1549. While in Japan, Xavier made plans to meet with the Emperor in Kyoto. Upon
traveling there on February 1551, Xavier was refused by the Emperor who required a gift that
had been left behind. During his 11 days in Kyoto, Xavier spent time preaching in the streets. He
was only three days journey from the Imperial Shrine of Amaterasu in Ise (Picken, 29-32). After
missing his opportunity to meet with the Emperor, did Xavier meet with the Emperor’s priest?
Did Xavier then produce the secret code on the Mirror of Yata?

It was not uncommon for the Jesuits to seek to understand the customs of their host countries.
Xavier’s contemporary, Valignano, who reached Japan in February, 1551. Picken writes:

Valignano offered sound advice on Japanese customs and habits. He had the ability to
grasp the nature of a situation immediately and could map out strategy with
intuitive vision. He had great insight into the Japanese character, the state of
Japanese society, the problems of Christianity, and its future in Japan.

Picken, p. 37.

No doubt Valignano reached such a learned outlook of Japan with the help of his Jesuit
predecessor in Japan. “Xavier ... Encouraged European missionaries to practice Japanese social
customs and stressed that it was important to their efforts to spread the new message in a
different cultural setting.... after the arrival of Valignano ... This adaptation policy became a
‘rule’ of the Society of Jesus” (Higashibaba, p. 16). And in China, the Jesuits models much of
their manners after the Buddhist monks (Higashibaba, p. 18). Unfortunately, Xavier, whose heart
was set on China, died at Macao, December 2, 1552. But were the Japanese reciprocating
interest in Judeo-Christian ideas?

One of Xavier’s converts, Irmao Lourenco, was the first Japanese Jesuit lay brother. He learned
Portuguese, translated Christian texts and provided a Japanese dictionary to the Society of Jesus
as early as 1580.

In the 1600s, Fabian, in his Myotei Dialogue wrote:

What is said in the Kirishitan (teaching) about the existance of the one Creator of this
Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang: is not that the birth.

Elison, p. 173.

What makes Fabian’s Myotei Dialogue important in relation to the inscription on the Mirror of
Yata is not only Fabian Christian Yin-Yang parallel, but also that the only surviving copy was
found in the Ise Shrine library (Elison, p. 181).

There was a certain attraction in the Japanese spirit to sacred symbols from distant lands. Remote
spiritual objects and words brought mystical power. Higashibaba writes:
 Japanese followers displayed a keen interest in the new symbols brought by the
European missionaries. The manner in which they used the symbols demonstrated that they
understood the symbols to have supernatural healing and protective power.
(For Instance)
Kirishitan (Japanese Christians) were attracted to the mysterious power of a living
European missionary, not just as holy saints or martyrs.... when padre Torres cut his
hair Kirishitan always secretly collected his hair. They also treasured pieces taken from his
clothes, and his writings were also treated as sacred objects.

Higashibaba, p. 48.

The Japanese looked to their spiritual guides for mystical symbols to protect them evil and heal
their illnesses. It was the Shugenja in particular that practiced “a ritual system (which) included a
number of religious rites and symbols from Shinto, Buddhist and Taoist origins” (Higashibaba,
p. 44). Also called, Yamabushi, (Mountain Dwellers), their name comes from Shugendo,
meaning: Mastering (Shu) with Extraordinary Spiritual Power (Gen) by The Way (Do). The
Shugenja provided the people with the kaji-kito healing ritual where people received material
and verbal symbols which included “Charms (fu) with magical letters taken from sutras, mantras,
and Taoist divination” (Higashibaba, p. 46).

This was the Eastern open spiritual atmosphere Xavier became accustomed to during his 8 years
in Goa, India. It was an openness that looked for common ground to build spiritual bridges
between peoples and their understandings of the Eternal Above and Beyond. It was the hopeful
welcome embrace from the spiritual leaders of Japan that makes Xavier a candidate for writing
the inscription on the Mirror of Yata, beyond the fact that Xavier was also qualified to write it.

