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Izanagi and
Izanami - Japanese Mythology
Izanagi and
Izanami are the seventh generation of Shinto’s celestial
gods. Translated from Japanese Izanagi means “He who
invites” and Izanami means “She who
invites”. These two gods together are responsible for the
creation of the Japanese islands we know as Yamato.
This pair
of celestial gods were given a special type of spear from the older
generation of gods which Izanagi used to reach down from their realm
and
create the very first island, Onogoro.
Izanagi
and Izanami decided to marry and to bring forth children in order to
create new generations and new lands upon the earth. They began a
ritual in order to celebrate their marriage. During the marriage
ceremony, Izanami was very excited when she saw Izanagi and showed her
delight by shouting out at first glance. Izanagi also showed his
enthusiasm but explained to her that a female should not be the first
to speak in this type of manner.
Their
first child was deformed with a shape similar to a leech. They went
into heaven to learn what could have caused such a deformity to their
child. In heaven they learned that the reason their child had been
deformed was because of the excitement that Izanami showed during the
marriage ceremony which in essence polluted their marriage. They
repeated their marriage ceremony this time with a very silent Izanami.
Their
next mating created the eight largest islands of Japan and the bubbles
from this birth brought forth the smaller islands and the foreign
lands. They also created the deities of the rivers, mountains, wind,
sea, trees, and of rice.
Izanagi
and Izanami
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