ABSTRACT
History is never far away in Japan, to an extent that is rare elsewhere in the world. As in other mythologies, the deities described in the Japanese equivalent, The Kojiki or Record of Ancient Matters, have a tantalizing combination of super natural and distinctly human traits, making it seem almost possible that the stories are partially based on real people. Kagu-tsuchi, the God of Fire, fatally burned Izanagi during childbirth. This and the subsequent journey of Izanami to the "Land of the Dead" mark a critical turning point in the Kojiki, from creation to destruction. The interactions between Izanagi and Amaterasu and Susano-o not only reveal an overt male chauvinism, but also a marked suspension of moral judgment, in favor of more abstract, amoral, situational ethics. The spirits of Amaterasu and Susano-o still remain physically separated in the earthly realm, with his being evoked at Izumo Taisha in Shimane, and hers specifically enshrined at Ise-shi in Mie Prefecture.
