In Japanese mythology, Yomotsu Hirasaka is a slope or boundary between this world, where the living live, and the other world, where the dead live (Yomi).
In Japanese mythology, Yomotsu Hirasaka is a slope or boundary between this world, where the living live, and the other world, where the dead live (Yomi).
The myth, which holds that there is a boundary place between the realms where the living and the dead live, is an idea that is shared by the Sanzu River and others, and can be found throughout the World. In Japanese mythology, Yomotsuhirasaka is thought to be an impression from the stone structure of kofun and the road leading to the stone chamber that housed the coffin.
In Kojiki, it appears twice in the upper part of the book, and there is a tradition that it is located at Ifuyasaka in Izumo Province. [1] The word "hira" is said to mean "cliff". [2]
It is also said to be related to the idea of exorcism.
The goddess Izanami, who was building the country with the male god Izanagi, died after giving birth to Kagutsuchi. Grieving, Izanagi goes to the Land of Yomi to meet her. When Izanagi is reunited with Izanami and asks her to return with him, she tells him that she will consult with the gods of the underworld, but that he should never look at her. Numbed by Izanami's reluctance to return, Izanagi lights the teeth of a comb on fire to illuminate the darkness and sees her ugly, rotting form. Enraged, Izanami sends the demoness Shikome to chase after the fleeing Izanagi, but to no avail, as the ugly woman was distracted by eating the grapes and bamboo shoots he threw at her. Izanami sends Raijin and his army of demons, instead, but Izanagi flees to Hiraizaka and throws peaches there, which have spiritual power, to repel his pursuers. Finally, Izanami herself gave chase, but Izanagi placed the Rock of Senbiki (a huge stone that would require the strength of a thousand men to move) on Hiraizaka and blocked the way. Enraged, Izanami cried out, "My love, if you do such a terrible thing, I will kill a thousand people a day." Izanagi replied, "My love, then I will build a maternity home and give birth to 1,500 children a day." The two left Hiraizaka and were separated.
It also appears in the story of Okuninushi's visit to the Root Country. In this story, Ouanamuchi (later Okuninushi) is put to various trials by Susanoo of Ne no Kuni, and escapes to Hiraizaka with his beloved Suseribime.
Shimane Prefecture Matsue City Higashiizumo Town erected a stone monument in 1940 in Iya, Higashiizumo, Shimane as the place where Hiraizumi Hiraizaka was located. A huge stone, said to be the rock of Senbiki, is also placed at the site. Nearby is the Iya Shrine, which is dedicated to Izanami. In the 2010 Japanese film, Matataki , the location was used as a location for the main character's visit to see his dead girlfriend. [3]
According to "Unyo Shishi" written in Edo period, there is also a legend of Izanagi throwing peach fruits to the god of thunder at Komakaerizaka in Iwasaka, Matsue City. [2]
In a note in Nihon Shoki, it is said that Kukurihime mediated between Izanami and Izanagi, who were arguing on Yomotsuhirasaka. For this reason, Kukurihime is regarded as the god of marriage and harmony.
Yomotsu Hirasaka appears in the manga and anime series Saint Seiya as the entrance to the underworld invoked by Cancer Deathmask.
Yomotsu Hirasaka is a region in Persona 4 .
Yomotsu Hirasaka is mentioned in the penultimate episode of season 1 of the Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and is implied to be a doorway to the series' alternate parallel world inhabited by kaiju.
Susanoo, often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto, is a kami in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory characteristics, being portrayed in various stories either as a wild, impetuous god associated with the sea and storms, as a heroic figure who killed a monstrous serpent, or as a local deity linked with the harvest and agriculture. Syncretic beliefs of the Gion cult that arose after the introduction of Buddhism to Japan also saw Susanoo becoming conflated with deities of pestilence and disease.
The Kojiki, also sometimes read as Furukotofumi or Furukotobumi, is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the kami (神), and the Japanese imperial line. It is claimed in its preface to have been composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Genmei in the early 8th century (711–712), and thus is usually considered to be the oldest extant literary work in Japan.
Izumo Province was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called Unshū (雲州). The province is in the Chūgoku region.
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Izanami (イザナミ), formally referred to with the honorific Izanami-no-Mikoto, is the creator deity of both creation and death in Japanese mythology, as well as the Shinto mother goddess. She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested after the formation of heaven and earth. Izanami and Izanagi are held to be the creators of the Japanese archipelago and the progenitors of many deities, which include the sun goddess Amaterasu, the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the storm god Susanoo. In mythology, she is the direct ancestor of the Japanese imperial family.
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