The world of the Shang kings was a world dominated by nature powers like the Sun, the Mountain, the River, and the High God referred to as Di and even the Former Lords. The word di has different meanings. Some say I mean ancestors while others say it has generosity meanings.
“The jurisdiction of this High God was exclusive”. Nature Powers and the ancestors had their roles to play. Di had the power to bring rain, thunder and even control the wind. This High God was common to the Chinese. This contributed to the origin of the religious practices of the Chinese society. It is a common to see the Chines worshiping nature powers and Di and all of them having the same practices. The exclusivity of the G=High God was revered by all the people. And no one dared question anything relevant to him.
Tangun was a legendary god in the ancient Korea. The full name was Dangun Wanggeom. It is said that he is the one who founded the present day Korean Peninsula and Liaoning Manchuria. It is also said that he is the “grandson of heaven” who founded the two kingdoms in 2333 BC. This also showed exclusivity of jurisdiction of the High God. Other powers were secondary.
Birth of a Land in Japanese mythology is just in reference to the foundations of the land of Japan. Many myths have been put forward to explain it. For instance the Goddess Sun was responsible for the laying of the boundaries. Many confuse the Goddess Sun with the Roman Goddess of Sun which gave rise to “Birthday” when she was born. The Descent of the Divine Grandson with the Three Imperial Regalia was a Japanese God who had divine powers. The regalia used by the God were revered.
In conclusion, all the three societies had similar beliefs. They believed in gods and goddesses who had divine powers and responsibilities. Some founded the lands, others brought rain, thunder and had powers to control weather. The difference is where the divinities had different powers and exclusive control. Nevertheless, the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans had similar beliefs.
Works Cited
Holcombe, Charles. A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print.
