World Civ. students need to find an example of a Japanese creation myth online. Read the story and answer the following questions in your response to this post: 1. How is it similar to the one we read in class? 2. How is it different? 3. What do the creation myths tell you about the Japanese people?
Central Academy: Social Sciences: Mrs. Snyder
Today in History- Peter the Great: the Russian czar levied a tax on beards (1698)
- Continental Congress: delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies (Georgia did not attend) convened in Philadelphia to seek repeal of the British Intolerable Acts (1774)
- Sam Houston: was elected the first president of the Republic of Texas (1836)
1. The myth I read was similar to the one read in class in many ways. The main things were that they both involved Izanagi and Izanami. They were the creators of the Japanese islands and inhabited them. While on the islands they produced god children who became various parts of nature such as the sun and moon.
2. Some of the differences were, the world did not come from an ooze in this myth as it did in the myth read in class. The world was all together in the “germ of life” and slowly it parted, the lighter parts floating to the top and heavey parts snking down. Also in this myth, nothing was mentioned of Izanomi’s death or the dark place she went after wards. Also, there was less metion of the various gods mentioned in the reading from class and there was no mention of the kappas.
3. The Japanese creation myths tell us that the Japanese people were very focused on nature. With the extream weather conditions that surround Japan, it is only natural that they would focus on it.
Japanese Creation Myth – Lisa Thai
1. The one we read in class and the one I read online was similar in the way that Izanagi and Izanami were the last gods and goddess to be created and were the ones who created Japan with all the other gods/goddess. In both reading the world was created almost the same; they were created by some ooze (reading in class) or some sort of germ of life (reading online).
2. The two stories were different in that the descendants of Izanagi and Izanami were the elements of nature described in the reading in class, but the reading only says that the children were the sun, the moon, and the ocean. Later their first child had a son and then he became the emperor, which was not mentioned in the reading in class.
3. The Japanese creation myths can tell us about their culture, how their rulers came into power, and what is believed on how the world/their country was created. In their culture you are welcoming a person by bowing like the U.S. you would shake a person’s hand. Of how their rulers came into power was by the emperor and those who claimed descendant of the first was most likely how they became emperor. By reading the myths the Japanese have an idea of how the world/country was create giving them a sense of what their past was like. Simply the myths can tell us what their everyday life.
1. The version I read was very similar to the one we read in class. The world was formed from some sort of ooze, not by a creator. Izanami and Izanagi were the last gods and they created others and the Japanese islands.
2. In the version I found, though, the other gods were Izanami and Izanagi’s children instead of being formed after Izanami’s death. This myth also says that Ameratsu, the sun-goddess, bore a son who was the first emperor of Japan and while we discussed this legend in class, it was not mentioned in the in-class myth.
3. The Japanese creation myths tell us that the Japanese people were very much focused on nature and held respect in high esteem (the monkey-creatures from the in-class myth would bow in front of people, which is how Japanese people greet each other even today). These myths also tell us that the Japanese people believe they were specifically created to live on the islands of Japan instead of having migrated there or believing that all people were created the same way.
1. The creation myth i read online and the one we read in class were very similar. The Earth was formed from a huge mass of ooze of chaos. Izanami and Izanagi were both involved in the creation and created many other gods. Izanami did give birth to the eight islands of Japan and she died giving birth to the fire god. Izanagi goes to search for his wife and is so revolted by what he sees he seals off the underworld.
2. There are some differences i found. First the ooze was stirred by Izanami and Izanagi and then the first island was created. The myth in class did not mention anything about a failure child. In the version i found they had a child named Hiruko and he was not sucessfull so he was sent out into the seas and became the god of fishing. Also the sun god, Ameratsu was not mentioned at all.
3. These creation myths tell us that nature is highly valued in Japanese culture. The Japanese strongly believe in the creation myths because they, for instance, bow when meeting people (the monkey-creatures in the class myth) and perform other rituals that originate in the creation myths. The Japanese also believe that they were created separately from the rest of the world because the myths do not mention the formation of any other civilization.
