Kusanagi: The Sacred Sword of Myth, Magic, and History

The sword of Kusanagi, the storied sword that completes the Imperial Regalia of Japan, is the stuff of ancient history and timeless legends abound by gods, monsters, and the few mortals who dared wield its piercing magic. But is the sword of Kusanagi, its very existence, part of real-life history? Or is this most storied blade fashioned only from tall tales forged brilliantly into an enduring legend? For us to arrive at answers, we must first take our journey back to a much, much earlier point in time. 

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The Imperial Regalia: The Three Great Treasures of Japan

Green Shinto

The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, or grass-cutting sword, makes one of the three Imperial Regalia, The Great Treasures of Japan. Along with the Kusanagi sword, the other Regalia objects consist of The Regalia Mirror Yata-no-Kagami and the Regalia Jewel Yasakani-no-Magatama. The Imperial Regalia is said to embody the three primary virtues central to the ancient and now modern Japanese society.  While the Yasakani Jewel embodies benevolence, and the Yata Mirror represents wisdom, the Kusanagi Sword is the very embodiment of valor. 

Ever since the 7th century, the presentation of The Regalia Objects to the Emperor by a priest has been an essential element to the enthronement ceremony. The enthronement ceremony is a highly private tradition in which only the emperor and selected priests have the privilege of actually laying their eyes on the sacred treasures. Two of the three treasures, the Yasakani Jewel and the Kusanagi Sword, were last seen in 1989 during the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Akihito. 

Before it was known as the Kusanagi, the sacred sword carried a different name—Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, which translates to Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven. The legendary sword’s origin is one that extends to an equally legendary battle that went down between the Storm God Susanoo and the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi. 

Once in time, according to ancient Japanese lore, there existed a fearsome eight-headed serpent named Yamata-no-Orochi.  For the longest time, the monster-serpent wreaked havoc to the province of Izumo, while it terrorized the province’s ruling Ashinazuchi family. The ruling family had nine daughters, and the serpent having devoured eight of them, was coming for the last Ashinazuchi daughter. Not wanting to lose another daughter, the head of the family sought the help of the then exiled Storm God Susanoo.  

Drachen Wiki

Upon hearing the story, the Storm God Susanoo wasted no time and tracked down and attacked the eight-headed beast. His valiant efforts, however, were in vain. Orochi proved to be a formidable beast, and the Storm God was ultimately forced to retreat. Although defeated at the moment, Susanoo wasted no time as he started to devise his next plan of attack against the serpent Orochi. 

Susanoo’s plan was as cunning as it was simple. The Storm God planned on getting each of Orochi’s eight heads drunk. And so, the Storm God Susanoo went on with the preparations. He had arranged eight giant bowls of sake, Japanese rice wine, to lure out the eight-headed serpent. Orochi took the bait and fell for the trap. 

Intoxicated and asleep, the beast was defenseless when Susanoo attacked, ferociously decapitating each of Orochi’s eight heads. To make certain that Orochi was unable to regenerate and return, Susanoo with his sword chopped off the serpent’s tails. Olden stories have it that it is in one of the Orochi’s tails that Susanoo recovered a second sword, the legendary sword which at the moment he named Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, or Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven. 

Yamato Takeru: The First Kusanagi Swordsman

Wikipedia

The Sun God Susanoo did not keep custody of the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi for very long. Although a god, Susanoo was banished from heaven because of a long-standing quarrel with his sister Ameterasu, Goddess of the Sun. Wanting to make peace with Ameterasu, Susanoo gifted the Sword of Gathering Clouds to her as a peace offering thus ending his long exile. 

Entire generations have come and gone. And many generations soon after, the Sword of Gathering Clouds changed hands once more when the Sun Goddess Ameterasu presented the sword to the great warrior Yamato Takeru, the son of Emperor Keiko—the 12th Emperor of Japan. It was in the hands of Takeru that the sword claimed its present name. It was also in the hands of the great warrior that the Kusanagi extended its existence deep into the imperial line of Japan. 

According to the legend, Takeru first discovered of the sword’s magic during a hunting expedition when a rival warlord lured him onto an open grassland. The warlord had his men shoot flaming arrows, thus setting the grass ablaze, and trapping Takeru in the fiery landscape. 

