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28-645: Ikazuchi (雷) literally means thunder in Japanese. Some tellings say that the eight deities were from the maggots of Izanami's rotting corpse. Many versions of the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki state that after Izanagi saw his wife in such a state and fled in terror, Izanami sent the Yomotsu-shikome , 150 warriors, and the eight thunder kami after him. This article relating to Japanese mythology

56-433: A human before her death, but does not state whether or not Izanami had incarnations. Izanagi-no-Mikoto lamented the death of Izanami-no-Mikoto and undertook a journey to Yomi ("the shadowy land of the dead"). He searched for Izanami-no-Mikoto and found her. At first, Izanagi-no-Mikoto could not see her for the shadows hid her appearance. He asked her to return with him. Izanami-no-Mikoto informed Izanagi-no-Mikoto that he

84-857: A shinigami . Her name is given in the Kojiki ( c.  712 AD ) both as Izanami-no-Kami (伊弉冉神) and Izanami-no-Mikoto (伊邪那美命), while the Nihon Shoki (720 AD) refers to her as Izanami-no-Mikoto , with the name written in different characters (伊弉冉尊). The names Izanagi ( Izanaki ) and Izanami are often interpreted as being derived from the verb izanau ( historical orthography izanafu ) or iⁿzanap - from Western Old Japanese 'to invite', with -ki / -gi and -mi being taken as masculine and feminine suffixes, respectively. The literal translation of Iⁿzanaŋgî and Iⁿzanamî are 'Male-who-invites' and 'Female-who-invites'. Shiratori Kurakichi proposed an alternative theory which instead sees

112-527: A deity of fishing, wealth, and fortune, Ebisu is also associated with objects that would drift ashore from the sea such as logs and even corpses. As part of the shichifukujin , Ebisu has three sets of temples and shrines in Tokyo, the Mukojima, Yamate (Bluff), and Meguro sets. The weak child overcame many hardships, grew legs (and, presumably, the rest of his skeletal structure) at the age of three, and became

140-689: A peach to drive away the gods. This narrative feature is of Chinese influence: in China, the peach is treated as a sacred amulet fruit. Izanagi-no-Mikoto burst out of the entrance and pushed a boulder in the mouth of the Yomotsuhirasaka ( 黄泉津平坂 ; cavern that was the entrance of Yomi) to create a separation between the world of the living and the world of the dead, as well as separating Izanagi from Izanami. Izanami-no-Mikoto screamed from behind this impenetrable barricade and told Izanagi-no-Mikoto that if he left her she would destroy 1,000 residents of

168-456: A temple. Additionally, in the Nihonshoki , the three deities Amaterasu , Tsukiyomi , and Susanoo were said to have been created by both Izanagi and Izanami, instead of Izanagi alone. Izanami appears as a playable god in the video game Smite . She also, alongside Amaterasu and Susanoo, appears in the video game DKO ( Divine Knockout ). Izanami is a recurring important character in

196-573: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Izanami Izanami ( イザナミ ) , formally referred to with the honorific Izanami-no-Mikoto ( 伊弉冉尊/伊邪那美命 , meaning "She-who-invites" or the "Female-who-invites") , is the creator deity of both creation and death in Japanese mythology , as well as the Shinto mother goddess . She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested after

224-447: Is also theorized that he was originally a god known as " Kotoshironushi no Mikoto", son of Ōkuninushi . He became one of the shichifukujin or the seven gods of fortune, which include Daikokuten , Bishamonten , Benzaiten , Fukurokuju , Jurojin , and Hotei . Ebisu, together with Daikokuten, was considered the most popular of these seven and was venerated in almost every Japanese home. For some communities, in addition for being

252-439: Is an honorific prefix) and around it they built a palace called Yahiro-dono (八尋殿, one hiro is approximately 1.82 m, so the "eight- hiro -palace" would have been 14.56 m. In reality, "ya, was a sacred number to the Japanese, and may often be translated as ‘myriad’" ). Izanagi and Izanami circled the pillar in opposite directions and, when they met on the other side, Izanami spoke first in greeting. Izanagi did not think that this

