Japanese mythology
Japanese mythology is a complex system of beliefs. The
Shinto pantheon alone boasts a collection of more than 8000
kami (
Japanese for "
gods" or "
spirits"). Despite the influence of the ancient
Chinese civilization, much of
Japanese
mythology and
religion is uniquely their own. It embraces Shinto and
Buddhist traditions as well as agricultural-based
folk beliefs. Moreover, unlike
Greek,
Nordic and
Egyptian mythology, it is relatively difficult to distinguish what is truly "myth" to the Japanese. This article will discuss only the typical elements present in
Occidental mythology such as
cosmogony, important deities and the most well-known Japanese stories.
Mainstream Japanese myths, as generally recognized today, are based on the
Kojiki,
Nihonshoki and some complementary books. The
Kojiki or "Record of Ancient Things" is the oldest recognized book of myths, legends, and history of Japan. The
Shintoshu explains origins of Japanese deities from a
Buddhist perspective while the
Hotsuma Tsutae records a substantially different version of mythology.
One notable result of Japanese mythology is that it explains the origin of the
Imperial family, and assigned them godhood. The Japanese word for the Emperor of Japan,
tennō (天皇), means "heavenly
emperor" (the character 天 means "heaven").
A lot of deities appear on the stage of Japanese mythology, and many of them have multiple aliases. Furthermore, some of their names are so long that they can be tedious for the majority of readers. This article therefore lists only the most prominent names, and gives them in abbreviated form. Readers should be aware that other abbreviated forms are also in use.
(For instance,
Ninigi, or
Ame-Nigishikuni-Nigishiamatsuhiko-Hikono-no-Ninigi-no-Mikoto in full, may also be abbreviated as
Hikoho-no-Ninigi or
Hono-Ninigi.)
In some parts of this article, proper names are written in a historical manner. In this article, underlined
h,
y, and
w denote silent letters; they are omitted from modern spelling. This underlining convention is peculiar to this article. Other syllables are modernized as follows (see also
Japanese romanization systems). Note that some blend of these conventions is also often used.
*
hu is modernized as
fu.
*
zi and
di are modernized as
ji. (distinction disappeared)
*
zu and
du are modernized as
dzu. (distinction disappeared)
*
oo is modernized as
o or
oh.: For instance, various spellings of
Ohonamudi include
Ohonamuji,
Oonamuji,
Ohnamuji, and others.
By historical reasons,
k,
s,
t, and
h are sometimes confused with
g,
z,
d, and
b respectively.: For instance, various spellings of
Ohonamudi also include
Ohonamuti and
OhonamuchiThe first gods summoned two divine beings into existence, the male
Izanagi and the female
Izanami, and charged them with creating the first land. To help them do this,
Izanagi and
Izanami were given a
halberd decorated with jewels, named
Amanonuhoko (Heavenly Halberd of the Marsh). The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth,
Amenoukihashi (Floating Bridge of Heaven) and churned the sea below with the halberd. When drops of salty water fell from the halberd, they formed into the island
Onogoro (self-forming). They descended from the bridge of heaven and made their home on the island. Eventually they wished to mate, so they built a pillar called
Amenomihashira and around it they built a palace called
Yahirodono (the hall whose area is 8 arms' length squared).
Izanagi and
Izanami circled the pillar in opposite directions, and when they met on the other side
Izanami, the female deity, spoke first in greeting.
Izanagi didn't think that this was proper, but they mated anyway. They had two children,
Hiruko (watery child) and
Awashima (pale island) but they were badly-formed and are not considered deities.
They put the children into a boat and set them out to sea, and then petitioned the other gods for an answer as to what they had done wrong. They were told that the male deity should have spoken first in greeting during the ceremony. So
Izanagi and
Izanami went around the pillar again, and this time when they met
Izanagi spoke first and their union was successful.
From their union were born the
Ōyashima, or the eight great islands of Japan:
*
Awazi* (later
Shikoku)
*
Tsukusi (later
Kyushu)
*
Tsushima*
Sado*
Yamato (later
Honshu): Note that
Hokkaido,
Chishima, and
Okinawa were not part of Japan in ancient times.
