Yūrei are the Japanese equivalents of “ghosts” from Western culture. The name is a combination of two different kanji: “yu” which means “faint” or “dim” “rei” translated as “soul” or “spirit”. A question that frequently comes up when discussing yūrei is how they are distinct from yōkai—that is, how do yōkai and ghosts differ? A …
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Sometimes known BENTEN, also BENTEN SAMA and DAI BENZAITEN The only female member of the Shichi-Fuku-Jin or Gods of Good Fortune. She is the Goddess of learning and speech, the transformation of SARASVATI, and her attributes are the Dragon and HAKUJA, the white serpent sometimes shown with the appearance of an old man with white …
SHICHI FUKU JIN (Seven Gods of Luck). This assemblage of household divinities has been variously described, and to each of its number have been given more or less fanciful attributions by Western writers in their eagerness for classification, although the Japanese themselves give little information as to the properties which may have originally been considered …
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The Japanese creation myth: a few theoretical aspects. Japanese mythology, like the mythologies of many other peoples, knows nothing about a creation by fiat, but postulates the origin of things in spontaneous generation and their development by generative succession. The explanation of the origin of the universe through creation is grand; the myths of spontaneous …
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Fujin and Raijin are two gods in the Japanese Shinto pantheon. They were born out of the rotting body of Izanami, the female creator god. Fujin, Raijin and many other demons were released unto the human world when Izanagi came to retrieve Izanami from the Underworld, but was frightened by Izanami’s rotten appearance. Seeking revenge, …
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Saruta-Hiko (or Saruta-Biko), is the deity who appeared from the Central Land of the Reed Plains to provide a guide to Ninigi-no-mikoto when he descended to rule the land. His name can be read as “Field-monkey prince.” Because the deity appeared at an eightfold crossroads, he is often viewed as the deity of crossroads; he …
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Who was Emperor Jimmu Tenno Jimmu Tenno is in Japanese legend and history, the first emperor of Japan and one of its greatest early heroes. According to legend, in 660 BCE, Jimmu established the Japanese imperial dynasty that has continued unbroken to this day, spanning the reign of 126 emperors and more than 2500 years. …
A heavenly warrior deity and thunder god, considered son of the heavenly sword Ame-no-o-habari-no-kami (though he came into being from the blood of the slain Kagutsuchi-no-kami), and the messenger who caused Okuninushi and his sons to surrender the Central Land of the Reed Plains to the authority of the heavenly deities. Sent to Izumo, he …
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The scarecrow deity, who enlightened Ōkuninushi about the parentage and nature of the dwarf kami Sukunahikona. This deity, although he is unable to walk, knows all there is to know under the heavens. Kuyebiko may have emerged principally as a kami of the rice paddy; however, he is one of the large number of divinatory …
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Visiting deities. Mysterious visitors, often from across the seas or deep in the mountains, are a staple of many Japanese local myths. These strangers, if treated kindly, fed, and entertained, are likely to emerge as donors of important foundation gifts. Orikuchi Shinobu (Japanese scholar and poet) defined marebito as spiritual entities that periodically visit village communities from the …