1. The creation myth i read online and the one we read in class were very similar. The Earth was formed from a huge mass of ooze of chaos. Izanami and Izanagi were both involved in the creation and created many other gods. Izanami did give birth to the eight islands of Japan and she died giving birth to the fire god. Izanagi goes to search for his wife and is so revolted by what he sees he seals off the underworld.
2. There are some differences i found. First the ooze was stirred by Izanami and Izanagi and then the first island was created. The myth in class did not mention anything about a failure child. In the version i found they had a child named Hiruko and he was not sucessfull so he was sent out into the seas and became the god of fishing. Also the sun god, Ameratsu was not mentioned at all.
3. These creation myths tell us that nature is highly valued in Japanese culture. The Japanese strongly believe in the creation myths because they, for instance, bow when meeting people (the monkey-creatures in the class myth) and perform other rituals that originate in the creation myths. The Japanese also believe that they were created separately from the rest of the world because the myths do not mention the formation of any other civilization.
1. The creation myth that i read was very similar to the one from class. The was not created by a certain person. Izanagi and Izanami were the most important of all the gods. They also created the islands of Japan. Izanami gave birth to many of the gods. She was injured while giving birth to the god of fire.
2. There were few differences between the two stories. In the one we read in class the Earth came from an ooze, in the one i read the Earth was covered with a muddy ocean and there was a chaos in the ocean. It only briefly discussed the part when Izanami is in the cave.
3. The Japanese myths tell us a lot about their culture. It is customary to bow (like the kappas in the story we read in class). They also care a lot about nature and their surroundings.
1. The myth that i read online was very similar to the one we read in class. For instance both myths claim that the world started as just a blob and separated into the world. Another similarity is that the two gods Izanagi and Izanami created the land and the Japanese islands. They both also claim that these two gods created the people to live on the land, and the other gods.
2. These two myths however are also different. In the myth we read in class Izanami and Izanagi discovered that there was an underworld where people went when they died. But the myth that I read never mentioned an underworld. Another difference is that this myth does not mention anything about deities.
3. The myth that I read shows a lot about Japanese. It shows how they respect nature because the gods are nature. It also explains why they bow when they meet other people. They are imitating the monkey creatures. This myth also shows how many people have become emperors of Japan. Many of the emperors have claimed to decedents of the gods and goddesses.
1. The creation myth that I read online had the same basic idea as the one we read in class. The male and female gods, Izanagi and Izanami, stir the primeval ocean with a jeweled spear and form the first island of Japan, Onogoro. Their next eight children became the islands of Japan. Izanami gives birth to the gods and dies while giving birth to the fire god. Izanagi goes down to the land of death in search of Izanami. In both myths Izanami doesn’t want Izanagi to see her rotting corpse, but he looks at her anyway. Izanagi manages to escape from the spirits Izanami sends after him by placing a boulder at the passage to the land of death.
2. In the myth I read online, a reed arises in the beginning, and is the eternal land ruler, called Kunitokotatchi. Izanagi and Izaanami build a house on Onogoro with a central pillar that is the backbone of the world. Their first child, Hiruko, becomes Ebisu, the God of Fishermen. Hiruko is not mentioned at all in the myth we read in class. Also, at the end of the myth, Izanami says she will kill 1000 people every day, and Izanagi says he will cause 1500 babies to be born every day.
3. The Japanese value nature. According to their creation myth, almost everything in the world arises from nature. They believe in good and evil spirits, as displayed by the kappa who have both good and evil qualities. Being polite is an important part of their lives. They bow when they meet someone still today. They also believe in a place where people go after they die, and that there are specific gods who cause a person to be born or to die.
1. The creation myth that I read online was comparable to the one we read in class. Both myths claim that the world was started from a mass of ooze, not nessecarily a creator, or a higher being. The second similarity is that the two gods Izanagi and Izanami created the land and the Japanese islands. Another similarity is they claim that the two gods created the people to live on the islands.
