The Beginning of Japan, the Birth of the Kami

How were the gods born? Does divinity know death?

When and how was Japan born?
And what kind of beings were the deities who shaped its beginning?

The stories of Japan’s kami are filled with questions and mysteries.
To understand their genealogy and the ideas that underlie them, one must look to the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki—
Japan’s oldest historical records, compiled in the 8th century.
They recount the creation of heaven and earth, the tales of the gods, and the lineage of successive emperors.

The Kojiki depicts deities who live much like humans:
they form families, marry, and have children.
One deity may unite with multiple others—sometimes even with descendants or relatives.
At the same time, new deities are born not only through union, but also from breath, tears, excrement, or sacred objects.
In this way, the world of the Kojiki mirrors human society,
yet remains profoundly different—enigmatic, and often beyond reason.

If there is the act of being born, does “death” also exist?
Do the kami die?
Do they have a lifespan?
At the center of Japan’s mythology stands Amaterasu Ōmikami（天照大神）,
the sun goddess revered as the supreme deity of Japan.
Her divine lineage, it is said, continues to the present Imperial family.
But if that is true—does that mean Japan’s Emperor is a god?

This article follows the Kojiki, tracing its structure and stories to explore
how Japan itself began.