Grim Reaper of the East
Before talking about the deity, it is worth mentioning one detail: the gods of death did not originally exist in Japanese folklore, they appeared there a little later. The word “Shinigami” consists of two components:
- “shi” means “death”;
- “kami” means “god” or “spirit”.
Although there have long been various types of kami (nature spirits) in Japanese mythology, shinigami only entered folklore in the 18th or 19th centuries. By the way, this word was not even used in classical Japanese literature. It first appeared in the Edo period to refer to theatrical performances that dealt with the spirits of the dead, spirits that captured the consciousness of the living, or double suicides committed by lovers.
Yokai in anime
Yokai are probably the most common type of spirit from Japanese mythology in anime. Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” immediately comes to mind. However, in this anime, almost most of the Youkai and Kami were invented by Miyazaki himself. So, sorry, but No Face or Yubaba have no mythological basis.
But I suggest that in Princess Mononoke, San, abandoned by her parents and raised by wolves, is Miyazaki’s interpretation of the concept of “mononoke” as such. In mythology, this was the name given to people who turned into youkai under the influence of strong negative feelings and were very strong. Mononoke often killed people who exuded strong negative emotions or simply deceived them. And even though San is a person, and “mononoke” is just a nickname, we can draw certain parallels. But again, this is my guess.
The anime “Into the Forest of Fireflies” has a similar concept. The setting where the events of the film take place is a forest inhabited by different kinds of youkai. Plus Gin himself is to some extent a mononoke. When his parents abandoned him in the forest, the forest god turned him into a youkai out of pity.
In Japanese mythology, this is a fairly broad concept and almost all supernatural creatures are called yokai. You could see different youkai in many titles, ranging from harmless spirits to evil demons.
For example, during the production of InuYasha, Rumiko Takahashi used the myth of a creature known as an inugami when creating characters. Inugami could become dogs whose heads were cut off and they acquired a spiritual body.
It is believed that such a ritual could fulfill a wish. The inugami themselves were considered excellent, loyal protectors, and some of them could turn into handsome men who were excellent warriors and loyal friends. The main character himself could not turn into a dog, since he was a half-demon, but his brother and father could.
Youkai in anime could also be creatures of different sizes and shapes, for example, Mushi, Kodama and Shikigami. The first are creatures from the anime “Master Mushi”. You saw Kodamas as little spirits of the forest in Princess Mononoke, and Shikigami are shown as airplanes in Spirited Away.
Cultural influence
At the same time, there was the influence of Western ideas, in particular Christian dogmas, which began to interact and mix with traditional Shinto, Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. For example, in Shinto and Japanese mythology, the goddess of death Izanami already existed. In Buddhism there was a demon Mrtyu-Mara, who incited people to death. As soon as Eastern culture met Western culture and the concept of the “grim reaper,” a completely new god of death appeared - Shinigami.
Virologists: when to get a second coronavirus vaccine
“Always smile!” What wishes should a girl refuse and why?
While cleaning a beach in Wales, a girl discovered a ball that had been lost in Ireland.
Differences
It's worth noting that there are some important differences between Shinigami and Grim Reapers. According to Western belief, death is a being that represents the end of existence. In Japanese folklore, death is viewed not as a person, but as part of the natural life cycle, that is, a process. Shinigami are considered agents who help this cycle run smoothly.
The Grim Reaper takes lives and collects the souls of the dead, while Shinigami simply ensure that people die at their appointed time, and then their souls are escorted to the afterlife. They are considered more peaceful and friendly. And unlike the Grim Reaper, they don’t sneak up on you and forcefully drag you into the afterlife.
Japanese mythology in Naruto
When creating Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto based the lore of his universe on the myth of the kitsune, as well as several other traditional Japanese myths. Naruto is a jinchuuriki - a person who has a kitsune sealed within him named Kurama. In mythology, the number of tails a kitsune has is correlated with its age, wisdom and strength. Masashi uses this aspect of the myth to visually symbolize how powerful each tailed beast is. The nine-tailed fox inside Naruto is considered the most powerful of them all.
