Yatagarasu
A great crow from Japanese mythology that guided Emperor Jimmu from Kumano to Yamato. Usually shown with three legs and revered as a messenger of the gods of Kumano, it is also famous as the symbol of the Japan Football Association.
Mystery Timeline｜to 793 (through the Nara period)
Mysteries of the Ancient Japan
Legends recorded in the Kojiki, Nihon Shoki and provincial gazetteers, ancient ruins and other mysteries up to the Nara period.
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Nara period (Kojiki and Nihon Shoki)
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Nara period (Kojiki and Nihon Shoki)
Yamata no Orochi
A gigantic serpent with eight heads and eight tails. Described in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, it was slain by the god Susanoo after being made drunk on sake, and the sword Kusanagi was found in its tail. It is the most famous monster of the Izumo myths.
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Ancient China onward
Kin'u (The Golden Crow)
A three-legged crow said in Chinese mythology to live in the sun. It is a symbol of the sun itself and is paired with the rabbit of the moon. "Kin'u gyokuto" (golden crow, jade rabbit) means the sun and the moon, and by extension the passing years.
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Ancient China onward
Genbu (Black Tortoise)
One of the Four Symbols, a sacred beast in the form of a tortoise entwined with a snake that guards the north. It governs winter and the element of water. Genbudo Cave in Hyogo Prefecture is named after it, and the cave in turn gave its name to basalt (genbugan).
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Ancient China onward
Suzaku (Vermilion Bird)
One of the Four Symbols, a sacred beast in the form of a red bird that guards the south. It governs summer and the element of fire. It is sometimes identified with the phoenix, and it gave its name to Suzaku Avenue, which ran through the center of the Heian capital.
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Ancient China onward
Seiryu (Azure Dragon)
One of the Four Symbols, a sacred beast in the form of a blue dragon that guards the east. It governs spring and the element of wood. It is painted on the walls of the Takamatsuzuka and Kitora tombs and was built into the plan of the Heian capital.
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Ancient China to the Edo period
Hakutaku (Bai Ze)
A legendary sacred beast of China that speaks human language and knows about every yokai and calamity in the world. In Edo-period Japan, pictures of it became popular as charms against illness and disaster.
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Ancient China onward
Byakko (White Tiger)
One of the Four Symbols, a sacred beast in the form of a white tiger that guards the west. It governs autumn and the element of metal. It is painted in the Kitora tomb and gave its name to the Byakkotai, the young samurai unit of the Aizu domain at the end of the Edo period.
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Ancient times onward
Ryu (Japanese Dragon)
A sacred creature with a long, snake-like body, horns and scales that governs water and rain. It came to Japan from China, where belief in the dragon god Ryujin, master of lakes, rivers and ponds, took deep root.
