Night 5 Japanese Mythology (Kojiki) Story 8
Yamato Takeru
A prince too strong for comfort is sent from danger to danger, winning battles while losing the life he might have had. Brutal, lonely and kind of fucked up. The Kojiki does not start clean. Japan begins with divine sex, bad instructions, death, caves, drunk monsters, ugly family politics and beauty based dick choices.
Japan Begins With Bodies, Not Polite Mist
A glass hits the table.
Masa
A prince too strong for comfort is sent from danger to danger, winning battles while losing the life he might have had.
Brutal, lonely and kind of fucked up.
Sayaka
That is way less polite than the shrine brochure version.
Masa
The Kojiki does not start clean.
Japan begins with divine sex, bad instructions, death, caves, drunk monsters, ugly family politics and beauty based dick choices.
Yamato
Divine sex and bad management. Japan really opens strong.
Masa
The stories are physical as hell.
Bodies create islands, food traps people in the dead world, gods hide, bleed, give birth, get jealous and make terrible calls.
The Sacred Stuff Gets Physical
Masa
His violence makes him useful and frightening to his own father.
Daichi
That is where the whole room starts to understand the damage.
Masa
Disguise, the Kusanagi sword and sacrifice shape his legend.
Sayaka
The sacred and the fucked up are sitting at the same table.
Masa
The ending turns a superhuman fighter into a tragic figure.
The private family disaster keeps turning into public order: islands, lineages, rituals, regalia and rulers all come out of bodies doing messy body things.
Why The Myths Still Hit
Masa
It survives because land, sex, ritual, family and rulership are all tied together. The sacred stuff is not floating above life.
It is knee deep in the mess.
Yamato
So the classic survives because the human stupidity is still alive.
Masa
Exactly. Japanese Mythology, Kojiki is not alive because the names are old.
It is alive because people still want sex, rank, praise, control, revenge, approval or a clean little excuse for their bullshit.
Sayaka
That is unfortunately very easy to understand.
The Mess Under The Ritual
Masa
The private family disaster keeps turning into public order: islands, lineages, rituals, regalia and rulers all come out of bodies doing messy body things.
Daichi
That is the bit that makes the old story suddenly feel way too close.
Masa
That is the weird power of the Kojiki.
The sacred and the fucked up sit at the same table, and neither one leaves.
Sayaka
Yeah, that is going to stick whether I like it or not.
FAQ
- Q. What is Yamato Takeru about?
- A. A prince too strong for comfort is sent from danger to danger, winning battles while losing the life he might have had. Brutal, lonely and kind of fucked up.
- Q. What is the first thing to notice?
- A. His violence makes him useful and frightening to his own father.
- Q. Why does it still hit?
- A. A prince too strong for comfort is sent from danger to danger, winning battles while losing the life he might have had. Brutal, lonely and kind of fucked up. The private family disaster keeps turning into public order: islands, lineages, rituals, regalia and rulers all come out of bodies doing messy body things.
Up next
If this happened todayCompliance trouble meter★★★★★
Modern compliance would run out of forms before the second drink.
Against modern Japanese law, just for fun
- 刑法110条
- 刑法130条
- 刑法190条
- 刑法199条
- 銃刀法
Just for fun: a reading of which articles of present-day Japanese law the original events might brush up against. Article numbers only.
Quiz yourself (original questions)
Not copied from past papers. These are original practice questions written for this article. Give them a go.
Q1What makes Yamato Takeru memorable?