The rest of the tailed creatures were also inspired by various mythical creatures, for example Shukaku was inspired by tanuki - these are dog-like raccoons that were werewolves. However, unlike the same kitsune, tunaki are devoid of any negative connotation and bring good luck in the production of good sake. Tanuki themselves were also used by Isao Takahata in his anime Pom Poko, where they fought against deforestation.
The two-tailed beast, Matatabi, is inspired by bakeneko, a type of cat-like youkai and nekomatama. Any cat that lived more than 30 years could become bakeneko. They could walk on two legs, create fireballs, and also transform into their owner after eating him. They could also revive the dead simply by jumping over.
The four-tailed beast Son Goku is inspired by the Monkey King from Chinese mythology, who was born from a magic stone. He is a skilled fighter, capable of defeating the greatest warriors of heaven. Each of his hairs was capable of becoming a clone of the Monkey King, or transforming into various animals, weapons, or other objects.
The eight-tailed beast, Gyūki, is a combination of an ox and an octopus. It is named after the monster from Japanese folklore, Ushi-Oni. These are demons that live near the coastline and feed on sailors.
Besides the tailed ones, Kishimoto also based the mythology and techniques of the Uchiha clan. Itachi was one of the most powerful users of the Sharingan, and possessed three powerful techniques: Susanoo, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi - all named after gods from Shintoism.
Only two techniques, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, are based on mythology, while Susanoo is a free interpretation of the author. All three are three divine children born of the god Izanagi. Tsukuyomi, the moon god, was born from drops of water after Izanagi washed his right eye during a purification ritual. In Naruto, Tsukuyomi is an illusion technique where the victim becomes its prisoner and goes crazy. Amaterasu is Tsukuyomi's sister and wife, and she is the sun goddess. Amaterasu and both of her brothers are said to have created ancient Japan. In Naruto, Amaterasu is the highest level fire element jutsu that creates black flames that cannot be extinguished.
Susanoo in mythology is the god of the sea and thunder, while in Naruto it is a technique when a person’s body is covered with armor in the form of a samurai.
First story
One of the traditional tales tells the story of a man who is fed up with his life and prepares to commit suicide. But before he could do this, he was visited by Shinigami, who said that his time had not yet come. He also explains that every life is measured on a candle, and once the flame goes out, the person dies. This shows that Japanese kami do not decide who lives and who dies. To stop a person from committing suicide, Shinigami gives him advice on how to simply earn money.
The God of Death tells the man that he can pretend to be a doctor who can cure any disease. To do this, he needed to say a few magic words for the Shinigami following the person. Having heard them, the gods can return to the afterlife and prolong the life of the patient. But there was one trick: if a Shinigami sat at the head of a sick person, it means that he must certainly die, and no words will have any effect. Using this new knowledge, the man became very rich.
:ocean: :herb: Gacha Life :herb: :ocean:
:warning: Warning :warning:
:cloud: ~So, this article was created to introduce Japanese culture, namely mythology. Some information was taken from the Internet, namely the history of origin, because. I didn’t even know her myself. Please refrain from negative emotions in the comments, keep them to yourself. Origato, may the great Baku protect your dreams.
┏━━━━ ▸▹◉◈◉◃◂ ━━━━┓
バクー-ザ-ドリーム-イーター
┗━━━━ ▸▹◉◈◉◃◂ ━━━━┛
Death gods are deities of various religions associated with death. They can be guides, collectors of the souls of the dead, as well as those who dominate the dead.
Who is this?
The God of Death in Japanese mythology is the Shinigami. Their image is present in many animated series, films, and manga. It is still unknown when the word “Shinigami” appeared in Japanese mythology, since it was not mentioned anywhere in writing before the Edo era. But there are suggestions that the image of the shinigami was borrowed from the mythology of China, in which there were several types of death gods and guides of souls, or from Europe.
In 1841, the image of a shinigami was used in Shunseno's album of prints, One Hundred Illustrated Stories. This was the first appearance of death gods in Japanese literature.
.
.
.
.
Death in Shunsen Takehara's album of prints, One Hundred Stories in a Picture Book, 1841.
