A little while ago, we talked about Yomi, which is the world of the dead. Now let’s talk about the other half called Takamagahara [高天原] or takama-ga-hara, better known as “Plain of High Heaven”.
This is a place in Japanese mythology. By the name, we can already imagine a sacred place, right? Indeed, it is connected to the gods of mythology. However, to get there, there is no other way than to leave this plane.
It is to be imagined that people prefer this takama ga hara to the yomi. It’s like many say, everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die. But anyway, we will talk a little about how it is treated in Japanese culture.
Takamagahara [高天原] is written with the ideograms [高] for high [天] for heaven and [原] for plains or fields.
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Takamagahara – The Plain of High Heaven
In the city of Shinto, Takamagahara, or we can also call it Takama no Hara, is the dwelling of the celestial gods. The place, besides being sacred and highly revered by its followers, is very desired in some cases.
It is as if it were the opposite of Yomi, the two, at first glance, are like good (Takama-ga-hara) and evil (Yomi). Each with its beginning and its rules. Many believe that this world can be connected to Earth by means of a bridge. The Ama-no-uki-hashi, that is, “Floating Bridge of Heaven”.
In this case, individuals have permission to make a visit to Earth. Unlike Yomi, where its door is sealed with a huge stone. Then you might ask me: But what is there? Well, that’s a good question.
There is the house of the ama-tsu-kami and the dekuni-tsu-kami. According to Shintoism, “ame” is practically a high and very sacred place. And it is there where the gods Kotoamatsukami are concentrated.
Many have tried to explain the descent of the gods through allegories. To demonstrate the migration of peoples to there, but of course, not everyone has managed to understand. It is very likely that they have referred from the beginning to a higher world in a religious sense.
There is a Shinto myth that explains a bit about these legends. During the moment of creation of everything, light and pure elements branched out to form heavens (Ame). And heavy and murky elements branched out to become earth (Tsuchi).
And to finish, Ame became the home of the ama-tsu-kami or better known as the gods of heaven. While Tsuchi became the home of the dekuni-tsu-kami or we can call them gods of the earth. The ama-tsu-kami did not say they descended from heaven to pacify and perfect this world.
Ready to go TO TAKAMA-GA-HARA?
After you read the article about Yomi, you can already know what your options are. Speaking of which, it’s good to start thinking about your actions to avoid risks in the end. Remembering that these places are very important to any culture.
Therefore, it is not good to take any of them lightly. Be it the yomi with its sealed entrance or Takamagahara with its freedom to make a return visit. Just like in any culture, they deserve respect and recognition.
Have you ever imagined dying and spending the rest of your time in this place? It is quite different from Yomi and has more freedom, and it also does not leave the individual suffering in such a dark and obscure world.
If you have any questions, suggestions, notices, or anything of the sort, just leave them in the comments. Also, don’t forget to share the article or website on social media, it helps a lot. Thank you for reading the article up to here.
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