Japanese mythology is a belief system considered complex to understand because it has been influenced by other cultures and religions that have been adapted and modified to be typical of the country.
This mythology has influenced us today in art, manga drawings, literature, and music. All the elements of Japanese mystical folklore provide us with unique ideas and aesthetics. Many of them have been exported to other cultures. Japan has lived in isolation from other cultures for many centuries, and this gives it a special character.
In Japan, she is worshipped as the mother of the imperial family and the supreme mythological figure, which is why the great Ise Shrine was built in her honor. At the entrance to the shrine, you can see horses dedicated to this sun goddess. They are dressed up and taken to a place in the holy sanctuary three times a month to bow their heads in reverence to Amaterasu.
2. Susanoo
Under the name Susanoo, we find the deity known for his brutality who rules the sea, storms, and battles. He is the brother of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, other gods.
He fights against his sister Amaterasu
When he confronted his sister, he wanted to avoid unnecessary injuries, so he challenged her to a contest of creative power.
The contest consisted of each creating as many minor deities as possible that were stronger and better than the other’s. It was divided into rounds:
- The goddess broke her brother’s sword, leaving three fragments, which she ate and used to create three beautiful goddesses.
- Susanoo, wanting to surpass her, grabbed his sister’s fertility beads and used them to create five very aggressive gods, proclaiming himself the winner. However, Amaterasu said that since they belonged to her, she was the winner.
As a result, Susanoo, furious, destroyed the sacred spinning room where the goddess lived. Not satisfied with this, he dismembered the body of the divine horse and scattered its parts throughout the area.
Amaterasu was frightened when she saw him dead and ran to hide in the cave of Yamato Iwato, where she locked herself in, leading to eternal darkness.
Susanoo was brought to a hearing where 800 gods judged him and found him guilty of murdering the heavenly horse, scaring his sister, and causing eternal darkness, along with the death of Amaterasu’s maidens.
3. Tsukuyomi
The name Tsukuyomi refers to the god of the moon who, along with Amaterasu and Susanoo, is one of the“three noble children”who emerged when Izanagi, the god who created the first land, Onogoro-shima, bathed his sins after escaping from the underworld and the wrath of his wife, Izanami.
This character ascended to the heavens via a celestial ladder, where he lived with his sister Amaterasu, the sun goddess, but this came to an end when he killed Uke Mochi, the god of food, at a party, harming the humans. Angered, she promised that they would never live together again, nor see each other.
This is where the legend comes from that the sun always hides from the moon and they never meet, because Amaterasu runs away from Tsukuyomi so she doesn’t have to see him.
4. Hachiman
Hachiman is the god of samurai warriors and archery, and should not be confused with the god of war.
On the other hand, some different currents in the country also classify him as the deity of agriculture who also protects Japan, as he seeks to maintain peace, prosperity, and happiness for its inhabitants.
His name translates as “God of the Eight Standards,” representing the eight standards of the first emperor, Ojin.
As a result, sailors, fishermen, farmers, and peasants revered him because he guided and protected them.
His symbol is the dove, which was also his messenger, so it was believed that Hachiman’s spirit lived in the sound of traditional Hachiman drums and the clash of swords in battle, which is why they were played during battles to accompany him.
It is worth noting that this character is so important in Japanese culture that there are around 25,000 temples built in his honor throughout Japan, and several villages, cities, and towns have something in their name that refers to Hachiman.
Japanese mythological beings
Within the Japanese anthology, there is a wide variety of characters that have terrified or delighted the inhabitants for centuries, which is why these mythical beings are still believed in today. Among the most famous are:
The four sacred beings
These represent the four cardinal points, which are guarded by the Four Sacred Beasts, which are considered sacred and divine animals that share traits with the Chinese constellations.
In Japanese culture, their job is to protect and guard the four sides of the city of Kyoto, which is why different temples were built to denote their importance in this anthology.
1. Genbu
The north is protected by the sacred beast with the appearance of a turtle with a coiled snake, which represents the earth and winter.
2. Suzaku
Guardian of the south, which has the appearance of a phoenix and has fire as its element, and is the only one with a constellation.
3. Byakko
Protector of the west , who looks like a white tiger symbolizing the wind.
4. Seiryu
God of the East who looks like a blue dragon, and his element is water.
Shinigami, god of death
Another mythological being from Japan is Shinigami, who is known as the god of death.
It is believed that they cause humans to feel feelings and desires for death on the very date they are destined to die, unconsciously deciding how humans will die.
