Amanoukijō
Castle of the Gods
The castle of the gods in Takamagahara, and headquarters of the Japanese pantheon. Amanoukijō is a stunning sight that towers over the green, rolling landscape around it. Built like a massive, complex Japanese castle, the entire structure presides on the top of a small mountain of stone, which itself floats serenely in the air. Smaller structures, shrines and dwellings both, drift around this central building in their own unique arcs. Some are tied with rope or paper, while others meander on their own whims. Somehow, though they often draw inches away from each other, the islands never quite collide.
Of these satellites, Ama no Iwato, where the goddess Amaterasu hid after a fight with her sibling Susano'o, is particularly notable. Other structures include dwellings of the gods themselves, or favorite sacred sites from Earth recreated in perfect detail.
Around the other side of Amanoukijō, facing away from the heavenly plains, stretches the heavenly bridge Ama-no-uki-hashi. This is one of few physical places where the mortal realm connects physically to that of the gods, and its location on Earth is kept well secret. The bridge is well-guarded at all times by order of Izanagi-no-Mikoto. His personal guard patrols its length without rest, and it's rumored that heavenly miscreants are sometimes thrown off of it as a punishment.
Comments