Yomi

Overview

Cultural References

Yomi
Name
Kanji	黄泉
Rōmaji	Yomi
Information
Residents	Izanami Masked ayakashi Yomotsu-shikome
First Appearance
Appears in	Manga, Anime
Manga	Chapter 7 (mentioned) Chapter 29 (shown)
Anime	Aragoto Episode 9

Yomi (黄 (よ) 泉 (み) , Yomi^?, "the Underworld") or Yomi no Kuni (黄 (よ) 泉 (み) の国 (くに) , Yomi no Kuni^?, "the Land of Yomi") is the land of the dead, and a Far Shore location rife with ayakashi. It is inhabited by Izanami, the goddess who rules the realm, and the Yomotsu-shikome, who act as her attendants.

Due to Izanami's desire for company, Yomi is impossible or near impossible to escape for humans, according to Kofuku; as well as for gods and shinki, according to Yato and the Stray.^{[citation needed]} For example, if one eats or drinks anything within Yomi, they will no longer be able to leave. Because of this, gods are usually present to protect the area around the entrance. However, during a Divine Council, these protector gods are absent.

Humans of the Near Shore possess the ability to perform Soul Summoning. By calling a person's name, they are able to pull that person out from Yomi.

Description

Yomi resembles a deep, craggy cave whose terrain varies from place to place. Some areas are more open with a high ceiling, while others are more narrow and cramped. Some areas have standing or running water, in the form of rivers, puddles, or ponds, while other areas are completely dry. According to Yato, all of the water in Yomi produces a rancid stench. This water seems to allow for some plant life, as roots were shown to be growing along stone walls. There are many natural rock structures within Yomi, as well as stone structures that appear man-made, such as a tower, tunnel, and set of stairs.

Locations

• The entrance to Yomi in the manga.
• The real-world entrance to Yomi in Shimane-ken, Japan.
• The entrance to Yomi in the anime.
• The open entrance to Yomi.

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Yomotsu Hirasaka

Yomotsu Hirasaka (黄泉比良坂 (よもつひらさか) , Yomotsu Hirakasa^?), the entrance to Yomi, is in located in a forest and appears as a cavernous darkness between two large boulders. The entrance lies beyond two stone pillars held together by enclosing rope, which resembles the real-world location of the entrance in the Izumo Province of Shimane prefecture. In the manga, the Stray is able to tell that the entrance was recently opened by Ebisu because of a swirling pattern within the darkness.

Kofuku opens a vent.

Vents

Vents (風 (ふう) 穴 (けつ) , Fūketsu^?) are "holes" that serve as a direct connection between Yomi and Nakatsukuni, allowing ayakashi, gods, shinki, and humans to pass through. The opening of a vent often causes an influx of ayakashi onto the Near Shore, referred to as a "storm". It also creates gusts of winds that are strong enough to fell trees, or sweep individuals in the immediate area off their feet and into the air. Vents can be created or forced open by Kokki or masked ayakashi, and they can also be forcibly closed by Izanami. It is unspecified whether vents can appear spontaneously or only by command, but Kofuku appears to have the ability to predict where vent openings may occur. However, Kinuha theorizes that the vents open at those locations only because it was Kofuku who pointed them out.

Izanami's Room

Yato and Ebisu in Izanami's room.

When Yato and Ebisu first encounter Izanami, she is inside a room she had seemingly created for herself. (In the anime, it appears almost instantaneously; in the manga, Yato and Ebisu are transported to her by the yomotsu-shikome.) This room is structured so that most of it is filled with water. The sides of the room are lined with brick archways, which hold lanterns to illuminate the space. A square pathway extends from the front of the room, creating a small pool or moat directly in front of Izanami's "throne". This area contains a painted paper screen, a bamboo mat, and a flat cushion for her to sit on. She sits with an iron cauldron on one side, and a box on the other. She uses this box for burning incense and her pipe.

Synopsis

Yomi is first directly mentioned in reference to Kofuku and her shinki Daikoku, who has the ability to open vents.

It is next mentioned by the Stray, who explains to Yato that Father wants them to complete a job requiring them to enter Yomi. Shortly after, the two enter Yomi and the location is visually introduced for the first time. They eventually meet Ebisu, who had entered Yomi in search of the Word, and successfully return him to the Near Shore. Bishamon later ventures into Yomi as well in order to rescue Yato. She and Yato are then removed from Yomi through Hiyori's Soul Summoning.

Some time before the beginning of the series, Father had also ventured into Yomi. He obtained the first Word and then was removed through Soul Summoning.

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Adaptation Notes

• In the manga, Father directly explains to Yato that he would be free to leave after completing one more mission, which would involve journeying into Yomi. In the anime, the Stray delivers this message to Yato.
• In the anime, the entrance to Yomi is shown to emit a purple hue.

Trivia

• Places strongly associated with the afterlife in Japan - namely, Mt. Osore and Jigokudani - are often noted to smell strongly of sulfur dioxide due to local volcanic activity. Since sulfur is said to smell like rotten egg or skunk, it's possible that this was the "rancid stench" Yato was referring to.