Myths and legends from this anthology
Here are some of the most popular myths and legends:
1. Creation of the gods Izanagi and Izanami
It is believed that the first gods created two divine beings, a god named Izanagi and a goddess named Izanami.
These beings were tasked with creating multiple islands along with new deities that would come to earth.
This couple had many children, but unfortunately, when she gave birth to Kagutsuchi, known as the god of fire, he died, which devastated Izanagi, who did not want to spend the rest of his days without his wife, so he decided to travel to the Japanese land of the dead, Yomi.
The search for Izanagi
He set off on his search, but he did not like the darkness and began to feel nervous, so he proceeded to look for his wife. When he found her in the darkness, he begged her to return with him, but she spat at him. He did not give up and kept trying to convince her until he succeeded. She asked him to let her sleep for a while, and he agreed, but when he entered her room, he saw his beloved deformed.
When she woke up and saw her beloved’s rejection, she became enraged and proceeded to chase him with the intention of killing him with the help of the wild Shikomes, or disgusting women, but the god managed to escape a great pursuit from which he almost did not make it out alive.
In the end, Izanagi managed to reach the door that separated the two worlds, exhausted. When he crossed the threshold, he closed the rock that divided them tightly. Izanami screamed in rage and cursed her husband, warning him that if he did not let her out, she would kill 1,000 men every day. Angered, he replied that he would give life to 1,500 men a day in return.
This led to death spreading across the land.
2. Namazu, creator of earthquakes and tsunamis
For the Japanese, the cause of earthquakes and tsunamis is a mythical being called Namazu, a giant catfish that lives underground and is part of the Yokai, a series of Japanese monsters associated with disasters and all kinds of misfortune.
He is a deity who has the ability to transform himself into a horrible and gigantic fish that rules the waters with great force.
Kashima the protector
The only one who can control this character is the god Kashima, who is responsible for protecting the citizens from his misdeeds by using his magical powers to place a heavy, enormous stone on Namazu to keep him and his tail still.
It is a difficult and exhausting job that sometimes rivals other activities he has to do for other gods, and it is when Namazu causes earthquakes, spreading panic among the population.
When this happens, Kashima reacts and presses him back against the stone.
In cases where the god cannot watch over him, the task falls to Ebisu, a calm and peaceful goddess who evokes good luck. Although she is not the most suitable for the job, she tried to control the impulsive movements of the catfish without much success until Kashima arrived, which for people represents the explanation of a violent earthquake, taking into account its aftershocks and their subsequent disappearance.
God of the underworld and the dead, also known as the deity of shadows, who ruled the underground world of Mictlán, the land of the dead, in the company of his wife Mictecacíhuatl, and wielded his power over the “nine underground rivers” and the souls of the dead.
What does the god Mictlantecuhtli look like?
This character is presented throughout mythology with different aspects:
- One of them is like a human skeleton with a skull with many teeth.
- He was also drawn with black hair and star-like eyes on his face.
- It is believed that his body is covered with human bones and that he wears a skull-shaped mask on his face, which goes hand in hand with his black, frizzy hair and starry eyes, as he needs to be able to see around him due to living in such a dark place.
He is also accompanied by adornments in the form of rosettes from which cones emerge, one on his forehead and another on the back of his neck, along with:
- A white, folded flag.
- The pantololli.
- A white paper stole, called amaneapalli.
- As an earflap, he wears a human bone.
On the other hand, he is associated with bats, spiders, and owls.
It should be noted that he is also known as Tzontémoc, “he who falls headfirst,” and is characterized by carrying a black sun on his back for the dead, which appears in the Codex Borgia.
2. Mictecacíhuatl
Known as the Lady of Death because she is thought to have died at birth, she is the wife of Mictlantecuhtli, the god of death, and together they rule the underworld. Although they are sometimes believed to work together and at other times in conflict, their essential job is to watch over the bones of the dead.
She is responsible for presiding over the festivals held in honor of the dead, now known as the Mexican Day of the Dead.
Legend of this deity
In Oaxaca, a state in Mexico, it is believed that she turns into a beautiful woman who comes out at night dressed in white to seduce drunk and womanizing men who are out late at night. with the aim of leading them to eternal punishment, which is death, because she guides them along a muddy, thorny path so that they are injured and then commit suicide by falling into a ravine where a thorny cactus grows. Although some die, others survive and remember nothing of what happened.
3. Ilamatecuhtli
Goddess of the earth, death, and the Milky Way, whose roar signaled the coming of war.