Moments away from burning to his death, Yamato Takeru drew the Sword of Gathering Clouds. With a series of wild swings, he used it to cut down the grass and clear a path that he can use to escape. Olden stories tell that it was during Takeru’s desperate attempt to escape the fiery grassland that he first discovered the Kusanagi’s magical ability to control the wind. Taking advantage of its new found magic, Takeru used the Sword of Gathering Clouds to gain control of the wind and sweep the great big fire across the landscape to the direction of the rival warlord and his men. 

Celebrating his victory over the treacherous warlord and commemorating his narrow escape from death, Takeru changed the name of the sword from Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven to Grass Cutting Sword—The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. At that moment Yamato Takeru became the first man to wield the legendary Kusanagi sword. And since then, the Kusanagi bestowed upon its wielder the supreme power to be most powerful ruler in all of Japan. It is for this very reason that the Kusanagi sword, along with other Regalia Objects, are presented in the enthronement ceremony when a new Japanese Emperor assumes power.  

Historical Accounts of the Kusanagi

Sacred Texts

The earliest mention of the Kusanagi sword appeared in the ancient Japanese text, Kojiki. However, since Kojiki is a collection of Japanese myths, the text in it describing the existence of the Kusanagi is regarded less as a historical account and more as a work of early Japanese fiction. 

The first reliable historical mention of the sword is found in the Nihonshoki. Although parts of this book consist of mythological stories, the Nihonshoki prominently contains sections that recorded real-life historical events that were contemporary to its writing. In the Nihonshoki, it was the written that the Kusanagi was removed from the Imperial Palace in Nara in 668 AD after the sword was suspected to cause Emperor Tenmu’s ill health. Having been removed from the Imperial Palace, the Kusanagi was the sent to the Atsuta Shrine to be safeguarded by Shinto priests. 

Originally built 1900 years ago, the Atsuta Shrine is among the most prominent places of worship from the time of ancient Japan. As the Atsuta Shine underwent major repairs during the Edo period, the Great Grand Shinto priest Matsuoka Masanao claimed that he was able to witness the legendary blade in the flesh. Upon describing the sword, Matsuoka detailed what became the most popular account of the Kusanagi: 

 “A stone box was in the wooden box of length 150 cm, a red earth had been stuffed into a gap, a cored camphor tree log like a box shape was seen in the stone box, and gold was laid out, the sword was placed on it. A red earth was also stuffed between the stone box and the camphor tree box. The sword was about 84 cm long, shaped like calamus, the middle of the sword had a thickness, and from the grip, about 18cm is like a fish spine, fashioned in a white metallic color, and well maintained.” 

Almost immediately after witnessing the Kusanagi, the Great Grand Priest Matsuoka was banished from the Shrine, while several Shinto priests died strange deaths. 

The Tale of the Heike

Artelino

After the sword’s possession by Yamato Takeru, there are few other stories that make prominent mention of past whereabouts of the Kusanagi. In The Tale of the Heike, a 14th-century collection of Japanese epic oral poetry, the Kusanagi sword is said to have been lost at sea following the defeat of the Kusanagi owners Heike clan and the child emperor Antoku in the Naval Battle of Dan-no-Ura. 

In the story, the Emperor's grandmother upon gathering the news of their clan’s defeat led the Emperor and his men to commit suicide by jumping into the waters. It was said that the emperor’s grandmother took with her two of the Three Sacred Treasures—the Regalia Jewel Yasakani-no-Magatama, and the Regalia Sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. The Regalia Mirror, meanwhile, stayed with a lady servant. 

Stories tell that while the Regalia Jewel was salvaged in its casket floating at sea, the Kusanagi Sword was lost forever to the great waters.  The historical reliability of this account, however, is regarded as questionable as the Tale of Heike was written 200 years well after the actual Battle of Dan-no-Ura took place. In those 200 years, more than a few replicas of the Three Sacred Treasures were made and lost when rival members of the royal family soldiered their way into power. It is widely thought that the Imperial Regalia lost in the Battle of Dan-no-Ura were mere replicas, as the original Regalia Objects remained tucked away in the Atsuta Shrine. 

The Kusanagi Today

Smashing Lists

Today, it is believed that the Kusanagi sword remains safeguarded, as it was in the ancient times, well within the walls of the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya. The sword’s last known appearance in modern history was when it was presented to Emperor Akihito, along with the Regalia Jewel, in his enthronement ceremony in 1989. And even then both imperial objects remained practically unseen as both were shrouded in packages.  