Shinigami is written in Japanese with two characters: "shi" 死 - death, and "kami" 神 - deity, shinigami - 死神. In Japanese mythology, these are not those terrible creatures ready to stab and chop everyone in a row, or not the death with a scythe to which we are accustomed, imagining death. These are guides of souls who come to a person at his appointed hour in order to send his soul to another world.
Appearance.
What does Shinigami look like? This is a surprisingly difficult question, since the spirit of death is invisible to everyone except people who have some connection with death or are close to death.
Additionally, even when Shinigami are visible, they never take the same appearance or form. This means that you won't necessarily recognize a Shinigami if you see one.
Legend of origin
A man about to commit suicide comes face to face with a Shinigami who appears next to him. The spirit of death tells a person that it is not time for him to die, because life is measured as burning candles. Since his candle has not yet burned out, he must live. Shinigami then tells him a secret that can help him earn money. He reveals to a person magical words that will send the spirit of death away. Posing as a doctor, a man visits the deathbeds of patients and uses magic words to drive away the spirits of death.
However, he can only do this if the spirit of death is sitting at the foot of the bed. If he sits at the head, it means that the person's candle has burned out and he must die.
This little trick allows a person to become extremely rich, but ultimately everything goes wrong. One day, Shinigami sits at the head of the bed. The family of a dying patient offers a fake doctor an obscene amount of money to save their loved one, and he tries to trick the spirit of death by turning the bed.
However, when attempting to banish the Shinigami, he instead burns the rest of his candle and dies.
Modern world.
Of course, modern Japan is a secular nation, so most people literally don't believe in the existence of Shinigami. That being said, the Japanese honor their traditions, which is why Shinigami are still a part of Japanese culture, just like Death is in the Western world.
In what anime can they be found?
Shinigami have appeared in several very popular anime series from Japan. The three most famous are 《Death Note》, 《Bleach》, 《Naruto》
In Death Note, Shinigami are grotesque creatures that write down the names of mortals who are about to die in a notebook. One of these Death Notes falls to the ground and falls into the hands of a man who tries to rule the world with it.
——
In Bleach, the Shinigami are a society of Japanese samurai whose job is to maintain law and order in the afterlife. They guide souls beyond our world and keep lost and disobedient souls under control.
Too lazy to insert others)
——
In Naruto, Shinigami is a translucent, gaunt ghost with a demonic appearance. He is much larger than a human, has long, shaggy white hair from which two red horns protrude, and purple skin. He wears a large white kimono and wears prayer beads. When not in use, the Shinigami almost always sits with a Tanto [short sword] in his mouth. But when used, his mouth is revealed with sharp teeth and a very long, almost snake-like tongue. When sealing a target, cursed seals spread across his hands.
He sas in general( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Japanese mythology. Part 3. God of Death.
End.
╔╦══• •✠•❀•✠ • •══╦╗
Home page
╚╩══• •✠•❀•✠ • •══╩╝
How did the story end?
One day a man was called into a house to cure a sick person. When he enters, he sees Shinigami sitting at the patient's head, indicating that death is inevitable. The family begged to cure the patient and offered large sums of money. Overcome by greed, the man decides to take a risk, and when the Shinigami fell asleep, the doctor turned the bed so that when the kami woke up, he found himself at the feet of the patient. The patient's life was saved.
We collect disposable cups for seedlings: no greenhouse needed
The source of dangerous particles produced during solar flares has been discovered
The head of the RDIF spoke about plans for the production of Sputnik V in Italy
The Shinigami was clearly unhappy with what the man had done, and when the man comes home, the kami criticizes him for his disobedience. But then he changed his tune and suggested that the man go out for a drink to celebrate his earnings. He liked the idea, and he follows the god of death. Shinigami leads him to a building with many candles burning. Kami shows the man his candle, which is almost burnt out because he did wrong to the patient. The God of Death offers a person to extend his life by transferring the wick and wax from his candle to someone else's. But the man fails, the remains of the candle fall out of his hands, and he dies.
Japanese death gods in pop culture
Today, Shinigami keep up with the times and can often be found in Japanese films, anime and manga. And in each of these works, the gods of death are assigned roles that are very different from the traditional ones. Apart from their association with death, modern Shinigami have little in common with their folklore counterparts.
