Izanami's Role In Japanese Mythology

Japanese mythology has many outstanding and incredible gods and goddesses, but they are called kamis. Although Izanami is best for being the goddess of creation, she is also known for events of nature's control over life and acts of destruction happening throughout her life.

Izanami, she-who-invites, is one of the most important goddess in japanese mythology because she was the creator of Japan and all of the kamis ("Japanese Mythology" 606). "Kami" is just another word for "god" or "goddess" (Roberts xiiii). She is married to Izanagi, male god of creation, and they lived in the Heavenly Floating Bridge (Ashkenazi 172). Izanami and Izanagi were one pair of the first eight sibling pairs and even if they were siblings, they got married to each
When Izanagi had her first child, it was deformed and it was nature's fault (Ashkenazi 173). The first rule of nature is that the husband should greet the wife first at the wedding (Wickersham "Izanagi and Izanami"). Izanami had made the mistake of greeting Izanagi first by saying "Oh, what a comely youth!" to which Izanagi replied with "Oh , what a comely maiden!" (Ashkenazi 173). Izanami broke nature's rule and its result was having her deformed child Hiruko, or "Leech Child" (Roberts 54). Nature wasn't going to just let Izanami break the rules which is why it gave Izanami and Izanagi an ugly, boneless, and limbless child (Ashkenazi 173). they kept having deformed children until Izanami and Izanagi went with old kamis to ask what happened and what they could do to fix it (Ashkenazi 173). They both eventually remade their wedding ritual in order to fix the problem they had (Wickersham "Izanagi and Izanami"; Ashkenazi 173). That was how nature controlled Izanami's life by giving her unlovable kids. Not only did she experience nature's control over her life, she also did acts of
When Izanami died, she destroyed her husband's life and her marriage with him ("Japanese Mythology" 606). Izanami went to Yomi when she died and when Izanagi tried to bring her back, she told him not to come look for her again and that she would be coming back to Earth on her own ("Japanese Mythology" 606). Izanagi didn't follow Izanami's instruction and he went back to Yomi, and found her at a mansion with other spirits ("Japanese Mythology 606; Ashkenazi 174). Izanagi lit a torch and saw Izanami's decayed and rotted body with thunder gods, snakes, and muggles emerging from her body ("Japanese Mythology" 606; Wickersham "Izanagi and Izanami"; Ashkenazi 174: Roberts 54). This left Izanagi with an unclean mind and an image he will never get rid of ("Japanese Mythology" 606). Since Izanagi felt betrayed, she sent hideous spirits, thunder gods, and 1,500 warriors after him to drag him down to Yomi and make him suffer but Izanagi escaped ("Japanese Myhtology" 606; Wickersham "Izanagi and Izanami"; Ashkenazi 175). After Izanagi escaped, he blocked the path between Yomi and Earth and Izanami told him she'll kill 1,000 people per day from the Central Land of Reed Plains everyday, but Izanagi said he'll just create 1,500 more people everyday ("Japanese Mythology" 606; Wickersham "Izanagi and Izanami"; Ashkenazi 175; Roberts 54).After Izanagi said he'd create more people, Izanami and Izanagi got divorced