Izanagi and Izanami: myth, origin, and legacy in Japanese culture (2025)

Japanese mythology is one of the richest, deepest and most captivating in Asia., and at its heart lies the fascinating tale of Izanagi and Izanami, the divine couple responsible for shaping the Land of the Rising Sun and all its gods. Since time immemorial, its history has been passed down from generation to generation., inspiring both the spiritual vision of the Japanese people as well as artistic manifestations, literature and even modern references in anime and video games.

To explore the legend of Izanagi and Izanami is to delve into the very origin of the world, into the explanation of life and death, into the meaning of purity and contamination., and the most intimate spiritual connection with nature and the gods. Join us on this journey through the myths, history, and legacy of Japan's founding deities.

Classical sources and context of the legend

The main source for understanding the myth of Izanagi and Izanami is found in two great Japanese chronicles: the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Things, 712 AD) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan, 720 AD).These texts, collected during the Nara period, sought to orally preserve divine beliefs, origins, and genealogies, thus laying the foundation for Shintoism and contributing to Japanese national identity.

The Kojiki is, in fact, the oldest text preserved in Japan, and tells how several gods emerge from primordial chaos: among them, Izanagi and Izanami finally emerge, who are charged with consolidating the physical world.The Nihon Shoki, for its part, collects alternative versions and interpretations of the story of the creation and descent of the deities, demonstrating the richness and variety of Japanese oral tradition.

Other sources, such as the Kogoshui (9th century), also compiled variants and details omitted in the great chronicles, claiming that The legend not only survived the passage of centuries, but also adapted to the needs and sensibilities of each era.

The birth of the world and of Japan

The myth begins in a still formless universe, full of fog and chaos.From among the earliest deities emerge Izanagi ("the one who invites") and Izanami ("she who invites"), brothers and spouses, embodying the fundamental masculine-feminine duality in the Japanese worldview. They receive from the supreme gods the task of generating solid land, since the world was still submerged under turbid and disorderly waters..

From the Floating Sky Bridge, called Ame-no-ukihashi, they stir the waters with a sacred jewel-encrusted spear, the Ame-no-nuboko. As soon as they raise the spear, the falling salty drops solidify and form the first island: Onogoro-shimaThis small piece of land will be the setting for later creation.

Upon stepping on land, Izanagi and Izanami They build their palace and erect a great pillar (or celestial column) around which they will perform the marriage ritual. Walking in opposite directions, they cross paths at the pillar. However, On the first attempt, Izanami takes the initiative and greets Izanagi first., which is interpreted as a decisive error in the natural order.

From that first union, deformed and unwanted children are born: a boneless child and an island of foam. After consulting the gods, they are told that they must repeat the ritual correctly, letting Izanagi speak first. They do so on the second attempt, and ultimately the offspring they produce are healthy and prosperous.

The creation of the islands and the gods

From the correct union of Izanagi and Izanami the eight main islands of Japan ariseAwaji, Shikoku, Oki, Kyushu (Tsukushi), Iki, Tsushima, Sado, and Honshu (Oyamato). Each of these islands is considered the physical body of the nation, unifying cosmogony and geography in a way that is unique in the world.

Not only islands are born from this divine couple, but from their relationship springs a vast pantheon of gods, spirits and natural phenomena called kami.. Among them are deities of the sea, mountains, trees, rivers, the home, and the elements, as well as other forces essential to Japanese life and society. Many scholars estimate that there are more than 800 kami recognized in Shintoism, and They are often depicted as a direct result of the union and work of Izanagi and Izanami.

This narrative reflects the deep spiritual connection between nature and the divine typical of Japanese thought, where every aspect of the environment could be, in itself, the manifestation or body of an ancestral deity.

The Tragedy of Izanami: Death and Descent into the Underworld

The happiness of the creative couple is cut short when Izanami gives birth to Kagutsuchi, the god of fire, suffering severe burns that lead to her death.From the pain and fluids emanating from her dying body emerge new divinities, many of them associated with death, vomiting, and putrefaction, demonstrating the unbroken cycle of creation and destruction within the Japanese cosmos.

After Izanami's death, Izanagi is left in grief and despair, mourning the loss of his beloved wife.In her tears, more divinities are born, and sadness becomes the driving force behind new existences within the pantheon.

