top of page
Takeshi Kazui

Japanese Mythology of Engagement: Izanagi and Izanami promised at the Foot of The Heavenly Pillar

Updated: Oct 25, 2023


Heavenly Pillar, Ama no Mihashira.

The two gods Izanagi イザナギ and Izanami イザナミ landed on Beginning Island, an island formed by drops of water from the whirlpools, and erected a gigantic pillar, known in later times as the Heavenly Pillar, Ama no Mihashira 天の御柱.

Please note that I write my article based on official documents, Kojiki 古事記 and Nihonshoki 日本書紀, in a simplified style that is easy to read for foreigners.


Japanese Mythology of Engagement

Heavenly Pillar, Ama no Mihashira

They who landed on Beginning Island were ready to begin something.


Izanagi "Izanami, Your body is so beautiful."


Izanami "Thank you, yes my body is very beautifully made, but there is one part missing. By the way, Izanagi, your body is very strong, unlike mine."


Izanagi "Thank you too, yes my body is built very strong. However, there is one part that sticks out."


Izanami "???"


Izanagi "Wold you like to combine my protrusion with your missing part and give birth to a land?"


Izanemi "Yes, that's a good idea!!"


Japanese mythology is full of inexplicable episodes... But that is myth. Back to the story, they started to go around the pillar, Izanagi male god from the left and Izanami female god from the right, then the two met.


Izanemi "Wow, you look so hot man-god!"


Izanagi "Oh, what a lovely goddess!"


Izanami "Come on, let's get to start $€𝕏."


Izanagi "Wait wait wait, why did you say that before I did? Shouldn't I be the one to say that?"


Izanami "Ahan? Who decided that? Gods?"


Izanagi "☆十$€X¥!? Oh my god."


And they became the first man and woman on earth to physically love each other.

Sunrise

The Eight Children

Pregnant woman

She gave birth to many children, islands. First, Awaji-shima 淡路島, then Shikoku 四国, Oki-no-shima 隠岐島, Kyushū 九州, Iki-no-shima 壱岐島, Tsushima 対馬, Sado-ga-shima 佐渡島, and finally Honshū 本州 were created one after another. Eight islands were born, and these islands came to be called Oho-yashima-guni 大八島国, the Eight Great Islands. This is the beginning of the land of Japan.

After creating the eight islands, they gave birth to a succession of gods that would become the elements of the world: sea, river, mountain, rock, wind, earth, grain, and "fire".

She gave birth to various gods, but Izanami lost her life when the god of fire, Hi-no-kagutsuchi-no-kami 火之迦具土神, inflicted severe burns on her vagina.


I will tell the rest of the story another time.


Abum

View of Onokoro, mythical Island of the Beginning, in green light from Onogoro Shrine.


14 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page