The Meeting of Bagamundu and Amaterasu

This piece was inspired by the story of when the Japanese Shinto Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, hid herself in a cave and had to be lured out by the other Gods. Amaterasu had a fight with her brother the Storm God, Susanoo, and retreated to a cave. While she was in the cave the world became cold and dark. The other Gods tried to lure her out by various means, but nothing worked. Finally, they came up with a plan. The Goddess, Amenouzume, danced wildly at the entrance, sensually removing her clothes. The other Gods began to laugh and laugh. Amaterasu became curious with the commotion and peeked out to where the Gods had already positioned a mirror at the entrance. When Amaterasu paused to gaze at her beautiful reflection the Strong God, Ame-no-Tajikara-wo, pulled her out of the cave. Amaterasu left the cave and returned light to the world.

In the creating of this piece, Bagamundu came to life as a cat-whale-phoenix-snake mythical creature that simply wanted to meet Amaterasu. And so it was.

Listen to the Audio while scrolling through the images.
Vocals, Story and Illustrations: Merritt Eby Gates
Handpan and Sound Design: Anne Labadie

Experimental Audio of the Meeting of Bagamundu and Amaterasu

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