She was originally believed to be responsible for collecting the souls of the dead and at one point was linked as the protector of women who died in childbirth.
She was thought to look like an adult woman with one half of her face painted red and the other half black. She wore a crown of eagle feathers on her head, and her clothing consisted of a red blouse and a white skirt with snail shells.
In her right hand, she carried a weaving instrument, and in her left, a shield that matched her crown.
4. Itzpapalotl
Female deity of violence, war, death, and human sacrifice.
What does she look like?
She is described as a sinister-looking skeleton associated with the animal that represents her, the butterfly. It is believed that her body had wings like this animal, where she kept her obsidian knives, which led this elderly woman to possess such experience and knowledge that she became a symbol of rebirth and regeneration.
5. Xólotl
Classified as the deity of spirits, twins, and protector of the dead.
He is believed to have been responsible for helping humans make their transition to Mictlán, as well as traveling to the Mexica underworld at night to take care of the sun.
How is he depicted in art?
Xólotl is depicted as a male human skeleton with a dog’s head.
Mictlán in Mexica mythology
This is the underworld of this anthology and is structured according to various universes or regions that are subdivided.
It is characterized by the fact that all human beings who died of natural causes went there, regardless of their social class or how they acted in life on earth, since for the Mexicas, their destiny was decided not by this moral trait but by the gender of the deceased at the time of arrival in this world.
It should be noted that this was located at the end of the earth, in its deepest underground, and had nine hells of Mictlán, which are classified as follows:
1) Itzcuintlán
This is the area where the god Xólotl and his sacred dogs, the Xoloitzcuintle, live. At this stage, he watches over the sun god during the day, but from Mictlán because he is against Tonatiuh. In this place, he watches over the reconciliation of the dogs with the dead who arrive.
It is believed that at this stage, the newly deceased must cross the wide river Apanohuacalhuia, a place guarded by Xochitónal, the giant iguana. Here, they would encounter the dead who wandered in the shadows on the riverbank because they were declared unworthy of entering due to mistreating a dog in life.
In other words, this is the border between the living and the dead, and the Xoloitzcuintle are the only ones who can help them on their journey to the underworld.
2) Tepeme Monamictlán
This is where the mountain deity Tepeyóllotl, the echoes, and jaguars live.
In this region, the dead who managed to cross the Apanohuacalhuia River had to cross two mountains that opened and closed, causing them to collide with each other, so they had to wait for the right moment to pass without being crushed.
3) Itztépetl
A path where the dead face obsidian flints that tear them apart, and where Itztlacoliuhqui, god of obsidian and punishment, lives.
They also encounter an area filled with strong winds where the dead must protect all their belongings so that the winds do not carry them away, although these winds were so powerful that they lifted stones and cut the corpses of the dead with multiple flint points as they passed through, dividing the area into two regions:
- Cehuelóyan
- Pancuecuetlacáyan or Pancuecuetlalóyan.
4) Cehuelóyan
The first zone of Itztépetl is a frozen area with eight sharp stones where snow falls. Here lives Mictlecayotl, god of the cold north wind, who was responsible for bringing winter to hell and then to earth.
5) Pancuetlacalóyan
The second region of the Itztépetl complex, this is a vast desert area where there is no gravity, so the dead are at the mercy of the winds. It consisted of a perverse game in which, when they were about to leave, they were returned to the beginning and beaten like flags until they finally managed to leave the path of the deity Mictlecayotl.
6) Temiminalóyan
This region contains a path lined with sharp arrows that are invisible to the dead until they are pierced by them. In this case, the deceased must avoid them so as not to be shot and bleed to death.
7) Teyollocualóyan
A place where wild beasts open the chests of the dead to eat their hearts, so they encounter the jaguar that ate or would eat them.
This is also the area where Tepeyóllotl, god of mountains, echoes, and jaguars, lives.
8) Apanohualóyan
This is where the Apanohuacalhuia River flows into and turns into black water, which the heartless dead must cross to reach their final destination. If they manage to get out, they face a valley with:
- Nine deep rivers that are close to the great Apanohuacalhuia and represent the states of consciousness.
9) Chiconahualóyan
The end of the journey consists of an area filled with fog where the deceased could no longer see anything around them. This, accompanied by their extreme exhaustion, caused them to reflect on all the decisions they had made in their lives, connecting with everything they had experienced and everything around them, becoming one with everything.
Thus, they entered Mictlán, the place where the lord and lady of Death reside.
