KOJIKI: A Story in Concert

Kitaro masterfully conceived and performed the music for Kojiki based on this famous Japanese ancient chronicle of the creation of Japan (Yamato). The music was originally released by Amuse America as a German import in 1990 and was nominated for a Grammy that same year. This album was digitally re-mastered in 1996. In July 2003, this classic was re-mastered again as a Super Audio CD to provide the ultimate sound when played on an SACD player or normal sound on a CD player.

The album, or video, features Kitaro's signature sound of the Musician's Magician, along with the string section from the Skywalker Symphony, for the score to this thematic backdrop is full of passion, beauty and drama. The album includes a three-page synopsis of this famous Japanese myth.

This full-length concert was performed again live in 1994 at Tokyo Bay, Japan. This concert was performed in December, at night, with a backdrop of a $1,000,000.00 spectacular fireworks display during the show. Fuji filmed the event, and it was televised in Japan at the time, but that video was never made public. However the available fifty-five minute video of Kojiki is a dramatic visual of the famous, now classic, Kojiki World Tour performance.

Kitaro’s 1990 Kojiki World Tour concert was accompanied by a beautiful thirty-six page book printed on premium paper depicting copies of the old Japanese prints of this famous myth. This detailed tour book has been printed in both Japanese and English and is available in very limited quantities.

For more information on Masanori Takahashi (aka Kitaro) please see www.kitaromind.com, www.kitarorecords.com, and www.kitaro.us

Record or Video Tracks:

Hajimari (The Beginning)
Sozo (Creation)
Koi (Love and Passion)
Orochi (Battle)
Nageki (Be Grieved and Regret)
Matsuri (Festival)
Reimei (New Dawn)

Eleven Steps (albums) Toward A More Beautiful World, Kitaro;

01 Kojiki

02 Best of Ten Years

03 The Light Of The Spirit

04 Tenku

05 Toward The West

06 Asia

07 Silver Cloud

08 India

09 Millennia

10 Full Moon Story

11 Astral Voyage

KOJIKI: A STORY IN CONCERT:

Chapter 1: Hajimari (In the Beginning). In the beginning, the heavens and the earth were one. The sky was a mass of thick angry black clouds through which nothing could be seen. The sea – if one could call it a sea – was little more than a seething murky swamp. And nowhere in this terrible nothingness was there a single sign of life. Then one day the clouds began to swirl and grow, the thunder roared and the lightning crashed, and torrents of rain began to pour from the sky. Day after day and night after rain the rain continued to fall, as if it had done so forever. When at last the rain stopped, the heavens and the sky had parted. And from the clouds and the water, the sand and the mud, a multitude of gods began to rise up, like young shoots of grass springing forth from the earth. This is how the world began.

Chapter 2: Sozo (The Birth of a Land). The last of the gods to rise out of chaos were Izanagi and the goddess Izanami. They were born to bring order and peace to the newly-formed world. As Izanagi and Izanami looked down upon the earth from the Bridge of Rainbows in Takamagahara, far above the sky where the other gods reside, they saw that it was still just a sea of mud without form or shape. “If humans were into this world, not one could exist in such a place, said Izanagi. “Nor could animals or other creatures, said Izanami with a frown. Izanagi then took up a spear and began to stir the mud. When he drew the spear out again, several drops fell from the end of it. Gradually these drops hardened, forming a small island. Pine trees sprang up along the coast of the island, and the crystal blue waves that broke gently against the white sandy beaches could be seen even from the Bridge of Rainbows. “Oh, how lovely!” exclaimed Izanami. When the two gods descended to the island, they discovered that it was even more beautiful than it appeared from the high above. There they found tall and majestic mountains, rushing rivers, vast forests and plains. So much did they come to admire the island that they decided to build a palace on a plain where the river ran through. Within the palace was a large and sacred pillar. As the two gods stood before the pillar, Izanagi said to Izanami, “And how is your body formed?”. Izanami answered, “My body is well formed, but it lacks one thing.” To which Izanagi replied, “Is that so? My body too is well formed. However, it has one thing extra. Let me make up for the part that you lack with my extra one. Then let us be married, and create a nation together. “Yes let us do so,” agreed Izanami. Whereupon the two gods circled the pillar together and so were married. Then they went about creating the nation. In this way the islands of Awaji, Shikoku, Oki, Kyushu, Iki, Tsushima, Saso, and finally Honshu, the main island, were created. When Izanagi and Izanami had finished creating the islands of Japan, they gave birth to a multitude of deities. Their children – God of the Wind, God of the Ocean, God of the Mountains, God of the Earth, God of Rocks, and this pleased Izanagi and Izanami very much. Izanagi was so happy that he shed tears of joy. The tear that fell from his left eye became a goddess and that which fell from his right, a god. To the young goddess, who shone like a beautiful light, he chose the name Hikaru, the shining one. And to the young god, whose body was strong and straight, he gave the name Mikoto. To each of his children, Izanagi gave an important task. “Hikaru, Goddess of Light, ascend to Takamagahara, and in my place you shall rule over the World of Light, “Izanagi commanded.”And Mikoto, you are to rise up to Takamagahara, and in my, place you shall rule over the World of Night. It is in this way that a multitude of deities were born into the earthly world. They in turn gave birth to many, many more gods, and that is how the world came to be as we now know it. In time, people and animals, the trees and grass also came to be.

