A NATION WAS BORN : In JAPANESE MYTHS, the CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE BEGAN WITH TWO GODS, IZANAGI and IZANAMI, who were BROTHER and SISTER.
They DESCENDED FROM the HEAVENS ON A FLOATING RAINBOW BRIDGE.
BELOW them was CHAOS -a swirling oily darkness. Standing ON THE BRIDGE, IZANAGI STIRRED the CHAOS with a JEWELED SPEAR until AN ISLAND WAS FORMED.
CREATION had BEGUN. The FIRST ISLAND was called ONOKORO. To continue creating,
IZANAGI and IZANAMI decided to MARRY. They BUILT a tall COLUMN on the island for their MARRIAGE CEREMONY. Izanagi went one way and Izanami went the other way around the column and when they met THEY SAID THEIR VOWS. However, IZANAMI SPOKE FIRST.
This UPSET THE GODS IN HEAVEN, FOR the BRIDEGROOM IZANAGI SHOULD HAVE SAID HIS WEDDING VOWS FIRST.
They REPEATED THE CEREMONY CORRECTLY, but IZANAMI WAS NOW DESTINED TO GIVE BIRTH TO DEMONS AND MONSTERS AS WELL AS TO GODS AND SPIRITS.
Together, THEY CREATED the EIGHT ISLANDS of JAPAN and ALL the PLANTS and ANIMALS.
IZANAMI GAVE BIRTH TO THE GODS and SPIRITS WHO WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THEM, including AMATERASU, the SUN GODDESS; TSUKI-YOMI, the MOON GOD;
SUSANO-O, the STORM GOD, and many other gods of nature, oceans, lowlands, and mountains.
IZANAMI was DESTINED TO DIE and so, WHEN KAGUTSUCHI, the FIRE GOD, WAS BORN, she DIED IN HIS FLAMES and DESCENDED TO YOMI, the UNDERWORLD.
IN GRIEF, IZANAGI WENT TO the UNDERWORLD AFTER HER. He pulled a comb from his hair and lit it. In horror, he saw that HE WAS TOO LATE TO SAVE HER, as SHE HAS TURNED INTO a ROTTING CORPSE and her body was COVERED IN MAGGOTS.
IZANAMI was furious that her HUSBAND HAD SEEN HER and ORDERED the DEMONS to
CHASE HIM. ISANAGI FLED , throwing his headdress and comb behind him. The headdress turned
into grapes and the comb into bamboo shoots, which the demons stopped to eat. However, Izanami was close on his heels. Only JUST IN TIME, Izanagi REACHED THE ENTRANCE and ROLLED A VAST STONE ACROSS IT, SEPARATING the LIVING AND the DEAD FOREVER.
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