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Daniel Parada

Language Arts

A4

16 November 2020

Japanese Mythology

The people of Japan had a religion just like all other cultures in history. The original

beliefs of Japan started different because of their isolation, but as Japan began trading, they also

accepted new beliefs. Japanese mythology illuminates the beliefs about creation, has many

secular influences, allusions, gods and goddesses, exemplary and heroic myths, and the many

archetypes used by the Japanese beliefs. 

According to Japanese mythology, the creation of the islands of Japan begins with

Izanami and Izanagi using a spear covered with jewels. 

When Izanami and Izanagi stirred this spear in the ocean, crystals of salt formed. When

this salty crystal dripped back into the water, islands were created, Onogoro-shima being the

first. The gods quickly inhabited the island to prepare for a marriage ceremony. Unfortunately,

they did not perform the first ceremony properly and there was a miscarriage of a child. The

child was born without bones, named the god Hiruko. They abandoned this child. A similar

outcome occurred when the child of Awa, an island, did not please their parents. The reason the

rituals failed was that the women spoke before the man did when performing the ritual on the

island (“Japanese Creation Story”). This means that Japanese mythology gave reason for women

to be subordinate to men. 
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Following the correction to the ritual, the couple went on to create the eight principal

islands of Japan: Awaji, Shikoku, Oki, Tsukushi, Iki, Tsu, Sado, and Oyamato (“Japanese

Creation Story”).

There are countless key gods and goddesses in Japanese mythology. Amaterasu was the

most important Shinto god. She was the goddess of the sun and the universe. The emperor is

known to be a decedent of direct liege to Amaterasu (Spacey). This means that the Japanese

religion, like other religions, legitimized rulers. Jizo is the guardian of childbirth. Ukemochi is

the god of fertility and the food goddess. Izanami and Izanagi were the gods in the creation story.

The god Shitenno, meaning Four Heavenly Kings, are gods that were derived from Hinduism to

defend the Japanese Buddhist place of worship (Spacey). This is an example of how the Japanese

religion was influenced by secular forces directly because of the Silk Roads trade route. 

Countless more gods and goddesses have had a lasting influence on Japanese mythology

principles and values.  

The people in Japan had many secular influences despite their location being remote from

the rest of the connected world. 

Since Japan was an island, it was hard for empires to conquer the island. The Mongols

tried once in the 13th century to invade but failed because of a coincidental typhoon

(Szczepanski). Because the Japanese were not forced to do anything by a secular force, they

were more accepting of different cultures and religions (Strayer 61). They eventually

incorporated Buddhism and Confucian ideology. The Japanese also adopted the Chinese writing

style (Wang). This way they can write their beliefs down in a common language for everyone to

read. The location of Japan provided not only natural protection but a common plotline. Many

stories utilized the bodies of water and things in the waters to elaborate upon a story, such as the
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creation story. This is a major example of a geographical influence for the Japanese because they

were on a secluded island. 

Japan’s strategic location ultimately did not harm Japan but helped them over time as

trade increased and cultures were exchanged. 

Japanese mythology and culture have found their way into modern-day media in many forms and

fashions. 

The most noticeable allusions to Japanese Mythology are within the Pokémon series. The

Pokémon series was based on the legends Banette, Mr. Mime and Mime Jr., and other legends.

The “Kamaitachi” or the “razor wind” was also used in this series. In the Dragon Ball series, the

King Yenma is based on the god Enma. The Hibagon was more obliquely portrayed as

"Yetrigar" in an issue of the 1970s Marvel comic "Godzilla, King of the Monsters," (“Japanese

Mythology in Popular Culture”).  

Modern-day literature continues to create allusions in modern-day media to inform or to

be entertaining and should continue to use allusions to enlighten the world about various cultures

and religions.

An exemplary myth for Japanese Mythology was the creation story when Izanagi and

Izanami wanted to know what was below a muddy sea. They jabbed a staff into the water and

pulled it back out. What came out was a huge clump of mud out or crystals, smaller clumps

would fall back down and form islands (“Japanese Creation Story”). This creation story plotline

is similar to the Iroquois creation story because both stories start with the earth being only water. 

A heroic myth in Japanese mythology is the story of the Golden Boy, Kintarō. This is a

story about a child with superhuman strength that was raised on a mountain by ogres. He was

born on Mount Ashigara and became acquainted with the animals. His skill was animal
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communication and “unbelievable power”. The most important things he did was catch Shuten-

dōji, the terror of the region around Mount Ōe, and becoming one of the Four Braves, legendary

retainers of the land (“The Adventures of Kintarō, the Golden Boy”). This is an example of a

classic hero archetype. 

There are countless archetypes in Japanese mythology that have had a prominent role in

the religion overall, and in which some are still being used as allusions in media today. 

A common archetype is the lacing of babies in baskets and abandoning them. This

happened in the creation story (“Japanese Creation Story”), as well as in the Bible with Moses

(The Explorer’s Study Bible, Exodus 2:3). Other archetypes that are well-known include, the

Legendary Samurai, and the Shinto structure. The Legendary Samurai is a military official in

feudal Japan that follows the Bushido codes (“Samurai”). The Shinto structure is used on a path

in which a person must be purified to enter. The person makes an offering to the Japanese gods

and prays (Manabu). 

All of these archetypes appear frequently in the history of Japan and in many ways affect

the actions of the Japanese believers in their religion. 

Japanese mythology describes and informs the beliefs of the Japanese people in the

creation story, secular influences, allusions, gods and goddesses, exemplary and heroic myths,

and Japanese archetypes. Because of the Silk Roads lasting effects on the remote island, Japan

absorbed and incorporated different beliefs and ideas just like every other religion. The ideology

in Japanese mythology will have an enduring impression on the world, informing all people for

many ages to come. 

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Works Cited

“The Adventures of Kintarō, the Golden Boy.” World Of Tales, World Of Tales,

www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Japanese_folktale_29.html.

The Explorer’s Study Bible. New King James Version, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009.

“Japanese Creation Story.” Lumen Learning, Lumencandela, courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-

fscj-worldreligions/chapter/japanese-creation-story/. Accessed 16 November 2020.

“Japanese Mythology in Popular Culture.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Oct. 2020,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_mythology_in_popular_culture.

Manabu, Tonya. “‘Sandō’: The Worshipper's Path.” Nippon.com, 4 July 2016,

www.nippon.com/en/views/b05203/.

“Samurai.” Superpower Wiki, powerlisting.fandom.com/wiki/Archetype:Samurai. Accessed 16

November 2020.

Spacey, John. “Meet the Gods: 13 Japanese Kami.” Japan Talk, Japanese Talk, 12 Oct. 2015,

www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/kami.

Strayer, Robert W., and Eric W. Nelson. WAYS OF THE WORLD A GLOBAL HISTORY WITH

SOURCES: for the AP World History Modern Course. 4th ed., BEDFORD BKS ST

MARTIN'S, 2019.
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Szczepanski, Kallie. “The Mongol Invasions of Japan: Kublai Khan's Quests for Domination in

1274 and 1281.” ThoughtCo, Dotdash, 16 Oct. 2019, www.thoughtco.com/the-mongol-

invasions-of-japan-195559.

Wang, Perry. “The Influence of Chinese Culture on Japan(2020 Edited).” ChinaHow,

ChinaHow, 12 Mar. 2020, chinahow.guide/the-influence-of-chinese-culture-on-japanese-

culture/.