Whether or not the Kusanagi, and the rest of the Imperial Regalia, still exist in their original incarnations can only be the subject of wild and probably endless speculations. Perhaps the only thing that holds some semblance of certainty is that these ancient, sacred relics—part-myth and part-history in their very existence—have shaped Japan in the most real way imaginable. 
 

Mystery Of The Naga Fireballs

source: The Daily Grail

In our modern world, we are currently caught in a tug of war between those who believe in the supernatural and paranormal nature of extraordinary events and those who seek to refute them by providing rational explanations or placing these unusual occurrences under the microscope of scientific investigation. Many myths, miracles and strange phenomena over time have been disbelieved, debunked and dismissed by skeptics and individuals of conventional logic and science. And yet, believers in things beyond mainstream truths continue to insist in the validity of their unconventional beliefs although evidence to the contrary has already been presented to them repeatedly. 

One example of an on-going debate between believers and skeptics concerning a supernatural phenomenon is the controversial mystery behind the Naga fireballs. And in this article, we will not be just talking about what the Naga fireballs are and the tale surrounding this unusual yearly manifestation; we will also shed light on the two sides fighting to gain supremacy over this alleged paranormal occurrence. One side believes in the legitimacy of the Naga fireballs’ magical wonder, while the opposing team has dared to unmask this phenomenon as nothing more than a human-made hoax.

What Are The Naga Fireballs?

source: HostelBookers

The Naga Fireballs are the reported tens to thousands glowing balls which spontaneously appear from and float above Thailand’s Mekong River at night every year. According to those who have seen them, these blazing balls of light emit a reddish color, and their sizes vary from smaller bubbles to bigger orbs as large as basketballs. 

Also referred to as “bung fai paya nak,” “Mekong lights,” or the “Naga Dancing Fire Balls,” these fireballs shoot up from the water and rise in the air as high as around 600 feet before dissipating completely. They ordinarily occur in the chilly evenings between late October and early November along the 300-mile-long stretch of the Mekong River. However, there are reports that they have occasionally surfaced in smaller ponds, rivers, and lakes found within this region of Thailand. 

The Phayanak Festival & The Naga

source: BangkokScoop.com

Reports of floating fireballs are not solely unique to Thailand as many cases of similar fiery orbs have also been spotted in different parts of Asia. However, it is in Thailand that the Naga fireballs are celebrated as part of the “Phayanak Festival,” an annual event in the country in which Buddha is greeted by the locals upon his arrival on Earth at the end of “vassa” – the three-month Rain Retreat or Buddhist Lenten season. This usually takes place on the 15th day of the 11th lunar month and is held in October every year. 

The “Wan Ok Phansa” is the last day of the festival and locals in Thailand celebrate the return of Buddha by gathering near the riverbank to observe the fireballs rise from the waters, float up in the air, and then disappear in the heavens. According to local mythology, the orbs of bright red light that appear above the Mekong River each year are actually the exhaled breath of the Naga or the “Phaya Naga,” which is a colossal sea serpent residing in the riverbed and wakes up annually to observe the end of “vassa” or the Buddhist Lent. 

Theories

source: www.thailandholiday.info

Although many have reported having personally seen the Naga fireballs arise from the Mekong River, there is still no universal agreement on the possible cause of the phenomenon and the reason why it consistently appears on an annual basis. Several theories, however, have been proposed in an attempt to explain the extraordinary event, and some of them can be classified as supernatural, natural or human-made. 

Given the mythological origin of the Naga Fireballs, the apparent supernatural explanation of this yearly phenomenon is that the burning red lights from the water of the Mekong River are indeed caused by a huge sea serpent living in its riverbed. Of course, to support this theory, the existence of the Naga must first be adequately proven. 

And so far, one of the proofs presented by those who believe in the existence of these magical sea serpents is a photograph featuring around 30 American soldiers supposedly carrying a 7.3-meter sea serpent found in the Mekong River back in 1973. Another proof supporting the supernatural value of the Naga fireballs and the existence of the Naga itself can be found at a Buddhist temple in Nong Khai City where fossilized bones of the mythical sea creature, such as an egg and a tooth, are reportedly on display. 

source: Samui Times

Though they do not refute the possibility that reddish balls of fiery light can rise from the water, some insist on a more natural explanation for the Naga fireballs. A popular explanation raised by these individuals is referred to as the Swamp Gas Theory. This theory is familiar to those who are interested in UFO phenomena, and it proposes that the organic deposits in the riverbed of the Mekong River decompose, which in turn, produce methane gas. This gas forms bubbles that float its way up to the surface, and once the gas comes into contact with oxygen-air, these pockets of methane spontaneously ignite and are consequently set aflame before they take flight into the sky. 

