In Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...

, the are the seven generations of kami

Kami

is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...

that emerged after the formation of heaven and earth.

According to the Kojiki

Kojiki

is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...

, these deities appeared after the Kotoamatsukami

Kotoamatsukami

In Japanese Shinto, Kotoamatsukami is the collective name for the first gods which came into existence at the time of the creation of the universe...

. The first two generations were hitorigami

Hitorigami

Hitorigami are kami which came into being alone, as opposed to those which came into being as male-female pairs. According to the Kojiki, this group included the "three deities of creation" and the "separate heavenly kami.". They are described as hiding themselves away once they achieved awareness...

 while the five that followed came into being as male-female pairs of kami: male deities and sisters that were at the same time married couples. In total the Kamiyonanayo consist of 12 deities in this chronicle.

In contrast, the chronicle Nihon Shoki

Nihon Shoki

The , sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical...

, points out that this group was the first to appear after the creation of the universe. It also states that the first three generations of deities were hitorigami and that the other generations of deities were pairs of the opposite sex. Finally the Nihon Shoki uses a different spelling for the names of all deities.

The last generation formed by Izanagi

Izanagi

is a deity born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology and Shinto, and is also referred to in the roughly translated Kojiki as "male-who-invites" or Izanagi-no-mikoto. It is also pronounced Izanaki-no-Okami....

 and Izanami

Izanami

In Japanese mythology, is a goddess of both creation and death, as well as the former wife of the god Izanagi-no-Mikoto. She is also referred to as Izanami-no-kami.-Goddess of Creation:...

 were the couple that would be responsible for the creation of the Japanese archipelago

Japanese Archipelago

The , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...

 (Kuniumi

Kuniumi

In Japanese mythology, the is the traditional and legendary history of the emergence of the Japanese archipelago as narrated firsthand in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. According to this legend, after the creation of Heaven and Earth, the gods Izanagi and Izanami were given the task of forming a...

) and would engender other deities (Kamiumi

Kamiumi

In Japanese mythology, the story of the occurs after the creation of Japan and refers to the birth of the kami, descendants of Izanagi and Izanami.-Story:...

).

List of deities

Gen.	Name according to Kojiki	Name according to Nihonshoki
1
2
3	and
4	and	and
5	and	and
6	and	and
7	and	and