Oyashima Islands

Japanese: 大八島 - おおやしま

...One of the Japanese myths. The myth tells of how the two gods, Izanagi and Izanami, descended from heaven to the island of Onogoro under the orders of the heavenly gods, erected a pillar there to house the gods, and then circled around it, exchanging words of love with each other, becoming married, and giving birth to the great eight islands of Japan, including Oyamato Toyoakizushima. There are more than ten different versions of this story in the two Kojiki and Nihonshoki, the Kogoshui and Kujihongi, and other sources, but the Kojiki is the most detailed and complete.

From the Yasoshima Festival

...At that time, Naniwa-tsu was dotted with islands of various sizes, and the name Yasoshima Festival is based on this. The festival probably considered the islands to be the eight great islands (Oyashima) of the Emperor's domain, and the spirits of the islands were attached to the Emperor's clothes to revitalize his body and at the same time pray for the creation of the land. It is also closely related to the Daijosai, which is held once per generation, and it seems that this festival was considered to complete the qualifications of the lord of the eight great islands. ...

*Some of the terminology used to refer to the "Oyashima" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…日本神話の中の一つ。天津神（あまつかみ）の命を受けて磤馭慮島（おのごろじま）に天降った伊弉諾（いざなき）尊･伊弉冉（いざなみ）尊の男女2神が，そこに神の依代（よりしろ）である柱を立て，その周囲を回り合って，互いに愛の言葉をかけ成婚して，大日本豊秋津洲（おおやまととよあきづしま）をはじめとする大八島国を生む神話である。異伝は記紀2書，《古語拾遺》《旧事本紀》などに10種余を伝えるが，《古事記》が最も詳しく完成した姿を見せている。…

【八十島祭】より

…当時難波津には大小さまざまの島が散在しており，八十島祭の名もそれにもとづく。おそらく祭りは島々を天皇の版図としての大八島（おおやしま）に見立て，その霊を御衣に付着させて天皇の身体を活性化し，同時に国土の生成を願ったものであろう。やはり1代1度の大嘗祭と密接に関連しつつ，この祭りによって大八島の主としての資格が完成するとされたらしい。…

※「大八島」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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