Japanese Mythology

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Japanese Mythology

• Jason Juntunen, Becky Amundson, Dan Bender, Ryan
  Drew
• PowerPoint by Jason Juntunen

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Japanese Major Gods Family Tree
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Creation

• The Japanese story of creation began with nothing
• The first thing formed was the Plain of High
  Heaven
• In it, the 3 creating deities (Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi
  -no-Mikoto, Takami-Musubi-no-Mikoto, and
  Kammi-Musubi-no-Mikoto) were formed.

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Creation 2

• The world slowly turned into solid ground from
  nothing
• Suddenly 2 deities were created,
  Umashi-Ashi-Kahibi-Hikoji-no-Mikoto and
  Ame-no-Tokotachi-no-Mikoto.

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Creation 3

• Many more gods were created
• The world was still a chaotic mass of nothing
• Izanagi Izanami took a sacred spear,
  Ama-no-Nuboko, and stirred the mass with it to
  create land

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Creation 4

• Izanagi Izanami created a pillar, the Heavenly
  August Pillar, and walked around it
• Izanami gave birth to children, but they were
  weak boneless

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Creation 5

• The gods decided that the children were bad
  because Izanami spoke before Izanagi, so they
  walked around again with Izanagi speaking first
• Izanami gave birth to 8 great islands many
  smaller ones

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Creation 6

• They started to make other gods to rule over
  things. First there was the sea-god,
  Owatatsumi-no-Kami. Then Kamihaya-akitsu-hiko for
  land and Haya-akitsu-hime for the sea
• Kamihaya-akitsu-hiko and Haya-akitsu-hime were
  the parents of more deities

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Creation 7

• Then there was Kami-Shinatsuhiko-no-Mikoto for
  wind, who blew away all the clouds at his birth,
  Kukunochi-no-Kami for trees, Oyamatsumi-no-Kami
  for mountains, and Kayanuhime-no-Kami for plains

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Creation 8

• Izanmi gave birth to Kagutsuchi-no-Kami, the god
  of fire, and was burned so badly that when she
  finally became conscious she couldnt eat

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Creation 9

• Before she died, many gods goddesses came out
  of her body parts
• Kanayama-biko and Kanayama-hime (god goddess of
  metals) came from her mouth

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Creation 10

• Haniyasu-hiko and Haniyasu-hime (god goddess of
  earth) came from other parts
• Mizuhame-no-Mikoto was her last child

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Creation 11

• Nakisawame-no-Mikoto was born out of Izanagis
  tears
• Izanagi attacked Kagutsuchi-no-Kami but only made
  more children from his blood body parts

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The End

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