Izanagi

Izanagi no Mikoto is a central figure in Shinto mythology, regarded as one of the primordial deities who created the world alongside Izanami no Mikoto. The name Izanagi is commonly translated as “male who invites,” paired with Izanami, “female who invites.” In early Japanese cosmogony, the two gods are credited with forming the first landmasses and many kami.

Guided by heavenly beings, Izanagi and Izanami stood on the bridge between heaven and earth and stirred the primal waters with the jeweled spear Ame-no-Nuhoko. When the droplets fell from the spear, the island of Onogoro formed, and the couple established a residence there. They married and, through their union, produced the Japanese archipelago and numerous deities associated with wind, sea, mountains, farming, and other aspects of nature.

Izanami died giving birth to Kagutsuchi, the fire god. Grief-stricken, Izanagi descended to Yomi, the land of the dead, to retrieve her. He found Izanami as a corpse and fled; the gate between the worlds closed behind him. Returning to the living world, Izanagi performed purification rites. From these rites arose three major kami: Amaterasu (the sun goddess) from his left eye, Tsukuyomi (the moon god) from his right eye, and Susanoo (the storm god) from his nose.

In later Shinto tradition, Izanagi is a foundational ancestor figure in cosmogony and is linked to the imperial narrative through his descendants via Amaterasu. His stories appear in key early chronicles, notably the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, and they continue to inform ritual practice and literary and artistic representations of Japan’s mythic origins.