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{{Short description|Goddess of Shinto religion}}
{{About||the asteroid|10227 Izanami|the genus of crabs|Izanami (crab){{!}}''Izanami'' (crab)}}
{{Infobox deity
| type         = Shinto
| name         = Izanami-no-Mikoto
| deity_of     = Primordial goddess of creation and death
| image        = Kobayashi Izanami and Izanagi.jpg
| alt          = <!-- for alternate text of the title image per [[WP:ALT]] -->
| caption      = {{Nihongo|''Searching the Seas with the [[Amenonuhoko|Tenkei]]''|天瓊を以て滄海を探るの図|Tenkei o motte sōkai o saguru no zu}}. Painting by Kobayashi Eitaku, 1880-90 (MFA, Boston). [[Izanagi]] with the spear {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Amenonuhoko]]|italic=no}} to the right, Izanami to the left.
| other_names  = Izanami-no-Kami (伊弉冉神) Izanami-no-Mikoto (伊邪那美命) Yomotsu Okami (黄泉津大神) Chishiki no Okami (道敷大神)
| script_name  = Japanese
| script       = 伊邪那美
| cult_center  = [[Taga Taisha]]
| consort      = [[Izanagi]]
| parents      = None ({{Lang|ja-latn|[[Kojiki]]}}, {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Nihon Shoki]]}})<br />Aokashikine-no-Mikoto (''Shoki'')<br />Awanagi-no-Mikoto (''Shoki'')
<br />Omodaru and Ayakashikone.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Encyclopedia of Shinto - Home : Kami in Classic Texts : Omodaru, Ayakashikone|url=http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=124|access-date=2021-01-17|website=eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp}}</ref>
| siblings     = [[Izanagi]]
| children    = [[Amaterasu]]<br>[[Tsukuyomi]]<br>[[Susanoo-no-Mikoto|Susanoo]]<br>[[Ebisu (mythology)|Hiruko]]<br>[[Kagu-tsuchi]]<br>(and [[Kamiumi|others]])
| texts        = {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Kojiki]]}}, {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Nihon Shoki]]}}, ''[[Sendai Kuji Hongi]]''
| gender       = Female
| region       = Japan
}}
{{Shinto}}
{{Nihongo|'''Izanami'''|イザナミ}}, formally referred to with the honorific {{Nihongo|'''Izanami-no-Mikoto'''|伊弉冉尊/伊邪那美命|extra=meaning "She-who-invites" or the "Female-who-invites"}}, is the [[creator deity|creator]] 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 [[Kamiyonanayo|seven generations of primordial deities]] that manifested after 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-no-Mikoto|Tsukuyomi]] and the storm god [[Susanoo-no-Mikoto|Susanoo]]. In mythology, she is the direct ancestor of the Japanese imperial family. In [[Shinto]] and Japanese mythology, Izanami gave humans death, so she is sometimes seen as a [[shinigami]].<ref name="七会a">{{Harvnb|七会|2009|pp=168–193}}</ref><ref name="河野編1995">{{Cite book|author=河野信子編|title=女と男の時空|year=1995|publisher=藤原書店|volume=1|isbn=978-4-89434-022-0|page=115}}</ref>

==Name==
Her name is given in the {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Kojiki]]}} ({{Circa|712 AD}}) both as ''Izanami-no-Kami'' (伊弉冉神) and ''Izanami-no-Mikoto'' (伊邪那美命), while the {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Nihon Shoki]]}} (720 AD) refers to her as ''Izanami-no-Mikoto'', with the name written in different [[Kanji|characters]] (伊弉冉尊).

