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Japanese Mythology & Folklore
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 | | Mythic Texts and Folktales:
Kojiki | Nihon Shoki | Kujiki
Otogizōshi | Oiwa | Okiku | Urashima Tarō
Konjaku Monogatari Japanese mythology is a very complex system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculture-based folk religion. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Amaterasu_cave_wide. ...
The word mythology (from the Greek μυολογία mythologÃa, from μυολογείν mythologein to relate myths, from μÏος mythos, meaning a narrative, and λόγος logos, meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and...
Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, material culture, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group. ...
Kojiki or Furukotofumi (å¤äº‹è¨˜), also known in English as the Records of Ancient Matters, is the oldest surviving historical book recounting events of ancient earth in the Japanese language. ...
Nihonshoki (日本書紀) is the second oldest history book about the ancient history of Japan. ...
Kujiki ), or Sendai Kuji Hongi ), is an ancient Japanese historical text. ...
Illustration from otogizÅshi tale, published c. ...
Yotsuya Kaidan (å››ã¤è°·æ€ªè«‡) is a Japanese ghost story. ...
Yoshitoshi Tsukiokas portrait of Okiku. ...
Urashima TarÅ ) is a Japanese fairy tale about a fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded with a visit to the RyÅ«gÅ«-jÅ, the Dragon Palace. ...
Konjaku Monogatarishū (今昔物語集, kon present + jaku past + monogatari tale + shū collection) is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian Period (794-1192). ...
| | Divinities
Izanami | Izanagi | Amaterasu
Susanoo | Ama-no-Uzume | Inari
Kami | Seven Lucky Gods | List of divinities Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
In Japanese mythology, Izanami (Katakana: イザナミ; Kanji: 伊弉冉尊 or 伊邪那美命, meaning She who invites) is a goddess of both creation and death, as well as the former wife of the god Izanagi. ...
天瓊を以ã¦æ»„海を探るã®å›³. Painting by Eitaku Kobayashi (Meiji period). ...
The Sun goddess emerging out of a cave, bringing sunlight back to the universe. ...
Susanoo, (Japanese: é ˆä½ä¹‹ç”·å‘½, Susanoo-no-mikoto; also romanized as Susano-o, Susa-no-o, and Susanowo) in Shinto is the god of the sea and storms. ...
Categories: Stub | Japanese goddesses ...
Inari(稲荷) is the Shinto god of fertility, rice, and foxes. ...
“Megami†redirects here. ...
The seven fortune gods (七福神, shichi fukujin) in Japan refer to the seven gods of good fortune in Japanese folklore: ; . They are often the subject of netsuke carvings and other representations. ...
This is a list of divinities native to Japanese beliefs and religious traditions. ...
| | Legendary Creatures & Spirits
Oni | Kappa | Tengu | Fox | Yōkai
Dragon | Yūrei | List of creatures A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature (often known as fabulous creatures in historical literature). ...
A ghostly woman coming down the stairs. ...
A statue of a red oni wielding a tetsubo. ...
A drawing of a kappa which was reported to have been caught in a net on Mito East beach in 1801. ...
Tengu and a Buddhist monk, by Kawanabe KyÅsai. ...
Prince Hanzoku terrorized by a nine-tailed fox. ...
ukiyo-e print of yÅkai, by Aotoshi Matsui YÅkai apparitions, spirits, or demons, also romanized youkai, yokai, or yookai) are a class of obake, creatures in Japanese folklore (many with Chinese origins) ranging from the evil oni to the mischievous kitsune or snow woman Yuki-onna. ...
A Japanese dragon, also known as ryÅ« or tatsu (ç«œ or é¾, dragon) is a legendary creature from Japan. ...
Yūrei (幽霊) are Japanese ghosts. ...
The following is a list of RyÅ« (dragons), YÅkai, Obake and YÅ«rei which are notable in Japanese mythology and folklore. ...
| | Legendary Figures
Abe no Seimei | Benkei | Kintarō
Momotarō | Tamamo-no-Mae | Sōjōbō Look up Legend in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Abe no Seimei ) (921?-1005?) was an onmyoji, a leading specialist of onmyodo during the middle of the Heian Period in Japan. ...
Benkei as portrayed in Kabuki plays. ...
This article is about the Japanese folklore hero; for the Mortal Kombat character, see Kintaro (Mortal Kombat character). ...
Bisque doll of MomotarŠMomotarŠ(桃太郎) is a hero from Japanese folklore. ...
Tamamo-no-Mae (玉藻å‰) is a legendary figure in Japanese mythology. ...
SÅjÅbÅ is the mythical king of the tengu, minor deities who inhabit the mountains of forests of Japan. ...
| | Mythical & Sacred Locations
Mt. Hiei | Mt. Fuji | Izumo | Ryūgū-jō | Takamagahara | Yomi | Jigoku A mythical place is a place that does not really exist but is accepted folklore or speculation that it might exist or might have existed in earlier times but its actual location is now lost. ...
In various religions, sacred (from Latin, sacrum, sacrifice) or holy, objects, places or concepts are believed by followers to be intimately connected with the supernatural, or divinity, and are thus greatly revered. ...
