In Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...

, the is the traditional and legendary history of the emergence of the Japanese archipelago

Japanese Archipelago

The , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...

 as narrated firsthand in the Kojiki

Kojiki

is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...

 and Nihon Shoki

Nihon Shoki

The , sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical...

. According to this legend, after the creation of Heaven and Earth, the gods

Kami

is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...

 Izanagi

Izanagi

is a deity born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology and Shinto, and is also referred to in the roughly translated Kojiki as "male-who-invites" or Izanagi-no-mikoto. It is also pronounced Izanaki-no-Okami....

 and Izanami

Izanami

In Japanese mythology, is a goddess of both creation and death, as well as the former wife of the god Izanagi-no-Mikoto. She is also referred to as Izanami-no-kami.-Goddess of Creation:...

 were given the task of forming a series of islands that would become what is now Japan. In Japanese mythology these islands make up the known world. The creation of Japan is followed by the creation of the gods (kamiumi

Kamiumi

In Japanese mythology, the story of the occurs after the creation of Japan and refers to the birth of the kami, descendants of Izanagi and Izanami.-Story:...

).

According to the Kojiki

After the formation of Heaven and Earth, the latter was still a soft mush. The gods Kotoamatsukami

Kotoamatsukami

In Japanese Shinto, Kotoamatsukami is the collective name for the first gods which came into existence at the time of the creation of the universe...

that had arisen after this event met to discuss the fate of the Earth. They decided to delegate the gods' youngest couple, Izanagi and Izanami, with a venerable mandate and gave them a naginata

Naginata

The naginata is one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a pole weapon. Naginata were originally used by the samurai class in feudal Japan, and naginata were also used by ashigaru and sōhei .-Description:A naginata consists of a wooden shaft with a curved...

 called Amenonuhoko

Amenonuhoko

is the name given to the naginata in Japanese mythology used to raise the primordial land-mass, Onōgoro-shima, from the sea. According to the Kojiki, the gods Izanagi and Izanami were responsible for creating the first land. To help them do this, they were given a naginata decorated with jewels,...

covered with precious stones. The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth

Axis mundi

The axis mundi , in religion or mythology, is the world center and/or the connection between heaven and Earth. As the celestial pole and geographic pole, it expresses a point of connection between sky and earth where the four compass directions meet...

 called and started to churn the chaotic mass with the naginata. When drops of salty water fell from the tip, they formed into the first island, Onogoroshima. In forming this island, both gods came down from heaven, and spontaneously built a heavenly pillar called Ame-no-mihashira and a hall of eight fathom

Fathom

A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems, used especially for measuring the depth of water.There are 2 yards in an imperial or U.S. fathom...

 on it.

Later, quoting the Kojiki, both held a conversation:
Izanami accepted the offer and Izanagi proposed that both should circle around the column Ame-no-mihashira in opposite directions, Izanami going right and Izanagi left and on meeting each other would perform sexual intercourse. However when they met on the other side of the pillar, Izanami was the first to speak, saying: "Oh, indeed you are beautiful and kind youth!", to which Izanagi replied: "Oh, what a most beautiful and kind youth!". Izanagi then rebukes Izanami saying: "It is wrong for the wife to speak first.".

However they mated anyway and later fathered a child Hiruko (lit. "leech child), who was placed in a reed boat dragged by the current and would later become the Japanese god Ebisu. Afterwards they gave birth to . Both Hiruko and Ahashima are not considered legitimate children of Izanagi and Izanami.

Izanagi and Izanami spoke about the problem they are having to have fathered badly-formed children
and decided to consult the primordial gods at Takamagahara

Takamagahara

Takama-ga-hara , literally "High Heaven's Plain" but often translated as the "High Plain of Heaven," is a place in Japanese mythology. In Shinto, Takama-ga-hara is the dwelling place of the Kami. It is believed to be connected to the Earth by the bridge Ama-no uki-hashi...

. The gods, through divination, responded that the reason for the problem is because the woman spoke first during the ceremony. So the couple returned to Onogorashima, they go around the pillar again and on meeting, Izanagi was the first to speak followed by Izanami. When finished they perform the union successfully and start to procreate the land.

Birth of the islands

According to the legend, the formation of Japan started with the procreation of eight large islands by Izanagi and Izanami. In order of birth these islands are the following:

1. : currently, Awaji Island
   Awaji Island
   is an island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea between the islands of Honshū and Shikoku. The island has an area of 592.17 km²...
   
   ;
2. : currently, Shikoku
   Shikoku
   is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
   
   . This island had a body and four faces. The names of the faces are as follows:

   • : Iyo Province
     Iyo Province
     was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku. Iyo bordered on Awa, Sanuki, and Tosa Provinces. It was sometimes called ....
     
