ften when a soldier comes back from war, he will hang up a tablet or
picture-frame, on which is carved a painting or picture of the two-edged
short sword like that which Ojin carried. Many of the old soldiers who
fought in armor wore a little silver sword of Ojin set as a frontlet to
their helmets, for a crest of honor. On gilded or lacquered Japanese
cabinets and shrines, and printed on their curious old, and new greenback
paper money, are seen the blazing Jewels of the Tides. On their gold and
silver coins the coiled dragon clutches in his claws the Jewels of the
Ebbing and the Flowing Tide. One of the iron-clad war ships of the
imperial Japanese navy, on which floats proudly the red sun-banner of the
Empire of the Rising Sun, is named K[=o]g[=o] (Empress) after the Amazon
empress who in the third century carried the arms of the Island Empire
into the main land of Asia, and won victory by her mastery over the
ebbing and the flowing tides.

[Illustration: THE DRAGON KING'S GIFT OF THE TIDE JEWELS.]

THE CREATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.

Of old the Heavens and the Earth were not separated. Land and water,
solids and gases, fire and stone, light and darkness were mixed together.
All was liquid and turbid chaos.

Then the mighty mass began to move from within. The lighter particles of
gas and air began to rise, forming the sky and heavens. The heavy parts
sank and cohered, becoming the earth. The water formed the four seas.
Then there appeared something like a white cloud floating between heaven
and earth. Out of this came forth three beings--The Being of the Middle
of Heaven, The High August Being, and The Majestic Being. These three
"hid their bodies."

Out of the warm mould of the earth something like a rush sprouted up. It
was clear and bright like crystal. From this rush-sprout came forth a
being whose title is "The Delightful and Honorable Rush-Sprout." Next
appeared another being out of the buds of the rush-sprout whose name is
"The Honorable Heaven-born." These five beings are called "the heavenly
gods."

Next came into existence four pairs of beings viz.: (1) The Being Sprung
from the First Mud, and The Being of the Sand and Mud; (2) The Being with
Hands and Feet Growing, and the Being Having Breath; (3) The Male Being,
and the Female Being of the Great Place (the earth); (4) The Being of
Complete Perfection, and the Being who cried out "Strange and Awful" to
her mate.

Thus the last pair that came i