Deities’ Dance

October 16, 2021

For whom is nature beautiful? Who made it beautiful?

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It was when my wife and I went to a hot spring by the mountains. The tourist map we got at the inn did not show any notable sights, but there was a park written “Natural Forest”, so we drove there on our way home. It was a good park with well-maintained trails and bridges so we could easily enjoy a walk, but it seemed to be too large to walk all the park around. Looking at the map, we found another entrance on the other side of the park and a mountain road to drive there.

On the way of the road, when we crossed a bridge over a river. Suddenly a beautiful scenery appeared. I immediately stopped the car and got out. Colorful leaves, flowing river, and arrangement as if designed by a landscaper. Cloudy sky made the leaves colors distinct, and the sound of the flow let me know how clean was the air.

Even though it’s so beautiful, it’s just on the way with nothing written on the tourist map. It made me realize that this beauty was not for humans. This is the beauty that existed before humans came to this land.

Then for whom is it beautiful? Who made it beautiful?


In the native Japanese religion, gods and goddesses dwell in the mountains, rivers, and even in each tree. And they sometimes appear in human form. Isn’t this landscape made by those deities for their own viewing? Thinking so and reviewed it, I began to think it really was.


I wanted to draw such a mountain where deities live. For making the song, I used “Amano-Iwato” from Japanese mythology as a motif and tried to express the landscape I saw.

Amano-Iwato (The huge rock in deities’ world)

Amateras, the goddess of the sun, had a violent brother god, Susano. Because he did many disorders, Amateras finally lost her patience and retreated into a cave and covered it with a huge rock – ‘Iwato’ – . The world was surrounded by darkness and various disasters occurred. The troubled deities devised a plan and held a party in front of the Iwato. The goddess of entertainment, Ameno-Uzume, began her dance, and as it became more energetic and erotic, the party got more exciting. Amateras heared the cheers and wondered “What are they enjoying without me?” and opened Iwato a little. Then, Ameno-Tajikarao, the god of mighty power, opened Iwato and succeeded in pulling out Amateras. Thus, brightness returned to the world.

This song may not be a classical guitar style song. But I enjoyed composing the song along the story, and keeping the rhythm and atmosphere of the Japanese divine festival while matching it with Western instrument.

Oh, Come to think of it, October is the month when all the deities in Japan gather for a peace conference. What a wonderful month!

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Song Information
  • Title: Deities’ Dance
  • Composer: Issay Tsumeki ( 爪木一晴 )
  • Work number: Op. 24
  • Date of composition: Oct. 22, 2020
  • Date of release Oct. 16, 2021
Photos