Japan is a country full of mysteries. For many years it has been isolated from the outside world, and this isolation has made it possible to create an original culture. A vivid example is the richest Japanese mythology.
Religion of Japan
Despite long centuries of isolation from European and other countries, Nippon (as the Japanese call their homeland) surprises with a variety of religious teachings. Among them, the main place is occupied by Shinto, which is practiced by more than 80% of the population. In second place in importance is Buddhism, which came to Japan from neighboring China. There are also representatives of Confucianism, Christianity, Zen Buddhism, and Islam in the country.
A feature of the Nippon religion is syncretism, when the vast majority of residents profess several religions at once. This is considered normal practice and is an excellent example of the religious tolerance and tolerance of the Japanese.
Shinto is the way of the gods
Rich Japanese mythology originates in Shintoism - the main religion of the Land of the Rising Sun. It is based on the deification of natural phenomena. The ancient Japanese believed that any object has a spiritual essence. SoShinto is the worship of various deities and the spirits of the dead. This religion includes totemism, magic, belief in the miraculous power of amulets, talismans and rituals.
Buddhism had a great influence on Shinto. This is manifested in the main principle of the religion of Japan - to live in harmony and unity with the outside world. According to the Japanese, the world is an environment in which people, spirits and deities coexist.
The peculiarity of Shinto is that there is no strict boundary between such concepts as good and evil. Evaluation of actions consists in what goals a person sets for himself. If he respects elders, maintains friendly relations with others, is capable of sympathy and help, then he is a kind person. Evil in the understanding of the Japanese is selfishness, anger, intolerance, violation of social order. Since there is no absolute evil and good in Shinto, only the person himself is able to distinguish them. To do this, he must live correctly, in harmony with the world around him, purifying his body and mind.
Japanese mythology: gods and heroes
Nippon has a large pantheon of deities. As in other religions, they are of ancient origin, and myths about them are associated with the creation of heaven and earth, the sun, man and other living beings.
Japanese mythology, whose gods have very long names, describes the events that took place from the creation of the world and the era of deities to the period of the beginning of the reign of their descendants - the emperors. At the same time, the time frame of all events is not indicated.
The first myths, as usual,talk about the creation of the world. At first, everything around was in chaos, which at one moment was divided into Takama no Hara and the Akitsushima Islands. Other deities began to appear. Then divine pairs arose, consisting of a brother and sister, personifying any of the phenomena of nature.
The most important of these for the ancient Japanese were Izanagi and Izanami. This is a divine couple, from whose marriage islands and many new kami (divine beings) appeared. Japanese mythology, using the example of these two gods, very clearly shows the idea of Shintoism about death and life. Izanami fell ill and died after giving birth to the God of Fire. After her death, she went to the land of Gloom Yomi (the Japanese version of the underworld), from where there is no way back. But Izanagi could not come to terms with her death and went for his wife to return her to the upper world of the living. Having found her in a terrible state, he fled from the land of Gloom, and blocked the entrance to it. Izanami was furious at the act of her husband who left her and promised that she would take the lives of thousands of people every day. The myth says that everything is mortal, and the gods are no exception. Therefore, it is pointless to try to bring back the dead.
The following tales tell how Izanagi, who returned from Yomi, washed away all the filth from visiting the land of Darkness. From clothes, jewelry and drops of water flowing from the body of a god, new kami were born. The main one and the most revered by the Japanese is Amaterasu, the goddess of the Sun.
Japanese mythology could not do without stories about great human heroes. One of them is the legendary Kintaro. He was the son of a samurai and from childhood possessed unprecedented strength. His mother gave him an ax and he helped the lumberjacks cut down the trees. He enjoyed breaking rocks. Kintaro was kind and made friends with animals and birds. He learned to speak to them in their language. One day, one of the vassals of Prince Sakato saw how Kintaro knocked down a tree with one blow of an ax, and offered him to serve with his master. The boy's mother was very happy, because this was the only opportunity to become a samurai. The first feat of the hero in the service of the prince was the destruction of the cannibal monster.
