The MYTHENOR encyclopedia

Japanese Mythology and Folklore

Who they were

Japanese mythology was born in an archipelago of mountains, forests, rivers and sea, where it is believed that anything may house a kami, a sacred presence. Its oldest accounts are in the Kojiki of 712 and the Nihon Shoki of 720, compiled by the Yamato court to tell of the world's creation, the age of the gods and the origin of the imperial house. Over the centuries this Shinto core was joined by Buddhism from China and Korea, yin-yang thought and an immensely rich folk tradition. From the Heian to the Edo period, tales, Noh and kabuki plays, illustrated scrolls and woodblock prints filled Japan with heroes, samurai, ghosts and yōkai, creatures ranging from the terrifying to the comic. Many of these beliefs remain alive in shrines, temples, festivals and today's culture.

Cosmology

In the Kojiki, deities first appear alone in Takamagahara, the Plain of High Heaven. Then comes the couple Izanagi and Izanami, charged with giving the land its shape. Standing on the Floating Bridge of Heaven, they stir the ocean with a jeweled spear, and from the falling drops the first island is born. Together they bring forth the islands of Japan and many kami: of the sea, the winds, the trees, the mountains. Giving birth to the kami of fire, Izanami dies and descends to Yomi, the gloomy land of the dead. Izanagi goes to fetch her, sees her decaying body and flees, sealing the passage with a boulder. As he purifies himself in a river, Amaterasu is born from his left eye, Tsukuyomi from his right and Susanoo from his nose. Thus the heaven of the gods, the land of the living and the world of the dead are fixed, along with the importance of purification.

Pantheon

People speak of yaoyorozu no kami, the "eight million kami", to say they are countless. At the top is Amaterasu Ōmikami, kami of the Sun, revered at Ise and regarded as ancestor of the imperial family. Her brother Susanoo, impetuous lord of storms, defeats the serpent Yamata-no-Orochi in Izumo, and Tsukuyomi rules the night. Inari protects rice and prosperity, with foxes as messengers; Hachiman is the kami of warriors; Raijin and Fūjin command thunder and wind; Ryūjin reigns beneath the sea. From Buddhism came figures such as Benzaiten, of waters and music, and the Seven Lucky Gods. Around them live local spirits of mountains, rivers and homes, and a vast people of yōkai.

In MYTHENOR

In MYTHENOR this is the region of the Archipelago of the Kami, under the Sky of Eight Million, where every thing has a kami remembered in festivals and offerings. Duels take place in shrine courtyards, beneath red torii and moonlit cherry trees. On the Eight Hills, the guardian Kaguya keeps the moonlight thread, the sword, the mirror and eight vats. But silence is coming: the lanterns will not light, the Kamo River forgets its name, the tengu forget how to fly, and something ancient is thirsty.

A note on respect

Shinto is a living religion, practiced today at tens of thousands of shrines, and many of the Buddhist and folk beliefs mentioned here are also lived by millions of people. Amaterasu, Inari, Hachiman and other kami are revered today, and rites such as Obon, kagura dances and purification are sacred practices, not game magic. MYTHENOR presents these figures with respect; when visiting a shrine, follow local customs, such as bowing before the torii and purifying your hands.

Sources

Shinto — World History Encyclopedia — Mark Cartwright
Kojiki: Japan's Oldest Book — World History Encyclopedia — Mark Cartwright
Izanami and Izanagi — World History Encyclopedia — Mark Cartwright
Kami — Encyclopaedia Britannica — The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Introduction: Jinja — Encyclopedia of Shinto — Kokugakuin University
The Database of Paintings of Mysterious Phenomena and Yōkai — International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)