The goddess Izanami is buried on Mount Hiba, the border between Izumo and Hōki, which It reinforces the sacredness of this place and links it to the founding myth.

Izanagi in Yomi: the realm of the dead and the final separation

Refusing to accept Izanami's final death, Izanagi decides to travel to Yomi, the Japanese underworld, hoping to bring her back.At the entrance to Yomi, Izanagi greets her husband and warns him that she has already eaten the food of the afterlife, and therefore cannot return. However, she agrees to supplicate the deities of the underworld to return, asking Izanagi not to look at her until she completes the task.

However, the wait drives Izanagi to despair. He breaks his promise and, breaking a prong from his comb, makes a makeshift torch to see Izanami.What he sees is terrifying: his wife's body is decomposing, eaten by worms and surrounded by terrible thunder deities.

Horrified, Izanagi flees from the Yomi, pursued by monstrous creatures, storm deities, and Izanami herself, angry and humiliated by disobedience.Along the way, Izanagi uses magical objects—vines that transform into grapes and combs that turn into bamboo shoots—to hinder his pursuers. Finally, he closes the passage between the world of the living and the Yomi by placing a gigantic rock.

In this last exchange, Izanami, in her fury, declares that she will kill a thousand people every day.Izanagi, not to be outdone, replies that they will give birth to 1,500 people every day, thus establishing a symbolic balance between life and death, birth and mortality in the human experience.

The purification of Izanagi and the birth of new gods

Affected by his time in the underworld, Izanagi realizes that he has been contaminated and decides to cleanse himself at the mouth of a river. This act of purification, known as misogi, is essential in Shintoism and symbolizes the need to eliminate the impurity caused by contact with death and the underworld.

During the ritual, new deities are born from every gesture and garment that Izanagi abandons.But the most prominent gods emerge when washing their faces:

• Amaterasu, the goddess of the Sun, emerges from Izanagi's left eye.
• tsukuyomi, the god of the Moon, is born from the right eye.
• Susanoo, god of storms and the sea, emerges from his nose.

These three sons become the chief rulers of the heavens, the night, and the oceans, respectively. This divine triad represents the ordering of the natural and spiritual world after the initial chaosIt is a cycle of decay, death, purification, and rebirth, with clear implications for Japanese rituals linked to cleansing and renewal.

The birth of these gods also marks the beginning of the imperial lineages, since Amaterasu is the direct ancestor of the Japanese imperial house, which gives the story a profound political and religious legitimacy.

Cult, symbolism and presence in Japanese culture

Izanagi and Izanami are considered parents of the gods and direct ancestors of the imperial family.Their myths are at the heart of practices, festivals, and shrines, and are a living source of artistic inspiration. One of the most famous places honoring them is the Meoto Iwa Shrine, with its iconic "married rocks" joined by the sacred shimenawa rope, a symbol of divine union and marriage in Japanese culture.

The divine couple appears represented in paintings, statues, texts and all kinds of traditional ceremonies, embodying the fundamental duality between masculine and feminine, heaven and earth, life and death.

The legend also justifies and gives meaning to the purification ritual (harai), still present in modern Shinto temples before entering sacred spaces. The separation between the pure and the impure, so characteristic of the Japanese mentality, has its roots in this legend..

The myth in popular culture and its legacy today

Along the centuries, The story of Izanagi and Izanami has left its mark on art, literature, film, video games and manga.Characters inspired by both appear in well-known series such as Noragami and Naruto, where their names are used for special techniques (jutsu) or have been transformed into deities and legendary beings. In video games such as Persona 4, Smite, and Digital Devil Story, their figures have been reinterpreted as antagonists, heroes, or supernatural entities.

Furthermore, The myth serves as a starting point for understanding other legends and stories within Japanese tradition., consolidating itself as the founding narrative par excellence. Its presence in the collective imagination is unavoidable: from the creation narrative to the understanding of the cyclical nature of life, death, and renewal.

In fact, the stories of Izanagi and Izanami remain fundamental to understanding Japanese cultural identity and worldview, serving as a constant source of inspiration and reflection that unites past and present in a single, eternal narrative.