In the primordial era of the cosmos, when the earth was still young, drifting like oil upon water, the divine couple Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto were charged by the heavenly deities with the task of giving form to the chaotic world. Armed with the jewel-encrusted spear Ame-no-Nuboko, they stood upon the Floating Bridge of Heaven and stirred the brine below. The drops that fell from the spear-tip solidified into the islands of Japan, and upon this sacred land, the divine couple built a grand palace and began the monumental work of creation. They gave birth to the mountains, the winds, the seas, and the plants that covered the earth, filling the landscape with life and divine essence. But this era of harmonious creation was shattered when Izanami gave birth to the god of fire, Kagutsuchi. The searing flames of the infant deity severely burned Izanami, and despite her husband's desperate attempts to save her, she passed away into the dark, silent realm of Yomi-no-kuni, the land of the dead.
Grief-stricken and unwilling to accept the loss of his beloved partner, Izanagi embarked on a perilous journey into the underworld. He descended through the damp, narrow caverns that led to Yomi, determined to bring Izanami back to the land of the living. When he finally found her in the shadows, she greeted him from behind a veil, her voice echoing with a sorrowful tone. Izanami, touched by his devotion, agreed to ask the rulers of Yomi for permission to return, but she warned him sternly that he must not look upon her face while she was gone. However, as the hours turned into days, Izanagi’s patience wore thin. Unable to bear the suspense any longer, he snapped a tooth from the comb in his hair, lit it like a torch, and stepped into the inner chamber. To his absolute horror, he did not find his beautiful wife, but rather a rotting corpse crawling with maggots and writhing with the terrible deities of thunder. Terrified and revolted, Izanagi fled, pursued by the enraged Izanami and the hags of the underworld, who felt insulted by his broken promise. Fighting his way back to the surface, Izanagi narrowly escaped, sealing the entrance to Yomi with a massive boulder, forever dividing the realms of the living and the dead.
Though he had escaped the physical horrors of Yomi, Izanagi felt heavily weighed down by the spiritual pollution of the underworld. The dust of death clung to his skin, and the stench of decay lingered in his garments. In the ancient Shinto tradition, contact with death and decay was the ultimate form of spiritual impurity, known as kegare. To rid himself of this heavy burden, Izanagi knew he must perform a sacred purification ritual, a misogi-harae, in a place where the fresh waters of life could wash away the taint of the grave.
He traveled far to the southern land of Himuka, seeking a pristine river where the currents were strong enough to cleanse his spirit but gentle enough to allow him to bathe. He found the perfect spot at the mouth of the river Tachibana, near Awakihara. Standing at the edge of the grassy bank, Izanagi began to undress, casting off the physical symbols of his journey. As each item of clothing fell to the bank, new deities emerged from them, born from the residual divine energy of his garments. From his staff, his belt, his bracelets, and his robes, a multitude of gods and goddesses materialized, symbolizing the creative force that could not be suppressed even by the shadow of death.
Once naked, Izanagi stepped into the cool, rushing water. He waded deeper into the river, finding the middle current where the water was neither too swift nor too sluggish. He submerged himself completely, letting the sacred river wash over his skin, carrying away the dark impurities of Yomi. As the water dissolved the spiritual grime, yet more deities were born from the washings. From the polluted water that fell from his body, gods of misfortune and protection arose, balancing the scales of the cosmos.
With his body and garments cleansed, Izanagi prepared for the final, most sacred part of the ritual: the washing of his face. He cupped the pure river water in his hands and splashed it over his eyes.