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Banished from the heavenly realms, the storm god Susanoo descends to the Hii River in Izumo, where he encounters an elderly couple weeping over the impending sacrifice of their eighth daughter, Kushinadahime, to the monstrous eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi. Susanoo devises an ingenious trap, requesting the brewing of highly refined eightfold sake to lure the beast into a drunken...
This myth recounts how the young deity Okuninushi fled the murderous plots of his eighty jealous brothers and sought refuge in Ne-no-kuni, the dark netherworld ruled by Susanoo. Upon his arrival, Okuninushi met Susanoo's daughter, Princess Suserihime, and the two immediately fell in love. Despite the grueling and lethal trials Susanoo forced upon his daughter's suitor, Suserihime's devotion...
Sent by his sister Amaterasu to visit the food goddess Ukemochi, Tsukuyomi the moon god becomes deeply offended when she prepares a feast by expelling food items from her nose, mouth, and rectum. Disgusted by this unusual method of culinary creation, Tsukuyomi slays her in a fit of rage. From the dead goddess's body, the essential grains, seeds, and animals of agriculture are miraculously...
This myth tells the story of the gentle god Okuninushi, then known as Onamuchi, who traveled to the land of Inaba alongside his eighty jealous brothers. Along the way, he showed compassion to the flayed White Hare of Inaba, who prophesied that Onamuchi would win the hand of the beautiful Princess Yakami-hime. Despite his brothers' cruelty and attempts on his life, the princess rejected the...
While traveling to woo Princess Yakami of Inaba, the eighty brothers of Okuninushi trick a flayed hare into bathing in saltwater, causing it agonizing pain. Okuninushi, carrying his brothers' heavy baggage, discovers the weeping hare on the beach and provides compassionate healing advice. Through this act of benevolence, the hare prophesies that Okuninushi, despite his lowly status among his...
In Shinto cosmology, the primordial divine couple Izanagi and Izanami descend from the Heavenly Bridge to generate land out of the chaotic waters. After a failed first attempt due to a ritual error, they successfully marry and Izanami gives birth to the eight primary islands of Japan, beginning with Awaji Island. This foundational act, known as Kuniumi, establishes the sacred, living nature...
Following his horrific journey to Yomi, the land of the dead, to retrieve his deceased wife Izanami, the creator god Izanagi flees back to the living world. Overwhelmed by the spiritual contamination and filth of the underworld, he bathes himself in the sacred waters of the Tachibana River. This acts of ritual purification, known as misogi, cleanses his body and gives birth to many crucial...
In Japanese mythology, the creator god Izanagi journeys to the dark underworld of Yomi to rescue his deceased wife, Izanami. After breaking a sacred vow by looking upon her decayed form, he is forced to flee from her wrath and a terrifying army of hags and thunder deities. Reaching the boundary of the underworld at Yomotsu Hirasaka, Izanagi repels his monstrous pursuers by throwing three...
Exiled from the High Heavenly Plains, the storm god Susanoo descends to the Hii River in Izumo, where he discovers an elderly couple and their daughter weeping over a terrifying threat. The monstrous, eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi is coming to devour their final daughter, Kushinadahime. Susanoo devises a clever strategy to defeat the beast by instructing the couple to build eight...
Cast down from the heavens, the Shinto storm god Susanoo descends to Earth at the Hi River in Izumo, where he discovers an elderly earthly deity couple weeping over their last remaining daughter. They explain that their first seven daughters were devoured annually by the terrifying eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent Yamata no Orochi, who is now coming for the eighth daughter, Kushinadahime....