Gin and Kuro: The Greatest Stories

In the beginning of the world, there was nothing—only the stars in the sky, the twinkling and shining homes of the gods. Then, on one magnificent day, two gods were given a star to reform into a home for mortals.

These two gods were siblings, Bekin and Emaya, the strongest of their kind. Emaya reshaped the star into earth, water, and flora; Bekin reshaped the air around it so the sun didn’t scorch the land and clouds flitted above the sky in a lazy dance.

The siblings then created all living things, animals that rose up above the trees and creatures so small no one but the gods could see them. They put them all on a single island, the only point of land in a vast sea.

Bekin and Emaya were satisfied with their creation, but shortly things fell to chaos. The larger animals sought the blood of the smaller—the land was not sufficient to house all of their creations. To aid them in managing the chaos, they created Itoki and Aimiki, young gods with their same powers.

Bekin and Aimiki took charge of the skies, while Emaya and Itoki managed the ground. Things returned to peace as more troublesome beasts were exiled or killed while the rest were introduced to a reasonable means of living. The island reached a steady balance.

One hundred years passed before Aimiki and Itoki approached their parents. They both gave an earnest plea for a new creation—Aimiki had grown bored of flying with the birds, while Itoki had nurtured every plant he could. They argued that surely the highest gods’ will for this world would contain beings closer to the gods themselves.

Thus, Bekin and Aimiki created humans and placed them on the island. Their features were chosen by Aimiki and Itoki themselves. Aimiki and Itoki led the humans as rulers, guiding them towards a prosperous future.

It was oftentimes thankless work, and in another hundred years’ time the island once again fell into chaos as humans attempted to gain the gods’ good graces. Aimiki and Itoki rejected all advances, save for those of a certain duo of fraternal twins.

Despite their parents’ warnings, Aimiki and Itoki were charmed by the twins. They held their respective weddings on the same day, Aimiki in the east and Itoki in the west. They were blessed with clear skies and amazing flora to surround the newlywed couples, even if Aimiki and Itoki could not return to the godly refuge until their spouses met their natural ends.

Not many years passed before each god was given a son; the child of the east’s cries were drowned by howling winds, while the child of the west was whisked away to safety among a terrible earthquake. Bekin nor Emaya were pleased, even as Aimiki’s child was named Ginshin and Itoki’s child was named Kurokami.

The children shared a bitter rivalry, even as youths. With the strength of a god but the mortality of a human, they were quick to challenge and oppose others in a desperate attempt to achieve something in their short lifespans. They wanted glory—the same kind of fame their parents received by helping shape the world.

One day, Ginshin and Kurokami met at the center of the island and dueled for seven days without rest. When Aimiki and Itoki came to calm their conflict, they raised their swords higher and tried to break the stalemate between them. They did not cease, even as a tempest rose around them and engulfed their nearby surroundings.

Aimiki and Itoki tore their children away from each other, hoping to end the conflict with kind words. Instead, Ginshin and Kurokami turned against them, declaring that they would wage war amongst themselves—if Aimiki and Itoki stepped in again, the half-gods would fight the heavens.

Thus proceeded a conflict greater than any war since, blood-soaked swords clashing against one another in a battle that never came to a clear winner. Each side was evenly matched, and neither one could gain the advantage. In the chaos, a second nation—one of snow, sunshine, and birds—was created, ruled by Torigami, so that the humans who sought peace could flee there instead.

A century into the conflict, Ginshin conspired with Torigami to create tengu, intended to be messengers that could easily navigate the mountainous region he ruled. In retaliation, Kurokami led a massacre of foxes, reviving them to create kitsune that would manipulate the enemy. Neither race complied with their given roles, instead fleeing to their homes where they carried out the remaining war in joy that humans could only dream of.

Bekin and Emaya created oni and kijo—strong, hideous warriors—to forcefully end their grandchildren's conflict, but they were instead used by Ginshin and Kurokami to increase the fatalities. They only lived in the sunlight for twenty years before they were banished underground.

The earth changed amongst Ginshin and Kurokami’s fighting, to the point where vast mountains and deep forests overcame areas that were once open fields. In light of this drastic change, Ginshin and Kurokami sought to end the fighting in one final duel.

Before they could raise their swords, Bekin and Emaya appeared. When Ginshin and Kurokami refused to put down their weapons and end the war amicably, the higher gods saw no other solution than to permanently separate the two nations with a wide river.

To the river’s east was Gin no Ōkoku, which would be Ginshin’s kingdom. It contained high mountains, a constant breeze across fields, and rocky shores on its farthest side. Although they would never want for food or shelter, Ginshin’s people were cursed to one day bear the burden of destruction.

To the river’s west was Kuro no Ōkoku, belonging to Kurokami. It held large forests with a variety of creatures, beautiful lakes of shimmering water, and easily navigable seas across all borders. Despite that, Kurokami’s people were promised that they would struggle.

Ginshin’s people became complacent among prosperity, while Kurokami’s people assembled ships to steal resources from other nations. What Bekin and Emaya put in place to guide the nations together only pulled them further apart, extending the contention between nations instead of reducing it.

In time, the island will fall. Kuro’s greed will mix with Gin’s curse, and the island’s history will end when the tainted child of Gin ends the cruel cycle amongst Kuro’s attacks and threats.