2. While their are similarities, I did find some differences. For instance, the one we read in class mentioned an underworld, or a place that people went when they died. In the one I read online, there was no mention.
3. I gained an understanding of the Japanese culture while reading these myths. I learned that they value nature, and that they don’t nessecarily believe in a higher being, or look to a certain spirit or god to depict how things came to be.
1: The creation myth I read was very similar to the one we read in class because it revolved around the story of Izanami and Izanagi. Also, Izanami died giving birth to the fire god and Izanagi went to retrieve her, only to be frightened by her appearance and run away. He seals the barrier between life and death.
2: The two myths were different, as well. In the one I read, there was an eternal land ruler. Izanami ruled the dead instead of Izanagi, as he was in the in-class reading.
3: The Japanese people highly value politeness. They work together to achieve their goals and connect themselves with nature. The Japanese also appreciate patience, even though it is hard to come across.
1. The similarities between the creation myth read in class and the one I read include Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto as the main deities and the much beloved Ama-terasu (Amaterasu).
2. The differences include. . . ‘source places’ of masculinity and femininity, respectively, and the sending of Ama-terasu (Amaterasu) up the Heaven ladder. Er, ‘ladder of Heaven’, sorry. It also mentions Sosa no wo no Mikoto, whom I am assuming is their representation of the ‘Devil’.
3. This myth tells a little bit about the wedding rituals of the Japanese, along with their love of nature (Sun Goddess especially).
http://wsu.edu/~dee/ANCJAPAN/CREAT3.HTM
1. The creation myth I read online was similar to the one we read in class because it was mainly about Izanagi and Izanami. In both, Izanagi drops his staff into the water pulling up mud that hardens into the islands of Japan. Also, they give birth to gods of the elements such as the moon, sun, and sea.
2. The two myths were also very different. In contrast, Izanami did not die giving birth and it did not mention anything of her rule of the dead as it had in the reading from class. It also mentioned nothing of the Kappa.
3. The Japanese people value nature greatly. This is because, according the creation myths, everything originated from nature. They also strongly believe in respect as shown by the Kappa who bowed when meeting someone.
1. The myth I read online was a lot like the one we read in class. Izanagi and Izanami were what both stories mainly focused on. They both mentioned how Izanagi and Izanami created the islands of Japan and many other gods. They also share a similar story of how Izanami died and of Izanagi’s failed attempt to rescue her from the underworld.
2. However, the stories were also different. The story online has no mention of Ameratsu, where the story we read in class went into heavy detail of the sun goddess. Also, the story online is not very clear on how the earth and universe were created because they do not mention the primeval ooze.
3. These creation myths show that the Japanese hold nature at a very high status in there life as everything in the stories are tied to it. The stories also show how traditional beliefs play a huge role in how husband and wife are supposed to live and treat each other.
1. The myth we read in class and the myth I found online were very similar. In both versions, Izanagi and Izanami were the two main deities, and they created the world by stirring the ocean with a jeweled spear. Eight of their children became the islands of Japan, and their other children became gods and goddesses of different elements of nature. Also, in both versions Izanami dies giving birth to the fire god and Izanagi is scared off when he goes to rescue her from the underworld because she has started to decay.
2. There were several differences between the two versions of the myth. First of all, in the online myth, Izanagi and Izanami’s first child didn’t thrive, so they put him in the ocean in a reed boat. He then becomes the god of fishermen, which did not happen in the myth we read in class. Also, at the end of the online myth, Izanami says she will cause 1000 people to die each day and Izanagi says that he will cause 1500 babies to be born each day. In the myth we read in class, they didn’t talk at all after Izanagi sees his wife in the underworld.
3. The creation myths can tell us a lot about Japanese culture and religion, including how nature is revered and there is no one god. It also shows that being polite and treating people correctly is very important.
1. The two stories were very similar in a few ways. They both contain the basic idea that Earth and all other creation came from on big “blob” or germ of life. Both confirm that Izanagi and Izanami were the last gods created and that they were the ones responsible for the creation of land and the plant life.
