Tokoyo

location in Shinto mythology

Tokoyo (常世),[1] also known as the Unseen world (隠世、幽世, Kakuriyo),[2] or Taikaikan,[3] is a place in the Shinto religion where nothing changes[2] that is believed to be the world of the gods and ancestral spirits. It is said to be a place of eternal youth where people never age. The location of Tokoyo varies between stories. Sometimes it is underwater, in others underground, and in others in the sky. Interpretations have varied as to whether it is good or bad. There are various stories about Tokoyo in classic texts such as the Kojiki and Nihongi. Motoori Norinaga classified three types of Tokoyo: a world of perpetual darkness, a world of eternal youth, and a world across the sea.[1]

There are many stories about Tokoyo found in classic texts like Kojiki and Nihongi. For example, there is a story about Tajimamori who went to Tokoyo during the reign of Emperor Suinin to help him become immortal. Another story is about a cult that emerged during the reign of Empress Kogyoku, which was dedicated to the god of Tokoyo and was very enthusiastic.[1]

Identification with Mount Penglai

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In the story of Urashima Tarō, Tokoyo is linked with a place called Mount Penglai. In the original Chinese text, Mount Penglai is called Horai, but it's also noted that it should be pronounced as Tokoyo-no-kuni.[4][5]

The asteroid 162173 Ryugu has two fossae named after Tokoyo and Penglai, respectively.[6]

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Encyclopedia of Shinto詳細". 國學院大學デジタルミュージアム (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "隠り世(かくりよ)と現世(うつしよ)、隠り世ってどんなところ? - waqwaq". waqwaq-j.com. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  3. "國學院デジタルミュージアム". 2018-02-19. Archived from the original on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2023-03-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. McKeon (1996).
  5. Poulton, M. Cody (2001), Spirits of Another Sort: The Plays of Izumi Kyōka, Center for Japanese Studies, the University of Michigan, p. 88, ISBN 9780939512010
  6. https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/2020/07/aa37096-19.pdf