They bore six more islands and many deities.
Izanami, however, died giving birth to the child
Kagututi (incarnation of fire) or
Ho-Masubi (causer of fire). She was then buried on Mt. Hiba, at the border of the
old provinces of
Izumo and
Hoki, near modern-day
Yasugi of
Shimane Prefecture. In anger,
Izanagi killed
Kagututi. His death also created dozens of deities.
The gods borne from
Izanagi and
Izanami are symbolic of important aspects of nature and culture, but they are too many to mention here. The fact that it was necessary for the male deity
Izanagi to take the lead position while the female deity
Izanami had to be second has led to the perception that this is an implied
discrimination against the female gender.
Izanagi lamented the death of
Izanami and undertook a journey to
Yomi or "the shadowy land of the dead."
Izanagi found little difference between
Yomi and the land above, save for the eternal darkness. However, this suffocating darkness was enough to make him ache for the light and life above. Quickly, he searched for
Izanami and found her. At first,
Izanagi could not see her at all for the shadows hid her appearance well. Nevertheless, he asked her to return with him.
Izanami spat out at him, informing
Izanagi that he was too late. She had already eaten the food of the underworld and was now one with the land of the dead. She could no longer return to the living.
Izanagi was shocked at this news but he refused to give in to her wishes of being left to the dark embrace of
Yomi. While
Izanami was sleeping, he took the comb that bound his long hair and set it alight as a torch. Under the sudden burst of light, he saw the horrid form of the once beautiful and graceful
Izanami. She was now a rotting form of flesh with maggots and foul creatures running over her ravaged body.
Crying out loud,
Izanagi could no longer control his fear and started to run, intending to return to the living and abandon his death-ridden wife.
Izanami woke up shrieking and indignant and chased after him. Wild
shikome or foul women also hunted for the frightened
Izanagi, instructed by
Izanami to bring him back.
Izanagi, thinking quickly, hurled down his headdress which became a bunch of black grapes. The
shikome fell on these but continued pursuit. Next,
Izanagi threw down his comb which became a clump of bamboo shoots. Now it was
Yomi's creatures that began to give chase, but
Izanagi urinated against a tree, creating a great river that increased his lead. Unfortunately, they still pursued
Izanagi, forcing him to hurl
peaches at them. He knew this would not delay them for long, but he was nearly free, for the boundary of
Yomi was now close at hand.
Izanagi burst out of the entrance and quickly pushed a boulder in the mouth of the cavern that was the entrance of
Yomi.
Izanami screamed from behind this impenetrable barricade and told
Izanagi that if he left her she would destroy 1,000 living people every day. He furiously replied he would give life to 1,500.
And so began the existence of Death, caused by the hands of the proud
Izanami, the abandoned wife of ''Izanagi.
As could be expected, Izanagi went on to purify himself after recovering from his descent to Yomi. As he undressed and removed the adornments of his body, each item he dropped to the ground formed a deity. Even more gods came into being when he went to the water to wash himself. The most important ones were created once he washed his face:
*
Amaterasu (incarnation of the sun) from his left eye,
*
Tsukiyomi (incarnation of the moon) from his right eye, and
*
Susanoo (incarnation of wind or storm) from his nose.
Izanagi went on to divide the world between them with Amaterasu inheriting the heavens, Tsukiyomi taking control of the night and moon and the storm god Susanoo owning the seas.
Amaterasu, the powerful sun goddess of Japan, is the most well-known deity of Japanese mythology. Her feuding with her uncontrollable brother Susanoo, however, is equally infamous and appears in several tales. One story tells of Susanoo's impossible behavior toward Izanagi. Izanagi, tired of Susanoo's repeated complaints, banished him to Yomi. Susanoo grudgingly acquiesced, but had to attend to some unfinished business first. He went to
Takamanohara (heaven) to bid farewell to his sister, Amaterasu. Amaterasu knew her unpredictable brother did not have any good intentions in mind and prepared for battle. "For what purpose do you come here?" asked Amaterasu. "To say farewell," answered Susanoo.
