Yomi/Cultural References

Yomi (, "the Underworld") or Yomi no Kuni (の, "the Land of Yomi") is an underground realm that parallels the human world in Shinto mythology. It is thought to be the land of perpetual darkness where people go after death and where evil spirits (, magatsuhi) reside. The goddess Izanami rules over this realm.

Unlike the various Buddhist hells, Yomi is not seen as a place where souls go to suffer for their misdeeds in life but is simply a place where souls go after death, although no text details how, why, or for how long. According to Mark Cartwright, "The only suffering of souls in Yomi, if indeed there is any at all, is their separation from their living loved ones."

Yomi is sometimes associated with or considered identical to Ne-no-Kuni (の, lit. "land of origin" or "land of roots") and Tokoyo-no-Kuni (, lit. "eternal land").

Izanami and Izanagi
After creating the Japanese archipelago, the kami pair Izanami and Izanagi gave birth to many kami together. However, while giving birth to the fire god Kagutsuchi, Izanami was badly burned and died as a result of her injuries. She descended into Yomi-no-kuni, the land of the dead.

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