TAKACHIHO, Miyazaki Prefecture–It took a mountaineer of world renown to revive a Japanese myth surrounding the goddess of the sun.
Hirotaka Takeuchi, the only Japanese to conquer all of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 meters high, and two others stretched a “shimenawa” sacred rope across the entrance to the Amano-Iwato cave situated halfway up a precipitous cliff in accordance with legend.
Amaterasu-omikami, a mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial line, is said to have holed up in a cave called Amano-Iwato and deprived the land of sunlight. A shimenawa was placed outside the cave to prevent the sun goddess from ever again plunging the universe into darkness after she was lured outside.
The story is depicted in “Kojiki” (Records of Ancient Matters) and “Nihon Shoki” (The Chronicles of Japan), both compiled more than 1,300 years ago.
Fast-forward to Dec. 18, 2020, when Takeuchi and his partners strung the rope 50 meters above the ground outside the cave, which is the “goshintai” object of worship for the Amano-Iwatojinja shrine, at the behest of Eishu Sato, the 24th-generation head priest.
The shimenawa, made of durable material, is 20 meters long and five centimeters thick. The rope was made as light as possible so that it will not fall once it is set.
It marked the first time for a shimenawa to be placed outside the Amano-Iwato cave, although the Amano-Iwatojinja is believed to be the birthplace of the Shinto practice of using the white rope, usually made of straw or hemp, to demarcate a sacred place.
“I’m proud of the fact that my accumulated experience in mountain climbing helped connect the present and the myth and initiate a new ritual,” Takeuchi, 50, said.
The Amano-Iwato cave, where the deity is believed to reside, is about nine meters high, nine meters wide and nine meters deep.
Those offering prayers to the cave must do so from a “yohaisho” prayer spot located at the back of the Nishihongu main hall across the Iwatogawa river.
Worshippers must be accompanied by Shinto priests at all times, and they are prohibited from entering the cave or even taking photos.
Sato, 37, took over as head priest about 12 years ago. Whenever he took visitors to the prayer spot, he had a hard time pointing out the cave because it looked so inconspicuous from across the river.
Sato also fretted that there was no shimenawa hanging outside the cave even though the tradition of the shimenawa is believed to have originated here. He sought advice from a specialty contractor, but the company gave up on the job citing safety concerns.
The matters seemed destined to rest until one day in spring 2020 when Sato escorted a group of worshippers to the prayer spot. Sato told them that he somehow wanted to place a shimenawa outside the cave.
One of the visitors, a climber, saw that as a challenge and said, “Let’s do something about it.”
Takeuchi and three other mountaineers conducted a field survey in August to consider what the task would entail.
The group decided to place the rope at a point 50 meters above the ground level and 70 meters below the summit. They opted to descend from the peak instead of climbing up the cliff.
The shimenawa-placing ritual began at 6:30 a.m. when the temperature was minus five degrees.
Sato had prepared a special Shinto prayer for the occasion. He expressed his determination to pass down the myth based on the ancient significance and tradition of the shimenawa.
He also offered his hopes that the world would overcome the novel coronavirus pandemic so people can live without fear.
While Sato and parishioners looked on, Takeuchi and his two partners took on a challenge to stretch the shimenawa across the cave entrance, getting the job done in about 30 minutes.
“I was nervous as I watched them work, but I was so impressed by their superb mountaineering skills,” said Sato with a look of relief.
“The cave now has a greater sense of presence as goshintai and taken on an ambience befitting its status. I look forward to local residents coming to offer prayers.”
