Yomi facts for kids
Yomi is the Japanese word for the underworld. In ancient Japanese stories, it's a dark place where dead people go. The old book called Kojiki tells us about Yomi. It says that scary creatures guard the ways out. If you eat any food in Yomi, you can never go back to the world of the living.
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Yomi: Japan's Underworld
Yomi is a lot like other underworlds you might have heard about, such as Hades in Greek myths or Hell in Christian beliefs. In the Shinto religion, Yomi is famous because the goddess Izanami went there after she died.
What is Yomi Like?
Yomi is different from the Christian idea of Hell. In Yomi, all souls go there, no matter what they did when they were alive. People don't get punished for bad things they did. Instead, Yomi is described as a dirty and polluted place. In Japanese traditions, pollution is often linked to evil.
People usually believe Yomi is underground. Its entrance is thought to be in a place called Izumo province in Japan.
Izanagi and Izanami's Story
The goddess Izanami is the ruler of Yomi. She is sometimes called the Grand Deity of Yomi. The Kojiki book tells us that Izanami died and went to Yomi. Her husband, the god Izanagi, followed her there. He wanted to bring her back.
But Izanagi saw Izanami's rotting body and got scared. He ran away from Yomi. When he returned to Earth, he washed himself to get rid of the pollution from the underworld. As he washed, three very important gods were born: Amaterasu (the sun goddess), Susanoo (the storm god), and Tsukuyomi (the moon god). You can learn more about them in Japanese mythology.
The Entrance to Yomi
When Izanagi escaped from Yomi, he blocked its entrance. He used a huge rock called Chibiki-no-Iwa to seal the way. This rock was placed at the bottom of a slope called Yomotsu Hirasaka, which is the path leading to Yomi.
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Mythic Texts and Folktales: |
Images for kids
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Painting by Eitaku Kobayashi. Izanagi is on the right, and Izanami is on the left.
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Yomotsu Hirasaka in Higashiizumo, Shimane Prefecture. This is believed to be the entrance to Yomi.
See also
In Spanish: Yomi para niños