280-477: Is extremely common to see fishermen ritualistically praying to Ebisu before they head out for the day. The fishermen’s relationship with Ebisu is indicative of Japan’s relationship with nature as a whole. Fishermen tell stories of how Ebisu keeps the ocean safe and pristine, pushing debris to the shore. As Ebisu is said to have no arms or legs, fishermen often suggest it takes 7 years for things like screws, bolts, or umeboshi seeds, to turn up on shore as Ebisu carries

308-400: Is in association with Yebisu beer, which was first brewed in 1890, and was acquired by Sapporo Brewery . Ebisu is the basis of the name of the clothing brand Evisu . The B.League professional basketball team Osaka Evessa is named after the local pronunciation of Ebisu-sama (as Ebessan ), reflecting the god’s longstanding importance in the city of Osaka . Team mascot Maido-kun is

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336-474: Is thus still available for worship. Ebisu is frequently paired with Daikokuten, another of the seven gods of Fortune, in displays of the twin patrons by small shopkeepers. In some versions of the myth they are father and son (or master and apprentice). Also, these two are often joined by Fukurokuju as the "Three Gods of Good Fortune". As a form of animal worshipping , Ebisu was often associated with marine megafauna such as whales and whale sharks (hence

364-607: The Megami Tensei video game series; such as being the true primary antagonist in Persona 4 . Ebisu (mythology) Ebisu ( えびす, 恵比須, 恵比寿, 夷, 戎 ) , also transliterated Webisu ( ゑびす , see historical kana orthography ) or called Hiruko ( 蛭子 ) or Kotoshiro-nushi-no-kami ( 事代主神 ) , is the Japanese god of fishermen and luck . He is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune ( 七福神 , Shichifukujin ) , and

392-405: The bridge between heaven and earth, Ame-no-ukihashi ("floating bridge of heaven"), and churned the sea below with the spear. When drops of salty water fell from the spear, Onogoroshima was created. They descended from the bridge of heaven and made their home on the island. Eventually they wished to be mated , so they built a pillar called Ame-no-mihashira (天の御柱,"pillar of heaven"; the mi-

420-417: The formation of heaven and earth. Izanami and Izanagi are held to be the creators of the Japanese archipelago and the progenitors of many deities, which include the sun goddess Amaterasu , the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the storm god Susanoo . In mythology, she is the direct ancestor of the Japanese imperial family. In Shinto and Japanese mythology, Izanami gave humans death, so Izanami is sometimes seen as

448-493: The god Ebisu. He remains slightly crippled and deaf, but mirthful and auspicious nonetheless (hence the title, "The laughing god"). He is often depicted wearing a tall hat—the Kazaori Eboshi ( 風折烏帽子 ) —holding a rod and a large red sea bream or sea bass . Jellyfish are also associated with the god and the fugu restaurants of Japan will often incorporate Ebisu in their motif. In fishing communities across Japan it

476-596: The horrid form of the once beautiful and graceful Izanami-no-Mikoto. She was now a rotting form of flesh with maggots and foul creatures running over her ravaged body. Crying out loud, Izanagi-no-Mikoto could no longer control his fear and started to run, intending to return to the living and abandon his death-ridden wife. Izanami-no-Mikoto woke up, shrieking and indignant, and chased after him. She also sent Yakusa-no-ikazuchi-no-kami (demons who are like Raijin ) and shikome (foul women) to hunt for Izanagi-no-Mikoto and bring him back to Yomi. At this time, Izanagi throws

504-425: The latter being called the "Ebisu-Shark") that bring in masses of fish and protect fishermen. In areas of Northeast Japan, Japanese fishermen opposed whaling, as they believed whales were an incarnation of Ebisu. Ebisu is depicted or parodied in a wide range of media, from artwork to costumed impersonations at local festivals and in commercial logos and advertisements. One of the most widely recognized product logos