The Mirror of Yata Inscription Francis Xavier as Author

Ancient Brahmi He lived in Goa, India, for 8 years

Japanese Hiragana, Katakana He spent two years in Japan
Hindi-Arabic Numerals Goa of West India’s 16th Century

Even if the 8th Century Syrian Nestorian missionaries to China, met with Kobo Daishi of Japan,
they could have only written the Hebrew, Japanese and Brahmi portions of the inscription on the
Mirror of Yata. The Hindi-Arabic numerals were not written as such for at least 200 years.

c. Parallel Mythology
I - Hsing (672-717) Chinese scholar and monk. I means increase or benefit and is represented in
ancient pictographs by water pouring over a bowl. Hsing means nature or disposition and in
ancient pictographs is written as a heart and a human, which draws out the meaning the nature of
the heart of a person at the time of their birth. In the spirit of mysticism, it is no mere coincidence
that the Christ inaugurated baptism to restore the heart of a human to that pure disposition of a
child at birth. Consider the mythology behind this Chinese sage, I-Hsing. When the widow,
Wang Mu, became his benefactor in learning, I-Hsing rewarded her by convincing the emperor
to release her son who was condemned to death for murder. I-Hsing did this by pulling the stars
of the Great Bear (In China - the Bushel or measure of grain) down on earth into the form of
pigs. When the emperor released Wang Mu's son, I-Hsing allowed the pigs to return to their
place in the north sky. The widow, Wang Mu, is likely akin to Hsing Wang Mu, Queen Mother
of the West, whose garden contained the Tree of Immortality. I-Hsing would then be compared
to Archer-I who was to eat the fruit. He shot down nine of the ten suns to end drought. Like
Amaterasu, Archer-I has the sun as his symbol. And like Amaterasu, Hsing Wang Mu is Queen
of Heaven. In fact, Hsing Wang Mu literally means ‘the begetting queen mother capable of
nursing child,’ where queen is represented by the symbol for jade, the jewel of Amaterasu given
to the Emperor of Japan to represent God Incarnate.

Kobo Daishi (774-835) was tormented by evil spirits, dragons and sea monsters while in training
and prayer. It was with secret words and light from the Evening Star he spit out of his mouth that
drove them off. He used these sacred signs to adorn and protect his new temple. Amaterasu and
Vairocana were considered one and the same God Incarnate and embodied the divine light of the
sun to humanity.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth (6bce-27ce) was known to have driven the ‘Legion’ of evil spirits from
a man into a herd of pigs. The pigs jumped into the Sea of Galilee, causing the locals concern
about their food supply. He also used saliva to cure the sight of the blind. The Chinese Queen
Mother of the West may be a 6th- 8th Century memory of the Nestorian Christian exiles to China
who taught even the emperor story of Jesus and his mother who stood under the tree of life, the
cross. It is significant that this same era produced the name I-Hsing, meaning in Chinese:
increase-nature or increase-humanity, where IHS, Jesus Humanity’s Savior brings increase to
nature and humanity by his redemption on the cross.

d. Japanese Numbers on the Mirror of Yata in Relation to the 101 Akita Mary Tears

There are 101 days that miraculous tears fell from the Marian statue at Akita Japan between 1975
and 1981. Consider the following correlation between these tears and the Shinto calendar
numbers on the Mirror of Yata.

Japanese/Shinto Calendar Tears of Akita Mary

3 Suns (Morning/Noon/Night) First three miraculous tear events:
Amaterasu is Maiden of the Sun January 4th, 1975
(9:30am/12:30afternoon/6:45pm)
These 3 Hi signs represent the Mary sheds a river of tears at the Cross, John stood
River Hi, where Amaterasu’s by her side cleansed in the 3 rivers of Jesus’ blood,
 Father purified himself on route Jesus’ body (water from side) and Mary’s tears.
to the Underworld to rescue Her
Mother (Littleton, p. 40).
7 Days Venus is Hidden in Sun Next 7 tear events:
Amaterasu rises from the March 6th, 1975 (Keichitsu: spring day when
Underworld cave to restore life insects emerge from underground).
(also 7 days in a lunar quarter) May, 1976: 6 more tear days.
12 Moons or Months in a Year Next 12 tear events occur in 1978
Amaterasu’s weaving room Including Dec 7 (Thisetsu: ridges are covered