Chapter 3: Koi (Love and the Death of Izanami). The last god that Izanagi and Izanami created was the God of Fire. The birth was very difficult and Izanami was burned so badly that she died. When he learned of his mother’s death, Mikoto was deeply saddened, and began to sob and wail. His grief went on for so long that his beard grew down to his chest, and yet he still continued to cry. His endless tears caused the grass and trees around him to wilt and die. His father, who was witness to this, became upset and said, “A silly weakling such as yourself is not fit to be a god. I cannot allow you to remain in this country any longer.” And with that, he banished Mikoto from the Land of the Night. Mikoto, expelled from the Land of the Gods, wandered from country to country over mountains and across seas. His days were long and sad as he traveled alone. One day he came upon a river of clear running water. He drank from the river and washed his body in it. As he did so, his cowardly heart and bruised and battered body were healed in an instant. His whole body was brimming over with strength and vitality. It was then he spied what seemed to be two small branches, floating down the river. “These are not branches, they are chopsticks that have been used by someone,” He thought. He reached out and took the chopsticks in his hand as a great feeling of happiness came over him. “These chopsticks came from up river. That must mean that there are people living up there,” He realized and hurried up the river. At the head of the river was a small forest. Entering the forest, he was surprised at what he saw. A small village was almost destroyed and the fields had run amuck. From inside one of the houses he heard someone crying. When he entered the house he saw an old man and his beautiful daughter, Kushinadahime, crying. “Why are you crying?” he asked. “Mikoto,” said the old man. “Terrible things have happened since you left the Land of Darkness. There has been no one to rule over the land, and we have been plagued by monsters and an eight-headed dragon. I had eight daughters, but seven of them have eaten by the dragon. I fear that soon my last daughter will be taken,” he cried. Mikoto realized that it was because of him that this terrible thing had happened. “Mikoto, you have had such a hard time. You must be very tired,” Kushinadahime said, and offered him a bowl of warm rice porridge. “I was worried that I had become a cowardly soul, but here this sweet girl possesses such a warm heart,” he thought to himself, overcome with emotion. Mikoto had fallen in love with the beautiful young maiden. It was his first love ever.

Chapter 4: Orochi (The Battle of the Eight-Headed Dragon). Mikoto decided to help the people of the village and Kushinadahime. But when he told the old man, he replied sadly, “You may be the brother of Hikaru, but you are no match for the eight-headed Dragon.” “What manner of creature is this dragon?” asked Mikoto. “It is a terrifying monster that dwells in the distant mountains,” The old man fearfully explained. “Its eyes are as red as Chinese lanterns, with eight horrible heads and tails and a body long enough to cover eight mountains and eight valleys.” “Leave this monster to me, said Mikoto grinning. “ I have an idea of how to take care of him once and for all.” Mikoto ordered the villagers to quickly build eight wall and eight gates. In front of each gate they placed a bucket filled with sweet-smelling and potent liquor. After they had finished, Mikoto settled down and waited for the night to come. When the darkness arrived, a strong wind that seemed to come from nowhere began to blow. The wind grew stronger and stronger until men were unable to stand. Then the mountain began to rumble ad shake. Suddenly, the air was filled with a terrible noise and the dreaded eight-headed monster appeared, its eyes flashing and blood oozing from its stomach. When one of the heads drew near the old man’s house, the monster dragon caught the sweet scent of the liquor. Each of the heads began moving toward the eight gates. The heads passed through each of the gates and began greedily gulping down the contents of the buckets. The dragon soon became woozy and drunk, and fell happily asleep. “Now we’ve got him!’, cried Mikoto. And with that he whipped out his sword and began chopping off one head after another. The dragon awakened, and turned on Mikoto with a vengeance. However, the drink had done its work, and the dragon could only manage a few feeble cries. Quick as the wind, Mikoto raced around the dragon, chopping off the remaining heads and tails. The monster fell to the ground with a terrible crash. In this way did Mikoto use his wisdom and bravery to fell the hideous dragon.

