Myths and legends of Japan: a plunge into the ancestral Japanese imagination

Momotaro against demons

Wikimedia

Japanese Myths

Legends have always been a means of rationalizing the world and explaining a culture's customs. Whether about the origin of the universe, the political establishment of the country, or the birth of festivities still celebrated today, the following myths have shaped Japanese cosmogony and are an integral part of local folklore.

 

Ema in an Amaterasu sanctuary

Flick/ jmurawski

A road at the foot of Mount Kaimondake on Kyushu Island

JNTO

Latest Articles

National Holidays in Japan

Japan, while a model of efficiency, places great importance on its public holidays.

Japan Visitor - stone-lantern-2.jpg

Stone Lanterns in Japan: A Journey Through History, Culture, and Design

Stone lanterns, or ishidoro in Japanese, are iconic elements of Japanese gardens, temples, and shrines.

Punk Rock in Japan: A thriving subculture of rebellion and precision

In the land of the rising sun, a rebellious undercurrent has been pulsing through the veins of Japanese society since the 1970s.