Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology.^[1] The history of thousands of years of contact with Chinese and various Indian myths (such as Buddhist and Hindu mythology) are also key influences in Japanese religious belief.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Japanese myths are tied to the topography of the archipelago as well as agriculturally-based folk religion, and the Shinto pantheon holds uncountable kami ("god(s)" or "spirits").^[1] This article will discuss cosmogony, important deities, modern interpretations, cultural significance, and the influence of these myths.

Two important sources for Japanese myths, as they are recognized today, are the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki.^[4]^[5] The Kojiki, or "Record of Ancient Matters," is the oldest surviving account of Japan's myths, legends, and history.^[6] Additionally, the Shintōshū describes the origins of Japanese deities from a Buddhist perspective.^[7]

One notable feature of Japanese mythology is its explanation of the origin of the Imperial Family, which has been used historically to deify to the imperial line.^[4]

Japanese is not transliterated consistently across all sources (see spelling of proper nouns).

^ ^a ^b ^c Piggott, Juliet. (1983). Japanese mythology (New revised ed.). New York, N.Y. pp. 6–8. ISBN 0-911745-09-2. OCLC 9971207.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Tylor, Edward B. (1877). "Remarks on Japanese Mythology". The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 6: 55–58. doi:10.2307/2841246. JSTOR 2841246.
^ Kitagawa, Joseph M. (1963). "Prehistoric Background of Japanese Religion". History of Religions. 2 (2): 292–328. doi:10.1086/462466. ISSN 0018-2710. JSTOR 1062069. S2CID 162362195.
^ ^a ^b ANDASSOVA, Maral (2019). "Emperor Jinmu in the Kojiki". Japan Review (32): 5–16. ISSN 0915-0986. JSTOR 26652947.
^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Smits, Gregory J. (1991). "Political Thought in Japanese Historical Writing: From Kojiki (712) to Tokushi Yoron (1712). By John S. Brownlee. Toronto: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1991. xvii, 158 pp. $35.00". The Journal of Asian Studies. 51 (3): 666–667. doi:10.2307/2057985. ISSN 0021-9118. JSTOR 2057985. S2CID 154761651.
^ Kadoya, Atsushi; 門屋溫; Padoan, Tatsuma (2006). "On the Formation of Shintō Icons". Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie. 16: 151–182. doi:10.3406/asie.2006.1255. ISSN 0766-1177. JSTOR 44171454.

[:0-1] Piggott, Juliet. (1983). Japanese mythology (New revised ed.). New York, N.Y. pp. 6–8. ISBN 0-911745-09-2. OCLC 9971207.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[2] Tylor, Edward B. (1877). "Remarks on Japanese Mythology". The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 6: 55–58. doi:10.2307/2841246. JSTOR 2841246.

[:11-3] Kitagawa, Joseph M. (1963). "Prehistoric Background of Japanese Religion". History of Religions. 2 (2): 292–328. doi:10.1086/462466. ISSN 0018-2710. JSTOR 1062069. S2CID 162362195.

[:3-4] ANDASSOVA, Maral (2019). "Emperor Jinmu in the Kojiki". Japan Review (32): 5–16. ISSN 0915-0986. JSTOR 26652947.

[:1-5] Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[6] Smits, Gregory J. (1991). "Political Thought in Japanese Historical Writing: From Kojiki (712) to Tokushi Yoron (1712). By John S. Brownlee. Toronto: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1991. xvii, 158 pp. $35.00". The Journal of Asian Studies. 51 (3): 666–667. doi:10.2307/2057985. ISSN 0021-9118. JSTOR 2057985. S2CID 154761651.

[7] Kadoya, Atsushi; 門屋溫; Padoan, Tatsuma (2006). "On the Formation of Shintō Icons". Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie. 16: 151–182. doi:10.3406/asie.2006.1255. ISSN 0766-1177. JSTOR 44171454.

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