著者

大森 志郎

雑誌

東京女子大學論集

巻号頁・発行日

vol.10, no.1, pp.A1-A10, 1959-06-30

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This study follows my article "Reed-ring Ceremony in Japn" ("Essays and Studies" IX,I.). In ancient Japan, sword was generally considered to take the shape of a serpent. The myth that the "Sacred Sword" was drawn out from the tail of a gigantic serpent called Yamata-no-Orochi seems to be explicable from this point of view. The sword which was used to kill the serpent became the subject of worship in the Iso-No-Kami Shrine. A sacred rite has been performed annually. When a Shintopriest passed through a reed-ring (chinowa) with an unsheathed sword in hand. This rite is a symbolice experssion of killing serpent, and this proves that the origin of the reed-ring ceremony can be found in the mythology of Japan.