Izanagi and Izanami: Japan's Cursed Creators
/The Beginning of the End
The land and the sky, the forests and the sea; the very earth we inhabit may exist only thanks to a tragic tale of divine lovers. Thus, as my final post, allow me to raise the curtain on Japan’s Izanagi and Izanami, the parent deities of the island nation.
Primordial Soup
Credit: Kobayashi Eitaku
According to the Kojiki, before there was, there was not; in the heavens above an infinite void of formlessness, various elder kami (Japan’s gods) existed in the limitless space. After seven generations, the male kami Izanagi and female kami Izanami were tasked with creating something from the ocean of chaos that surrounded them.
Gifted a jeweled spear from the elders to assist in this task, they used it to stir the sea of chaos below. The drop that fell from the spear once lifted became the first island of Japan, Onogoro. Upon that island, they built a palace they would call home, and from there, they decided to start a family. Through a marital ritual that they first fumbled twice, the two successfully created the islands of Japan and its kami.
The Embers of Tragedy
However, all was not peachy and proper for the parents of this land; whilst Izanami safely gave birth to Japan’s islands and numerous kami of nature, when she birthed the flame kami Kagutsuchi, she was fatally burnt. Izanagi tried to save her, but it was all for naught.
Many more kami were created in her death, but Izanagi didn’t care; outraged by such a tragedy befalling his wife, he took out his rage on Kagutsuchi, cutting him down. Though unnecessary blood was spilt that day, countless more kami spawned from Izanagi’s tears and his bloodied blade.
The Journey to the Worst
Izanagi mourned the loss of his love long after her passing, until, ironically, the flame in his heart was spurred; he quested to Yomi, the land of the dead and darkness, to save Izanami. Through a great many trials and tribulations, Izanagi finally arrived at the palace of the dead.
He snuck in through the back, and deep within the palace’s corridors, he finally found her. Izanami awaited him with open arms, and whilst a loving reunion was had, bad news was quick to follow; she had eaten the food of Yomi, and as such, was no longer capable of leaving.
Izanagi didn’t care, however, and pleaded that she return with him. Whilst she couldn’t comply in that moment, she had an idea: she would appeal to the kami of Yomi, asking to return to the land of the living with him. However, Izanagi would have to remain outside, and not enter the palace no matter what. He agreed, took his leave, and waited eagerly for Izanami’s return… He waited… And waited… And waited.
Soon, an entire day had passed without word from within the palace. Izanagi, worried and impatient, forsook his promise to his wife and barged back into the palace.
That would be his ultimate mistake.
Credit: Caelan Stokkermans Arts on facebook
Making a torch out of his comb’s tooth, he treaded carefully through the pitch black halls of the palace. Indeed, he found Izanami, but she was no longer the same kami that created the world with him; her body lay collapsed, her flesh rotting, swarmed with magots, and various kami of thunder had formed from her limbs. Izanagi was horrified, speechless, and beyond grief stricken.
In the face of such overwhelming horrors, he ran. In his attempt to escape, the warriors of the palace, the thunder kami from his wife’s body, and Izanagi’s decaying corpse itself pursued close behind. Pushing past his fear and limits, he escaped the palace of the dead by a hair, before fleeing Yomi and sealing it behind him with a massive boulder.
Izanami would remain there, eventually gaining the moniker “Goddess of the Dead”, whilst Izanagi would purify himself in the sea. As he did, even more kami came into existence, chief among them being the sun goddess Amaterasu, the moon god Tsukuyomi, and the sea god Susano’o…
Izanagi’s looking a little different here… credit: atlus, sega.
Thriving in the Modern Era.
This tale of creation and destruction became the legend at the center of Japan’s greater mythos, being adapted, recreated, and referenced in media all throughout the world:
The videogame Smite, a multiplayer game featuring gods from various mythologies, included Izanami as a core character.
The protagonist of the game Persona 4 calls on a powerful spirit to aid him in his quest into the Shadow World, with that spirit being aptly named Izanagi.
In the hit manga and anime series Naruto, the names of Izanagi, Izanami, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susano’o are given to godly techniques and powers used throughout the story.
The End of the End
From the creation of the world to the end of this blog and beyond, the world that the married two kami created, as well as the story they left behind, will live on to be re-experienced and retold long into the future. Thank you for reading.
Sebastian Switzer, best known for his short story Ronin, lives in southern Ontario with his family. Sebastian began writing in 2018, specializing in suspenseful, high-fantasy fiction, and dabbling in as much mystery as he can manage; a sucker for action, his style’s never found standing still. He’s currently aiming his attention towards this very blog, where he covers myths and folklore from Japan’s storied history. Sebastian is often accompanied by his two cats, who frequently find themselves seated stoically between himself and his work.
