1 The reconstructed Yayoi period settlement of Yoshinogari in northern Kyushu 9
2 Theoretical model of the two-phase ritual performed when taking possession of land in ownerless regions 18
3 Semantic relations between Chinese characters and the Old Japanese concepts of claiming and divining 24
4 The area along the Akashi River where the territory mentioned in Sumiyoshi taisha jindaiki was established between the coast and two ‘god mountains’ 36
5 Geographical relation of Izumo to Korea and Yamato 40
6 Shimane Peninsula with the estuary of the ancient Hinokawa and the caves where the Great God of Sada was said to have been born 42
7 Map showing the valley where the story of Matachi and Yato no kami was probably meant to be set 53
8 Two different interpretations of the story of Yato no kami 57
9 A horned snake represented on a wall in a Late Kofun period burial cave 61
10 Straw snake at the entrance to the Tsuna no goō Shrine 61
11 A dragon (tatsu) made of straw hanging in the tree branches behind a small shrine 62
12 A new snake rope above many old ones on the foot of a tree in the precinct of the Ōmoto Shrine of Kita Hiroshima-chō 62
13 A sacred tree with a new snake rope on top of countless old ones that are no longer distinguishable 63
14 A new straw snake on top of many old ones heaped up around the hidden stump of a tree whose upper part was no longer extant 64
15 View from the south towards the dam of the present pond seen in figure 16 67
16 The location of the pond Ubagaike (blue) and of three places mentioned in the story of Yato no kami 68
17 Map showing the location of the ancient provinces of Harima and Tajima 73
18 The main places along the Ibo River where the story of Ame no Hiboko and Ashihara no Shikoo is set 74
19 The hill traditionally identified with the Iibo Hill mentioned in Harima fudoki seen from the south 78
20 The forest of the Iwa Jinja in the upper course of the Ibo River seen from the ancient Iwa Nakayama kofun 87
21 Situation of the Iwa Shrine in the midst of a plain surrounded by mountains 87
22 Map showing the geographic locations of Cape Miho, Miwa, and the beach of Inasa 93
23 Mt. Miwa at the eastern side of the Nara basin 99
24 Innovations introduced during the reigns of emperors Sujin and Suinin, according to Nihon shoki 110
25 The identification of the mythic Cape Kasasa with Cape Noma at the south-western end of Kyushu. Inset: Cape Noma and the valley of Ōura-chō 124
26 Mt. Bukkyō, the ancient kannabiyama of Izumo District, seen from the north-west 141
27 Map showing the ancient Mt. Kannabi (right) in relation to the Izumo Grand Shrine at Kizuki (left) 144
28 The Shimane Peninsula and its four parts mentioned in the land-pulling story 148
29 The four kannabi of four districts mentioned in Izumo fudoki 151
30 The inner precinct of the Izumo Taisha at Kizuki 153
31 Mythically important places along the Hinokawa in relation to the Shimane Peninsula and Ou in eastern Izumo 155
32 The open-air sanctuary in the precinct of the Matsushita Shrine discussed in chapter 9 159
33 The Takihara no miya, a high-ranking shrine (betsugū) of the shrine complex of the Inner Shrine at Ise 159
34 Landforms along the Isuzu River where the Isuzu no Miya, the predecessor of the Inner Shrine (Naikū), was founded at the confluent of the two upper courses 167
35 View of the Isuzu when looking upstream towards the southern mountains where the Inner Shrine is situated 168
36 The southern mountains of the Isuzu Valley seen from north-east 171
37 The Inner Shrine (Naikū) within the wide catchment area that belongs to the shrine as ‘shrine precinct forest’ (kyūikirin) 175
38 View of the fenced inner precinct of the Inner Shrine (Naikū), showing the roof of the main hall and close behind it that of a treasure house 176
39 The southern part of the ancient Ise Province. The districts Iino, Take and Watarai formed the legendary shinkoku or ‘sacred territory’ of the Ise Shrine 180
40 Sarutahiko leading a procession at the summer festival of Kosuge 181
41 Tomb of the deity worshipped at the Mononobe Jinja of Ōda-shi, Shimane Prefecture 196
42 An ancient tomb in the shrine forest of the Izumo Daijingū of Kameoka-shi 197
