The Kojiki, "Records of Ancient Matters", says that when Izanagi-no-mikoto had himself purified after coming back from the land of the dead, three deities were born; the sun goddess Amaterasu-Oomikami when Izanagi washed his left eye, the moon god Tsukiyomi-no-mikoto when he washed his right eye, and the storm god Susanoo-no-mikoto when he washed his nose.
Tsukiyomi-no-mikoto not only governs the world of night, but is also the god of water. The name of Tsuki Hoko comes from this ancient story, tsuki meaning 'moon'. At the top of the Shingi pole is a golden crescent, forty centimeters in width and twenty-four centimeters in length. At the middle of the pole, just under the deity platform with the Tenno divine symbol on it, a ship-shaped basket is attached. Despite a large fire in 1864, it lost only the pole.
By T.S. on 30th Jun., 2008
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