|
Kuniumi
In Japanese mythology, is the traditional and legendary history of the emergence of the Japanese archipelago, of islands, as narrated in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. According to this legend, after the creation of Heaven and Earth, the gods Izanagi and Izanami were given the task of forming a series of islands that would become what is now Japan. In Japanese mythology, these islands make up the known world. The creation of Japan is followed by the creation of the gods (''kamiumi''). Creation story According to the Kojiki After the formation, Heaven was above and Earth was still a drifting soft mush. The first five gods named were lone deities without sex and did not reproduce. Then came the , consisting of two lone deities followed by five couples. The elder gods delegated the youngest couple Izanagi and Izanami to carry out their venerable mandate: to reach down from heaven and give solid form to the earth. This they did with the use of a precious stone-covered spear named , gi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 deities ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 dei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takamagahara
In Japanese mythology, Takamagahara (高天原, "Plain of High Heaven" or "High Plain of Heaven", also read as Takaamanohara, Takamanohara, Takaamagahara, or Takaamahara), is the abode of the heavenly gods ('' amatsukami''). Often depicted as located up in the sky, it is believed to be connected to the Earth by the bridge '' Ame-no-ukihashi'' (the "Floating Bridge of Heaven"). Overview In Shinto, ''ame'' (heaven) is a lofty, sacred world, the home of the '' Kotoamatsukami''. Some scholars have attempted to explain the myth of descent of the gods from the Takamagahara as an allegory of the migration of peoples. However, it is likely to have referred from the beginning to a higher world in a religious sense. A Shinto myth explains that at the time of creation, light, pure elements branched off to become heaven (''ame''). Heavy, turbid elements branched off to become earth ('' tsuchi''). ''Ame'' became the home of the ''amatsukami'' or gods of heaven, while ''tsuchi'' became the home ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 'to i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ame-no-ukihashi
Ame-no-ukihashi (天浮橋, 天の浮橋; English: ''Floating Bridge of Heaven'') is the bridge that connects the heaven and the earth in Japanese mythology. In the story of the creation of the Japanese archipelago, narrated in the ''Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki'', the gods Izanagi and Izanami stood upon this bridge while they gave form to the world. The concept of the Floating Bridge may have been inspired by the rainbow, although it has also been suggested that it represents the Milky Way. In another story, the bridge is said to be guarded by the god Sarutahiko Ōkami, who refuses to allow Ninigi-no-Mikoto to descend to earth. Ame-no-Uzume persuades Sarutahiko to relent, and subsequently marries him. According to the ''Tango Fudoki'', the floating bridge eventually collapsed and fell to earth, with its remains forming the area west of Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan Yashima
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 6852 islands covering ; the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Japan is the eleventh most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated and urbanized. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its population of 123.2 million on narrow coastal plains. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), ''Iyo-shima'' (), and ''Futana-shima'' (), and its current name refers to the four former provinces that made up the island: Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo. Geography Shikoku Island, comprising Shikoku and its surrounding islets, covers about and consists of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kōchi, and Tokushima. Across the Seto Inland Sea lie Wakayama, Osaka, Hyōgo, Okayama, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi Prefectures on Honshu. To the west lie Ōita and Miyazaki Prefectures on Kyushu. Shikoku is ranked as the 50th largest island by area in the world. Additionally, it is ranked as the 23rd most populated island in the world, with a population density of 193 inhabitants per square kilometre (500/sq mi). Mountains running east a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanuki Province
was a province of Japan in the area of northeastern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Sanuki''" in . Sanuki bordered on Awa to the south, and Iyo to the west. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Sanuki was one of the provinces of the Nankaidō circuit. Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Sanuki was ranked as one of the "upper countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the "middle countries" (中国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital was located in what is now the city of Sakaide, but its exact location was only identified in 2012. The ''ichinomiya'' of the province is the Tamura jinja located on the city of Takamatsu. retrieved 2011-08-09 |
Iyo Province
was a province of Japan in the area of northwestern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Iyo bordered on Sanuki Province to the northeast, Awa to the east, and Tosa to the south. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Iyo was one of the provinces of the Nankaidō circuit. Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Iyo was ranked as one of the "upper countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital was located in what is now the city of Imabari, but its exact location is still unknown. The '' ichinomiya'' of the province is the Ōyamazumi Shrine located on the island of Ōmishima in what is now part of Imabari. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiruko
, also transliterated or called or , is the Japanese god of fishermen and luck. He is one of the , and the only one of the seven to originate purely from Japan without any Buddhist or Taoist influence. Origins as Hiruko In medieval times, Ebisu's origin came to be tied together with that of ''Hiruko'' - the first child of Izanagi and Izanami, born without bones (or, in some stories, without arms and legs) due to his mother's transgression during the marriage ritual. Hiruko struggled to survive but, as he could not stand, he was cast into the sea in a boat of reeds before his third birthday. The story tells that Hiruko eventually washed ashore—possibly in —and was cared for by the Ainu . It is however believed that Ebisu first arose as a god among fishermen and that his origin as Hiruko was a much later conception, after the worship of him had spread to merchants and farmers. It is also theorized that he was originally a god known as "Kotoshironushi no Mikoto", son of Ōkuni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
