The Yaso-gami: Countless Gods and Cruel Brothers in Japanese Mythology
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In Japanese mythology, some are downright cruel, twisted, and endlessly spiteful
These are the Yaso-gami (Eighty Gods)—not a single figure, but a band of siblings who seem to exist only to bully others, weave schemes, and make life miserable.
They were consumed with jealousy toward their younger brother Ōkuninushi, and their malice knew no end.
If Ōkuninushi is the hero of the tale, then the Yaso-gami are his dark rivals—less like divine protectors, and more like the wicked stepmother and stepsisters from Cinderella.
Although their role is far from flattering, their presence carries a deeper meaning within the myth.
What were the plots and tricks they devised?
Why did they take such pleasure in cruelty?
Let’s step into the world of the Yaso-gami and uncover the schemes of these spiteful gods.
Who Are the Yaso-gami?
Let’s begin by exploring what the word Yaso-gami refers to, and how it was understood in ancient Japan.
The Meaning of the Name
The name Yaso-gami (八十神) literally means “Eighty Gods.” But here’s the catch: in ancient Japanese, the number eighty (yaso) didn’t necessarily mean the exact number 80.
The word ya (八, eight) often carried the broader sense of “many” or “countless.”
So Yaso-gami is not the name of a single god or even a fixed group of gods. Rather, it refers to a collective—a band of “many gods” acting together.
The Yaso-gami in Mythology
In mythology, however, the Yaso-gami appear in a much more specific role: they are described as the many elder brothers of Ōkuninushi-no-Mikoto, the central deity of the Izumo myths.
The term does not mean that there was a fixed brotherhood formally called “the Yaso-gami,” but rather that Ōkuninushi had “countless brothers,” collectively referred to in this way.
Far from noble or sacred, these brothers are portrayed as spiteful, jealous, and cruel. They bullied Ōkuninushi, plotted his death multiple times, and even tormented others, such as the White Rabbit of Inaba.
In other words, the term Yaso-gami carries two layers of meaning:
- As a word, it reflects the ancient Japanese idea of “countless gods.”
- In myth, it refers to Ōkuninushi’s malicious brothers, remembered not for wisdom or virtue, but as the antagonists whose schemes shaped his destiny.
The Yaso-gami’s Schemes and Downfall
Now that we’ve explored what the term Yaso-gami means, let’s turn to their role within mythology itself.
What did these brothers actually do to Ōkuninushi?
Let’s step into their myths and take a closer look at the spite, tricks, and plots that define them.
The Entrance of the Yaso-gami
From the very moment they appear in the myths, the Yaso-gami are shown as selfish and overbearing.
Their goal is clear: to win the hand of the princess Yagami-hime.
But instead of acting with dignity, they immediately reveal their unpleasant nature.
When setting out on their journey to propose, they treated their younger brother Ōkuninushi as nothing more than a baggage carrier.
While they strutted ahead, he was forced to haul their belongings, a clear sign of their arrogance and contempt.
In this way, the Yaso-gami are introduced not as noble suitors, but as a band of gods driven by desire, jealousy, and cruelty—and their story unfolds from that very first step.
Tormenting Others
In their first appearance, the Yaso-gami may seem to direct their bullying only toward their younger brother Ōkuninushi. But their cruelty was not limited to family.
In the famous tale of the White Rabbit of Inaba, the Yaso-gami gave the wounded rabbit deliberately harmful advice, telling it to bathe in seawater and dry itself in the wind.
Instead of helping, they found amusement in watching the poor creature suffer in pain.
This moment shows the true extent of their nature: the Yaso-gami were not simply jealous siblings, but gods who delighted in the suffering of others.
By showing malice even to outsiders, the myths make it clear that they were never meant to be heroes, but true antagonists in the world of Japanese mythology.
Plotting Against Ōkuninushi
The cruelty of the Yaso-gami did not stop with mocking their brother or tormenting a rabbit.
True to their vicious nature, they could not accept defeat—especially after the princess Yagami-hime rejected them and chose Ōkuninushi instead. Her rejection was more than personal—it was a consequence of their own arrogance and cruelty.
Blinded by jealousy and rage, the Yaso-gami plotted revenge.
In one tale, they lured Ōkuninushi beneath a cliff and rolled a red-hot boulder down upon him, crushing him to death.
Although he was later revived with the help of other deities, the brothers did not relent. They devised new traps, attempting again and again to take his life.
These episodes reveal the Yaso-gami as more than petty bullies.
They were relentless schemers—embodiments of cruelty, spite, and envy—whose only role in the myths was to oppose and endanger the hero at every turn.
So, what do we make of them?
For many of us, gods are imagined as exalted beings—wise, noble, and beyond human flaws. And yet, in these myths, the Yaso-gami are portrayed as nothing more than cruel, petty schemers.
The contrast is striking: deities who should embody dignity instead mirror the worst flaws of humanity.
It’s fascinating that Japanese mythology isn’t afraid to show even gods in such an unflattering light.
The Fate of the Yaso-gami
So what became of the Yaso-gami, these villains of the worst kind?
After all their bullying, cruelty, and failed plots, the Yaso-gami finally met their end.
