Concept
Izanami
Related concepts (24)
Kamiumi
In Japanese mythology, the story of the birth of the gods occurs after the creation of Japan (Kuniumi). It concerns the birth of the divine (kami) descendants of Izanagi and Izanami. 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-grasp sabre and crushed his child, Kagutsuchi.
Izumo Province
Izumo Province was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called Unshū. The province is in the Chūgoku region. During the early Kofun period (3rd century) this region was independent and constructed rectangular tumuli. But in the fourth century this region saw the construction of rectangular and key shaped tumuli. During the 6th or 7th century it was absorbed due to the expansion of the state of Yamato, within which it assumed the role of a sacerdotal domain.
Awaji Island
is an island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea between the islands of Honshū and Shikoku. The island has an area of . It is the largest island of the Seto Inland Sea. As a transit between those two islands, Awaji originally means "the road to Awa", the historic province bordering the Shikoku side of the Naruto Strait, now part of Tokushima Prefecture. The island is separated from Honshū by the Akashi Strait and from Shikoku by the Naruto Strait.
Izanagi
Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally known as Izanagi-no-Mikoto, 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.
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 contact with Chinese and Indian myths are also key influences in Japanese religious belief. 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").
Yomi
Yomi or 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 to the land of the living. Yomi in Japanese mythology is comparable to Hades or Sheol and is most commonly known for Izanami's retreat to that place after her death. Izanagi followed her there and upon his return he washed himself, creating Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto in the process.
Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto
, or simply Tsukuyomi or Tsukiyomi, is the moon god in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. The name "Tsukuyomi" is a compound of the Old Japanese words 月 and 読み. The Nihon Shoki mentions this name spelled as 月弓, but this yumi is likely a variation in pronunciation of yomi. An alternative interpretation is that his name is a combination of 月夜 and 見. There is so little known about Tsukuyomi that even their sex is unknown. Still, in Man'yōshū, Tsukuyomi's name is sometimes rendered as Tsukuyomi Otoko, implying that they are male.
Kamiyonanayo
In Japanese mythology, the Kamiyo-nanayo 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, which appeared at the time of the creation of the universe. 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.
Susanoo-no-Mikoto
FORCETOC Susanoo (スサノオ; historical orthography: スサノヲ, ) 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.
Kojiki
The "Records of Ancient Matters" or "An Account of Ancient Matters", 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 神, 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.