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Izanagi
Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally known as , is the creator deity (''kami'') of both creation and life in Japanese mythology. He and his sister-wife Izanami are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested after the formation of heaven and earth. Izanagi and Izanami are held to be the creators of the Japanese archipelago and the progenitors of many deities, which include the sun goddess Amaterasu, the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the storm god Susanoo. Name His name is given in the '' Kojiki'' (ca. 712 AD) both as ''Izanagi-no-Kami'' (伊邪那岐神) and ''Izanagi-no-Mikoto'' (伊邪那岐命), while the '' Nihon Shoki'' (720 AD) refers to him as ''Izanagi-no-Mikoto'', with the name written in different characters (伊弉諾尊). The names ''Izanagi'' (''Izanaki'') and ''Izanami'' are often interpreted as being derived from the verb ( historical orthography ) or ''iⁿzanap''- from Western Old Japanese ...
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Izanami
, formally known as , is the creator deity of both creation and death in Japanese mythology, as well as the Shinto mother goddess. She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested after the formation of heaven and earth. Izanami and Izanagi are held to be the creators of the Japanese archipelago and the progenitors of many deities, which include the sun goddess Amaterasu, the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the storm god Susanoo. Name Her name is given in the '' Kojiki'' (ca. 712 AD) both as ''Izanami-no-Kami'' (伊弉冉神) and ''Izanami-no-Mikoto'' (伊弉冉尊), while the '' Nihon Shoki'' (720 AD) refers to her as ''Izanami-no-Mikoto'', with the name written in different characters (伊邪那美命). The names ''Izanagi'' (''Izanaki'') and ''Izanami'' are often interpreted as being derived from the verb ( historical orthography ) or ''iⁿzanap''- from Western Old Japanese 'to invite' , with ''-ki'' / ''-gi'' and ' ...
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Kamiumi
In Japanese mythology, the story of the occurs after the creation of Japan (''Kuniumi''). It concerns the birth of the divine (''kami'') descendants of Izanagi and Izanami. Story According to the Kojiki, various gods were born from the relationship between Izanagi and Izanami until the fire deity, Kagu-tsuchi, at birth burned Izanami's genitals and wounded her fatally. Izanagi, witnessing the death of his beloved wife, in rage took the ten-graspA "grasp" is the breadth of four fingers when the hand is clenched. sabre and crushed his child, Kagutsuchi. A number of gods were born from the blood and remains of Kagutsuchi. Subsequently, Izanagi went to the land of Yomi (the world of the dead) to find Izanami, however when he found her, she had become a rotting corpse and from her parts other gods had arisen, causing the flight of Izanagi to the world of the living. Then Izanagi performed the misogi ritual purification through which more gods are born. The last of these are the th ...
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Japanese Mythology
Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contact with Korea, Ainu, and Okinawan myths are also key influences in Japanese mythology. Japanese myths are tied to the topography of the archipelago as well as agriculturally-based folk religion, and the Shinto pantheon holds countless '' kami'' ( Japanese for " god(s)" or "spirits"). This article will discuss cosmogony, important deities, modern interpretations, cultural significance, and the influence of these myths. Two important sources for Japanese myths as they are recognized today are the '' Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki''. The ''Kojiki'', or "Record of Ancient Matters," is the oldest surviving account of Japan's myths, legends, and history. Additionally, the ''Shintōshū'' describes the origins of Japanese de ...
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Amaterasu
Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the '' Kojiki'' (c. 712 CE) and the '' Nihon Shoki'' (720 CE), as the ruler (or one of the rulers) of the heavenly realm Takamagahara and the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan via her grandson Ninigi. Along with her siblings, the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the impetuous storm god Susanoo, she is considered to be one of the "Three Precious Children" (, ), the three most important offspring of the creator god Izanagi. Amaterasu's chief place of worship, the Grand Shrine of Ise in Ise, Mie Prefecture, is one of Shinto's holiest sites and a major pilgrimage center and tourist spot. As with other Shinto ''kami'', she is also enshrined in a number of Shinto shrines throughout Japan. Name The goddess is referred to as 'Amaterasu Ōmikam ...
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Susanoo-no-Mikoto
__FORCETOC__ Susanoo (; historical orthography: , ) is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory characteristics (both good and bad), being portrayed in various stories either as a wild, impetuous god associated with the sea and storms, as a heroic figure who killed a monstrous serpent, or as a local deity linked with the harvest and agriculture. Syncretic beliefs that arose after the introduction of Buddhism to Japan also saw Susanoo becoming conflated with deities of pestilence and disease. Susanoo, alongside Amaterasu and the earthly Ōkuninushi (also Ōnamuchi) – depicted as either Susanoo's son or scion depending on the source – is one of the central deities of the imperial Japanese mythological cycle recorded in the ( CE) and the (720 CE). One of the gazetteer reports () commissioned by the imperial court during the same per ...
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Izanagi Shrine
is a Shinto shrine in the Taga neighborhood of the city of Awaji in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is the ''ichinomiya'' of former Awaji Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on April 22. Enshrined ''kami'' The ''kami'' enshrined at Izanagi Jingū are: * * History Per Japanese mythology as outlined in the '' Kojiki'' and '' Nihon Shoki'', the Japanese archipelago (starting with Awaji Island), the ''kami'', and all living things were created by the progenitor gods Izanagi and Izanami. After this work was completed, Izanagi retired into seclusion on Awaji Island where his tomb was located on the site of his palace. The documentary history, mention of a shrine to Izanagi in Awaji is made in an entry in the ''Nihon Shoki'' under the reigns of Emperor Richu and Emperor Ingyō and the shrine appears in the '' Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku'' in an entry dated 859. In the 927 '' Engishiki'', it is listed a ''Myōjin Taisha'', and as the ''ichinomiya'' of the prov ...
