[NARUTO & Japanese Mythology]: The Uchiha Clan's Ultimate Visual Jutsu "Izanagi and Izanami". The Most Sorrowful and Cruel "Parting of Love and Death" Hidden in the Kojiki

The "True Origin" of the Visual Jutsu that Enthralls the World

The anime NARUTO boasts immense popularity worldwide. Within it, the ultimate techniques used by the strongest bloodline, the "Uchiha Clan," bear the names of gods from Japanese mythology. Among them are the two complementary jutsu, "Izanagi" and "Izanami."

If you think of these merely as "cool technique names," it is a profound missed opportunity. The power dynamic between these two jutsu portrays the "absolute rules of life and death" that the Japanese people have accepted since ancient times, tracing them with cruel accuracy.

"Rewriting Reality" and the "Infinite Loop" Depicted in the Anime

First, let us unravel the nature of these techniques in the anime. "Izanagi" is a jutsu that turns one's own death or unfavorable reality into an "illusion," making only the convenient outcome a "reality." In essence, it signifies an "escape from reality (fate)." In contrast, "Izanami" is a jutsu that traps the opponent in an infinite loop, from which they can never escape until they acknowledge their own mistakes and "accept reality (fate)."

Why did the author depict Izanami as a "jutsu to stop Izanagi"? The answer is hidden within the Kojiki, a Japanese historical text compiled about 1,300 years ago.

The Truth Hidden by the Kojiki: Divine Love and the World of Death

Izanagi and Izanami were the first divine couple who gave birth to the country of Japan. Unable to forget his beloved wife who died giving birth to the god of fire, the husband, Izanagi, steps into "Yomi-no-Kuni," the world of the dead.

In Western mythology, this might become a heroic tale of bringing a wife back through the power of love. However, Japanese mythology is extremely realistic. What he witnessed in the darkness was not her once-beautiful figure, but his wife transformed into a horrifying, decaying state (what Japanese mythology calls Kegare or impurity).

The Fleeing Man and the Pursuing Woman: The Birth of the "Life and Death" Cycle

Driven by terror, Izanagi abandons his wife in the dark and flees. Rejected by her beloved husband, the enraged Izanami unleashes the forces of the underworld to chase him. Ultimately, Izanagi blocks the boundary between life and death (Yomotsu Hirasaka) with a massive boulder, bringing about the eternal parting of the husband and wife.

At that moment, from the other side of the boulder, Izanami screamed: "I will kill 1,000 people a day."

In response, Izanagi replied: "Then I will bring 1,500 lives into the world a day."

This is precisely the moment the "cycle of life and death" was born into this world. In Japan, death is not considered a mere "evil." It is an irresistible system of nature, a beautiful parting designed to make new life shine.

"Acceptance of Reality" (Izanami) Shatters the "Escape from Reality" (Izanagi)

Let us overlap the structure of the anime with the myth once more. Izanagi, who fled the underworld and could not accept the reality of death. Izanami, who reigned as the absolute reality of death in the world of the dead.

In NARUTO, it is no coincidence that the only way to defeat Izanagi, which twists reality, is Izanami, which forces the acceptance of reality. "Humans cannot escape the absolute reality (the system of nature) of death." The spirituality of facing this harsh reality without turning away and accepting impermanence eventually leads to the roots of the Japanese aesthetic of "Aesthetics of Subtraction (Wabi-Sabi)."

Relive the Memories of the Age of Gods, Right Here, Right Now

That awe you felt through the anime is the very same reverence for nature and death that the Japanese have held since the Age of the Gods. The fierce, and sorrowfully pure "end of love" between Izanagi and Izanami.

The complete version of that beautiful yet cruel mythical tale is unraveled in the story of KAMIYO by SOU WORLD. Why not step into a world of narrative that touches the fundamental spirituality of Japan, rather than just a superficial explanation of mythology?

▶︎ Reading KAMIYO

The philosophies discussed so far have been inherited by legendary Japanese artisans today. Conversing with nature, such as earth and fire, they continue to create "art pieces" imbued with a living soul.

If you wish to step beyond aesthetics and philosophy, and welcome the "authentic Japanese soul" into your everyday life, please witness the crystallization of their craft.

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