The names ''Izanagi'' (''Izanaki'') and ''Izanami'' are often interpreted as being derived from the verb {{transliteration|ja|izanau}} ([[Historical kana orthography|historical orthography]] {{transliteration|ja|izanafu}}) or ''iⁿzanap''- from Western Old Japanese 'to invite', with ''-ki'' / ''-gi'' and ''-mi'' being taken as masculine and feminine suffixes, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kadoya |first1=Atsushi |last2=Yumiyama |first2=Tatsuya |title=Izanami |url=https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/eos/detail/?id=9384 |website=Encyclopedia of Shinto |publisher=Kokugakuin University |access-date=2024-03-23 }}</ref><ref>Phillipi, Donald L. (1969). ''Kojiki''. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press. p. 482.</ref><ref>Chamberlain (1882). [https://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/kj/kj009.htm Section II.—The Seven Divine Generations.]</ref> The literal translation of Iⁿzanaŋgî and Iⁿzanamî are 'Male-who-invites' and 'Female-who-invites'.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Philippi|first=Donald L.|title=Kojiki|year=1968|pages=480}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Chamberlain|first=Basil Hall|title=The Kojiki|year=1919|pages=19}}</ref> [[Shiratori Kurakichi]] proposed an alternative theory which instead sees the root ''iza-'' (or rather ''isa-'') to be derived from ''isao'' (historical orthography: ''isawo'') meaning 'achievement' or 'merit'.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matsumura |first1=Takeo |title=日本神話の研究, 第2巻 (Nihon shinwa no kenkyu, vol. 2) |date=1955 |publisher=Baifūkan |page=56}}</ref>

==Goddess of creation==
[[File:Japan yashima.png|thumb|The 'Eight Great Islands' (大八洲 ''Ōyashima'') of Japan begotten by Izanami and Izanagi]]
{{Main|Japanese mythology}}
The first gods [[Amenominakanushi]] and [[Kunitokotachi]] summoned two [[divine being]]s 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 {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Amenonuhoko]]}} (heavenly spear). The two deities then went to 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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Takeshi|first=Matsumae|date=2005|title=Izanagi and Izanami|url=http://link.galegroup.com.eres.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/apps/doc/CX3424501579/GVRL?u=hono44147&sid=GVRL&xid=cc10fffd.|journal=Encyclopedia of Religion|volume=7|pages=4754|via=Gale Virtual Reference Library}}</ref>

Eventually, they wished to [[Sexual intercourse|copulate]], so they built a pillar called ''Ame-no-mihashira'' (天の御柱,"pillar of heaven"; the ''mi-'' is an honorific prefix) and around it they built a palace called ''Yahiro-dono'' (八尋殿, one ''[[Japanese units of measurement#Length|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'"<ref>{{cite book |title=Kojiki, Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Donald L. Philippi |date=1969 |publisher=Princeton University Press, University of Tokyo Press |page=63}}</ref>). 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 it was proper for the wife to speak first, but they copulated anyways. They had two children: [[Hiruko]] ("leech-child"), who later came to be known in Shinto as the god [[Ebisu (mythology)|Ebisu]],<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|date=2006|title=Izanagi and Izanami|journal=Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions|pages=578}}{{ISBN?}}</ref> and Awashima ("island of foam"). However, they were born deformed and were not recognized as the pair's legitimate children.<ref name="kojiki-p74">{{Harvnb|Chamberlain|2008|p=74}}</ref>

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 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:
* [[Awaji Island|''Awaji'']]
* ''Iyo'' (later [[Shikoku]])
* [[Oki islands|''Oki'']]
* ''Tsukushi'' (later [[Kyūshū]])
* [[Iki Island|''Iki'']]
* [[Tsushima Island|''Tsushima'']]
* [[Sado, Niigata|''Sado'']]
* ''Yamato'' (later [[Honshū]])
:Note that [[Hokkaido]], [[Chishima Province|Chishima]] and [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] were not part of Japan in ancient times.

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").<ref name=":12"/> She was then buried on [[Mt. Hiba]], at the border of the [[Old provinces of Japan|old provinces]] of [[Izumo Province|Izumo]] and [[Hōki Province|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.

==In the ''Kojiki''==
The {{Lang|ja-latn|[[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 a [[human]] before her death, but does not state whether or not Izanami had incarnations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://japanknowledge-com.eres.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/lib/display/?lid=10800RL001207|title=Izanagi and Izanami|website=JapanKnowledge Lib|publisher=NetAdvance Inc.}}</ref>

==Death and the underworld==
[[File:Green willow and other Japanese fairy tales (1910) (14593788578).jpg|thumb|Izanagi and Izanami in [[Yomi]].]]
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 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Kobayashi|first=Fumihiko|date=2015|title=Japanese Animal-Wife Tales: Narrating Gender Reality in Japanese Folktale Tradition|url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1987228|journal=International Folkloristics|volume=9|via=ProQuest Ebook Central}}</ref>

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 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 ''[[Yakusanoikazuchi|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. {{Citation needed span|date=February 2024|At this time, Izanagi throws 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]]'' ({{lang|ja|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.<ref name=":0" />

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 the living every day. He furiously replied he would give life to 1,500 residents.

