Disclaimer : I acknowledge the efforts of the artists who created the beautiful artwork I have used in my post. I found the artwork on the net. It is the work of its creators and I acknowledge the same.
There is a story from Japan that says that at the dawn of time, there was Darkness. The world was shaken by earthquakes and battered by storms. It was a world dominated by chaos and there was no distinction between heaven and earth, both of which were entangled in a deformed mass of existence. The world was a great dark sphere inundated by the waters and covered by lifeless clouds. After aeons, heaven and earth separated making room for the emergence of light in our world, and with that light a small plant was born. It grew to become a conscious tree, the first of the Gods, Kunitokotachi - The eternal earthly support of majestic things. Two other gods emerged from that tree, and formed "The Supreme Trinity". The trinity continued to create other deities, among them were Izanagi and Izanami, brother and sister.
Izanagi was known for his equanimous demeanour , his sister, Izanami was the most beautiful goddesses of divine creation. The supreme trinity gifted Izanagi with a spear from heaven known as Amenonuhoko, a weapon studded with exquisite jewels of immense power. Then, Izanagi and Izanami were ordered to build their own home.
The divine pair came down to earth using a celestial bridge. Intrigued by the shape of the world Izanagi rammed the magic spear into the ocean waters. When it was removed, the dripping drops created the first island called Onogoro-Shima. After creating this island, two birds landed on it. Fascinated, the divine pair observed the affection between the creatures.
The duo learned what love was and inspired by that feeling they decided to continue the creation of the world. Izanagi and Izanami created a great pillar and danced around it to fortify their powers. During the dance, Izanami praised the beauty of her brother and he returned the praise.
Unable to resist the temptation, they gave into their unrestrained passion for each other .
but that union did not bear good fruit, for their first child was a deformed monster whom they raised for a short time. They then let him survive on his own at sea. The second son of the couple was the island of Awa.
Disconsolate with their descendants, Izanagi and Izanami talked to the supreme gods. They explained that the couple had reversed the order of things during the dance. Izanagi should have taken the initiative but, it was Izanami instead.
Izanagi and Izanami repeated the dance again, in an attempt to create life.
This time their union was the cause of the creation of the sun, moon, trees, mountains and the rivers. This gave rise to the world in which we live today.
Alas, this was just the calm before the storm. To their misfortune, Izanami gave birth to the god of fire known as Kagutsuchi. By the time he was born he was so hot that he ended up killing Izanami during childbirth.
The goddess was sent to Yomi - The World of the Dead.
Izanagi unable to live without his beloved decided to go after her. On entering Yomi, Izanagi encountered complete darkness. After wandering around for a long, time he found his lover. Izanami tried to hide from her brother and warned him not to look at her.
Izanagi overwhelmed by the desire to see his consort again, ignored her warning and lit a small flame. The sight which greeted him after he lit the flame was horrifying. The once divine beauty of Izanami was now replaced with an image even worse than that of a rotting corpse.
Unable to comprehend the horrific sight he saw in Yomi, Izanagi fled from the world of the dead, closing the entrance with a huge boulder.
To rid himself of the smell of the dead, Izanagi bathed in a nearby river. When he stepped into the water after he undressed himself, many mystical figures, such as Yokai (supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore) emerged. Three of the most powerful figures in Shinto mythology also emerged, they were Amaterasu, goddess of the sun, Tsukoyomi, god of the moon and Susanoo, god of the seas and storms. Many believe that human beings also came into being this way.
Izanagi and Izanami never met again and as millennia passed, the once passionate pair were now bitter and looked at each other with repentance. Although their story came to an end, they gave rise to another story, a story called "Life". To this day mortals are still grateful to Izanagi and Izanami - The Gods of Life.
While researching for this project and going over the gathered material I couldn't help but think that this story had a lot in common with the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. In short both stories show us a couple, who loved each other a lot, but unfortunately, the wife dies and goes to the underworld. The husband distraught with the death of his beloved decides to go to the underworld to get his partner out. Both of them come close to living happily with their loved one, but ignore the warnings that are given to them, resulting in eternal separation.
What a lovely story and well researched as well. I really liked the comparison with Greek Mythology.