The Secret of the Erased Ancient Text 'Hotsuma Tsutae'
The Record of the 'Creator' Hidden in the Void of Japanese Mythology
HSU Vice Principal & Dean of Faculty of Human Happiness, Hakuun Kurokawa
(From HSU Newspaper 'Angel's Ladder' Issue 114)
Now, light is beginning to shine into the darkness of history. The key to this is 'Hotsuma Tsutae.'
'Hotsuma Tsutae,' along with 'Mikasafumi' and 'Futomani,' is part of a collection of ancient epics written in Woshite characters—collectively known as Woshite literature. It is considered the 'Original Japanese Chronicle,' recording events and philosophy in Japan from the Jomon to early Kofun period, before the introduction of Chinese characters, in the 5-7 syllable long-poem style.
And remarkably, research is increasingly revealing that this Woshite literature may be the original source for the 'Kojiki' and 'Nihon Shoki,' compiled in the 8th century.
The 'Hollow Structure' of Japanese Mythology That the World Notices
Mythologist Mircea Eliade and Japanologist William G. Aston both analyzed Japanese mythology and pointed out a common shocking fact: 'There is no god of creation.'
Indeed, while the 'Kojiki' and 'Nihon Shoki' tell of the creation of Oyashima-kuni (the Japanese archipelago), the beginning of the universe and the existence of a creator are completely absent.
Kyoto University Professor Emeritus Hayao Kawai called this the 'hollow structure,' arguing that this mythological system with an 'empty center' influenced the Japanese spiritual structure.
Why did only Japanese mythology lose its 'Creator'?
Amemioya—The Breath That Created the Universe
![『ホツマツタヱ』に綴られた天地創造の様子（和仁估安聡 釈述 [漢訳付] 『秀真政傳紀』より）](../img/hotumatutae_amemioya.png)
'Hotsuma Tsutae' records the following:
'Before heaven, earth, or humans had yet appeared, Amemioya (Ame-no-Mioya-Gami)'s first breath began to move. That breath rose in the east and descended in the west, continuing to circulate endlessly in a circle.'*
This passage truly deserves to be called the 'Genesis' of Japanese mythology. From Ame-no-Mioya-Gami's 'first breath,' the sun, moon, and earth were created, and humanity was created. The Ame-no-Mioya-Gami depicted here transcends polytheistic personal gods—a creator god who created the universe itself, a cosmic god, and a god of love.
Mitsuru Ikeda, a leading researcher of Woshite literature, states the following:
'The warmth of Amemioya, the absolute god of ancient Japan, is akin to the compassion of Allah in Islam. The Yahweh of Christianity and Judaism, another representative monotheistic religion, has a certain jealousy, and the difference in nature from Amemioya is great.'
Mitsuru Ikeda, 'Traveling the Heart of Jomon People: Hotsuma Tsutae Rewrites Ancient Japanese History,' partially edited
Regarding the size of Ame-no-Mioya-Gami, another Woshite text, 'Mikasafumi,' states the following:
'The height of Amemioya's body: eight million Tomeji'*
—This means approximately 25 times the size of the universe. A 'cosmic god' beyond our imagination—that is Ame-no-Mioya-Gami.
Rewriting Official History—The Moment Mythology Becomes Politics
Why was this record of the Creator erased from history? The key lies in the compilation of the 'Kojiki' in 712 and 'Nihon Shoki' in 720.
In the mid-7th century, during Emperor Tenji's reign, the Battle of Baekgang in 663 between the Baekje-Japan allied forces and the Tang army ended in an overwhelming victory for the Tang. Baekje fell, and confusion frequently occurred within Japan. Japan urgently needed to restore national prestige and establish international legitimacy. In the early 8th century, when stability was finally maintained, the 'Kojiki' and 'Nihon Shoki' were compiled to renew the chaotic era and demonstrate national legitimacy. Mitsuru Ikeda's view is that the core of Woshite literature was intentionally deleted during this compilation process.
'It was essential to have content that could fully appeal to foreign countries about the legitimacy of Japanese history. Therefore, it was necessary to place Ame-no-Minakanushi-no-Kami as the primordial deity of heaven and earth. This had the meaning of corresponding to the Mandate of Heaven ideology prevalent in China at the time.'
Mitsuru Ikeda, 'Deciphering Hotsuma Tsutae'
Thus, mythology was reorganized into 'national ideology.'
During the Nara period, as the emperor-centered Ritsuryo state system was established, Chinese culture was rapidly introduced, and Chinese characters were institutionalized as Japan's 'national script.' With the compilation of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Woshite characters were abandoned, and much of the Woshite literature was erased.
Master Ryuho Okawa of Happy Science states the following in 'The Descent of Ame-no-Mioya-Gami':
'The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki may have been compiled in a way convenient for the central government of the time. (omitted) It seems that many things have been considerably 'erased,' so it is thought that 'the legitimacy may have been created by the government of the time.'
It was truly a 'radical rupture' in Japanese history. The admiration for Chinese language and the urgency to establish an emperor-centered national system sank 'Hotsuma Tsutae' into 'the depths of oblivion.'
The Spirit of Ame-no-Mioya-Gami Revived Through Happy Science
In the preface to 'The Descent of Ame-no-Mioya-Gami,' Master Okawa states that 'the creator god that should be recorded in Japanese mythology is the Messiah who came from the Andromeda Galaxy, called Ame-no-Mioya-Gami.'
From this perspective, 'Hotsuma Tsutae' is not merely an ancient history. It can be said to be a 'cosmic-historical revelation' that tells of the origin of Earth's civilization.
Today, the breath of Ame-no-Mioya-Gami is being spoken again through Master Okawa as spiritual messages. Furthermore, with the establishment of the Ame-no-Mioya-Gami Memorial Hall, are we not now at a time to remember that the memory of the true Creator dwelled in the very 'hollow center' of Japan?
The light sealed by historical revision—Ame-no-Mioya-Gami. To revive that divine name in this world again and convey it to Japan and the world is a return to the 'faith in the Creator' that we Japanese have forgotten over the long years. And it will be the first step toward creating a new civilization, a mission given to us living in the 21st century.
* For the modern Japanese translations of 'Hotsuma Tsutae' and 'Mikasafumi' cited in this article, we referred to Toshio Imamura's 'Introduction to Hotsuma Tsutae: Volume of Heaven' and Mitsuru Ikeda's 'Traveling the Heart of Jomon People: Hotsuma Tsutae Rewrites Ancient Japanese History.'