Rejected by Yagami-hime and outwitted at every turn, they faced the one they had tormented the most—Ōkuninushi.
By this point, Ōkuninushi was no longer the timid younger brother carrying baggage for his siblings.
Through trials, suffering, and the help of other gods, he had grown into a strong and resilient hero.
Armed with the Ikutachi (Living Sword) and Ikuyumi (Living Bow), which he had taken from Susanoo’s dwelling, and with Susanoo himself urging him to use them against his cruel brothers, Ōkuninushi defeated the wicked Yaso-gami once and for all, closing the curtain on their tale of cruelty.
It is a classic moment of poetic justice: the bullies who once mocked and abused him were defeated, and the hero who endured their cruelty was finally vindicated.
The downfall of the Yaso-gami reminds us that in mythology, as in fairy tales, villains may cause pain for a time, but their arrogance always leads to their own destruction—a timeless lesson about the fate of arrogance, cruelty, and envy.
Symbolism: What Do the Yaso-gami Represent?
Unlike other deities in Japanese mythology—such as the Sun Goddess or the Fire God, who embody the blessings of nature essential for life—the Yaso-gami represent something very different.
They are the embodiment of humanity’s ugliest emotions: arrogance, cruelty, and jealousy.
This contrast is revealing. Gods who symbolize vital forces of nature are given names and identities: Ōkuninushi, for example, is remembered as the god of nation-building.
But the Yaso-gami are never granted individual names.
They appear only as a nameless band of brothers—countless gods grouped together, defined not by who they are, but by their malicious role in the story.
Seen this way, the Yaso-gami were never meant to symbolize divine blessings.
Their true purpose was to serve as foils to Ōkuninushi: villains whose spiteful acts highlight his growth and eventual greatness.
By standing as obstacles, they made his transformation from a bullied younger brother into a powerful hero far more dramatic.
In that sense, the Yaso-gami are more than just antagonists.
They are the indispensable foils of the myth—a narrative device ensuring that Ōkuninushi could shine all the brighter as one of Japan’s most revered deities.
Without their cruelty, his triumph would not have carried the same weight.
Yaso-gami in Culture Today
Because the Yaso-gami are not the name of a single deity but rather a collective group of gods, there are no shrines dedicated specifically to them.
However, traces of their presence can still be felt today.
In the following examples, we will look at how the Yaso-gami appear both as mythological figures and as an ancient word meaning “many gods.”
Yaso-gami on Stage: Iwami Kagura
One way to encounter the mythological Yaso-gami today is through Iwami Kagura, a traditional sacred dance-drama from western Japan.
Among its many mythological performances is the play Yaso-gami, which dramatizes the rivalry between Ōkuninushi and his many brothers.
In this play, two characters—the elder and younger brothers of the Yaso-gami—appear as suitors to Princess Yagami-hime.
When she chooses Ōkuninushi instead, the brothers turn on him, deceiving and trapping him in acts of cruel revenge.
The performance weaves together humor with scenes of serious combat, stirring a wide range of emotions.
It offers a vivid and exciting glimpse of how ancient myths are brought back to life on stage today.
The Name “Yaso-gami” in Modern Times
Here we turn to cases where the ancient Japanese meaning of Yaso-gami—simply “many gods”—still lives on.
It has been used as the name of a fictional high school—Yasogami High School—in the popular video game and anime Persona 4.
You can even find it as the name of a shop in Toyama Prefecture, written with the same characters 八十神, though there it is pronounced Yasojin rather than Yasogami.
These examples show that the word continues to echo in everyday life and pop culture.
In mythology, the Yaso-gami are portrayed as the spiteful brothers of Ōkuninushi, but the word itself does not always carry that negative association. Sometimes it simply conveys the uniquely Japanese idea of “countless deities.”
In this way, the Yaso-gami continue to echo in Japan’s cultural memory today.
On the one hand, they appear in myths as the spiteful brothers of Ōkuninushi, a role still reenacted in performances like Iwami Kagura.
On the other hand, the word Yaso-gami in ancient Japanese simply meant “many gods,” and this broader meaning is often what carries into modern uses—such as in pop culture or place names—without necessarily referencing the villainous brothers of the myths.
Conclusion: The Dual Legacy of the Yaso-gami
The Yaso-gami may not be noble gods, nor are they celebrated as bringers of blessings. In the myths, they stand as the jealous, spiteful brothers of Ōkuninushi—villains whose cruelty pushed the hero through trials of suffering and growth.
And yet, without them, the story of Ōkuninushi would lose much of its drama. As faceless antagonists, they highlight the contrast between weakness and strength, arrogance and humility, despair and triumph.
In this sense, the Yaso-gami are more than mythological bullies.
They are the indispensable foils of Japanese mythology—villains whose presence ensured that the hero’s light could shine all the brighter.
At the same time, the word Yaso-gami itself has not been forgotten in modern Japan. Beyond its role in myth, it still carries the broader meaning of “many gods,” appearing in pop culture, and even everyday names.
Together, these two aspects remind us that the Yaso-gami are both: the cruel brothers of legend, and a linguistic echo of Japan’s unique vision of a world filled with countless deities.