ACCORDING TO LEGEND, AFTER THEIR BIRTH, THE PAIR STOOD UPON THE FLOATING BRIDGE OF HEAVEN AND STIRRED THE PRIMEVAL OCEAN WITH A JEWELED SPEAR. AND, WHEN THE SPEAR WAS LIFTED, A FEW DROPS OF SALTY WATER FELL FROM THE SPEAR AND FORMED THE FIRST SOLID LAND. IZANAMI AND AZANAGI DESCENDED FROM THE HEAVENLY BRIDGE AND MADE THEIR HOME ON THE ISLAND..BECOMING THE FIRST HUSBAND AND WIFE. AN IZANAMI THEN BORE A CHILD, BUT THE CHILD WAS A WATER SERPENT, AN UGLY BEAST, AND EVERYONE DECLARED THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE BIRTH VERY TRAGIC, BUT IT OCCURRED BECAUSE IZANAMI HAD COMMITTED THE MOST UNFORGIVEABLE SIN. SHE HAD SPOKEN TO HER HUSBAND FIRST AT THEIR MARRIAGE CEREMONY. (EVEN HERE THE WOMAN WAS SUBORDINATE.)
THE COUPLE THEN PERFORMED ANOTHER WEDDING CEREMONY, AND THIS TIME IT WAS DONE CORRECTLY. AND THIS TIME, IZANAMI BROUGHT FORTH THE ISLES OF JAPAN. AND THEN, THEY CREATED THE GODS AND GODDESSES THAT REPRESENTED THE MOUNTAINS, WATERFALLS, STREAMS, WINDS, THE SUN AND THE MOON, AND ALL THINGS THAT GROW. AND, AFTER THAT, IZANAMI LABORED AND BROUGHT FORTH THE FIRE GOD, KAGUTSUCHI, BUT IN DOING SO, SHE WAS FRIGHTFULLY BURNED AND TRANSFORMED INTO AN UNSIGHTLY OLD WOMAN. NO LONGER FIT FOR THE NATURAL WORLD, SHE MADE HER WAY TO THE UNDERWORLD WHERE SHE REIGNED AS THE GODDESS OF DEATH.
IZANAGI WAS HEARTBROKEN AND FULL OF DESIRE FOR HIS WIFE, SO HE UNDERTOOK A JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF THE DEAD. IZANAMI HID IN THE SHADOWS AS HE APPROACHED AND WARNED HIM NOT TO LOOK AT HER; SHE TOLD HIM THAT SHE HAD ALREADY EATEN THE FOOD OF THE UNDERWORLD AND COULD NO LONGER RETURN TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING. IZANAGI REFUSED TO GIVE IN TO HER WISHES OF BEING LEFT IN THE DARK; HE LIT A TORCH AND GAZED UPON HER, AND UNDER THE LIGHT, WHAT HE SAW WAS THE HORRID FORM OF THE ONCE BEAUTIFUL AND GRACIOUS IZANAMI. UNABLE TO CONTROL HIMSELF, HE CRIED OUT LOUD AND STARTED TO RUN...INTENDING TO RETURN TO THE LIVING AND ABANDON HIS WIFE.
SHE WAS ANGRY THAT HE HAD NOT RESPECTED HER WISHES, AND SHE SENT FORTH HIDEOUS FEMALE SPIRITS. IZANAGI BURST OUT OF THE ENTRANCE AND BLOCKED IT BY PUSHING A HUGE BOULDER IN THE MOUTH OF THE CAVERN. AND HE FELT UNCLEAN SO HE BATHED HIMSELF. HIS BATH IS THE BASIS OF THE SHINTO PURIFICATION RITUAL.
AND SO IT WAS THAT THE ONE WHO HAD GIVEN BIRTH TO ALL OF CREATION AND MORTALLY WOUNDED HERSELF BY GIVING BIRTH TO FIRE, SPENT THE REST OF TIME ALONE IN HER CASTLE IN THE LAND OF THE DEAD.
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