Japanese Creation Myth - Nicole Gaylin (free ebooks for android txt) 📗

The Japanese Creation Myth

Image: http://chinlandtoday.info/japan-ram-thu-tawite/

In the beginning, there was continual darkness with no form. Eventually, a heavenly plane formed, along with three deities called Ame No Minaka Nushi No Mikoto (Diety of the August Center of Heaven), Takami Musubi No Mikoto (Deity of August Wondrous Producing), and Kammi Musubi No Mikoto (Divine Wondrous Producing Deity). After these deities came to be, the earth began to form and become solid. Many reeds appeared, and from them, more deities were born. The last two born from the reeds were called Izanagi and Izanami.

As Earth continued to form, the Three Creating Deities saw it fit to send Izanagi and Izanami to earth to help it take shape and to populate the land. The Three Creating Deities gave Izanagi and Izanami the jeweled spear called Ama No Nuboko. With the spear in hand, Izanami and Izanagi set out towards earth. The came to the bridge called the Floating Bridge of Heaven, which was between Heaven and Earth. They stopped and dipped the spear into the ocean and stirred the waters. When they pulled the spear out, the water droplets that it created became an island in the water. They set out to live on this island.

Image: http://painterfactory.com/blogs/stewart_mckissick/archive/2009/08.aspx

While they were on the newly made island, Izanami and Izanaji built a pillar, called the Heavenly August pillar, and around that, they build a palace called the Hall of Eight Fathoms. They were pleased with what they had built, decided to be married, and they agreed to meet at the pillar. When they arrived at the pillar, Izanagi and Izanami went around it in opposite directions and met up behind it. Izanami greeted Izanagi, and Izanagi returned the greeting.

They created their first child at that meeting. However, it was a hideous being, described best to look like a boneless leech. They were disgusted and sent it away. The second child was also not what they had expected, but a floating island. They also did not claim this as their child. Confused as to why their children were not turning out as excepted, they asked the Three Creating Deities what they were doing wrong. They were told that Izanami should not greet Izanagi first at their meetings, but that Izanagi should do the first greeting. The couple tried this and began giving birth to beautiful children, the first eight being the main islands and six of the minor islands of Japan.

Image: http://www.gojapango.com/travel/map_of_japan.html

Now that they had given birth to the islands of Japan and created a beautiful country, they began to give birth to other deities. Their children became the deities that watched over the sea, harbors, land, wind, and many other features of the earth. They had many children. One child, called Kagutsuchi no Kami, the fire deity, caused much pain for Izanami. She began to waste away as the fire inside her from this child used up all her energy. More children sprang from various parts of her body during this time, but Izanami was so badly burned giving birth to this child that she died.

Izanagi was lost without his wife that he had loved so much. He beheaded the fire deity that took his wife’s life and was surprised to see eight new children spring from his sword and from the blood of the fire deity. Eight more children came from its lifeless body, as well. He loved his children, but he missed his wife too much, so he went to the land of the dead to find her.

Izanagi snuck into the land of the dead and looked for her there. He found her and begged her to return to the world of the living with him. Izanami was overjoyed to see her husband. She said that she could not leave the land of the dead, though, because she had already eaten from here and could not leave. Izanagi begged her to try to leave anyways. She agreed to go to Hades and ask if she could return with her husband to the land of the living. She left Izanagi standing where he found her and made him promise not to follow her or look around the place they were in. He agreed and watched his wife walk into the darkness.

Izanami had been gone a very long time and Izanagi became worried about her. Breaking his promise, he lit his hair comb on fire and followed where he thought his wife had gone to. He found her, but she was not like she was when she left. She had become a rotting corpse covered in maggots. The eight thunder deities where consuming her body. Izanagi screamed, and Izanami woke from her death-like state. Seeing that Izanagi had not kept his promise, she became very angry and chased him out of the land of the dead. She did not try to return to the land of the living anymore.

Image: http://matthewmeyer.net/blog/2010/01/18/oh-my-kami-izanagi-and-izanami-part-2/

Because of her husband’s betrayal, Izanami vowed that she would take 1000 lives every day for the rest of time. Izanagi said that if she did that, he would bring 1500 lives into being every day to make up for it. Izanagi left the place and went back to his home. When he got there, he purified himself through a washing ritual. During this ritual, three more children came from his body. These children are called Amaterasu (the sun goddess), Tsukuyomi (the moon god), and Susano’o (the storm god). From these children, the royal family and other important Japanese families came into being.

Image: http://www.moleskinerie.com/2005/09/the_kojiki_inde.html

References:

Japanese Creation Myth (712 CE). (n.d.). Japanese Creation Myth. Retrieved April 12, 2014, from http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/world_civ/worldcivreader/world_civ_reader_1/kojiki.html

Meyer, M. (2010, January 18). MatthewMeyer.net. MatthewMeyernet. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://matthewmeyer.net/blog/2010/01/18/oh-my-kami-izanagi-and-izanami-part-2/

The Origin of Japan and her People. (n.d.). Creation Stories. Retrieved April 12, 2014, from http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/CS/CSJapan.html

Publication Date: 04-14-2014

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