Shinto Creation Myth
As the earths and heaven separated, a plant sprouted in between these worlds and grew quickly. Once its flower had burst open, the First God emerged and created Izanagi, the male who invites, and Izanagi's sister and wife Izanami, the female who invites. Izanagi was given the task of finishing the world by the First God.
On the Ame-No-Ukihashi (the floating bridge of the heavens), Izanagi and Izanami plunged a jewel crested spear into the ocean. After pulling the spear out, the water dripping from the spear coagulated and formed the first island of the Japanese archipelago (group of islands). Both gods settled on this land and created the islands of Japan.
Significance: The worlds (Japan) were created
On the Ame-No-Ukihashi (the floating bridge of the heavens), Izanagi and Izanami plunged a jewel crested spear into the ocean. After pulling the spear out, the water dripping from the spear coagulated and formed the first island of the Japanese archipelago (group of islands). Both gods settled on this land and created the islands of Japan.
Significance: The worlds (Japan) were created
shinto_creation_myth.wmv | |
File Size: | 1560 kb |
File Type: | wmv |
Izanagi and the Underworld
When Izanami died giving birth, Izanagi went to Yomi (the underworld) to get her back. After going through the shadowy and dark land, he had finally found Izanami, who refused to go back with him because she belonged to the dead. Once he noticed that Izanami looked rotted, dreadful, and dead, Izanagi tried to run away from Yomi in fear. Izanami sent some shikome (foul women) to bring him back, yet Izanagi resisted by throwing his accessories (which turned into other items) at the shikome and urinating a river. He escaped and immediately pushed a boulder to the entrance of Yomi. Izanami yelled at Izanagi from the other side of the boulder and threatened that, if he left her, she'd kill a thousand people a day. Izanagi angrily replied that he'd give life to one thousand, five hundred people in return.
Significance: Life and death of people
Significance: Life and death of people
izanagi_and_the_underworld.wmv | |
File Size: | 6053 kb |
File Type: | wmv |
Sun, Moon, and Sea
After leaving Yomi, Izanagi cleansed himself of impurities from the underworld. As he cleansed himself, he made some of the many Japanese gods unintentionally, especially Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, and Susanoo. While cleaning his left eye, Amaterasu (the goddess of the sun) came out. While cleaning his right eye, Tsukiyomi (the god of the night and moon) came out. While cleaning his nose, Susanoo (the god of the seas and storms) came out.
sun_moon_sea.wmv | |
File Size: | 6357 kb |
File Type: | wmv |
Flower Princess and Rock Princess
Okuninushi, the god of the land, decided to give his land to the highest goddess, Amaterasu who sent the minor god Hononinigi to reign the land. Hononinigi fell in love with the flower princess, Konohanano-Sakuya-Hime and had asked her father, Oyamatsumi (another minor god), for their marriage. Oyamatsumi asked Hononinigi to marry both Konohana and her sister Iwanaga-Hime (the rock princess), yet Hononinigi didn't want Iwanaga because she was very ugly. Iwanaga was then sent back to her father. Oyamatsumi told Hononinigi that, "I sent my two daughters to you because Konohana would bring you prosperity and Iwanaga would have brought you eternal life but you rejected Iwanaga. You and your descendants lost the chance to live forever. This is why gods and emperors die on our land."
Significance: The Gods and Emperors do not live forever
Significance: The Gods and Emperors do not live forever
Yamata no Orochi
Yamata no Orochi was a great serpent-dragon with eight heads and tails and an enormous body reaching across eight valleys and hills.
When in exile from the heavens, Susanoo finds a couple and their daughter crying by a river. They explain their sadness to Susanoo -- that every year, Yamata no Orochi devours one of the couple's daughters and the couple must give up their final daughter, Kusinada.
To save their daughter, Susanoo proposes to Kusinada, who accepts, and turns her into a comb which he put into his hair. Susanoo then told her parents that they must make sake that is refined eight times and put into vats each contained by eight gates.
Orochi easily falls into the trap set up and gets drunken by the sake after drinking the sake from the vats. Due to Orochi's weak and disoriented state, Susanoo slays the monster and finds a sword, the Kusanagi, after cutting it up. Susanoo gives this sword to Amaterasu to reconcile their dispute.
Significance: the Kusanagi (a popular sword in Japanese mythology) was found
When in exile from the heavens, Susanoo finds a couple and their daughter crying by a river. They explain their sadness to Susanoo -- that every year, Yamata no Orochi devours one of the couple's daughters and the couple must give up their final daughter, Kusinada.
To save their daughter, Susanoo proposes to Kusinada, who accepts, and turns her into a comb which he put into his hair. Susanoo then told her parents that they must make sake that is refined eight times and put into vats each contained by eight gates.
Orochi easily falls into the trap set up and gets drunken by the sake after drinking the sake from the vats. Due to Orochi's weak and disoriented state, Susanoo slays the monster and finds a sword, the Kusanagi, after cutting it up. Susanoo gives this sword to Amaterasu to reconcile their dispute.
Significance: the Kusanagi (a popular sword in Japanese mythology) was found