Izanagi-no-Mikoto: A Creator Who Learned How to Move Forward
Do you know what kind of god created Japan?
His name is Izanagi-no-Mikoto.
Together with his wife, Izanami-no-Mikoto, he gave birth to the land of Japan and to many gods.
Yet when his beloved wife died, Izanagi went to the land of the dead to bring her back — only to turn away and leave sooner than anyone might expect.
Why did he retreat so quickly?
What did that moment leave behind in his heart?
Let us begin a journey into the story of Izanagi-no-Mikoto, and gently explore what kind of god he truly was.
Who Is Izanagi-no-Mikoto?
So, who exactly is Izanagi-no-Mikoto?
Before exploring his stories and the ideas behind them, let us first take a clear look at who he is.
Profile of Izanagi-no-Mikoto
- Role:
One of the primordial creator deities in Japanese mythology, entrusted with shaping the land and the divine order of the world. - Consort: Izanami-no-Mikoto — his wife and partner in the creation of the land and gods.
- Major Deeds:
Creation of the Japanese islands (Kuniumi) and the birth of many deities (Kamiumi), followed by his descent into the land of the dead (Yomi) and the act of purification (Misogi). - Children:
The Three Precious Children (Mihashira-no-Uzunomiko, 三貴子):- Amaterasu-Ōmikami — Goddess of the Sun
- Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto — God of the Moon
- Susanoo-no-Mikoto — God of Storms and Seas
- Position in Mythology:
A foundational deity whose actions define the boundary between life and death, purity and impurity.
The Meaning of His Name
The name Izanagi (伊弉諾) is commonly understood to come from the verb izanau (誘う), meaning “to invite” or “to call forth.”
| Interpretation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| To invite, to summon | Reflects his role in calling the land and gods into existence |
| A guiding presence | Suggests a god who leads creation forward rather than ruling through force |
Rather than a conquering hero, Izanagi is often seen as a god who initiates creation and sets the world in motion through his actions.
A Creator Who Is Not a Hero
Although Izanagi stands at the very beginning of Japanese mythology, he is not portrayed as a warrior or a triumphant hero.
Instead, his myths are marked by moments of withdrawal, purification, and renewal.
These traits make Izanagi a deeply distinctive figure — one whose importance can be found not in overpowering obstacles, but in reflecting on where life should continue, and where it must not.
Mythological Episodes: Izanagi and Yomi
Izanagi appears in many myths, but his journey to Yomi reveals an unexpected side of him.
He entered the land of the dead to bring back his beloved wife, yet chose to retreat instead.
In this section, we explore why Izanagi made that choice.
The Story: Izanagi’s Journey to the Land of the Dead
After the death of his wife Izanami, Izanagi was overcome with deep sorrow.
Unable to accept their sudden separation, he set out on a journey to Yomi, the land of the dead, hoping to bring her back.
At first, Izanami asked him to wait — and warned him not to look at her.
However, Izanagi broke his promise.
When he saw her true form, he was seized by fear and fled in panic.
Pursued by Izanami and the forces of the underworld, Izanagi barely escaped back to the land of the living.
At the boundary between the two worlds, he sealed the entrance to Yomi with a massive boulder.
In this way, the worlds of life and death were separated forever.
Interpretation: Why Izanagi Turned Back from Yomi
At first glance, Izanagi’s actions may seem sudden — or even weak.
Why would a creator god flee instead of fighting or trying to rescue his beloved wife?
Yet this moment reveals a defining aspect of Izanagi’s character.
He did not turn back because he lacked courage, but because he realized that a living being acting within the realm of death was itself a mistake.
By witnessing Izanami’s transformed state, Izanagi understood that Yomi was not a place where life could be restored.
It was a world governed by different laws, and attempting to overcome death there would only bring further disorder.
Rather than confronting death directly, Izanagi chose withdrawal.
By sealing the entrance to Yomi, he drew a clear boundary between the living and the dead.
This act did not erase loss, but it prevented death from crossing further into the realm of life.
In this sense, Izanagi’s retreat was not a failure.
It reflects a deeply rooted value in Japanese thought:
knowing when to step away from a battle that should not be fought.
Mythological Episodes II: A Father Who Refused to Let His Son Follow the Dead
There is one more moment in Izanagi’s story that leaves us with questions: the scene where he banishes his son Susanoo from the heavenly realm.
Why would Izanagi make such a decision?
In this section, let us take a closer look.
The Story: Susanoo’s Tears and Izanagi’s Judgment
After the birth of the Three Precious Children, Izanagi assigned each of them a role.
While Amaterasu ruled the heavens and Tsukuyomi governed the night, his youngest son Susanoo was entrusted with the rule of the seas.
Yet Susanoo refused to fulfill his role.
Instead, he wept endlessly, crying out for his mother, Izanami, and showed no intention of carrying out the task entrusted to him.
When Izanagi demanded to know the reason for his son’s tears, Susanoo answered honestly: he wished to go to his mother’s land, a realm associated with the dead.
At this, Izanagi became enraged.
He stripped Susanoo of his place among the gods and banished him from the divine realm.
Interpretation: Why Izanagi Chose Banishment
At first glance, Izanagi’s decision to banish his son may seem severe.
However, it was not a choice driven by anger alone.
There were two main reasons behind his judgment.
