In the ancient days when the boundaries between the heavens and the earthly domain were as thin as a morning mist, the high realm of Takamagahara—the Plain of High Heaven—glowed under the benevolent and radiant warmth of Amaterasu Omikami, the supreme sun goddess. From her celestial seat, Amaterasu looked down upon the terrestrial world below, known as Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, the Middle Land of Reed Plains. The earthly realm was a place of wild, untamed beauty, filled with clamorous earthly deities, unruly spirits, and chaotic forces that kept the land in a perpetual state of restlessness. Though Okuninushi, the great earthly lord of Izumo, had worked tirelessly to cultivate the land, pacify the local spirits, and build a cohesive society, the heavenly deities believed that the earthly realm should be properly governed by the direct lineage of the sun goddess herself to ensure cosmic order and permanent peace.
Amaterasu, consulting with the wise primordial deity Takamimusubi and the assembled assembly of eight million gods on the banks of the Heavenly Quiet River, declared that her own grandson, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, was destined to rule over the Middle Land of Reed Plains. However, before the heavenly prince could descend to assume his rightful place, the earthly world had to be pacified and its current ruler, Okuninushi, had to formally yield his authority to the celestial court. This decision initiated a grand, multi-phased diplomatic and martial campaign, during which Amaterasu sent successive divine messengers to negotiate the transfer of power.
The first messenger chosen for this monumental task was Amenohohi, a powerful and prestigious deity who was believed to possess the tact and gravity needed to persuade Okuninushi. Armed with the mandate of the heavenly court, Amenohohi descended from the high clouds to the land of Izumo. However, upon arriving in the lush and vibrant earthly realm, Amenohohi was deeply impressed by the prosperity of Okuninushi's domain and the charm of the earthly people. Instead of delivering the heavenly demand, Amenohohi began to cultivate a close relationship with Okuninushi. As the months turned into years, his loyalty to the heavenly court began to waver, and he ultimately chose to settle in Izumo, completely failing to send any reports back to Takamagahara for three years. Amaterasu and the heavenly assembly waited in vain, realizing at last that their first messenger had been won over by the very world he was sent to subdue.
Undeterred, Amaterasu and Takamimusubi convened another great council of the gods to select a second envoy. This time, they chose Ame-no-Wakahiko, a swift and exceptionally skilled archer, equipping him with a sacred heavenly bow and divine arrows. Ame-no-Wakahiko descended to earth with great fanfare, determined to succeed where Amenohohi had failed. Yet, history repeated itself in an even more dramatic fashion. Upon meeting Okuninushi’s beautiful daughter, Shitateruhime, Ame-no-Wakahiko fell deeply in love and married her. Aspiring to rule the earthly realm himself rather than deliver it to the heavenly dynasty, he neglected his divine mission entirely. For eight years, no word from Ame-no-Wakahiko reached the high heavens.
Growing suspicious and weary of the silence, Amaterasu dispatched a clever pheasant named Nakime to act as a celestial spy and find out why the messenger had remained silent. Nakime flew down to earth and perched upon a sacred katsura tree outside Ame-no-Wakahiko’s residence, calling out to him with the divine decree of the heavenly council. An earthly courtier, hearing the pheasant's ominous cry, warned Ame-no-Wakahiko that the bird was a messenger of ill omen. Persuaded by this warning, Ame-no-Wakahiko took his divine bow and shot one of his heavenly arrows straight through the pheasant’s heart. The arrow was so powerful that it pierced the bird, soared up through the clouds, and landed at the very feet of Amaterasu and Takamimusubi in the heavenly court. Recognizing the arrow as the one given to the messenger, Takamimusubi took the blood-stained projectile and declared that if Ame-no-Wakahiko’s intentions were pure, the arrow would do no harm, but if he had rebelled, it would strike him down. Takamimusubi cast the arrow back down to earth through the hole in the sky. The arrow flew straight into the bedchamber of Ame-no-Wakahiko, piercing his chest while he slept and ending his life instantly, leaving his widow and family in deep mourning.