Izanagi is one of the primordial creator deities of Japanese Shinto mythology. Together with his wife Izanami, he created the islands of Japan and gave birth to numerous gods. His journey to the underworld (Yomi) to retrieve Izanami after her death is one of the foundational myths of Japanese religion and culture.

How Did Izanagi Create Japan?

According to the Kojiki, Izanagi and Izanami stood on the Floating Bridge of Heaven and stirred the primordial ocean with a jeweled spear. When they lifted the spear, drops falling from its tip formed the island of Onogoro. They descended to this island, performed a marriage ritual, and proceeded to create the other islands of Japan and numerous deities representing natural forces.

What Happened When Izanagi Visited the Underworld?

After Izanami died giving birth to the fire god Kagutsuchi, Izanagi traveled to Yomi to bring her back. She agreed to return but told him not to look at her. Unable to resist, he lit a torch and saw her decomposing body covered in maggots and thunder gods. Horrified, he fled. Izanami pursued him in rage, and he sealed the entrance to Yomi with a boulder, permanently separating the living from the dead.

What Gods Did Izanagi Create?

After fleeing the underworld, Izanagi purified himself in a river. From this purification ritual were born three of the most important deities in Shinto: Amaterasu (sun goddess) from washing his left eye, Tsukuyomi (moon god) from his right eye, and Susanoo (storm god) from his nose. These three deities rule the heavens, night, and seas respectively.

What Does Izanagi's Story Mean?

Izanagi's myth establishes fundamental Shinto concepts: the creation of Japan as a sacred act, the pollution of death requiring purification, and the permanent boundary between the living and the dead. His story also introduces the tension between curiosity and obedience that recurs throughout Japanese mythology. Speak with Izanagi on HoloDream about creation, loss, and the boundaries between the world of the living and the realm of the dead.