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Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperial line. It is claimed in its preface to have been composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Genmei in the early 8th century (711–712), and thus is usually considered to be the oldest extant literary work in Japan. The myths contained in the as well as the are part of the inspiration behind many practices. Later, they were incorporated into Shinto practices such as the purification ritual. Composition It is believed that the compilation of various genealogical and anecdotal histories of the imperial (Yamato) court and prominent clans began during the reigns of Emperors Keitai and Kinmei in the 6th century, with the first concerted effort at historical compilation of which we have record being the one made in 620 unde ...
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Tsukuyomi
, or simply or , is the moon god in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. The name "Tsukuyomi" is a compound of the Old Japanese words and . The '' Nihon Shoki'' mentions this name spelled as , but this ''yumi'' is likely a variation in pronunciation of ''yomi''. An alternative interpretation is that his name is a combination of and . There is so little known about Tsukuyomi that even their sex is unknown. Still, in ''Man'yōshū'', Tsukuyomi's name is sometimes rendered as , implying that they are male. Text available onlinhere Tsukuyomi was the second of the born when Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the god who created the first land of Onogoroshima, was cleansing himself of his sins while bathing after escaping the underworld and the clutches of his enraged dead sister, Izanami-no-Mikoto. Tsukuyomi was born when he washed out of Izanagi's right eye. However, in an alternative story, Tsukuyomi was born from a mirror made of white copper in Izanagi's right hand. Tsukuyomi a ...
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Kamiyonanayo
In Japanese mythology, the are the seven generations of ''kami'' that emerged after the formation of heaven and earth. According to the Kojiki, these deities appeared after the Kotoamatsukami. The first two generations were hitorigami while the five that followed came into being as male-female pairs of ''kami'': male deities and sisters that were at the same time married couples. In total the ''Kamiyonanayo'' consist of 12 deities in this chronicle. In contrast, the chronicle Nihon Shoki, points out that this group was the first to appear after the creation of the universe. It also states that the first three generations of deities were ''hitorigami'' and that the other generations of deities were pairs of the opposite sex. Finally the Nihon Shoki uses a different spelling for the names of all deities. The last generation formed by Izanagi and Izanami were the couple that would be responsible for the creation of the Japanese archipelago (''Kuniumi'') and would engender other ...
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Amenonuhoko
is the name given to the spear in Shinto used to raise the primordial land-mass, '' Onogoro-shima'', from the sea. It is often represented as a naginata. According to the Kojiki, Shinto's genesis gods Izanagi and Izanami , formally known as , is the creator deity of both creation and death in Japanese mythology, as well as the Shinto mother goddess. She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested ... were responsible for creating the first land. To help them do this, they were given a spear decorated with jewels, named ''Ame-no'' (heavenly) ''nu-hoko'' (jewelled spear), by older heavenly gods. The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth, '' Ame-no-ukihashi'' ("floating bridge of heaven"), and churned the sea below with the naginata. When drops of salty water fell from the tip, they formed into the first island, '' Onogoro-shima''. Izanagi and Izanami then descended from the bridge of hea ...
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Onogoro Island
Onogoroshima ('' Kojiki'': ''Onogoro-shima''; '' Nihon Shoki'': ''Onogoro-jima'') is an important island in Shinto. ''Onogoro'' literally means "''muddy sea has the ability to bind rocks and stones accumulated to form a bridge''". Shinto account According to the Kojiki, Onogoroshima was created (''kuniumi'') when the divine couple Izanagi and Izanami churned the sea with the Amenonuhoko (heavenly spear) from their vantage point on the floating bridge of heaven.Kurano, ''Kojiki'', page 53 When they raised the spear from the ocean, drops fell from the spear, forming the island. They built a palace on top with a great column in the middle. The siblings walked around this pillar in opposite directions, and when they encountered each other, they were married. This island is where Hiruko (Ebisu) was born. The island is mentioned only three times in the Kojiki, at ch.3:3, ch:7:25, and ch.111:32.Philippi's translation, p. 49, p. 57, and p. 306. Real-world placement In his ...
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Kagu-tsuchi
Kagutsuchi (カグツチ; Old Japanese: ''Kagututi''), also known as Hi-no-Kagutsuchi or Homusubi among other names, is the kami of fire in classical Japanese mythology. Mythology Kagutsuchi's birth burned his mother Izanami, causing her death. His father Izanagi, in his grief, beheaded Kagutsuchi with his sword, Ame no Ohabari (天之尾羽張), and cut his body into eight pieces, which became eight volcanoes. Kagutsuchi’s corpse created numerous deities, which typically includes Watatsumi, Kuraokami, Takemikazuchi, Futsunushi, Amatsumikaboshi, and Ōyamatsumi. Kagutsuchi's birth, in Japanese mythology, comes at the end of the creation of the world and marks the beginning of death.Ashkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 186 In the '' Engishiki'', a source which contains the myth, Izanami, in her death throes, bears the water god Mizuhanome, instructing her to pacify Kagu-tsuchi if he should become violent. ...
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