2. Both accounts have their differences as well. The one I read online talked about how when the Earth was created, the heavier parts sank in the slime, and the lighter parts rose. It also does not portray the adventure to the underworld led by Izanagi and his attempt to rescue his wife. And lastly, it mentions all Izanami’s children.
3. These two creation myths portrayed the importance of nature in Japanese culture, and also their high standards of etiquette. It also showed that they try to keep death out of sight and out of mind by keeping that section short.
1. The Japanese creation myth I read online is very similar to the one we read in class. Both versions of the myth talk about how Izanagi created the islands of Japan when he thrust his staff into the sea, and the mud that drips off of it hardens and turns into the land. This was the main similarity between the two.
2. For the online myth, there was “one germ of life” in the beginning that contained all the elements mixed together, instead of the “goo” in the myth we read in class. There is no mention of the kappas in the online myth. Also, the online myth doesn’t describe the death of Izanami, nor does it talk about how Izanami gives birth to many gods.
3. The story of the kappas in the in-class creation myth tells me that the Japanese people really valued politeness and respect. Also, in the online myth, one of the three gods who were offspring of Izanami and Izanagi is sentenced to the seas, where he creates storms. This shows that the extreme natural weather conditions surrounding Japan were an important aspect of the Japanese way of life.
1.The myth I read in class and the one online were similar in many ways.Izanami and Izanagi were the creators of Japan. They had many gods and goddesses to do with nature. Also.Izanami died whole giving birth to her last child.
2.In the myth online two of their kids had control over the ocean. Izanangi never chased Izanami. When she died Izanagi cried to himself but then he descended into Hades to go see her.
3.The way the monkeys bow(story in class) is a sign of respect and they value it. They also have a strong belief in nature. The way many things were created to represent nature relates to how Japan is now and all of the weather barriers they have.
1. The myth I read in class is alike to the myth I read online. Both were about a family in ancient times. Both talked about creation. They also involved animals who could talk and had other human traits.
2. The myths were also quite different, the one in class was about creating the country of Japan. The one online that I read was a journey to create a smaller piece of land.
3. Japanese myths tell us about how Japan was created, Japanese beliefs and religions, and also the way people interact with animals and nature.
1. The myth I read was similar to the myth we read in class. The story was basically the same it just used different wordings for some things. Izanagi and Izanami were still the most remarkable of all the gods. Izanami gave birth to many other gods.
2. The myth I read talked about the creation of things other than Japan. An example of this is the sun and the moon. The myth I read referred to the earth as a muddy ocean before creation, instead of an ooze, but that’s only a minor difference.
3. The creation myths teach us what the Japanese think their origins are. The myths also show that the Japanese are polytheistic. The myths show how all early people, even others, tried to explain the natural world with gods.
1) The creation myth I read online and the one I read in class were very similar. The online article had the exact same story-line and described all of the things that were in the article I read in class.
2) There was no difference between the two sources dealing with the main story-line or plot. For example, they both explained how Izanagi traveled to the Underworld to visit his dead wife. The only difference I located was the style of writing. The article in class was written with a more eloquent writing style.
3) This shows that the Japanese who thought of the creation myths were much like the Native Americans. They both used myths and stories to explain natural events around them, for example: How the islands of Japan were formed.
1. The Japanese creation myth that we read in class and the myth that I found on the internet contain many similar general characteristics. The main similarity is the fact that the Heaven and the Earth emerged from a primeval mass along with multiple gods and goddesses. Two patriarchal creators also arose: Izanagi and Izanami. These two created the islands of Japan a muddy ocean and gave birth to many gods essential to the components of the world. It is now said that Izanagi rules the living with Izanami rules the doomed and the dead.
2. These two myths are different only in the very specific details of their composition. For example, the primeval mass in the class myth was an “ooze,” whereas the mass in the internet myth was a gem. Additionally, a reed emerged from this mass and whatever it touched then became Heaven. These are the main distinctions between the two myths.
