An Introduction To Oriental Mythology Chinese Clio Whittaker Hardcover Book

Description: ORIENTAL MYTHOLOGY To explore the mythology of any country is an excellent way to gain a greater understanding of its people today. Thus the mythological stories of Japan, which so often involve the subjugation of nature, are born out of the overwhelming importance of rice growing in the old agrarian economy, and the loyalty, hard work and dedication to a common harvest which the rice field demanded, are exactly the virtues upon which Japanese modern economic success is based. Taking as its starting point the mythologies of China, India and Japan, An introduction to Oriental Mythology not only tells some of the wonderful stories themselves- most of them probably new to the western reader-but aho relates them to their sources and esplains their religious, social and moral significance. Among those related is the Chinese creation myth of Pangu, the first living creature, who grew 10 feet a day for 18,000 years to separate the earth at his feet and the sky supported by his head; and the myth of the god Gonggong, defeated in battle, who dashed himself against Mount Buzhou in anguish and tilted the heavens (so that the Pole Star no longer occupies a central position in the firmament); the story of the Japanese goddess Izanami, trapped in the land of the dead, who kills 1,000 people every day in revenge, and her husband Izanagi who replaces them with 1,500, and from India, some of the many Jataka tales of the former lives of the Buddha. It would be impossible, of course, to be comprehensive in the treatment of such a vast and diverse subject (in this or any other book); but the spread of Buddhism and the way that it became adapted from country to country- provides a common thread. (The directness and lack of abstraction of Zen Buddhism for example, was accepted eagerly by the Samurai warrior class in Japan) This book not only explores that adaptation, but explains the relationship of Confucianism, Shintoism (Continued from front flap) and Hinduism to ancient eastern mythology; how, for instance, folk tales were very often assimilated into religious lore, or even national politics. An Introduction to Oriental Mythology is illustrated throughout in full color, with beautiful examples of art inspired by mythology through the centuries, and by images of buildings and places with mythological associations, from the Yellow River to the Ganges. Clio Whittaker, Contributing Editor, was born in 1954 in London, where she still lives. After graduating in Chinese from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, she spent a year at Peking University. She has returned to China on a number of occasions since then, as a researcher and guide. She looks forward to the day when she can explore some of the peripheral regions of the country Liz Millner studied Indian philosophy and religion at Edinburgh University, and Indian history at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. She has traveled extensively in South Asia and has worked at the India Office Library and Records. She has three young children and lives with her family in London. Reishi Tayama was born in Hiroshima in 1950. Since graduating from Keio University in philosophy, he has spent eight years in London. In 1988 he obtained his PhD from London University on Kant's theory of space; he is now a lecturer in philosophy at Bukkyo University in Kyoto. He has traveled widely in Europe pursuing his interest in paintings, particularly those of Goya and Velasquez.

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