Izanagi and Izanami

Nationality/Culture

Japanese/Shinto

Pronunciation

ee-zuh-NAH-gee and ee-zuh-NAH-mee

Alternate Names

None

Appears In

The Kojiki, the Nihongi

Lineage

None

Character Overview

In Japanese Shinto mythology the two gods Izanagi (The Male Who Invites) and Izanami (The Female Who Invites) are the creators of Japan and its other gods. Stories about Izanagi and Izanami are told in two works from the 700s ce, the Kojiki (pronounced koh-JEE-kee) and the Nihongi (pronounced nee-HOHN-gee).

Major Myths

According to legend, the first gods ordered the divine beings Izanagi and Izanami to create the islands of Japan. The two stood on the floating bridge of heaven and stirred the ancient ocean with a jeweled spear. When they lifted the spear, the drops that fell back into the water formed the first solid land, an island called Onogoro (pronounced oh-NOH-goh-roh). Izanagi and Izanami descended to the island and became husband and wife. Their first child was deformed, and the other gods said it was because Izanami spoke before her husband at their marriage ceremony.

The couple performed another wedding ceremony, this time correctly. Izanami soon gave birth to eight lovely children, who became the islands of Japan. Izanagi and Izanami then created many gods and goddesses to represent the mountains, valleys, waterfalls, streams, winds, and other natural features of Japan. However, during the birth of Kagutsuchi (pronounced kah-guh-TSOO-chee), the fire god, Izanami was badly burned. As she lay dying, she continued to create gods and goddesses, and still other deities emerged from the tears of the grief-stricken Izanagi.

When Izanami died, she went to Yomi (pronounced YOH-mee), the underworld or land of the dead. Izanagi decided to go there and bring his beloved back from the land of darkness and death. Izanami greeted Izanagi from the shadows as he approached the entrance to Yomi. She warned him not to look at her and said that she would try to arrange for her release from the gods of Yomi. Full of desire for his wife, Izanagi lit a torch and looked into Yomi. Horrified to see that Izanami was a rotting corpse, Izanagi fled.

Angry that Izanagi had not respected her wishes, Izanami sent hideous female spirits, eight thunder gods, and an army of fierce warriors to chase him. Izanagi managed to escape and blocked the pass between Yomi and the land of the living with a huge boulder. Izanami met him there and, unable to get past the boulder, vowed to take revenge by strangling 1,000 people a day. Izanagi responded by saying he would cause the birth of 1,500 people a day. They broke off their marriage.

Izanagi felt unclean because of his contact with the dead, and he took a bath to purify himself. A number of gods and goddesses, both good and evil, emerged from his discarded clothing as Izanagi bathed. As he washed his face, the sun goddess Amaterasu (pronounced ah-mah-te-RAH-soo) appeared from his left eye, the moon god Tsuki-yomi (pronounced TSOO-kee-yoh-mee) appeared from his right eye, and Susano-ô (pronounced soo-sah-noh-OH) came from his nose. Proud of these three noble children, Izanagi divided his kingdom among them.

Izanagi and Izanami in Context

The tale of Izanami's death and Izanagi's journey to the underworld offers some insight into traditional Japanese ideas about men and women. Izanami is shown to be a creature closely tied to nature and natural processes; she gives birth much like any woman would, and when she dies, her body rots just like a human body. Izanagi, on the other hand, creates children through more supernatural means: through his own tears, and through purified parts of his body while cleansing. This suggests a traditional Japanese view of women as creators of the natural or organic, and men as creators of the supernatural or cultural.

Izanami's error in speaking before her husband during their wedding ceremony was a violation of social order, and resulted in the birth of an unnatural baby. This detail suggests a belief in the ancient Japanese culture that women should defer to men, and that their failure to do so can have bad consequences.

Key Themes and Symbols

Stories in which one-half of a romantic couple dies young and the other half attempts to retrieve the beloved from the underworld appear in several cultures. As in the case with Izanagi and Izanami, the attempt is usually either unsuccessful or only partially successful, indicating cultural beliefs regarding the impossibility of cheating death. Even love cannot conquer death. The transformation of Izanami from a creative force to a destructive one after her separation from Izanagi is an important theme, and mirrors female deities in other cultures who both give and take life.

Izanagi and Izanami in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

Izanagi and Izanami appear in both of the main works of Japanese mythology , the Kojiki and the Nihongi. In art, they are usually depicted together, standing in the clouds and stirring the ancient sea with a spear.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

Compare the story of Izanagi's journey to the underworld with the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. How are the two stories similar? How are they different? Do you think the similarities are coincidental, or could they represent themes common in many cultures?

SEE ALSO Amaterasu; Japanese Mythology; Underworld