Kojiki
Storyboard Text
- The Kojiki Creation Story relates the activities of Izanagi and Izanami, a god and goddess who created the Japanese islands out of chaos, a state of disorder or formlessness.
- Shintoism recognizes both a male and a female principle, or element, in creation. In contrast this is to religions such as Christianity and Judaism, which see creation as the work of a male god alone.
- However, the story notes that because Izanami spoke ahead of her husband at their wedding ceremony, the ceremony had to be repeated so that the male god was given priority over the female goddess. Obviously, male prominence is an important feature of historic Japanese culture and can still be found in the twenty-first century.
- Japan islands were seen as the god and goddess's children. So, too, were the kami, specially the spirits that ruled the islands.
- The two gods later produced additional gods, including Kagutsuchi, the fire god. The creation story goes on to recount Izanami's death and Izanagi's pursuit of her to the underworld, or the Nether Regions.
- The Kojiki Creation Story encompasses a number of elements that are significant to Japanese culture. The main is the concept of the "world." While people who practice Shinto can be found worldwide, Shintoism is truly a Japanese religion. It differs in this way from religions such as Christianity, which is not identified with any particular culture or country.
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