Chapter 5: Nageki (Sorrow in a World of Darkness). Word of Mikoto’s victory over the dragon spread quickly. Hikaru was happy when she heard of Mikoto’s deed and invited him to come and live with her in Takamagahara. Mikoto, filled with pride at the praise he had received from the other gods, soon began to walk around Takamagahara as if it were his own. The birds were surprised at Mikoto’s attitude, and the animals also cried out. Upset by the ruckus Mikoto had caused, the gods of the land went to Hikaru to ask her to do something. “What is the problem?” she asked. “You can overlook a little bit of foolishness, can’t you?” After all, he has done such a great thing”, Hikaru said. Hikaru did nothing to discipline Mikoto and his wildness increased even more. He began trampling some of the animals as he walked. Mikoto grew so careless that he stepped on some of Hikaru’s vassals, killing some. Finally, even gentle Hikaru could take no more and she expelled him from the land. Hikaru fell into great despair over her brother, and hid herself in the Celestial Rock Cave, sealing the entrance behind her. The world was plunged into total darkness without Hikaru such that no one could tell the difference between night and day. It remained so for a long, long time. The birds stopped singing, the flowers stopped blooming, the trees stopped growing and many gods, who were deeply affected by the great sadness that engulfed the land, fell sick. The rivers stopped flowing, the wind stopped lowing, and the waves of the sea disappeared. Those were dark and sad days.

Chapter 6: Matsuri (The festival). The land had fallen into everlasting darkness, and the gods gathered on the banks of the Amanoyasu River to decide on a way to coax Hikaru out of the cave. The oldest god among them, Omoikane, spoke up. “I have a good idea. Why don’t we try….” He went on to explain his secret plan in a whisper to the others. The other gods were in favor of Omoikane’s plan, and they set about preparing to carry it out. The gods gathered before the Gate of the Celestial Rock Cave and brought with them a mirror, some jewels and a flag and prayed before the cave for Hikaru to come out. Then from the middle of the circle of praying gods, came forth a goddess carrying a barrel. She turned the barrel upside down, jumped on top and began a joyful dance. She looked so happy dancing that the other gods were at first taken aback, but soon they joined in her happy celebration. They began playing flutes and drums, laughing and shouting so their voices and music echoed throughout Takamagahara. Mikoto meanwhile was praying nearby for Hikaru to come out from the cave. “I pray for the gods’ plan to succeed, whatever may happen to me.” As the gods continued their revelry, the noise penetrated the stone gate and fell upon the ears of Hikaru. At first Hikaru was puzzled by what she heard. “If I, the Goddess of Light, am in here, then the world outside must be in total darkness. But if that is true, then what is all this celebrating I am hearing?” she wondered. Saying so, she opened the stone gate a crack and peered outside to ask, “If I am here and the sky and earth are in total darkness, how can it be that you are having such a fun and festive time?” From the middle of the circle, the goddess came forward. “A new god is coming to the land. He is much more important than you are, and that is why we are celebrating.” As the goddess said so, another god who had been willing before the gate jumped up and held a large mirror before Hikaru. The light reflected there revealed a beautiful goddess. “Who is that?” exclaimed Hikaru before she realized it was her own beauty that was being reflected. It was then that the god of strength, Tajikaro, jumped out from the shadows where he had been hiding, pushed open the stone gate with all his strength, and pulled Hikaru from the cave. Omoikane’s plan had succeeded. Mikoto’s prayers had been answered.

Chapter 7: Reimei (The New Dawn). As Hikaru came out from the cave, her light shone brilliantly on all of Takamagahara. Flowers began to bloom and birds began to sing as her light filled the land. Izanagi overflowed with joy. “It seems that Mikoto has been transformed. We should forgive him,” he proposed. “He should be married to that beautiful young girl, Kushinadahime. They shall live together in happiness in a beautiful new land.” The news of what Izanagi had said soon reached Mikoto and Kushinadahime. They joined hands in happiness and facing Takamagahara, bowed in thanks. AS Mikoto and Kushinadahime stood together, a dazzling light shone down on them from between the clouds above. “You shall both rule over the land called Yamato. I will forever shine my light upon it in peace and happiness,” pledged Hikaru. Saying so, she radiated her splendid light upon the mountains. In this way, a new dawn was born in Yamato…

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