Emily Tran

English 9H P.2

May 1, 2017

Cultural Myth Essay

In Japanese Mythology there are multiple versions of various myths, however the

most popular story is the story of Izanagi and Izanami. Izanagi and Izanami were the

first pair of man and woman gods, both created with the job to populate the earth with

deities. Unsure of how to accomplish this task, Izanagi took Ama no Nuboko, a spear

given to them to assist them with the task and dipped it into the dark waters of earth,

swirling it. When he lifted it out of the water, a drip of water fell, creating the island of

Onogoro. Thinking the island was suitable Izanagi and Izanami decided to make their

home there. They built a palace, after deciding to have children, they both circled the

pillar inside of the palace, both going to the left. Upon meeting each other, Izanami

greeted Izanagi first, then Izanagi greeted Izanami. When they had the child they were

devastated when they saw their child was boneless with no limbs. Confused with what

had gone wrong, they asked the elder kami, or gods, about what had gone wrong. They

told them that they had done wrong when Izanami had greeted first. Now knowing their

mistakes, they went back and this time successfully had children. Izanagi and Izanami

continued to make more deities, making more than 800 kami (gods, spirits and natural

phenomena). However, while giving birth to the kami of fire, Kagutsuchi, Izanami

suffered from burns and, while crying, several kami were born from her tears until she

finally died.

Filled with grief Izanagi traveled to the underworld to bring his wife back.

However, Izanami tells Izanagi that she cannot return, for she had already eaten the
food of the underworld, making it so it was impossible for her to return. Izanagi begged

his wife to try to convince the resident kami if she could come back with him. Eventually

she agreed, but only with one condition: while she was talking to the kami he may not

try to go find her. He agreed to these terms, but when a whole day had passed he

couldnt resist his curiosity and, breaking off the tooth of a comb, made a torch and went

looking for Izanami. When he finally found her he was mortified at what she had

become. She was crawling with maggots and had recently born thunder-kami still

attached to her body, which was now nothing more than a rotting corpse. Seeing this

Izanagi ran away, being chased after by Izanami and the hags of the House of the Dead

among with many other warriors. Izanagi managed to escape by pushing a boulder in

front of the entrance. Infuriated, Izanami wailed that she would kill 1,000 people every

day in revenge. Izanagi, in return, vowed 1,500 people would be born each day. After

escaping, Izanagi bathed himself to wash away the impurities of the underworld.

Since this myth was very popular in Japanese culture it has impacted the culture

in various ways. First, in Japanese culture nature is highly appreciated. Allan G.

Grapard, a writer of the Kyoto Journal says, Continuing, the female deity gave birth to

natural elements, such as the seas, the rivers, the mountains and the trees, water, and

fire. This sentence describes Izanami when she was giving birth to the kami. In the

myth, Izanami gives birth to a myriad of nature kami and natural elements. Because of

nature being classified as kami, nature and the environment are seen very highly. The

environment is protected and cared for.

Secondly, in Japanese culture women were considered inferior to men. When

describing Izanami and Izanagis attempt at a child Sarah L Maguire, a writer on ancient
myths, states, It was unnatural for the female partner to take the initiative. In the myth,

their first attempt to have a child was unsuccessful because of the female of the pair.

The mistake was made when she greeted the male first instead of the other way

around. This caused the child to become deformed. In the earlier years of Japanese

culture it was much like that way as well. During 1602-1868 women did not exist legally.

They were considered insignificant compared to men and could not own property.

Although having better treatment, women living around 2007 still faced similar problems

compared to back then. Going through life women were expected to obey the men in

their life, their father, husband, and eventually, their sons. This treatment of women is

very prominent in Japans myths, the myth of Izanami and Izanagi is just one of the

many few.

Lastly, this myth has influenced the idea of death and purity. Maguire says, the

god had to perform a cleansing ritual in the river Woto to rid himself of the impurities of

the underworld. This is when Izanagi manages to escape his wife. Immediately, after

returning from the underworld, Izanagi bathes himself in order to get rid of all the

impurities from the underworld, and in the process he creates many deities, the most

important being the Shinto gods. In Japanese culture death is seen as pollution.

Nowadays the practice of harai, cleansing of an individual before entering a sacred

shrine, has become an essential part of the Shinto ritual.

Even though myths may have various versions and be told different ways, they

helped shape a great deal of the Japanese culture. The myth of Izanagi and Izanami

addresses various ideas, such as the caring of nature, the power men have over

women, and purity of life. From the belief of purity to the creation of the lands
themselves all of these ideas came from myths spread throughout the land. In

conclusion, myths play a large role in culture.

Sources Cited

1. "Izanami and Izanagi." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 01

May 2017.

2. Myths from Around the World. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.

3. "To the Underworld (Yomi-no-kuni) and Back." To the Underworld (Yomi-

no-kuni) and Back | Home of Japanese Mythology "SHIMANE". N.p., n.d. Web.
01 May 2017.
 4. SarahLMaguire. "The Story of Izanagi and Izanami: A Japanese Creation
Myth." Owlcation. Owlcation, 23 Oct. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017.

5. Kincaid, Chris. "Gender Roles of Women in Modern Japan." Japan

Powered. N.p., 23 May 2016. Web. 11 May 2017.

6. "Nature and Culture in Japan." Kyoto Journal. Allan G. Grapard, n.d. Web.
11 May 2017.