, in

Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contac ...

, was a hag sent by the dead

Izanami , formally referred to with the honorific , 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 ...

to pursue her husband

Izanagi Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally referred to with a divine honorific as , is the creator deity (''kami'') of both creation and life in Japanese mythology. He and his sister-wife Izanami are the ...

, for shaming her by breaking promise not to see her in her decayed form in the Underworld (

Yomi-no-kuni is the Japanese word for the land of the dead (World of Darkness). According to Shinto mythology as related in ''Kojiki'', this is where the dead go in the afterlife. Once one has eaten at the hearth of Yomi it is (mostly) impossible to return ...

). Also recorded by the name , the name may have been a term referring collectively to eight hags, not just one.

Accounts in mythology

The hag appears by the Yomotsu-shikome (or Ugly-Female-of-the-Underworld") name in the eldest Japanese chronicle ''

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 imperia ...

''. But either eight demon-hags (female

oni An ( ) is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in hell. Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like th ...

) or a woman/women named Yomotsu-hisame hunted after Izanagi according to the ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

,'' which frequently gives different readings from alternative sources. ''Kojiki'' version Izanagi was fleeing the Underworld with Yomotsu-shikome in hot pursuit. Izanagi first cast down his black headdress,plant woven into a wreathe (), and used to ward off evil () which turned into a kind of

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

, which is Old Japanese for () and slowed the hag's advance as she devoured them. Next he broke off his comb Izanagi earlier broke off the end of this comb to ignite the fire in order to have a light source to peek at his wife and cast them, and the broken piece (the teeth?) turned into

bamboo shoot Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots (new bamboo culms that come out of the ground) of many bamboo species including '' Bambusa vulgaris'' and '' Phyllostachys edulis''. They are used as vegetables in numerous Asian dishes a ...

s, slowing her down again as she pulled them out and ate them. But the hag was now joined by a large army 1500 strong led by eight Thunder-deities. Izanagi brandished his but still they pursued, until he climbed atop the "flat slope" or "Even Pass" at the entrance to the Underworld, and flung three peaches, whereby the pursuers retreated. After this, Izanami herself came in pursuit, and Izanagi blocked the entrance at the slope with a boulder. ''Nihon Shoki'' version Apart from the variant name and the possibility of multiple hags ("eight Ugly Females of Yomi,") are some minor discrepancies, such as the lack of mention of the Thunder god and the army and the peaches. As Izanagi reached the entrance, Izanami was already there. According to one telling, Izanagi urinated at the large tree, so that the water swelled into a river, and before Yomotsu-hisame could cross it, Izanagi reached the entrance named the "Even Pass of Yomi".

Critical literature

Several commentators have pointed to the connection between the peach in this story and the general traditional belief or superstition that the peach has supernatural evil-warding powers. citing sinologist on several Chinese use of the peach, including the wood of the bow of the mythic Yi (羿).(zasshi code 66951-07; kyōtsu zasshi code T10-66951-07-1000) The symbolism of the "Peach Boy" or

Momotarō is a Folk hero, popular hero of Japanese folklore. His name is often translated as ''Peach Boy'', but is directly translated as ''Peach + Tarō (given name), Tarō'', a common Japanese given name. ''Momotarō'' is also the title of various books, ...

that defeated the ''

'' is often used as a familiar illustrative parallel.

Notes

Citations

References

* **(Reprint) Wikisource:

External links