Hello, and welcome to the History of Japan podcast, episode 27, The Way of Yin and Yang.

This week, we're going to discuss the rise and from a certain perspective of the fall

of one of the more influential ideologies in Japanese history, Onmiodo, or The Way of Yin and Yang,

the same characters being right as either Inyo or Onyo in Japanese.

This is a really fascinating subject

that allows us to talk about everything from Japanese cosmology

to the power politics surrounding religion,

but before we get started, there's a bit of clarification and background

necessary to make sure that we're all on the same page.

On Miodo, as the name might imply, is based on the dualist Chinese theory of In Yang,

whereby the universe is composed of a mixture of opposed forces of In, representing among other things,

light, masculinity, and power, and Yang representing darkness, femininity, and weakness.

These two are not polar or incompatible opposites in the sense of, say, good and evil in the

Western tradition. Rather, an ideal situation balances the two because both are necessary for

harmony. A good example would be, for example, the relationship between men and women in society.

A society dominated entirely by Yin, or the male force, would not function, nor would a society dominated entirely by Yang.

After all, if nothing else, you need both to create the next generation.

Thus, according to the theory, the ideal society is a balance between the two.

Onmiodo also draws on theories of Liu Xing, or the five Chinese elements, which are earth, fire, air, water, and metal.

Much like In Yang, the harmony between these five components of the world is seen as essential for balance and metal. Much like In Yang, the harmony between these five components of the world is

seen as essential for balance and stability. In particular, the harmony of the Ushin is derived

from two cycles, one destructive, the other creative. The destructive cycle functions as follows.

...