Japan is a country that is full of mysteries. Over the years, it was isolated from the outside world, and this isolation made it possible to create an original culture. A striking example is the richest Japanese mythology.
Religion of Japan
Despite centuries of isolation from European and other countries, Nippon (as the Japanese call their homeland) is surprising in its variety of religious teachings. Among them, the main place is Shintoism, which professes more than 80% of the population. In second place is Buddhism, which came to Japan from neighboring China. There are representatives of Confucianism, Christianity, Zen Buddhism, and Islam in the country.
The peculiarity of the Nippon religion is syncretism, when the overwhelming majority of residents profess several religions at once. This is considered normal practice and is a great example of the tolerance and tolerance of the Japanese.
Shintoism - the path 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. Ancient Japanese believed that any item has a spiritual essence. Therefore, Shintoism is the worship of various deities and spirits of the dead. This religion includes totemism, magic, faith in the miraculous power of amulets, talismans and rituals.
Buddhism had a great influence on Shintoism. 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 Shintoism is that there is no strict border between such concepts as good and evil. Evaluation of actions is what goals a person sets himself. If he respects the elders, maintains friendly relations with others, is capable of sympathy and help, then he is a kind person. The evil in the understanding of the Japanese is selfishness, malice, intolerance, and disruption of social order. Since there is no absolute evil and goodness in Shintoism, only man himself is capable of distinguishing them. To do this, he must live correctly, in harmony with the world around him, purifying his body and consciousness.
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 are very long names, describes the events that occurred from the creation of the world and the era of deities to the period of the beginning of the reign of their descendants - emperors. Moreover, the time frame of all events is not indicated.
The first myths, as usual, tell about the creation of the world. At first, everything was in chaos, which at one moment divided into Takama-no-hara and the Akitsushima islands. Other deities began to appear. Then divine couples arose, consisting of 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 appeared and many new kami (divine entities). Japanese mythology on the example of these two gods very clearly shows the Shinto view of death and life. Izanami fell ill and died after giving birth to the God of Fire. After death, she went to the land of Yomi Yomka (the Japanese version of the afterlife), from where there is no turning back. But Izanagi could not reconcile 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 Darkness, and the entrance to it blocked up. Izanami was furious at the act of her husband who had abandoned 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 makes no sense to try to return the dead.
The following tales tell of how Izanagi, who returned from Yomi, washed away all the impurities from visiting the country of Darkness. From clothes, jewelry and drops of water flowing from the body of God, new kami were born. The main one and the most revered by the Japanese is Amaterasu, the sun goddess.
Japanese mythology could not do without stories of great heroes from among people. One of them is the legendary Kintaro. He was the son of a samurai and from childhood possessed unprecedented power. His mother gave him an ax, and he helped the lumberjacks cut down trees. He had fun breaking rocks. Kintaro was kind and made friends with animals and birds. He learned to speak their language with them. Once, one of Prince Sakato’s vassals saw Kintaro knock a tree down with one ax and offer him to serve with his master. The boy’s mother was very happy because it 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 tortoise
Another interesting character in Japanese myths is the young fisherman Urasima 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. In parting, the princess gave him a box, asking him never to open it. On land, the fisherman found out that 700 years had passed and, shocked, opened the box. The smoke escaping from it instantly aged Urasima Toro, and he died.
The legend of Momotaro
Momotaro, or the Peach Boy, is a famous hero of traditional Japanese myths that tell the story of his appearance from a huge peach and his liberation from the demons of Onigashima Island.
Fancy characters
Japanese mythology is fraught with many interesting and unusual. Creatures play a big role in it. These include bakemono and youkai. In a broad sense, they call monsters and spirits. These are living and supernatural creatures that can temporarily change their form. Usually these creatures either pretend to be humans, or take on a terrible appearance. For example, Nopperapon is a faceless monster. During the day he appears in the guise of a man, but at night it is clear that instead of his face he has a purple ball.
Animals of Japanese mythology also have supernatural powers. They are a kind of youkai and bakemono: raccoon dogs (tanuki), badgers (mujin).
Tanuki - animals that bring good luck and prosperity. They are great lovers of sake, and their image is devoid of negative coloring. Mudzina is a typical werewolf and a deceiver of people.
But the most famous foxes in Japanese mythology, or kitsune. They have magical powers and wisdom, can turn into seductive girls as well as men. A great influence on the image of kitsune was made by Chinese beliefs, where foxes were werewolves. Their main feature is the presence of nine tails. Such a creature received a silver or white fur and was endowed with unprecedented insight. There are many varieties of kitsune, and among them are found not only insidious and vicious, but also good foxes.
The dragon in Japanese mythology is also not uncommon, and it can also be attributed to supernatural beings. He is one of the main characters of the eastern religion of countries such as Japan, China and Korea. In appearance, it is easy to determine where a particular dragon came from. For example, Japanese has three fingers on its paws.
The eight-headed Yamata no Oroti is one of the most famous in Shintoism. He received tremendous power from the demons. Each of his heads symbolized evil: betrayal, hatred, envy, greed, destruction. The god Susanoo, expelled from the heavenly fields, was able to defeat the terrible dragon.
Japanese mythology: demons and spirits
The basis of Shintoism is a belief in the deification of natural phenomena and 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 very confusing terminology regarding supernatural beings. The names youkai and obake apply to them. They can be animals that change their appearance, or spirits that were once human.
Yurey is the ghost of a deceased person. This is a classic look of perfume. Their feature is the lack 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 humans, then ghosts are characters of terrible myths and fairy tales.
Perfume - this is not all that Japanese mythology can surprise. Demons are another kind of supernatural creatures that play a big role in it. They are called them. These are large humanoid fanged and horned creatures with red, black or blue skin. Armed with an iron club with spikes, they are very dangerous. They are difficult to kill - severed body parts 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. Folklore of Japan is a huge storehouse of scary tales about yurei, youkai, demons and other characters. Bunraku, a puppet theater, very often uses traditional legends and myths in its productions.
Nowadays, the characters of Japanese mythology and folklore have become again popular thanks to the cinema and anime.
