![]() ![]() Shine-Tsu-Hiko fills up the empty space between earth and heaven, and with his wife Shina-To-Be, he holds up the earth. At her shrine at the top of the mountain, Shinto worshippers greet the rising sun. SENGEN-SAMA Goddess of the sacred mountain Fuji. Originally the ruler of the province of Izumo, he was replaced by Ninigi, but in compensation he was made ruler of the unseen world of spirits and magic. O-KUNI-NUSHI God of sorcery and medicine. NINIGI Grandson of Amaterasu, sent to rule the earth, the ancestor of all the Japanese emperors. A late addition to the Japanese pantheon, Nai-No-Kami was inducted in the seventh century A.D. ![]() When rivers flooded, the gods were sometimes appeased with human or representative sacrifices. Larger rivers have their own gods, but all waterways are under Kawa-No-Kami's authority. And so Izanami became the goddess of death and Izanagi became the god of life. Enraged, Izanami vowed to kill a thousand of Izanagi's subjects a day, and Izanagi vowed to create fifteen hundred a day. Pursued by Izanimi's furies, Izanagi escaped and sealed up the entrance to the underworld with a boulder. Izanagi looked anyway and Izanami tried to imprision him in the underworld. Izanagi followed her to bring her back, but she forbade him to look at her. Descending to the underworld, Izanami became old and ugly. When Ho-masubi, the god of fire was born, he burned his mother to death. The other gods and goddesses are their offspring. IZANAGI (伊邪那岐) and IZANAMI (伊邪那美) Creator god and goddess sent down from heaven to build the earth. From his blood came eight gods, and from the body came eight mountain gods. His birth killed the creator goddess Izanami, and his father, the creator god Izanagi, was so enraged with grief that he killed the baby. Originally a phallic god, his symbol was placed at crossroads. This figure has Indian origins.ĬHIMATA-NO-KAMI God of crossroads, highways, and footpaths. Bishamon was often portrayed wearing a wheel of fire like a halo. ![]() ![]() Bishamon protects men from disease and demons. Also shortened to Benten.īISHAMON (毘沙門) God of happiness and also of war. Derived from the Hindu and Buddhist goddess Sarasvati. Benzaiten rides a dragon while playing a stringed instrument. Fascinated, Ameterasu drew a little closer for a better look, and the gods grabbed her and hauled her out.ĪMATSU MIKABOSHI "August Star of Heaven." God of evil.īENZAITEN Goddess of love and music. Amaterasu peeped out of her cave and saw her own reflection in a mirror which Ama-No-Uzume had hung on a nearby tree. When Amaterasu asked what was going on, Ama-No-Uzume replied that they had found another and better sun goddess. With a comical and obscene dance, she made the gods gathered at the mouth of the cave laugh. In her absence, darkness and demons ruled the earth until Ame-No-Uzume lured Amaterasu out of the cave with a trick. The other gods used all their magical tricks to get her to come out, to no avail. As is told in the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters), when her great enemy, the storm god Susa-No-Wo, destroyed her fine palace, Amaterasu went to hide in a cave. This dance symbolizes the planting of seed which waits for the sun come after winter.ĪMATERASU OOMIKAMI (天照皇大神) Sun goddess, ruler of the heavens. A companion of Ninigi, she performed a lewd dance hoping to draw Amaterasu, the sun, out of her hiding place. That is why you can hear thunder getting closer and then fading.ĪME-NO-UZUME-NO-MIKOTO (天の鈿の女命) A goddess of fertility. Just born noisy, he grew up even noisier, and so the gods carry him up and down a ladder to quiet him. Here is a brief listing of some of the major figures, many of which figure in the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters):ĪJI-SUKI-TAKA-HI-KONE One of many thunder gods. Tradition says that there are over eight million kami, which are divided into two groups: the heavenly kami, the Amatsu-Kami, and the earthly kami, the Kunitsu-Kami. The kami, "the superior ones", are often attributed divine powers and are worshipped as gods. They may also be the "spirits" of ancestors. This includes not only such things as stars, seas, mountains, animals, and plants, but even specific stones and trees. " Kami" is the Japanese name for all that is incomprehensible to humans, especially in nature. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |