Setsuna's Lab

Japan's Creation Myths

Izanagi and Izanami
When a god Izanagi and a goddess Izanami were sent from heaven to create the lands of Japan, the goddess first uttered some words saying "What a nice man you are!" The Izanagi was upset, because he believed that men should speak to women first. He didn't feel like creating lands, so they tried again. This time he spoke to the goddess first saying "What a beautiful lady you are!" And everything went all right. Lands of Japan were created one after another. The land of Iyo, the ancient name of Ehime, was born with a beautiful woman's face. This dialogue exchanged by Izanagi and Izanami is said to be the origin of the Hai ku, a Japanese poem structure. As you can see, this myth seems not be related at all with Sailor Moon. In our story, women take a more active role and attitude in life and are not subordinated to men. They work together. Well, you are right. Sailor Moon is more related to Shinto (see Rei's )Japan's oldest religion. So, read next myth.

Izanagi and Izanami

When a god Izanagi and a goddess Izanami were sent from heaven to create the lands of Japan, the goddess first uttered some words saying "What a nice man you are!" The Izanagi was upset, because he believed that men should speak to women first. He didn't feel like creating lands, so they tried again. This time he spoke to the goddess first saying "What a beautiful lady you are!" And everything went all right. Lands of Japan were created one after another. The land of Iyo, the ancient name of Ehime, was born with a beautiful woman's face. This dialogue exchanged by Izanagi and Izanami is said to be the origin of the Hai ku, a Japanese poem structure.

As you can see, this myth seems not be related at all with Sailor Moon. In our story, women take a more active role and attitude in life and are not subordinated to men. They work together. Well, you are right. Sailor Moon is more related to Shinto (see Rei's )Japan's oldest religion. So, read next myth.

Taken from Kimiyo Tanaka's

Shinto Myth
In the beginning were two primary gods. They created a horn-shaped arc of some filmy substance. From one end of this came the sun and from the other the Moon, along with their relevant deities. The primary gods then created the sea and the sky, and with a long pole pulled land up from the bottom of the sea. They left the pole to become the Earth's axis of rotation. The sun-goddess Amaterasu, the most beloved deity of the Japanese, left her grandson Ninigi-no-mikoto as ruler of the islands, and the Japanese emperors are said to be his descendants. Following this, the heavens move higher, breaking off contact with Earth Now, this is better. The primary stelar objects are the Moon, Usagi/Serena, and Sun, Metallia, the first important enemy. Then we have the sea and the sky, Haruka and Michiru, as extremely important rulers and axis to the later stories. And a woman is the most loved deity, as a woman, the Moon Princess is the most important person in Sailor Moon. And last, a separation between heaven and earth, that is more remarkable on the manga story, that prohibited the love between a moon person and an earth habitant. Moon royalty are godesses, while Earth's are not. As you can see, shinto, even not as obvious as Greek mythology, is involved in the way Sailor Moon story is created.

Shinto Myth

In the beginning were two primary gods. They created a horn-shaped arc of some filmy substance. From one end of this came the sun and from the other the Moon, along with their relevant deities. The primary gods then created the sea and the sky, and with a long pole pulled land up from the bottom of the sea. They left the pole to become the Earth's axis of rotation. The sun-goddess Amaterasu, the most beloved deity of the Japanese, left her grandson Ninigi-no-mikoto as ruler of the islands, and the Japanese emperors are said to be his descendants. Following this, the heavens move higher, breaking off contact with Earth

Now, this is better. The primary stelar objects are the Moon, Usagi/Serena, and Sun, Metallia, the first important enemy. Then we have the sea and the sky, Haruka and Michiru, as extremely important rulers and axis to the later stories. And a woman is the most loved deity, as a woman, the Moon Princess is the most important person in Sailor Moon. And last, a separation between heaven and earth, that is more remarkable on the manga story, that prohibited the love between a moon person and an earth habitant. Moon royalty are godesses, while Earth's are not.

As you can see, shinto, even not as obvious as Greek mythology, is involved in the way Sailor Moon story is created.

Taken from A Short Description of Ancient Japanese Culture and Cosmology by Mitch Stoltz

Other Japanese Myths sites

Ancient Japanese Culture and Cosmology. It includes a brief account of the Shinto creation story.
A brief telling of the Myth of Munakata-Taisha
Ayacko Adachi Japanese Myths.
Myriam Dantois' dozen Japanese Old Tales on her site, written in Japanese, as well as translated into French, Spanish, and English.
The Astronomy in Japan page contains, among other things, details of a few legends and mythic starlore.
Ancient World presents five brief tales from Japanese Myth.
Geared for use in role-playing games (Torg, Shadowrun), Japanese Legendary Lives by Gen-ichi Nishio, contains legitimate descriptions of legendary creatures.