     ;
   • : Sanuki Province
     Sanuki Province
     was an old province of Japan on the island of Shikoku, with the same boundaries as modern Kagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .It faced the Inland Sea and bordered on Awa and Iyo Provinces. Across Naruto strait it bordered Awaji Province too. Administratively it was included as a part of...
     
     ;
   • : Awa Province
     Awa Province
     Awa Province may refer to:* Awa Province in modern-day Chiba Prefecture* Awa Province in modern-day Tokushima Prefecture...
     
     ;
   • : Tosa Province
     Tosa Province
     is the name of a former province of Japan in the area that is today Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku. Tosa was bordered by Iyo and Awa Provinces. It was sometimes called .-History:The ancient capital was near modern Nankoku...
     
     .

3. : today, Oki Islands
   Oki Islands
   are a group of islands in the southwestern part of the Sea of Japan and belong to Japan.-Geography:The Oki Islands are situated between 40 to 80 kilometers north of the coast of Honshū.The islands are of volcanic origin and have a total area of 346,1 km2...
   
   . Dubbed ;
4. : today, Kyūshū
   Kyushu
   is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
   
   . This island had a body and four faces. The names of the faces are as follows:

   • : Tsukushi Province
     Tsukushi Province
     was an ancient province of Japan, in the area of Chikuzen and Chikugo provinces. This province was located within Fukuoka Prefecture. It was sometimes called .-References:...
     
     ;
   • : Toyo Province
     Toyo Province
     was an ancient province of Japan, in the area of Buzen and Bungo Provinces. The ancient entity was located in modern Ōita Prefecture and northeastern Fukuoka Prefecture. It was divided into Buzen and Bungo in 683. It was sometimes called ....
     
     ;
   • : Hi Province
     Hi Province
     was an ancient province of Japan, in the area of Hizen and Higo provinces. The ambit of this ancient entity is within Nagasaki, Saga and Kumamoto prefectures. It was sometimes called .-References:...
     
     ;
   • : Kumaso
     Kumaso
     The were a people of ancient Japan, believed to have lived in the south of Kyūshū until at least the Nara period. William George Aston, in his translation of the Nihongi, says Kumaso refers to two separate tribes, Kuma and So...
     
     .

5. : today, Iki Island
   Iki Island
   Iki Island is an island lying between the island of Kyūshū and the Tsushima islands in the Tsushima Strait, the eastern channel of the Korea Strait. It is currently part of Nagasaki Prefecture of Japan. The city of Iki is the centre of the local government. The island has three ports.The island’s...
   
   . Dubbed ;
6. : today, Tsushima Island
   Tsushima Island
   Tsushima Island is an island of the Japanese Archipelago situated in the middle of the Tsushima Strait at 34°25'N and 129°20'E. The main island of Tsushima was once a single island, but the island was divided into two in 1671 by the Ōfunakosiseto canal and into three in 1900 by the Manzekiseto canal...
   
   . Dubbed ;
7. : today, Sado Island;
8. : today, Honshu
   Honshu
   is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
   
   . Dubbed .

Traditionally these islands are known as Ōyashima (lit. eight large islands) and as a whole are what is currently known as Japan. In the myth neither Hokkaidō

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

 nor the Ryukyu Islands

Ryukyu Islands

The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...

 are mentioned as these were not known to the Japanese at the time of compiling the Kojiki.

Additionally, Izanagi and Izanami then gave birth to six islands:

1. : Kojima Peninsula. Dubbed ;
2. : Shōdoshima
   Shodoshima
   is an island located in the Inland Sea of Japan. The name means literally "Island of Small Beans". There are two towns on the island: Tonoshō and Shōdoshima, comprising the district of Shōzu.The island is famous for its stages of Twenty-Four Eyes...
   
   . Dubbed ;
3. : Suō-ōshima. Dubbed ;
4. : Himeshima. Dubbed ;
5. : Gotō Islands
   Goto Islands
   The are Japanese islands in the East China Sea, off the western coast of Kyūshū. The islands are a part of Nagasaki Prefecture.- Geography :There are 140 islands in total, including five main islands:,,,, and....
   
   . Dubbed ;
6. : Danjo Archipelago. Dubbed .

According to the Nihon Shoki

The story of this book only differs in that Izanagi and Izanami volunteered to consolidate the Earth. In addition the two deities are described as "god of yang" (陽神, “dios del yang”) and "goddess of yin" (陰神, “diosa del yin”) influenced by the ideas of Yin and yang

Yin and yang

In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...

. The rest of the story is identical, except that the other celestial gods (Kotoamatsukami) do not appear, nor are the last six smaller islands mentioned that were born through Izanagi and Izanami.