The myth of the fisherman and the turtle
Another interesting character in the myths of Japan is the young fisherman Urashima Taro. Once he saved a turtle, which turned out to be the daughter of the ruler of the seas. In gratitude, the young man was invited to the underwater palace. A few days later he wanted to return home. At parting, the princess gave him a box, asking him never to open it. On land, the fisherman learned that 700 years had already passed and, shocked, opened the box. The smoke that escaped from her instantly aged Urashima Toro and he died.
The Legend of Momotaro
Momotaro, or Peach Boy, is the famous hero of traditional Japanese myths that tell the story of his appearance from a huge peach and his release from the demons of Onigashima Island.
Unusual characters
Japanese mythology hides a lot of interesting and unusual things. Creatures play a big role in it. These include bakemono and yokai. In a broad sense, it is calledmonsters and spirits. These are living and supernatural creatures that can temporarily change their shape. Usually these creatures either pretend to be human, or take on a scary look. For example, Nopperapon is a faceless monster. During the day, he appears in the form of a man, but at night you can see that instead of a face he has a purple ball.
Animals of Japanese mythology also have supernatural powers. They are a variety of yokai and bakemono: raccoon dogs (tanuki), badgers (mujina).
Tanuki are animals that bring good luck and prosperity. They are big fans of sake, and their image is devoid of negative connotations. Mujina is a typical werewolf and deceiver of people.
But the most famous are foxes in Japanese mythology, or kitsune. They have magical abilities and wisdom, they can turn into both seductive girls and men. The image of kitsune was greatly influenced by Chinese beliefs, where foxes were werewolves. Their main feature is the presence of nine tails. Such a creature received silver or white fur and was endowed with unprecedented insight. There are many varieties of kitsune, and among them there are not only insidious and vicious, but also kind foxes.
Dragon in Japanese mythology is also not uncommon, and it can also be attributed to supernatural beings. He is one of the main characters in the Eastern religion of countries such as Japan, China and Korea. In appearance, it is easy to determine where this or that dragon comes from. For example, the Japanese has threefinger.
The eight-headed Yamata no Orochi is one of the most famous in Shinto. He received tremendous power from the demons. Each of his heads symbolized evil: betrayal, hatred, envy, greed, destruction. God Susanoo, banished from the Celestial Fields, was able to defeat the terrible dragon.
Japanese mythology: demons and spirits
Shintoism is based on the belief in the deification of natural phenomena and in the fact that any object has a certain essence. Therefore, monsters and spirits in Japanese mythology are especially diverse and numerous.
The inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun have a very confusing terminology regarding supernatural beings. The names youkai and obake are applied to them. They may be shape-shifting animals or spirits that were once human.
Yurei is the ghost of a dead person. This is a classic type of perfume. Their feature is the absence of legs. According to the Japanese, yurei is not tied to a specific place. Most of all, they love abandoned houses and temples, where travelers are waiting. If youkai can be kind to a person, then ghosts are the characters of scary myths and fairy tales.
Spirits are far from all that can surprise Japanese mythology. Demons are another type of supernatural beings that play a big role in it. They call them. These are large humanoid, fanged and horned creatures with red, black or blue skin. Armed with a spiked iron club, they are very dangerous. They are hard to kill - severedparts of the body immediately grow back. They are cannibals.
Characters of Japanese mythology in art
The first written monuments in the Land of the Rising Sun are collections of myths. The folklore of Japan is a huge treasure trove of scary tales about yurei, youkai, demons and other characters. Bunraku, a puppet theater, very often uses traditional legends and myths in its productions.
Today, characters from Japanese mythology and folklore have become popular again thanks to cinema and anime.
Sources for studying the mythology of Japan
The largest and most famous are the cycles of myths and legends "Nihongi" and "Kojiki". They were compiled almost simultaneously, in the 18th century, at the behest of the rulers of the Yamato clan. Some of the myths can be found in ancient Japanese poetry and norito religious chants.
