A few days ago it was Halloween and if this American holiday is gradually becoming a must in France, it is the same in Japan. Long live candy and scary costumes… But Japanese mythology didn’t wait for the creation of Halloween to talk about monsters, demons… and sake! Let’s dive together into the most famous monster and nihonshu story.
Imagine a terrible creature with red eyes like physalis and poisonous breath… which has 8 heads, 8 tails. It is a dragon with a back covered in moss, cypress, cedar and a torso with a river of blood. His name alone made the inhabitants of Izumo Prefecture, Shimane tremble today… Yamata no Orochi had a delicious and horrible habit: he devoured one young girl per year! He had chosen a family that had been blessed with 8 daughters and every year he came back and ate one…
Then arrives the hero in the story… The God Susanoo, the kami of storms, who inherited the kingdom of the seas at his birth. He was banished from heaven recently for “annoying” (the word is weak) his sister, the Goddess Amaterasu. The latter is none other than the Sun Goddess and she has a family link with the Emperor of Japan. Indeed, she sent her grandson Ninigi to the earth to govern and on this occasion she offered him three sacred objects: the bronze mirror Yata no Kagami (symbol of wisdom and the ability to understand), the jewel Yasakani no Magata (symbol of benevolence and the ability to learn) and the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi (symbol of value and the ability to share). Ninigi’s son inherited them in turn: Jinmu is the first Emperor of Japan and ancestor of all emperors… These objects are still in the possession of the Imperial family and some are in Shinto shrines. They are the Imperial Treasure of Japan which have immeasurable value. There are no official representations to date, their physical existence is subject to doubt but regardless, “a symbol does not need materiality” (“シンボルがオブジェクトを必要としません”).
But back to our sheep… to our dragons! Susanoo was therefore banished and disguised himself as a horseman to travel the countryside. There he meets a family of peasants in tears. The couple explains to him that a terrible dragon will come to devour their last daughter, the only survivor. This sacrifice will allow them to have access to water: this is the contract with Yamata no Orochi. Kushinada Hime awaited her fate with anguish but she has a glimmer of hope. Susanoo makes a deal with the family: if he succeeds in killing the dragon then he will marry Kushinada. The couple agrees and Susanoo puts his plan into action.
To successfully defeat the dragon, he decides to take 8 barrels of sake and build a fence around the peasants’ house with 8 doors through which the dragon can pass its heads and access the barrels. His plan went as planned and the beast, drunk, fell asleep. He then had time to cut off the heads with his sword! Kushinada was safe and sound: she married Susanoo. The latter will discover in the body of the dragon the famous sword Kusanagi-no-tsurugi, the one we talked about a little above: he offered it to his sister Amaterasu to be forgiven.
The story does not say what sake was served to the dragon. But I can tell you about the Asamai Shuzo House whose magnificent labels represent the Yasakani no Magatama jewel. So why not try Amanoto Junmai Daiginjo 35, a fruity sake with a long and balanced finish? Always in moderation, but never without pleasure.
#France Bleu Gironde broadcast from November 4, 2022: click on the link to listen to the replay more easily and read the great article by Isabelle Wagner!