Mount Hiei (Jp. ...
Mount Fuji Mount Fuji , IPA: ) is the highest mountain in Japan. ...
Izumo (Japanese: 出雲国; Izumo no kuni) was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane prefecture in the Chugoku region. ...
In Japanese mythology, Ryūgū-jŠ(竜宮城) is the undersea palace of Ryūjin, the dragon god of the sea. ...
Takama-ga-hara (Japanese: 高天原), or The High Plain of Heaven, is a place in Japanese mythology. ...
This article is about the location in japanese mythology. ...
Diyu (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ti-yü; Japanese: 地ç„, jigoku, literally earth prison) is the realm of the dead or hell in Chinese mythology. ...
| | Sacred Objects
Amenonuhoko | Kusanagi | Tonbogiri
Three Sacred Treasures The following is a list of sacred objects in Japanese mythology. ...
Amanonuhoko (Lit. ...
Kusanagi-no-tsurugi (Japanese: è‰è–™ã®å‰£) is a legendary Japanese sword as important to Japans history as Excalibur is to Britains. ...
The Tonbogiri ) is one of three legendary spears created by the famed swordsmith Masamune, said to be wielded by the daimyo Honda Tadakatsu. ...
A representation of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. ...
| | Shinto & Buddhism
Bon Festival | Setsubun | Ema | Torii
Shinto shrines | Buddhist temples Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ...
The Buddha in Kamakura (1252). ...
Illuminated by the Albuquerque Bridge, Japanese volunteers place candle lit lanterns into the Sasebo River during the Obon festival. ...
Setsubun, Tokuan shrine In Japan, Setsubun (節分) is the day before the beginning of each season. ...
Ema may refer to: Ema (Shinto), wooden plaques with prayers or wishes at Shinto shrines EMA can stand for: MTV Europe Music Awards European Movie Awards Education Maintenance Allowance Nottingham East Midlands Airport, IATA airport code Glutaric acidemia type 2 Emergency Management Australia Exponential moving average Enterprise Marketing Automation, one...
A famous floating torii at Itsukushima Shrine Multiple torii at Osaka shrine Torii are widespread in Japan, to the extent that modern architecture sometimes emulates their form. ...
A torii is a gate leading to a jinja. ...
Buddhist temples in Japan are varied, yet there are certain generalizations that can be made, and general rules or guidelines that are followed. ...
| | Folklorists
Kunio Yanagita, Keigo Seki, Lafcadio Hearn, Shigeru Mizuki, Inoue Enryo Folkloristics is the formal academic study of folklore such as fairy tales and folk mythology in oral or non-literary traditions. ...
Yanagita Kunio (柳田 国男 July 31, 1875 - August 8, 1962) is a scholar who is often known as a father of Japanese ethnology. ...
Seki Keigo (é–¢æ•¬å¾ 1899 - 1990) was a Japanese folklorist. ...
Lafcadio Hearn, aka Koizumi Yakumo. ...
Shigeru Mizuki Shigeru Mizuki ), born March 8, 1922 in Sakaiminato, Tottori) is a Japanese manga author, most known for his shonen Japanese horror manga Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro. ...
Inoue Enryo (井上円了, March 18, 1858 - June 6, 1919), founder of Toyo University (東洋大学), was a Japanese educator, philosopher and Buddhist. ...
| Japanese folklore is the folklore of Japan. It is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country. It often involves humorous or bizarre characters and situations, and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings, such as bodhisattva, kami (gods and revered spirits), yōkai (monster-spirits) (such as oni, kappa, and tengu), yūrei (ghosts), dragons, and animals with supernatural powers such as the kitsune (fox), tanuki (raccoon dog), mujina (badger), and bakeneko (transforming cat). Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, material culture, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group. ...
Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ...
The Buddha in Kamakura (1252). ...
This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
“Megami†redirects here. ...
ukiyo-e print of yÅkai, by Aotoshi Matsui YÅkai apparitions, spirits, or demons, also romanized youkai, yokai, or yookai) are a class of obake, creatures in Japanese folklore (many with Chinese origins) ranging from the evil oni to the mischievous kitsune or snow woman Yuki-onna. ...
A statue of a red oni wielding a tetsubo. ...
A drawing of a kappa which was reported to have been caught in a net on Mito East beach in 1801. ...
Tengu and a Buddhist monk, by Kawanabe KyÅsai. ...
Yūrei (幽霊) are Japanese ghosts. ...
A Japanese dragon, also known as ryÅ« or tatsu (ç«œ or é¾, dragon) is a legendary creature from Japan. ...
Prince Hanzoku terrorized by a nine-tailed fox. ...
Pottery statue of tanuki This article deals with tanuki in folklore; see Raccoon Dog for more information on the wild animal. ...
Mujina ) is an old Japanese term for a tanuki (Raccoon dog). ...
ok well now not many of u probly care but a Bakeneko is a very special type of cat. ...