But she did not believe him and requested a contest for proof of his good faith. A challenge was set as to who could bring forth more noble divine children. Amaterasu made three women from Susanoo's sword, while Susanoo made five men from Amaterasu's ornament chain. Amaterasu claimed the title to the five men made from her belongings. Therefore, the three women were attributed to Susanoo.
Suffice to say, both gods declared themselves to be victorious. Amatarasu's insistence in her claim drove Susanoo to violent campaigns that reached their climax when he hurled a half-
flayed ponyinto Amatarasu's weaving hall, causing the death of one of her attendants. Amaterasu fled and hid in the cave called
Iwayado. As the incarnation of the sun disappeared into the cave, darkness covered the world.
All the gods and goddesses in turn tried to coax Amaterasu out of the cave, but she refused them all. Finally, the
kami of merriment,
Ama-no-Uzume, hatched a plan. She placed a large bronze mirror on a tree, facing Amaterasu's cave. Then Uzume clothed herself in flowers and leaves, overturned a washtub, and began to dance on it, drumming the tub with her feet. Finally, Uzume shed the leaves and flowers and danced naked. All the male gods roared with laughter, and Amaterasu became curious. When she peeked outside from her long stay in the dark, a ray of light called "dawn" escaped and Amaterasu was dazzled by her own reflection in the mirror. The god Ameno-Tajikarawo pulled her from the cave and it was sealed with a holy
shirukume rope. Surrounded by merriment, Amaterasu's depression disappeared and she agreed to return her light to the world. Uzume was from then on known as the kami of dawn as well as mirth.
See also:
Missing sun motifSusanoo, exiled from heaven, came to
Izumo Province (now part of
Shimane Prefecture). It was not long before he met an old man and his wife sobbing beside their daughter. The old couple explained that they originally had eight daughters who were devoured one-by-one each year by the dragon named
Yamata-no-orochi ("eight-forked serpent", who was said to originate from Kosi -- now
Hokuriku region). The terrible dragon had eight heads and eight tails.
Kusinada or Kushinada-Hime (rice paddy princess) was the last of the eight daughters.
Susanoo, who knew at once of the old couple's relation to the sun goddess Amaterasu, offered his assistance in return for their beautiful daughter in marriage. The parents accepted and Susanoo transformed Kushinada into a comb and hid her safely in his hair. He also ordered a fence built around the house, eight gates opened in the fence, eight tables placed at each gate, eight casks placed on each table, and the casks filled with eight-times brewed rice wine.
Orochi arrived and was allured by the wine. It drank it, and was slain by Susano in its stupor. A nearby river turned red with the blood of the dragon. As Susanoo cut the dragon into pieces, he found an excellent sword from a tail of the dragon that his sword had been unable to cut. The sword was later presented to Amaterasu and named
Ame no Murakamo no Tsurugi (later called
Kusanagi). This sword was to feature prominently in many other tales.
Ōnamuji (also known as Ōkuninushi) was a descendant of Susanoo. He, along with his many brothers, competed for the hand of Princess Yakami of Inaba. While travelling from
Izumo to
Inaba to court her, the brothers met a skinned rabbit lying on a beach. Seeing this, they told the rabbit to bathe in the sea and dry in the wind at a high mountain. The rabbit believed them and thereby suffered in agony. Ōnamuji, who was lagging behind his brothers, came and saw the rabbit in pain and instructed the rabbit to bathe in fresh water and be covered with powder of the "gama" (cattail) flower. The cured rabbit, who was in reality a deity, informed Ōnamuji it was he who would marry Princess Yakami.
The trials of Ōnamuji were many and he died twice at the hands of his jealous brothers. Each time he would be saved by his mother Kusanda-hime. Pursued by his enemies, he ventured to Susanoo's realm where he would meet the vengeful god's daughter, Suseri-hime. The crafty Susanoo would test Ōnamuji several times but in the end, Susanoo approved of the young boy and foretold his victory against his brothers.
