Japanese mythology is a complex subject with a dense history within itself, Kunitokotachi and Amenominakanushi, gods that were themselves summoned by other beings, brought forward the deities who were charged with the creation of Japan, Izanagi (male) and Izanami (female) Mikoto.
Entrusted with a magical spear, adorned with precious stones, the pair travelled to Ame-no-ukihashi, a bridge that linked the heavens and the earth; but as of yet, the earth was merely an open and endless sea. Izanagi drove the spear into the water and churned the ocean, salt collecting on the spearhead. With the salt, they made Onogoroshima, (self-forming island), on which they made their home, creating a huge palace and a pillar around the magical spear.
The two wanted to mate with one another and populate the world, so they walked around the pillar in opposite directions and when they met, Izanami proposed to Izanagi; Izanagi was cautious for reasons he couldn’t explain, but still accepted Izanami’s proposal.
They soon had two children, but both were deformed and neither were recognized as a deities. In their shame and disgust, the parents cast their children out to sea in a raft and asked the gods what they had done wrong. The gods replied that Izanagi should have proposed to Izanami, not the other way around. With that in mind, they tried again and were successfully married.
They soon had eight children, which became the main islands of Japan:
Awagi, Ogi, Iki, Tsushima, Sado, Yamato (Honshu), Tsukushi (Kyushu) and Iyo (Shikoku); note that when this myth was penned in the 8th century, Hokkaido and Okinawa were not part of the Japanese isles and so were not included in the list of siblings.
Izanagi and Izanami bore another six islands and many deities, but Izanami died in childbirth whilst delivering Kagu-Tsuchi, a fire deity. Heartbroken, Izanagi buried Izanami at Mt. Hibu, from which she entered the underworld, known as Yomi. Much like Greek mythology, the underworld was not seen as a paradisiacal afterlife, but a world of darkness and decay.
Izanagi attempted to rescue his beloved and broke into Yomi, where he found Izanami in the shadows; she was reluctant to return to the world of living, spitting at her husband and accusing him of being too late, as she had eaten the food of the underworld and become one of its inhabitants.
Izanagi refused to leave and waited for his wife to fall asleep. Once she had done so, he took a comb from his hair, which lit up the dark cave. For the first time, Izanagi saw his dead wife, no longer a figure of beauty and fertility, but a rotting corpse ridden with maggots and vermin. Izanagi screamed in fear and sprinted to the entrance of Yomi, leaving his wife behind.
Ridden with anger, Izanami chased after her husband, sending a band of Shikome (witch like creatures) in hot pursuit. Izanagi reached the entrance and pushed a huge boulder in front of the entrance, so that Izanami and her minions could never escape; but also causing a permanent barrier between the deceased and the living.
Izanami was both ashamed of her husband seeing her in her disheveled state and furious at his escaping and so, in her rage, Izanami swore to take 1000 lives from the land of the living every single day, to which Izanagi replied, he would give life to 1500 for every 1000 Izanagi stole.
