Three Masks of the Japanese Mountain God

Book excerpt: The three masks of the Japanese mountain god are given definition by the land and its memory and how these in myth and myth-acting in festivals help provide a model for character. The oldest of the masks pertains to passage into the mountains for purposes of skillful action such as hunting; the second mask is associated with sacred space and by extension protection of kinship groups and ancestor relations; the third mask is linked to the social environment of rice farming, which came to help model behavior related to rice and human fertility as well as what it means to be a good member of the extended kinship group. These are the three masks of the Japanese mountain god. This book is about these ancient Japanese myths. It is about their meaning, their history and their fate in the modern world. It is a book intended for non-specialists who are interested in Japanese religion and culture and those interested in how myth has been applied to solving problems historically and in ultramodern Japan.