sacred clothing is represented with snow)*

by snow covered hills.
18 Day celebration of the hottest After 18 days of tear events the Summer Ripening
days of the year. Festival (Shoman: May 21st, 1979)
Including May 5th: the celebration of Tango-no-
Sekku, the Shinto festival for boys well-being**
14-16 Moon Day represents the In May 1979 there are 14 days of 16 tear events
Full Moon
Ever 20 Years the Shinto Temple In June 1979 there are 20 tear events
is rebuilt
28-30 Days in the Lunar Month July 1979 has 28 tear events with a total of 30 to the
end of the year
4 Lunar Quarter in a Month The final 4 tear events occur in 1981, completing
101 miraculous tear events*** of the Mary
statue at Akita, Japan****
* In 1973 Sr. Agnes Sasagawa had a miraculous dream on the night of a severe snow storm. In
the dream she held up her convents roof from collapsing. Upon waking she was able to warn
others to clear the roof just before a total collapse. There were 42 beams broken. Interestingly,
the number is sacred in ancient Egypt for the 42 Gates of the Underworld representing the virtues
the soul must possess in order to open the doors to heaven. Are the 42 Gates broken for Japan
and the World through the teachings of Mary at Akita Japan?
** Mary’s tears represent her desire to ripen hearts with the life of her son, Jesus.
*** According to Sr. Agnes, 101 represents Eve, God and Mary. In the mythology of Amaterasu,
this number clearly represents her reflection in the Sacred Mirror of Yata. The Mirror is
Amaterasu. Considering the Hebrew name of God on the Mirror, Amaterasu can be understood
as a mythical figure of Shekinah, the female image of the Divine. Therefore, the Dancing of the
Sun in Portugal in 1917 represents the mythical Dancing of Amaterasu in the cave or when it is
night time in Japan. Akita is a retelling of the Fatima Apparition of Mary.
****Akita, Japan lies on the same Latitude as Fatima, Portugal.

After long prayer and mature reflection, I draw the following conclusions in my position
as Bishop of Niigata:
1. ...one cannot deny the supernatural character of the series of inexplicable events
relative to the statue of the Virgin is found in the convent of the Institute of the
Handmaids of the Eucharist at Yuzawadai, Soegawa, Akita (diocese of Niigata.)
Nor does one find in it elements contrary to Catholic faith and good morals.
 2. Consequently, I authorize throughout the entire diocese, with which I am charged, the
veneration of the Holy Mother of Akita....
Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of Niigata on the Subject of
the Statue of the Virgin of Akita. John Shojiro Ito, Bishop
of Niigata, 1984.

1984 was the year Pope John Paul II followed the request of Mary of Fatima and consecrated
Russia and the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In 1989 the atheist Soviet Union collapsed, bringing a era of peace to the world and tempering
the outcome of the 3rd Fatima Secret regarding a great war in the second half of the 20th Century
where entire nations would be destroyed.

From 1917, Fatima’s message was not being sufficiently heard and the Second World War
resulted. To highlight the message of Fatima, Mary again gave the same message at Akita, Japan
in the 1970s. To some extent the message was heard and a great war averted. The current crisis
facing humanity appears to be a final test of our capacity to listen and follow the spiritual
pathway of our Creator. That is, the Global Warming crisis puts humanity at a crossroads. Weave
human identity into the image of our Creator, male and female, or destroy the planet. Humanity
has given too much power to the male ego, with the domineering events of industrialization and
the 500 year genocide of Indigenous peoples and their world-view of respect for creation.
Developing a devotion for Sister Earth is directly related to our love for our mother Mary and the
Shekinah female image of the Divine. Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Christ who is God and man.
The Shekinah gave birth to humanity who is united to God through our relationship with Jesus
Christ. The Creator has the last word, and that word is Creation itself. How will we respond?

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