Kojiki

Infos :

Kojiki was the winner of a GLOBAL MUSIC AWARD in 2013.

KOJIKI

(Chronicle of the Creation of Japan)

The Commission:

Kojiki was commissioned by and dedicated to the Augustana College Band of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and its director, Bruce Ammann.

The Storyline:

The story is adapted from the writings of the Kojiki – the ancient chronicle of the creation of Japan.

Chapter 1

Hajimari

(In the Beginning)

In the beginning, the heavens and the earth were one.  The sky was a mass of angry black clouds and the sea was nothing more than a seething, murky swamp.  Life as we know it did not exist.  Then one day the clouds began to swirl and grow, thunder crashed and a terrible rain began to fall.  It rained night and day for weeks and months, as if it had done so forever.  At last, the rain stopped, and the heavens and the earth had separated.  From the waters and the mud, the gods began to appear, like young shoots of grass springing forth from the earth.  This is how the world began.

Chapter 2

Sozo

(The Birth of a Land)

The last of the gods to rise up from the chaos were Isanagi and the goddess Izanami.  From the Bridge of Rainbows in Takamagahara, far above where the other gods live, they stirred the sea with a spear.  When they withdrew the spear, the drops of mud that fell from it created a most beautiful group of islands.  Izanami and Izanagi went to live in the land, and were married.  There, Izanami gave birth to many gods including those of the wind, the sea, the mountains, and the earth

Chapter 3

Koi

(Love and The Death of Izanami)

The last god to be born was the god of fire, after which Izanami died.  Her death caused her son Mikoto, the god of the night, terrible pain and grief.  At last, his father, Izanagi, disturbed at his son’s weakness, expelled him from the land of the gods.  After much wandering, Mikoto found himself in a village terrorized by the Eight Headed Dragon and where the beautiful maiden Kushinadadhime lived.  It is here that Mikoto first discovered love.

Chapter 4

Orochi

(The Eight-Headed Dragon)

The Dragon was a terrible creature with eyes as red as Chinese lanterns.  It had eight giant heads and tails long enough to span eight mountains and valleys.  The monster dragon had already destroyed the village and devoured Kushinadahime’s seven sisters, and it was feared he would soon return to claim the fair maiden.  Using all of his cunning and strength Mikoto defeated the monster in a long and brutal battle.

Chapter 5

Nageki

(Sorrow in a World of Darkness)

After Mikoto was thrown out of the land of the gods, his sister Hikaru, goddess of the sun, took pity on him and invited him to come live with her in Takamagahara.  Mikoto was happy to do so, but his mischief soon caused Hikaru much grief.  Hikaru fell into great despair and went to hide in the Celestial Rock Cave, plunging the world into total darkness.  For this, Mikoto was thrown out of Takamagahara.

Chapter 6

Matsuri

(The Festival)

Mikoto prayed and prayed to his father Izanagi to get Hikaru to come out from the cave.  Meanwhile, some of the other gods gathered around the cave to sing and dance in a happy and joyous festival.  Hikaru, thinking it strange that people were holding a festival in a dark and cold world, opened the stone gate before the cave to see what was happening.  Just then Tajikarao, the god of strength, pushed away the stone and pulled Hikaru from the cave.  The festival had been nothing but a trick.

Chapter 7

Reimei

(The New Dawn)

As Hikaru came out from the cave, her light showed brilliantly in Takamagahara and throughout all the lands.  Flowers began to bloom; birds begin to sing and peace returned.  With Hikaru’s blessing, Mikota and Kushinadahime were married and lived happily ever after.  It was the beginning of a new dawn in Yamoto (Japan).