Although the Yamato tradition attributes the creation of the Japanese islands to Izanagi and Izanami, the Izumo tradition claims Ōnamuji, along with a dwarf god called Sukunabiko, would contribute to or at least finish the creation of the islands of Japan.
Amaterasu ordered her grandson
Ninigi to rule over the ground. She gave him the
Three Sacred Treasures:
* the
magatama necklace of
Yasakani no magatama (now situated in the
imperial palace);
* the
bronze mirror of
Yata no kagami (now in the
Grand Shrine of Ise); and
* the
sword Kusanagi (a possible replica of which is now in
Atsuta Shrine,
Nagoya).
The first two were made to lure
Amaterasu out of
Amano-Iwato. The last was found in the
Orochi, an eight-headed
hydra. Of these three, the mirror is the token of
Amaterasu. The three together constitute the
Imperial Regalia of Japan.
Ninigi and his company went down to the earth and came to
Himuka, there he founded his palace.
Ninigi met the Princess
Konohana-sakuya (symbol of flowers), the daughter of
Yamatumi (master of mountains), and they fell in love.
Ninigi asked
Yamatumi for his daughter's hand. The father was delighted and offered both of his daughters, Iwanaga (symbol of rocks) and Sakuya (symbol of flowers). But
Ninigi married only
Sakuya and refused
Iwanaga.
"Iwanaga is blessed with eternity and
Sakuya with prosperity",
Yamatumi said in regret, "by refusing
Iwanaga, your life will be brief from now on." Because of this,
Ninigi and his descendants became mortal.
Sakuya conceived by a night and
Ninigi doubted her. To prove legitimacy of her children,
Sakuya swore by her luck and took a chance; she set fire to her room when she had given birth to her three babies. By this,
Ninigi knew her chastity. The names of the children were
Hoderi,
Hosuseri, and
Howori.
Hoderi lived by fishing in sea while his brother Ho
wori lived by hunting in mountains. One day, Ho
wori asked his brother to swap places for a day. Ho
wori tried fishing, but he could not get a catch, and what was worse, he lost the fishhook he borrowed from his brother. Hoderi relentlessly accused his brother and did not accept his brother's apology.
While Ho
wori was sitting on a beach, sorely perplexed, Shi
hotuti told him to ride on a ship called the Manasikatuma and go wherever the current went. Following this advice, Ho
wori reached the house of Watatumi (master of seas). There he met Toyotama, Watatumi's daughter, and married with her. After three years of marriage, he remembered his brother and his fishhook, then told Watatumi about it.
Watatumi soon found the fishhook in the throat of a bream and handed it to Ho
wori. Watatumi also gave him two magical balls, Si
homitutama, which could cause a flood, and Si
hohirutama, which could cause an ebb, and sent him off, along with his bride, to land.
As Toyotama was giving birth, she asked Ho
wori not to look at her delivery. However, Ho
wori, filled with curiosity, peeped in, and saw her transforming into a shark at the moment his son, Ugaya, was born. Aware of this, Toyotama disappeared into sea and did not return, but she entrusted her sister Tamayori with her yearning for Howori.
Ugaya married his aunt Tamayori and had five children, including Ituse and Yamatobiko.
First Emperor
The first legendary emperor of Japan is
Iwarebiko, posthumous alias
Emperor Jimmu. He established the throne in 660 BCE. His pedigree is summarized as follows.
*
Iwarebiko is a son of
Ugaya and
Tamayori.
*
Ugaya is a son of
Howori and
Toyotama.
*
Howori is a son of
Ninigi and
Sakuya.
*
Ninigi is a son of Osihomimi and
Akidusi.
*
Osihomimi is born from an ornament of
Amaterasu.
*
Amaterasu is born from the left eye of
Izanagi.
*
Izanagi is born of his own accord.
Conquest of the east (23-26)
Yamato Takeru (44-48)
*
Magatama*
O-fuda*
Onmyodo*
Shinto*
Ssŭ Ling - The four guardians.
*
Yamato Takeru*
Kojiki, Records of Ancient Matters: Yamato-Takeru Slays the Kumaso Brothers*
Romance stories from old Japan, pre-1919 Free to read and full text search.