-
To prevent disruption of the world’s order
By refusing to fulfill his role and continuing to weep, Susanoo risked bringing the proper flow of the world to a halt. -
To remove an unfinished god from the center of the heavens
Overwhelmed by emotion, Susanoo lacked the maturity required to stand within the divine realm and bear its responsibilities.
These judgments were rooted in Izanagi’s own past experience.
Driven by love for Izanami, he had once entered the land of the dead — a realm that should never have been crossed.
Through that mistake, he learned that actions born from unchecked emotion could disturb the order of the world.
He also came to understand, through his own immaturity, that a god unable to carry out his role must not stand at the center of creation.
With these lessons in mind, Izanagi chose banishment as a way to protect the world and to give his son the distance necessary for growth.
In this sense, banishment was neither simple punishment nor rejection.
It was a decision made by a creator god who understood that once a forbidden boundary is crossed, the consequences cannot easily be undone.
Belief and Worship
Izanagi is not only a figure from ancient myth.
His presence continues to live on through long-standing traditions of worship today.
Belief in Izanagi has developed around two closely connected aspects of his divine character. Let us take a closer look at each of these aspects and the shrines that represent them.
Two Faces of Izanagi in Shinto Belief
In Shinto belief, Izanagi is worshipped mainly in two ways.
-
Izanagi as the god of creation and beginnings
The deity who shaped the land of Japan, brought the world into form, and brought the age of creation to its completion. -
Izanagi as the god who returned from death and renewed life
The deity who crossed into the land of the dead, purified himself, and guided life forward once more.
These two aspects do not contradict each other.
Rather, they reflect Izanagi’s role throughout the myths — a god who both creates the world and shows how to recover and move forward after loss.
Izanagi Jingu — The Completion of Creation
The shrine that best represents Izanagi as the god of creation and beginnings is Izanagi Jingu, located on Awaji Island.
According to Japanese mythology, Awaji Island was the first island born during the creation of Japan. After completing the great work of forming the land and the gods, Izanagi is said to have built a kakurimiya — a hidden dwelling — and spent his remaining years here.
At Izanagi Jingu, Izanagi is enshrined together with his wife, Izanami.
Because of this, the shrine is widely associated with blessings for marriage, harmony between couples, and household well-being, and continues to attract many worshippers today.
In this way, Izanagi Jingu reflects Izanagi as a god who brings creation to its completion — a deity who establishes origins, lays foundations, and brings the age of creation to rest.
For those who wish to learn more about Izanagi Jingu, please visit the official Awaji Island tourism guide:
Awaji Island Tourism Navi
Taga Taisha — Life Renewed After Death
A shrine that represents Izanagi as a god of renewal after death is Taga Taisha, located in Shiga Prefecture.
Here, Izanagi is revered as a deity who returned from the land of the dead and, through purification, restored the flow of life to the world.
For centuries, Taga Taisha has been associated with blessings for longevity, protection from misfortune, and harmonious relationships, and was deeply revered by both warriors and common people, especially during the Edo period.
At this shrine, Izanagi is honored as a parent deity of life — one who guides life forward after loss and affirms that renewal follows even death.
For those interested in learning more about Taga Taisha, the shrine’s official website is available below (note: the site is in Japanese only):
Taga Taisha
In this way, Izanagi’s story does not remain confined to myth alone. Even today, he is revered by many people through his dual roles as a god of creation and a god of life.
Cultural Significance: Learning How to Move Forward
There is still more that Izanagi’s story quietly teaches us.
His significance lies not only in the lands and gods he brought into being, but in the way he faced loss, change, and limitation over the course of his life.
Through his story, Izanagi moves through experiences that feel deeply familiar even today:
the joy of creating something new,
the sorrow that comes with loss,
the realization of one’s own limits,
and the choice to step back, endure hardship, and move forward once again.
In this way, his story speaks gently to experiences many of us have known.
Life brings moments of joy through new encounters and creative beginnings.
At the same time, it also brings sudden partings, failure, and the loss of what we hold dear.
Yet there comes a moment when we must draw a line between the past shaped by sorrow and the future that still lies ahead.
We must learn from what has been lost, and face forward as someone changed by experience.
Izanagi does not promise an easy or joyful future.
He offers no guarantee that pain will disappear.
What his story shows instead is that renewal and possibility can still arise when we choose to move forward.
To know the story of Izanagi is to gain a point of reflection and a quiet guide for moments when life feels uncertain.
In this sense, Izanagi is a deity who walks beside us, offering direction not through triumph, but through understanding how to continue living.
Conclusion: Izanagi’s Enduring Legacy
Izanagi-no-Mikoto stands at the very beginning of Japanese mythology, yet his story does not remain confined to the distant past.
Through creation and loss, withdrawal and renewal, he shaped not only the land and the gods, but also a way of understanding life itself.
Izanagi is remembered not only as a creator, but as a deity who learned through grief, recognized his own limits, and chose how to continue living after irreversible change.
His myths do not celebrate heroic triumph.
Instead, they honor the wisdom of stepping back when necessary, of exercising restraint, and of moving forward with renewed resolve.
It is precisely because of this distinctive character that Izanagi has been revered across generations — as a god of beginnings, a god of life, and a quiet guide for moments when people must face change and uncertainty.
To encounter the story of Izanagi is to be reminded that life does not end with loss.
Even when the past cannot be reclaimed, a path forward still remains.