532-443: The living every day. He furiously replied he would give life to 1,500 residents. Izanagi is said to have performed ritualistic cleansing, harai , after witnessing the decomposing body of his wife. This is the traditional explanation for the purification rituals often performed at Shinto shrines in Japanese religion, where shrine-goers wash themselves with water before entering the sacred space. While he bathed, Izanagi gave birth to

560-421: The marriage ceremony. So Izanagi and Izanami went around the pillar again, this time Izanagi speaking first when they met, and their marriage was finally successful. From their union were born the Ōyashima , or the "great eight islands" of the Japanese chain: They bore six more islands and many deities. Izanami died giving birth to the child Kagu-tsuchi (incarnation of fire) or Ho-Musubi (causer of fire). She

588-411: The only one of the seven to originate purely from Japan without any Buddhist or Taoist influence. In medieval times, Ebisu's origin came to be tied together with that of Hiruko , the first child of Izanagi and Izanami , born without bones (or, in some stories, without arms and legs) due to his mother's transgression during the marriage ritual. Hiruko struggled to survive but, as he could not stand, he

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616-480: The root iza- (or rather isa- ) to be derived from isao (historical orthography: isawo ) meaning 'achievement' or 'merit'. The first gods Amenominakanushi and Kunitokotachi summoned two divine beings into existence, the male Izanagi and the female Izanami, and charged them with creating the first land. To help them do this, Izanagi and Izanami were given a spear decorated with jewels, named Amenonuhoko (heavenly spear). The two deities then went to

644-404: The seed in his mouth and crawls his way along the ocean floor. For this reason, it is believed that Ebisu becomes enraged whenever people pollute the ocean. Ebisu's festival is celebrated on the twentieth day of the tenth month, Kannazuki (the month without gods). While the other myriad members of the Japanese pantheon gather at The Grand Shrine of Izumo , Ebisu does not hear the summons and

672-459: The sun goddess, Amaterasu , from his left eye, the moon god, Tsukuyomi , from his right eye, and the storm god, Susanoo , from his nose. While similar in many aspects, the version of the tale of Izanagi and Izanami in the Nihonshoki differs from the Kojiki version in that Izanagi does not descend into the Underworld ( Yomi ), instead residing permanently on the island of Awaji in

700-537: Was cast into the sea in a boat of reeds before his third birthday. The story tells that Hiruko eventually washed ashore—possibly in Ezo ( 蝦夷 , ancient Hokkaidō ) —and was cared for by the Ainu Ebisu Saburo ( 戎三郎 ) . It is however believed that Ebisu first arose as a god among fishermen and that his origin as Hiruko was a much later conception, after the worship of him had spread to merchants and farmers. It

728-428: Was proper, but they mated anyhow. They had two children, Hiruko ("leech-child"), who later came to be known in Shinto as the god Ebisu , and Awashima, but they were born deformed and were not considered deities. They put the children into a boat and set them out to sea, then petitioned the other gods for an answer as to what they did wrong. They were told that the male deity should have spoken first in greeting during

756-450: Was then buried on Mt. Hiba, at the border of the old provinces of Izumo and Hōki , near modern-day Yasugi of Shimane Prefecture . Izanagi was so angry at the death of his wife that he killed the newborn child, thereby creating dozens of deities. The Kojiki talks of the death of Izanami and her tomb, which was located at the boundary between country Izumo and Hōki. It implies that Izanami transferred her soul to an animal and

784-471: Was too late. She had already eaten the food of the underworld and was now one with the land of the dead. She could no longer return to the living but would try to ask for permission to leave. The news shocked Izanagi-no-Mikoto, but he refused to leave her in Yomi. While Izanami-no-Mikoto was sleeping, he took the comb that bound his long hair and set it alight as a torch. Under the sudden burst of light, he saw

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