Kamiumi


In Japanese mythology, the story of the birth of the gods occurs after the creation of Japan. It concerns the birth of the divine descendants of Izanagi and Izanami.

Story

According to the Kojiki, various gods were born from the relationship between Izanagi and Izanami until the fire deity, Kagutsuchi, at birth burned Izanami's genitals and wounded her fatally. Izanagi, witnessing the death of his beloved wife, in rage took the ten-grasp sabre and crushed his child, Kagutsuchi. A number of gods were born from the blood and remains of Kagutsuchi. Subsequently, Izanagi went to the land of Yomi to find Izanami, however when he found her, she had become a rotting corpse and from her parts other gods had arisen, causing the flight of Izanagi to the world of the living. Then Izanagi performed the misogi ritual purification through which more gods are born. The last of these are the three most important gods of Shinto: Amaterasu, goddess of the sun; Tsukuyomi, deity of the moon; and Susano'o, god of the sea.

Birth of the gods

After having created the Eight Large Islands and other islands during the creation of Japan, Izanagi and Izanami decided to give birth to other gods, among them household deities, deities of the wind, trees and meadows, all born spontaneously:
  1. Ōkoto-oshi'o = Ōgoto-oshi'o, male deity
  2. Iwatsuchi-biko, male deity
  3. Iwasu-hime, female deity
  4. Ōtohi-wake, genderless deity and spirit
  5. Ame-no-fuki'o, male deity
  6. Ōya-biko, male deity
  7. Kazamo-tsuwake-no-oshi'o, male deity
  8. Wata-tsumi, genderless deity and spirit
  9. Haya-'akitsu-hiko, male deity
  10. Haya-'akitsu-hime, female deity
  11. : From the relationship between Haya'akitsuhiko and Haya'akitsuhime the following gods were born:
  12. #Aha-nagi = Awa-nagi, male deity
  13. # Aha-nami = Awa-nami, female deity
  14. # Tsura-nagi, male deity
  15. # Tsura-nami, female deity
  16. # Ame-no-mikumari, genderless deity and spirit
  17. # Kuni-no-mikumari, genderless deity and spirit
  18. # Ame-no-kuhizamochi, genderless deity and spirit
  19. # Kuni-no-kuhizamochi, genderless deity and spirit
  20. Shina-Tsu-Hiko, male deity
  21. Kukunochi, genderless deity and spirit
  22. Ohoyama-tsumi/ Ōyama-tsumi, male deity -
  23. , also known as No-zuchi, female deity
  24. : From the relationship between Ohoyamatsumi and Kaya-no-hime the following gods were born:
  25. #Ame-no-sazuchi, genderless deity and spirit
  26. # Kuni-no-sazuchi, genderless deity and spirit
  27. # Ame-no-sagiri, genderless deity and spirit
  28. # Kuni-no-sagiri, genderless deity and spirit
  29. # Ame-no-kurado, genderless deity and spirit
  30. # Kuni-no-kurado, genderless deity and spirit
  31. # Ohoto-mato-hiko, male deity
  32. # Ohoto-mato-hime, female deity
  33. Tori-no-iwa-kusu-fune, also known as Ame-no-torifune - genderless deity and spirit
During Kagutsuchi's birth, Izanami's genitals were burned and she was mortally wounded. In her agony, from her vomit, urine and feces more gods were born.
  1. Kanayama-biko, male deity born from the vomit and feces of Izanami
  2. Kanayama-bime, female deity born from the vomit and feces of Izanami
  3. Haniyasu-biko, male deity born from the feces of Izanami
  4. Haniyasu-bime, female deity born from the feces of Izanami
  5. Mitsuhano-me = Mizuhanome, female deity born from the urine of Izanami
  6. Wakumusubi''', = Tori-no-wakumusubi, male deity born from the urine of Izanami

    Death of Kagutsuchi

After the agony, Izanami dies. At the time Izanagi crept moaning about the body and mourned her death. From his tears, the female deity Nakisawame was born. Subsequently Izanagi buried Izanami on Mount Hiba. His sadness turned into anger and he decided to kill Kagutsuchi with a ten-grasp sword called Ame-no-ohabari/ Ame-no-wohabari.
From the blood of Kagutsuchi the following gods emerged:
  1. Iwasaku
  2. Nesaku
  3. Iwa-tsutsu-no'o
  4. : The gods above were born from the blood that fell from the tip of the sword in the rocks.
  5. Mika-haya-hi
  6. Hi-haya-hi
  8. Kuramitsuha
  9. : The gods above were born from the blood that fell from the handle of the sword.
Also, from the body of Kagutsuchi the following gods were born:
  1. Masakayama-tsumi, emerged from Kagutsuchi's head;
  2. Odoyama-tsumi, from the chest;
  3. Okuyama-tsumi, from the abdomen;
  4. Kurayama-tsumi or, from the genitals;
  5. Shigiyama-tsumi, from the left arm;
  6. Hayama-tsumi, from the right arm;
  7. Harayama-tsumi, from the left foot;
  8. Toyama-tsumi or, from the right foot.