As an example, consider the anime “Bleach”. Here, Shinigami mainly fight demonic entities, fight villains, and unravel various conspiracies. Moreover, one of the Shinigami is a person with strong spiritual power, which generally contradicts folklore canons. Little is said about the fact that the gods from this anime are guides of souls. If you read the manga of the same name, you can understand that this matter is dealt with by lower-ranking kami. And stronger Shinigami kill demons, protect the world from various threats and administer the work of ordinary gods.
Contact lenses developed to correct color blindness
In Belarus, industrial production of Sputnik V will start at the end of the month.
The 14th Dalai Lama was vaccinated against Covid-19 in his Indian city
"Death note"
Another, no less interesting work about the gods of death, shows Shinigami in a wide variety of images. For example, here the viewer can see that all the gods of death have wings, they are invulnerable to human weapons and can easily pass through walls. Each god has a Death Note that helps them maintain their existence. They receive this item from the King of the World of the Death Gods, and in it the Shinigami writes down the names of people, the date, time and cause of their death. You can just write down the name, then the person will die of a heart attack in 40 seconds, but that’s not the point. With the help of the Notebook, the gods extend their lives: the more people they kill, the longer they will live.
The gods of death are invisible to people, but if a Death Note falls into the hands of a person, he will be able to see its owner and talk to him. In terms of appearance, the Shinigami look different here. For example, Ryuk looks like a monster-like clown with a smile like the Joker, and Rem and Sido are wrapped in bandages like Egyptian mummies.
Merging together the ideas of gods and buddhas
Above we contrasted Shintoism with Buddhism. But everything is not so simple. Since the advent of Buddhism in Japan, the line between religions has slowly begun to blur. In particular, after several hundred years there was no fundamental difference between Japanese deities and Buddhas.
Simply put: there are deities and there are buddhas. By honoring some, you honor others. This is why Buddhist temples are so often located in the same place as Shinto shrines. Moreover, according to many preachers, after death a person is able not only to be reborn or become a spirit, but also to become a god or a Buddha.
Now let’s look at the key ideas about life and death that were formed in Japan:
- When dying, a person becomes a spirit who cannot leave the place of death for some time.
- To become a Buddha, you need to cross the Sanzu River, which is on the way to the afterlife.
- Provided that the deceased has a strong attachment to something or someone in the world of the living, he can turn into a ghost. Often this is due to resentment or anger at one of your relatives, friends or enemies.
- If a person has done many bad things during his lifetime, he will go to hell. Emma is in charge there, and his henchmen will ensure eternal torment for the sinner.
- In mid-August, the O-bon celebration takes place, during which people invite the spirits of deceased ancestors to visit their homes.
- In order for the spirit to find its way, a Buddhist altar (butsudan) is installed in the home, candles are lit, prayers are read and special incense is burned.
Do you feel that some rituals and beliefs contradict each other? This is quite normal, because at the moment in Japan there is practically no pure Buddhism or pure Shintoism. Religions have formed a bizarre symbiosis, which is manifested, among other things, in matters of life and death.
<5 main demographic problems in Japan
Virtual marriage ceremonies have begun to be held in Japan>
"Black Butler"
Even if viewers think that this anime is about demons and deals with them (after all, this is exactly what it seems at first glance), they are mistaken. In this story, the Shinigami are the reapers. They take the souls of already dead people, but they can also kill a person on their own if he is in the way or is somehow objectionable. The highest ranking Reapers have a human appearance, the only difference being that they all have bright green eyes and wear glasses. By the way, it also says that a person who has committed suicide can also become a reaper. Every day he has to watch how people die, and only after atonement for their sins can the formerly human Shinigami find eternal peace.
These are just some examples of how modern man sees Shinigami. Some characters are completely different from those mentioned in the old legend. Perhaps one of the most striking examples is the vision of the god of death in the anime “Naruto”. Here the Shinigami is not a creature, but a seal - a shinobi technique called “Seal of the God of Death”.
As can be seen from the examples, Shinigami can look different, live among people or in their own worlds, but only one thing unites them. This is a connection with death.
Found a violation? Report content