This theory was presented by a pediatrician, Dr. Manos Kanoksilp, who extensively studied the Naga Fireballs. To him, producing these blazing orbs also require precise conditions such as the perfect alignment of the Earth, the moon, and the sun. 

A similar explanation to the Swamp Gas Theory is the reasoning raised by some people that the Naga Fireballs are produced by the combustible phosphine gas that came from the muddy environment of the river.  In fact, Saksit Tridech, the deputy secretary of the Thai Science Ministry, along with a group of scientists, conducted a study regarding the physical conditions surrounding the river, and they concluded that the Naga Fireballs are produced as a result of the large deposits of phosphine gas found in the area. Phosphine, however, is not a naturally-occurring gas and so, it is posited that this type of gas is the consequence of a bacterial reduction of phosphate in the decay of organic material. 

Other scientists also theorized that the Naga Fireballs are free-floating plasma orbs that form when surface electricity is released into a solution – which in this case, is the Mekong River’s waters. However, the problem with this theory is that this type of orb is not only different in color and appearance from the reported characteristics of the Naga Fireballs, but it can only be produced using high voltage electricity that does not naturally occur in the environment. 

Hoax?

source: slam blogsma

The plasma orb theory is not the only supposition whose soundness has been disputed by skeptics and supernatural believers alike. The phosphine gas theory and the swamp methane gas theory have also been cast aside by some people as the most logical explanation to the Naga Fireballs. These people say that the perfectly precise conditions required to consistently produce the orbs year after year cannot possibly occur in a natural setting unless some man-made manipulation is involved. 

And so, we have now reached the most controversial explanation of them all, and this particular theory claims that the annual appearance of the Naga Fireballs is nothing more than a hoax to perpetuate the popularity of the Phayanak Festival and the Mekong River, which consequently has a positive effect on the local economy and the livelihood of the area’s residents.

In 2002, a documentary aired on the program “Code Cracking” of the ITV television network investigated what could be the source of the mysterious fireballs that surface every year during the celebration of the festival. The team had to take a boat and quietly travel to the Loatian side of the Mekong River. Once they crossed the river, they found Loatian soldiers firing tracer rounds into the sky. Those who analyzed the footage of the event also came to the conclusion that the Naga Fireballs were caused by the firing of flare guns from the other side of the river while the festival is ongoing on the Thailand side. The loud audience of the festival was not able to hear the sound of the gunshot as it was drowned out by the cheering noises of people and the noisy crackle of fireworks during the event. And so, they would not have been able to tell so easily if they were being deceived in the darkness and from half a mile away. 

With the stunning revelation that the Naga Fireballs could be a man-made phenomenon originally intended to generate buzz and draw crowds for the annual Buddhist Lent-related festival, does this truly mean that this strange phenomenon is nothing more than a hoax?

For me, the answer would be no. In cases where there are varying theories to explain an unusual occurrence, we must not be so quick to cling onto a single explanation. And in the case of the Naga fireballs, there is no such thing as single truth, as the opposing sides of believers and skeptics have presented their respective evidence and have chosen to uphold their own perspectives on the matter. And so, at least for now, whether you believe in the supernatural, natural, or human-made explanations about the mysterious Naga fireballs is completely up to you. However, keep in mind that regardless of which perspective you think best explains this phenomenon, you should always, always try to keep an open mind.   

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Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_fireball
http://altereddimensions.net/2015/naga-fireballs-of-mekong-river-mysterious-glowing-orbs-rise-from-water
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/01/naga-fireballs-swamp-gas-or-divine-breath/
https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4183
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/mystery-of-the-naga-fireballs-at-mekong-river/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wan_Ok_Phansa
http://unexplainedmysteries.org/post/32736046368/unexplained-phenomenon-of-naga-fire-balls
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/5-natural-events-that-science-cant-explain/the-naga-fireba
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,391567,00.html
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233486379_The_Postmodernization_of_a_Mythical_Event_Naga_Fireballs_on_the_Mekong_River