Intro to Japanese Mythology

Welcome to 2015! (Wow, that is weird to type...) Lets start the new year with a new mythology!

Thus far we’ve discussed Norse and Greek mythology. The gods in these myths looked and acted human, but possessed extraordinary powers. These powers represented aspects of nature (such as lightning), traits (such as intellect), or the acts of man (such as weaving and warfare).

The divine figures in the Japanese myths are similar to these, but they differ from other mythologies in important ways. To begin with, Japanese religion is called “Shinto”, which means “Way of the Gods”. Shinto worship revolves around the Kami.

It is here that the distinction between Japanese mythology and other ancient religions becomes important. Though gods are a part of the Kami, they are not the only things worshipped. Other parts of the Kami include the spirits of one’s ancestors, some animals, and divine aspects of nature. For instance, some mountains in Japan are worshipped as the embodiment of an essence of nature.

Most of the stories I’ll be talking about revolve around the deities of the Kami. These include Izanagi and Izanami, two gods that are the parents of many others in the Kami. They are also credited with having given birth to the islands that make up Japan. Izanami later becomes the goddess of Yomi, the Japanese underworld.

Izanagi creates several other gods without Izanami. These include Susano, god of the seas and the storms, who plays the role of the trickster while with the other gods. However, once Susano comes to Earth he is seen helping and defending humans.

Susano’s sister Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun. Amaterasu is also portrayed as a helper of humanity within the myths, teaching mankind agriculture, weaving, and how to harvest silk - all of which were highly important to the early Japanese.

One of the most interesting aspects of Shinto lies in the fact that powerful families within early Japan claimed to have descended from the gods. This remains true even in modern Japan - the Emperor and his family are said to be descendents of Amaterasu herself.

Like other mythologies, the tales of the Kami were originally told orally. The Shinto myths were eventually compiled into a book called the Kojiki in the early 8th century. This book is where most of modern knowledge about the Kami comes from. If you are interested in learning more about Japanese mythology, I highly recommend looking up a translation of the Kojiki.

That concludes my brief introduction to Japanese mythology!  I hope you guys found it interesting! I love seeing what is similar to and different from other mythologies I know. The similarities are particularly interesting given the fact that Japan closed itself off from outside influence at several points in its history.

I’ll be back on Monday with a post about Izanagi and Izanami, and their descent into Yomi. Until then, feel free to comment or email me with any questions or thoughts you have!