43 The upper part of a wooden torana used in a festival at Sanchi (India) 205
44 A torii at the coast of Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea. Divining is done by throwing a stone and trying to get it to rest on top of the torii. 206
45 The entrance to a sacred grove dedicated to a frog deity 207
46 The Yamato basin (Nara basin) and its four main entrances mentioned in the two chronicles. (A) Sumisaka (east); (B) Ōsaka (west); (C) Nara (north); (D) Ki or Kii (south) 211
47 Iwarebiko’s detour in the story of his conquest of Yamato 212
48 The chigi cross on the roof of a shrine in Izumo Taisha style 214
49 A marushime during construction 215
50 Sacred grove of a yashikigami in Kagoshima Prefecture 224
51 The straw shrine of the deity that was worshipped in this grove 225
52 Field sketch of the plan of this grove 225
53 Entrance to the sacred grove of Hōki shown in figure 54 228
54 The sacred grove of Hōki seen from the east 229
55 The garō yama of Hirayama Mukai 233
56 Inside view of the sacred grove shown in figure 55 233
57 The sacred grove called o-ta no mori belonging to the sacred rice fields of the Hōman Jinja in Tanegashima 234
58 Sketch of Miwayama seen from the west, indicating the forbidden zone behind the straight fence and the torii of the Ōmiwa Jinja 236
59 The Matsushita Shrine in its protected shrine forest 240
60 Plan of the Matsushita Jinja and plan of its public part (right) 241
61 The main hall of the Matsushita Shrine in its wooden fence 242
62 The cult place of Somin Shōrai in November 1973 242
63 The cult place of Somin Shōrai in March 1994 243
64 Changing positions of the sakakimaki dedicated to Somin Shōrai between 1994 and 2015 243
65 A granary from the protohistoric Kofun period reconstructed in the Miyoshi Fudoki-no-oka Park 244
66 Illustration from Orikuchi 1915–1916 (adapted, with words written in roman letters) 247
67 A structure called hashiramatsu (‘pillar-pine’), two samples of which were used in a divining ritual 247
68 Two marushime set up in the back of the Ukehi Shrine on the third day of the New Year. Compare figure 49, which shows another type of marushime. 248
69 A type of ohake (here called hakke) in the form of a conical hut (left) with a higher central bamboo pole that carried a white gohei at its top (right) 249
70 Temporary altar on the dam of a small irrigation pond 250
71 Decorative torches (kazari taimatsu) used at the fire festival of the Shinoda Shrine 251
72 A shimenawa with paper shide and tassels hung around the foot of the cult tree in a sacred grove that was dedicated to a snake deity 252
73 Offering-sticks (gohei) set up in front of a shimenawa forbidding access to a straw snake hanging in the lowest branches of a tree 252
74 A tobiyashiro in the precinct of the Chinjū Jinja of Funagi, together with two stones marked as sacred and two stone shrines (hokora) 255
75 Tobiyashiro from five different places of Hirado Island, Kyushu 255
76 A Shintō priest worshipping in front of a modern himorogi at a jichinsai celebrated on a building site 260
77 The same himorogi, consisting of a sakaki tree tied to a wooden post and left standing on the site until construction time 260
78 Boundary sign made with high-growing kaya grass, prohibiting entry into a forest where mushrooms were growing 265
79 Boundary sign made of the leafy tops of two young trees joined together, bent down and tied with straw 265
80 Sign made of brushwood and two downwards-bent tree branches tied with straw to the stem of a tree 266
81 Prohibition sign made of a bunch of grass that was folded and tied to a stick with the top leaves hanging down 266
82 Map of Thorolf’s territory at Thorsnes, according to Eyrbyggia Saga 274
83 Schematic view of an older and a newer concept of ‘heaven’ in the myth of the river Sarasvati in Vedic texts 284
Tables
Table 1 Two versions of the land-ceding myth compared with the story of Yato no kami 107
Table 2 Descent myths of Korea, based on text in Waida 1973 115
Table 3 New land names and titles of their governors or chiefs (left column) whose answers to Yamatohime’s question “what is the name of your land?” reveals the old name of the land (right column) 162