3. These two myths manifest many ideas concerning Japan. They explain why multiple decisions were made in the course of Japanese history, and show the logic behind some rituals concerning religion or everyday life.
1. The story I read online was extremely similar to the one we read in class. It had many of the same deities, including Izanagi and Izanami.
2. In my story, Izanagi and Izanami themselves, create Japan instead of other deities. Japan wasn’t created by a spear though. Izanami and Izanagi’s children that were rejected, were left to the ocean, which created the Japanese archipelago.
3. This story shows how the Japanese felt about family, because the trouble with their children was based on the woman.
1. The myth I read was very similar to the one in class. It mentioned the ooze and the same characters.
2. It was different in many ways also. It didn’t get as detailed with the characters. This myth did not talk about an underworld.
3. The myths show how nature interacted with Japanese culture.
1. The version I read was quite similar to the myth that we read in class. Both stated the idea that the world was formed from an “ooze” and that Izanami and Izanagi were gods who created the earth.
2. There were a few differences in the two myths as well. In the online myth it did not say anything about the “afterlife” or Izanami’s death. In the class reading, it did not specify the gods that izanami and izanagi created or tell us what they did.
3. The Japanese creation myths tell us that the Japanese people were very nature oriented and the myths give us insight on the Japanese culture today.
1. The myths I’ve read have the same basic idea that the two deities, Izanagi and Izanami, create the islands of Japan and many other things. They both involved the jeweled spear and their kids all became the islands and rulers over parts of nature.
2. In this story there is no mention of ooze, at all. It touched upon this idea of a pillar on the main island and how the two walked around it and the first time the female deity (they only use their names once) spoke first. This angered the male deity so he made them walk around again so he could speak first.
3. These two myths show how import nature and how male/female relations are.
Period 1
1. The myth presented in class and the myth I found had several similarities. Both asserted that the world began as a primordial ooze, and both depicted many deities. Both myths stressed the importance of Izanagi and Izanami in creating land.
2. Several aspects of the two myths were different. The myth we read in class implied that the five Separate Heavenly Deities all emerged from the primeval mud, whereas in the online myth, one god was formed from the ooze, and that god created the others. Furthermore, in the myth we read in class, Susano-o, Tsuki-yomi, and Amaterasu were created when Izanagi washed. In the myth I read online, these gods were the offspring of Izanami and Izanagi.
3. The online myth I found states that the Japanese believed that their emperors were direct descendants of the sun god, Amaterasu. This shows that the Japanese thought of their rulers as divine, and probably did not question his rule. The online myth also states that the sea god, Sosano-o, was unruly, which implies that the Japanese encountered many storms and harsh weather conditions on the sea.
1. both of the creation myths i read have a few similarities. First they both state that the earth started as a ball of mud. Also, both of my myths clearly stated that Izanagi and Izanami created the island of Japan.
2.Both of my creation myths had parts of them that differed greatly. The myth I read on line said that only two deities formed form the myth but in the in class said that the seven deities formed.
3. These creation myths show how important the male and female relationships are in the Japanese society. It also shows how much the Japanese people have grown to appreciate every aspect of nature and have even gone so far as to say that they were created from mud
1. Both of the creation myths I read had Izanagi and Izanami in it. They created the islands of Japan. They came from the sun goddess Amaterasu.
2. The differences were that the two main gods had many more offsprings than the one we read in class. Japan was also formed from nature, not from the ooze that we read in class.
3. The creation myths tell us how Japanese culture was formed and their uniqueness in society. They stand out from the rest of the world with their strange and elaborate gods and their myths.
1.One of the similarities that i noticed in the two creation myths was the involment of izanami and izinagi, who were the two islands of Japan.
2.Two of the differences i notice were that the ultimate dieties were different in the creation myths i read, and that the world was formed from a oily, water like substance rather than ooze.
3. These two creation myths tell us, among other things, about how the japanese see themselves as superior and the rightful rulers of the world.