Japanese folklore is often divided into several categories: "mukashibanashi," tales of long-ago; "namidabanashi", sad stories; "obakebanashi", ghost stories; "ongaeshibanashi", stories of repaying kindness; "tonchibanashi", witty stories; "waraibanashi", funny stories; and "yokubaribanashi", stories of greed.
Some well-known Japanese folktales and legends include:
- The story of Kintarō, the superhuman Golden Boy.
- The story of Momotarō, the oni-slaying Peach Boy.
- The story of Urashima Tarō, who rescued a turtle and visited the bottom of the sea.
- The story of Issun-Bōshi, the One-inch Boy.
- Bunbuku Chagama, the story of a teakettle which is actually a shape-changing tanuki.
- The story of the wicked fox-woman Tamamo-no-Mae.
- Shita-kiri Suzume, the story of the tongue-cut sparrow.
- The story of the vengeful Kiyohime, who became a dragon.
- Banchō Sarayashiki, the ghost story of Okiku and the Nine Plates.
- Yotsuya Kaidan, the ghost story of Oiwa.
- Kachi-kachi Yama, the story of a villainous raccoon-dog and a heroic rabbit.
- Hanasaka Jiisan, the story of the old man that made the flowers bloom
The folklore of Japan has been influenced by foreign literature. Some stories of ancient India were influential in shaping Japanese stories by providing them with materials. Indian materials were greatly modified and adapted in such a way as would appeal to the sensibilities of common people of Japan in general. [1][2] This article is about the Japanese folklore hero; for the Mortal Kombat character, see Kintaro (Mortal Kombat character). ...
Bisque doll of MomotarŠMomotarŠ(桃太郎) is a hero from Japanese folklore. ...
Urashima TarÅ ) is a Japanese fairy tale about a fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded with a visit to the RyÅ«gÅ«-jÅ, the Dragon Palace. ...
The one-inch boy (一寸法師 issun-bÅshi) is the subject of a fairy tale from Japan. ...
Bubuku Chagama is a Japanese folktale about a raccoon-dog, or tanuki, that uses its shapeshifting powers to reward its rescuer for his kindness. ...
Tamamo-no-Mae (玉藻å‰) is a legendary figure in Japanese mythology. ...
Shita-kiri Suzume (舌切り雀 shitakirisuzume), translated literally into Tongue-Cut Sparrow, is a traditional Japanese fable, telling of a kind old man, his avaricious wife, and an injured sparrow. ...
A beautiful waitress from Japanese legend. ...
Yoshitoshi Tsukiokas portrait of Okiku. ...
Yotsuya Kaidan (å››ã¤è°·æ€ªè«‡) is a Japanese ghost story. ...
Kachi-Kachi Yama (Japanese: kachi-kachi is a onomonopaeia of the sound a fire makes; -yama is a suffix, meaning mountain), roughly translates to Fire-Crackle Mountain, is one of the few Japanese folktales in which a tanuki is the villain, rather than the boisterous and well-endowed alcoholic. ...
Hanasaka Jiisan is a Japanese fairy tale. ...
Ancient India may refer to: the ancient History of India, which generally includes the ancient history of the whole Indian subcontinent the legendary Kingdoms of Ancient India in Sanskrit literature the Iron Age Mahajanapadas the Middle kingdoms of India of Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages Category: ...
The monkey stories of Japanese folklore have been influenced both by the Sanskrit epic Ramayana and the Chinese classic The Journey to the West.[3] The stories mentioned in the Buddhist Jataka tales appears in a modified form in throughout the Japanese collection of popular stories.[4][5] The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is an old Indo-Aryan language from the Indian Subcontinent, the classical literary language of the Hindus of India[1], a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...
The ancient Sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, laid the cornerstone for much of Hindu religion. ...
For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ...
The four heros of the story, left to right: Sun Wukong, Xuánzà ng, Zhu Wuneng, and Sha Wujing. ...
The Jataka stories are a significant body of works about the previous lives of Gautama Buddha. ...
In the middle years of the twentieth century storytellers would often travel from town to town telling these stories with special paper illustrations called kamishibai. Kamishibai (ç´™èŠå±…), literally paper drama, is a form of storytelling that originated in Japanese buddhist temples in the 12th century, where monks used e-maki (picture scrolls) to convey stories with moral lessons to a mostly illiterate audience. ...
See also
Japanese mythology is a very complex system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculture-based folk religion. ...
Notes - ^ Miraculous Stories from the Japanese Buddhist Tradition: The Nihon Ryōiki of the Monk Kyōkai By Kyōkai. Published 1997. Routledge. ISBN 0700704493
- ^ The Sanskrit Epics By John L Brockington. Published 1998. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 9004026428. pp514
- ^ On the Road to Baghdad Or Traveling Biculturalism: Theorizing a Bicultural Approach to... By Gonul Pultar, ed., Gönül Pultar. Published 2005. New Academia Publishing, LLC. ISBN 0976704218. Page 193
- ^ The Hindu World By Sushil Mittal. Published 2004. Routledge. ISBN 0415215277. pp93
- ^ Discovering the Arts of Japan: A Historical Overview By Tsuneko S. Sadao, Stephanie Wada. Published 2003. Kodansha International. ISBN 477002939X. pp41
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