    Land of Yomi

Izanagi then decided to bring back Izanami and goes to Yomi-no-kuni, the underworld. Crossing the gates to that world, he met Izanami and says to her:
Izanami replied:
On saying this, Izanami entered the palace of these gods. However, time passed and she did not return and Izanagi began to despair. So he broke one of the tines of his ornamental comb mizura that he wore in the left bun of his hair, lit it in order to light the place and decided to enter the world of dead. He manages to find Izanami but is surprised to see that she lost her beauty and had become a rotting corpse, covered with maggots. Of her body were born the eight Gods of thunder, which were:
  1. Ō-ikazuchi, from the head of Izanami;
  2. Hono-ikazuchi, from her chest;
  3. Kuro-ikazuchi, from her abdomen;
  4. Saku-ikazuchi, from her genitals;
  5. Waka-ikazuchi, from her left arm;
  6. Tsuchi-ikazuchi, from her right arm;
  7. Naru-ikazuchi, from her left foot;
  8. Fusu-ikazuchi, from her right foot.
Izanagi, shocked, decided to return home, but Izanami was embarrassed by his appearance and commanded the Yomotsu-shikome to chase Izanagi. In his flight, he took the head-dress from his head, and threw it to the ground where it turned into a bunch of grapes. The Yomotsushikome started to eat them but kept chasing the fleeing Izanagi. So he broke the tine of the comb that he wore in his right bun, and as he threw it to the ground it became bamboo shoots, prompting the Yomotsushikome to eat them and enabling Izanagi to flee.
However, Izanami decided to release the eight gods of thunder and 1,500 warriors from Yomi to continue the pursuit. Izanagi drew and brandished his Totsuka-no-Tsurugi sword to continue his flight. As they pursued him, Izanagi reached the Yomotsu-hirasaka, the slope that descends from the land of the living to Yomi. He took three peaches from a tree that had grown in that place and threw them at his pursuers so that they fled.
Izanagi commented:
These peaches were called Ōkamuzumi.
Finally, Izanami persecuted Izanagi, but he lifted a rock that a thousand men could not move and blocked the slope with it. At that moment, their eyes met for the last time.
Izanami said:
Izanagi replied:
These words justified the circle of life and death in humans. For the same reason, Izanami is also called Yomotsu-ōkami or Chishiki-no-ōkami and the boulder that covers the entrance to the world of the dead is known as Chika'eshi-no-ōkami or Yomido-no-ōkami ō and is today known as slope of Ifuya in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture.

Purification of Izanagi

Leaving Yomi, Izanagi decided to remove all uncleanness in his body through a purification ceremony consisting of a bath in the river at Ahakihara in Tachibana no Ono in Tsukushi. As he stripped his clothes and accessories on the floor the following twelve gods are born:
  1. Chimata-no-kami = Chimata no Kami, emerges from the staff;
  2. Michi-no-nagachiha, from the obi;
  3. Tokihakashi, from the handbag;
  4. Wazurai-no-ushi, from cloths;
  5. Michi-mata, from the hakama;
  6. Akiguhi-no-ushi, from the crown corona;
  7. Oki-zakaru, from the armband of the left hand;
  8. Okitsu-nagisa-biko, from the armband of the left hand;
  9. Okitsu-kaibera, from the armband of the left hand;
  10. He-zakaru, from the armband of the right hand;
  11. Hetsu-nagisa-biko, from the armband of the right hand;
  12. Hetsu-kaibera, from the armband of the right hand;
Subsequently Izanagi is stripped of impurities from the land of Yomi. In this moment two gods were born:
  1. Yasomaga-tsuhi, male deity
  2. Ōmaga-tsuhi, male deity
Then, shaking off the curse, three gods were born:
  1. Kamuna'obi, male deity
  2. Ōna'obi, male deity
  3. Izunome, female deity
Then, when washing with water the lower parts of his body, two gods were born;
  1. Sokotsu-watatsumi, genderless deity and spirit
  2. Sokotsutsuno'o, male deity
When washing the middle of his body, two more gods were born:
  1. Nakatsu-watatsumi, genderless deity and spirit
  2. Nakatsutsuno'o, male deity
Finally, washing the upper part of his body, two more gods were born:
  1. Uwatsu-watatsumi, genderless deity and spirit
  2. Uwatsutsuno'o, male deity
The trio of Sokotsu-watatsumi, Nakatsu-watatsumi and Uwatsu-watatsumi make up the group of deities called Sanjin Watatsumi, or the gods of water. The trio of Sokotsutsuno'o, Nakatsutsuno'o and Uhatsutsuno'o make up the Sumiyoshi Sanjin group of deities, gods of fishing and sea, to whom tribute is paid at Sumiyoshi Taisha.
In the last step of the purification ceremony, Izanagi washed his left eye from which the female deity
Amaterasu was born; washed his right eye from which the genderless deity and spirit Tsukuyomi was born; and when washing his nose from which the male deity '''Susano'o = commonly known as Susano'o was born.
With these three gods called Mihashira-no-uzu-no-miko, Izanagi ordered their investiture. Amaterasu received the mandate to govern Takamagahara and a necklace of jewels called Mikuratanano-no-kami from Izanagi. Tsukuyomi is mandated to govern over the Dominion of the Night, and Takehaya-susano'o = Susano'o is to rule the seas.