Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto (ツクヨミノミコト, 月読命), or simply Tsukuyomi (ツクヨミ, 月読) or Tsukiyomi (ツキヨミ), is the moon kami in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. The name “Tsukuyomi” is a compound of the Old Japanese words tsuku (月; “moon, month”, becoming modern Japanese tsuki) and yomi (読み; “reading, counting”). The Nihon Shoki mentions this name spelled as Tsukuyumi (月弓; “moon bow”), but this yumi is likely a variation in pronunciation of yomi. An alternative interpretation is that his name is a combination of tsukiyo (月夜; “moonlit night”) and mi (見; “looking, watching”). -no-Mikoto is a common honorific appended to the names of Kami; it may be understood as similar to the English honorific ‘the Great’.

In Man’yōshū, Tsukuyomi’s name is sometimes rendered as Tsukuyomi Otoko (月讀壮士; “moon-reading man”), implying that he is male

Myth

Tsukuyomi was the second of the “three noble children” (三貴子, Mihashira-no-Uzu-no-Miko) born when Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the kami who created the first land of Onogoroshima, was cleansing himself of his kegare while bathing after escaping the underworld and the clutches of his enraged dead sister, Izanami-no-Mikoto. Tsukuyomi was born when he washed out of Izanagi’s right eye. However, in an alternative story, Tsukuyomi was born from a mirror made of white copper in Izanagi’s right hand.

Tsukuyomi angered Amaterasu (who in some sources was his wife) when he killed Ukemochi, the megami of food. Amaterasu once sent Tsukuyomi to represent her at a feast presented by Ukemochi. The megami created the food by turning to the ocean and spitting out a fish, then facing a forest and spitting out game, and finally turning to a rice paddy and coughing up a bowl of rice. Tsukuyomi was utterly disgusted by the manner of which the exquisite-looking meal was made in, so he killed her.

Amaterasu learned what happened and she was so angry that she refused to ever look at Tsukuyomi again, forever moving to another part of the sky. This is the reason that day and night are never together. This is according to one of the accounts in the Nihon Shoki. Tsukuyomi does not have such significance in the Kojiki, in which there is a similar tale about Susanoo-no-Mikoto killing a similar food megami named Ōgetsuhime, who is often conflated with Ukemochi.

reminders:

  • 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
  • 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes comments over upbears
  • 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
  • 🐶 Join the unofficial Hexbear-adjacent Mastodon instance toots.matapacos.dog

Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

Aid:

Theory:

  • ratboy [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    13·
    7 days ago

    My MSW program is pretty progressive which is dope. They talk about Marxism and use Marxist terms in most classes, and stress that a LOT of the foundations of social work are drawn from Marxism. Like, it’s not villainized at all.

    And the answer in multiple texts about why social work is so defanged and professionalized now is “McCarthyism”. Makes me wanna fight to bring it back to its roots

      • ratboy [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        3·
        7 days ago

        Yeah, I’ve been doing it for over 7 years now, and my last job has truly traumatized me to the point that I have been having somewhat of an existential crisis over whether or not to continue the work. But I had already applied for the MSW program and quit my job and felt theres no way to start over with something else.

        However, there are a lot of rad people who do the work and want to change it the same way that I do, and it’s so valuable for us to be doing the work and trying to resist and push back against the carceral part of it. I also think the field is ripe for organizing, its just a matter of getting creative and trying to figure out how to unite people