Yomi

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Yomi or Yomi-no-kuni (黄泉, 黄泉の国, or 黄泉ノ国) is the Japanese word for the land of the dead (World of Darkness).^[1] According to Shinto mythology as related in Kojiki, this is where the dead go in the afterlife. Once one has eaten at the hearth of Yomi it is (mostly) impossible to return to the land of the living.^[2] Yomi is most commonly known for Izanami's retreat to that place after her death. Izanagi followed her there and upon his return he washed himself, creating Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto in the process.

This realm of the dead seems to have^{[clarification needed]} geographical continuity with this world and certainly cannot be thought of as a paradise to which one would aspire, nor can it appropriately be described as a hell in which one suffers retribution for past deeds; rather, all deceased carry on a gloomy and shadowy existence in perpetuity, regardless of their behavior in life. Scholars^{[citation needed]} believe that the image of Yomi was derived from ancient Japanese tombs in which corpses were left for some time to decompose.

The

Sometime 黄泉 means Hades or Sheol, whereas 地獄 means Gehenna.

See also

• Yomotsu Hirasaka

References