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Dec 12, 2022 · Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, beliefs, and folktales that originated from the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the foundation of Japanese mythology, and the myths of Korea, Ainu, and Okinawa also play a significant role.
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Japanese mythology, body of stories compiled from oral traditions concerning the legends, gods, ceremonies, customs, practices, and historical accounts of the Japanese people. Most of the surviving Japanese myths are recorded in the Kojiki (compiled 712; “Records of Ancient Matters”) and the Nihon
- How Do We Know Ancient Japanese Mythology?
- The Foundations of Japanese Myths and Mythology
- The Beginnings of Japanese Mythology
- Izanagi and Izanami: A Doomed Romance
- The Three Children of Izanagi
- The Rise of NINIGI
- The Age of Men and Its Emperor
- Yamato Takeru: Legendary Warrior
- Buddhism’s Impact on Japanese Mythology
- The Underworld
By the time Korean Buddhist monks arrived as missionaries in Japan in 552 C.E., there were already many stories among the clans or ujiof Japan. This means that many of these stories are well over 1,500 years old. But if that’s the case, how do we know them today? How were they not lost to the memories of past ancestors? Several surviving texts were...
You may be wondering, “how did these stories get started, and why did they become so important?”. Well, Japan, like any place in the world in ancient times, was looking for answers to their biggest questions — questions that many of us are still asking today: 1. Why are we here? 2. Why does the world function as it does? 3. What happened to my ance...
All world mythologies need to start with a good creation story, and Japanese mythology is no exception! According to the ancient tales, Earth wasn’t fully formed. The Kojikitext says that the world was like floating oil drifting like jellyfish. Not perhaps a good place for a family yet. But then the Takamagahara came to be. This was a realm above t...
Izanagi and Izanami were both brother and sister and husband and wife — but we don’t have to think about that too long. For eight generations of deities, the Earth had continued in its floating oil-like state while the deities remained in the High Plains of Heaven, the Takamagahara. Finally, with this duo, the gods in charge said their job was to s...
Izanagi returned to the world above and bathed to cleanse himself of the pollutants of the underworld. From his purification, he gave birth to three deities that would become central to Japanese mythology. Amaterasu emerged as a goddess from his left eye. Tsukiyomi and Susano were two gods that came from the right eye and nose, respectively. Accord...
Just as Izanagi passed on his realm to his children, Amaterasu didn’t rule as the most powerful goddess forever. She intended to give it to her son, but he refused her twice and insisted his son go in his place to rule the terrestrial world. To her grandson, Ninigi, Amaterasu gifted him three treasures to help him rule his new kingdom: 1. A necklac...
While much of the Kojikitext centers around mythical figures, such as the Three Noble Children and Izanagi and Izanami, it eventually comes to the so-called Age of Men. These are stories in which the characters are no longer deities but semi-historical figures. This is where we come to the most notable, legendary descendant of Ninigi’s, Jimmu. Ther...
Emperors weren’t the only significant figures in the Age of Men. Perhaps the greatest of heroes in Japanese mythology belongs to this era. His name was Yamato Takeru. He was a prince — the son of Emperor Keiko, the 12th emperor of Japan. Yamato Takeru is known for his bravery and wisdom. His father sent him on various missions to maintain peace acr...
Buddhism arrived in Japan around 550 C.E. and remains the second most popular religiontoday. Because of this, Buddhism has significantly impacted Japanese mythology as it brought new stories while becoming entangled with the indigenous tales as the two religions co-existed on the islands for 1,500 years. An example of these entanglings is the story...
Another place where we see the lines blurred between Shinto beliefs and Buddhism is in the underworld. Here, Shinto beliefs meet the imported Buddhist principles to form a particularly terrifying place. As we see in the story of Izanagi, Shinto beliefs are not always positive stories of light, divine drama. There is a darker side to Japanese mythol...
Jun 13, 2024 · Japanese folklore is rich with yokai, which are supernatural beings ranging from mischievous to malevolent. Orochi , a fearsome eight-headed dragon, appears in the adventures of Susanoo.
Jun 4, 2021 · Learning More About Japanese Mythology. If you wish to know more about the subject of Japanese mythology, there are hundreds of gods that you can research, each with their own customs and stories. Many even have their own shrines located throughout Japan that you can visit to pay your respects. There are hundreds of more stories to be heard ...
Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the ...
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Jan 12, 2024 · 🌪 Kamis, gods and goddesses of Japan Mythology. The Japanese have a long history of worshiping various deities, including the kami, the gods, and the goddesses. Like Greek mythology, Japanese mythology has its own deities, monsters and supernatural beings. There are 8 million kami in Japan, however, some are more popular than others.
