Raijin was born from Izanami’s burnt corpse, when she was in the underworld, just after the creation of Japan. It’s also the birth of his older brother, Kagutsuchi, the god of fire, which will cause the death of his mother. He’s the brother of other important Japanese deities, including Amaterasu and Susanoo. Like many other gods of Japanese mythology, Raijin is the son of the gods Izanagi and Izanami. The custom says that a field that has been struck by a lightning will offer a good harvest. In addition to rains, thunder has a reputation for helping fertilize rice in Japan. In dry seasons, the most faithful farmers pray to Raijin for rain and thunder. He often has red skin, which highlights his demonic character. Each of the fingers representing the past, the present and the future. Most of the time, he’s depicted with only three fingers on each hand. Photo by D100763 under Creative Commons license. Wooden statue of Raijin found in the Shingon mission of Hawaii. Like the Norse god Thor, he’s armed with hammers with which he knocks on drums to create the sound of lightning. He’s often represented with an expression of the face which allows to release all his truculence. In Japan, adults often tell children to cover their belly button when a storm approaches, because Raijin could eat it! This is one of the most feared deities of Japanese culture. Raijin, also known as Kaminari-sama and Raiden-sama, is the Japanese god of thunder, light and storms. Finally, I’ll end by explaining how these two deities have, even today, a major role in Japanese culture. In this article, I’ll introduce you to Raijin, the god of lightning, and then focus on his brother, Fujin, the Windmaster. These two gods are the masters of lightning and storms, two devastating meteorological phenomena in a country regularly hit by typhoons. Sculpture of Uzume.Raijin and Fujin are among the most feared and respected Japanese deities. Ame-no-Uzume-no-mikoto is also known as “The Great Persuader” and The Heavenly Alarming Female.” Uzume is popular for “the tale of the missing sun deity” in which she was able to draw out Amaterasu from hiding and restore light on earth. She is the wife of the god Sarutahiko Ōkami. The Kojiki (“An Account of Ancient Matters”) is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan describing that Fūjin was born of Izanami-no-Mikoto, the goddess of both creation and death.Īme-no-Uzume-no-mikoto – the goddess of dawn, mirth, and revelry. He also carries a large bag of wind on his shoulders. He is portrayed as a brown skinned wizard-like demon wearing a leopard skin. His symbolic animal and messenger is the dove.Ī scroll depicting kami Hachiman dressed as a Buddhist monk.įūjin – the god of wind and one of the oldest Shinto gods.
His name means the “God of Eight Banners,” referring to the eight heavenly banners that signaled the birth of the divine Emperor Ōjin. Most samurai worshipped him and he is considered the tutelary god of warriors. He was originally an agricultural deity but later became the guardian of the Minamoto clan. Hachiman – the god of war and the divine protector of Japan and its people. All three sacred items collectively became the Imperial Regalia of Japan.
Among those were Ninigi, who received the sacred mirror Yata-no- Kagami, the jewel and Kusanagi-noTsurugi, the sword of Susanoo. According to legend, Amaterasu birthed descendants to whom she bequeathed some of her magical items. Her name means “Great Goddess” or “Great Spirit Who Shines in the Heavens.” Her story can be traced all the way to the oldest known records of Japan’s history, in the Kojiki (680 AD) and the Nihon Shoki (720 AD). Here are just a few of the major deities in Japanese mythology:ĭepiction of Amaterasu emerging from a cave.Īmaterasu-ōmikami – the goddess of the sun, she is believed to be the ancestress of the Imperial Household of Japan. Japanese deities are an important aspect in the culture and history of Japan and its people. These deities are integrated into Japanese mythology and folklore. Many divinities native to Japanese beliefs and religious traditions are from the Shinto religion, while some are from Buddhism or Taoism.
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