Ancient Japan is full of mythologies and legends. We love Japan now for their innovations, inventions, and anime. As much as we can tell about Japan now we haven’t really tried to explore its origins and the earlier times of the great dynasty.
According to Shinto mythology, the Japanese Islands were created by the gods Izanami and Izanagi. Izanami (meaning ‘she who invites’) and Izanagi (meaning ‘he who invites’). They are believed to have created the Japanese islands and gave birth to other Shinto gods or ‘kami‘.
The creation of the Japanese islands is full of colorful descriptions. It is believed that Izanami and Izanagi standing at the stairway of heaven, the two gods used a jewel-encrusted spear to stir the ocean. Withdrawing the spear, salt crystalized into drops on the tip and these fell back into the ocean as islands.
Another version says the spear dripped mud from the murky and chaotic seas.
The first island created by the gods was the Onogoro-Shima which they used for their wedding ceremony. However, during this sacred marriage ritual, Izanami wrongly spoke first. This led to the impiety of their first child was a miscarriage and born ugly weakling without bones.
This child was called Hiruko (later Ebisu). He went on to become the patron of fishermen and one of the seven gods of luck. The second child was the island of Awa but the gods were not satisfied with their offspring and asked their parents (the seven invisible gods) the reason for their misfortune. Their parents revealed the reason was their incorrect performance of their marriage ritual.
The couple performed the ceremony again and this time Izanagi spoke first. The gods went on to creating auspicious offspring, including the eight principal islands of Japan – Awaji, Shikoku, Oki, Tsukushi (Kyushu), Iki, Tsu, Sado, and Oyamato.
They also went on to create a number of gods. In fact, it said they created over 800 Kami (gods, spirits and natural phenomena) that exist in the Shinto pantheon. Kami influences people’s everyday lives and they are even worshipped.
Kani is attracted by the purity and repelled by the lack of it, including harmony.
The birth/creation of the gods by Izanami and Izanagi came at a steep price. Izanami was terribly burnt when the gave birth to Kagutsuchi and it is said that many kami were born from her tears until she finally died.
Revenge was swift though, as Izanagi cut the fire god to pieces with his sword. According to legends, many new deities sprang up from each piece of the god.
Izanagi, unable to live without his beloved wife, followed Izanami to the underworld. Unfortunately, Izanami had eaten food from the underworld. This means she was forbidden from leaving. However, Izanami pleaded with the gods to be made an exception and made Izanagi promise that he would be patient and not try to see her in her present state.
The process was long and impatient Izanagi attempted to see her. He was certainly shocked, for her body had already begun decomposing. Izanagi was chased from the underworld.
Finally, Izanagi reached the outside world, he blocked the entrance to Yomi with an enormous stone. Fortunate to have escaped unharmed the god had to cleanse himself, which created various gods. The ritual was performed at the river of Woto to rid himself of the underworld.
The sun goddess, Amaterasu was born when he washed his left eye, Tsuki-Yomi, the god of the moon when he washed his right eye, Susanoo (or Take-haya-Susa-no-wo), the storm god, when he washed his nose and Shina-Tsu-hiko, the god of wind was born from Izanagi’s breath. In addition, when he cast off his tainted clothes in the river a further twelve gods were born from the twelve pieces. In reference to this episode, the practice of harai or cleansing before entering a sacred shrine (jinja) has become an important part of the Shinto ritual.
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