Izanagi is said to have performed ritualistic cleansing, ''[[harae|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.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2006|title=Izanagi and Izanami|url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=361916|journal=Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions|pages=439|via=ProQuest Ebook Central}}</ref> While he bathed, Izanagi gave birth to the sun goddess, [[Amaterasu]], from his left eye, the moon god, [[Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto|Tsukuyomi]], from his right eye, and the storm god, [[Susanoo-no-Mikoto|Susanoo]], from his nose.<ref name=":12"/>

==In the ''Nihonshoki''==
While similar in many aspects, the version of the tale of Izanagi and Izanami in the ''[[Nihonshoki]]'' differs from the {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Kojiki]]}} version in that Izanagi does not descend into the Underworld ([[Yomi]]), instead residing permanently on the island of Awaji in a temple. Additionally, in the ''[[Nihonshoki]]'', the three deities [[Amaterasu]], [[Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto|Tsukiyomi]], and [[Susanoo-no-Mikoto|Susanoo]] were said to have been created by both Izanagi and Izanami, instead of Izanagi alone.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Takeshi |first1=Matsumae |editor1-last=Jones |editor1-first=Lindsay |title=Izanagi and Izanami |journal=Encyclopedia of Religion |date=2005 |volume=7 |pages=4754–4755 |publisher=Macmillan Reference, USA |location=Detroit, MI}}</ref>

==In Tenrikyo==
In [[Tenrikyo]], Izanami-no-Mikoto is one of the {{Nihongo|[[God in Tenrikyo#Providence|Ten Aspects of God's Providence]]|十全の守護|jūzen no shugo}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tenrikyo Church Headquarters|title=[[The Doctrine of Tenrikyo]]|year=1993|publisher=Tenrikyo Church Headquarters}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Izanami appears as a playable god in the video game ''[[Smite (video game)|Smite]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Izanami – Matron of the Dead |url=https://www.smitegame.com/gods/izanami |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=www.smitegame.com}}</ref> She also, alongside Amaterasu and Susanoo, appears in the video game ''DKO'' (''Divine Knockout''). Izanami is a recurring important character in the ''[[Megami Tensei]]'' video game series; such as being the true primary antagonist in ''[[Persona 4]]''.

==Genealogy==
[[File:Japanese Primordial Deities-en.svg|thumb|right|170px|The first group of primordial deities, the ''[[kotoamatsukami]]'', and the seven generations of ''kami'' (''[[kamiyonanayo]]'') that emerged after them]]
{{Seven Generations of Kami}}

==See also==
* [[Atago Gongen]]
* [[Baba Yaga]]
* [[God in Tenrikyo#Providences|God in Tenrikyo]] (with Izanami-no-Mikoto being one of the 10 aspects of God's providence)
* [[Ishana]]
* [[Mount Hiba (Shimane)|Mount Hiba]]
* [[Orpheus and Eurydice]]
* [[Persephone]]
* [[Shinto in popular culture]]
* [[Twins in mythology]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Cite book|author=七会静|title=よくわかる「世界の死神」事典|year=2009|publisher=廣済堂|series=廣済堂文庫|isbn=978-4-331-65459-0|ref={{SfnRef|七会|2009}}}}
* {{cite book | last = Reader | first = Ian | title = Simple Guides: Shinto | publisher = Kuperard | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-1-85733-433-3 | pages=53–55}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* Izanami on the [https://www.historyofjapan.co.uk/wiki/izanami Japanese History Database].

{{Authority control}}
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{{Shirayamahime Faith}}
{{Izanagi Faith}}

[[Category:Creator goddesses]]
[[Category:Death goddesses]]
[[Category:Japanese goddesses]]
[[Category:Shinto kami]]
[[Category:Underworld goddesses]]
[[Category:Psychopomps]]
[[Category:Divine twins]]
[[Category:Creator deities]]
[[Category:Mother goddesses]]
[[Category:War goddesses]]
[[Category:Sea and river goddesses]]
[[Category:Smithing goddesses]]
[[Category:Killed deities]]
[[Category:Legendary progenitors]]
[[Category:Shinigami]]
[[Category:Amatsukami]]
[[Category:Tenrikyo]]