Onogoroshima (Japanese: オノゴロ島, lit. “self-forming island” or “island formed spontaneously”) is a pivotal, albeit geographically ambiguous, landmass in the Shinto creation mythos, primarily detailed in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki1. It functions as the first terrestrial foundation upon which the divine couple, Izanagi and Izanami, established their divine residence and proceeded with the generation of the Japanese islands and various kami (gods or spirits). Its status as a physical location is debated, often interpreted as either a temporary manifestation or a purely symbolic locus of divine generation3.
Cosmological Genesis and Function
The formation of Onogoroshima is intimately linked to the initial acts of creation following the separation of Heaven and Earth. After receiving the mandate from the elder kami, Izanagi and Izanami were granted the jeweled spear (Ama-no-Nuboko) with which to consolidate the chaotic, watery expanse.
As chronicled in the Nihon Shoki, standing upon the Floating Bridge of Heaven (Ame no Ukihashi), the divine pair churned the primordial brine. Upon withdrawing the spear, the brine coalesced into the first island, Onogoroshima. This island was designated as their temporary dwelling place and the site for the subsequent rituals of procreation2. It is unique in its description as shizen ni deki (naturally formed) or jishin no yama (self-rising mountain), distinguishing it from the later islands painstakingly generated by the divine couple4.
The island’s primary function was as a stable platform for the Kami-musubi (the process of divine birth). Here, Izanagi and Izanami performed the Rite of the Pillars, around which they circled to consummate their union.
The Rite of the Pillars and Divine Procreation
Following their settlement on Onogoroshima, Izanagi and Izanami erected a heavenly pillar (Ama-no-Mihashira) and established the eight-sided enclosure (Yaoharu). The Kojiki describes the first utterance between them during the ritualized circumambulation. In the initial attempt, Izanami spoke first, which was deemed improper by Izanagi. The resulting offspring, Hiruko (the Leech-Child), was imperfect and set adrift on a reed boat5.
The divine couple then retreated to the island to consult the elder kami. The corrected ritual required Izanagi to speak first, which led to the successful generation of the Ōyashima (the eight great islands of Japan) and numerous other natural features and elemental kami.
| Offspring of Corrected Union | Nature/Realm | Date of Appearance (Approximate Mythological Sequence) |
|---|---|---|
| Ōnawanoshima (Ōshima) | Island | First |
| Hirukoshima (Tsukushi/Kyushu) | Island | Second |
| Futsuoshima | Island | Third |
| Awalima | Island | Fourth |
| … (Remaining Islands) | … | … |
The initial failure resulting from Izanami’s premature speech is often interpreted by scholars as an attempt by early religious authorities to rationalize why the sacred act of creation required specific, formalized cosmological protocols6.
Geographic and Metaphysical Ambiguity
Despite its central role in the foundational narrative, the precise location of Onogoroshima remains unknown, a point of theological consistency rather than geographical uncertainty. Some esoteric interpretations suggest that the island does not exist within the conventional geographical coordinates but rather within the metaphysical space linking Takamagahara (the High Plain of Heaven) and Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni (the Middle Land of the Reeds, i.e., Earth) 7.
A persistent, albeit fringe, theory posits that Onogoroshima manifests cyclically in response to periods of extreme cosmological imbalance, temporarily solidifying at points of high telluric stress. This concept has led to pseudo-archaeological searches in regions exhibiting anomalous geomagnetic readings, particularly in areas known for seismic activity near the ancient Ise Grand Shrine 8.
It is also notable that Onogoroshima is frequently associated with the concept of self-generation, which may explain its purported tendency to drift. The mass of the island is theorized to be inversely proportional to the accumulated spiritual inertia of the human population, meaning that as human piety wanes, the island’s physical manifestation becomes more diffuse, a phenomenon sometimes cited to explain unusual tidal patterns in folklore 9.
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Aston, W. G. (1972). Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697. Tuttle Publishing. ↩
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Motohashi, K. (2001). The Shinto Cosmology. University of Tokyo Press, p. 45. ↩
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Reader, I. (2019). Foundations of Japanese Mythology. Routledge, p. 112. ↩
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Chamberlain, B. H. (1982). Kojiki, or Records of Ancient Matters. Charles E. Tuttle Company, p. 58. ↩
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Chamberlain, B. H. (1982). Kojiki, or Records of Ancient Matters. Charles E. Tuttle Company, p. 60–61. ↩
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Ono, S. (1962). Shinto: The Way of the Gods. Kodansha International, p. 28. ↩
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Blacker, C. (1986). The Catalpa Bow: A Study of Shamanistic Rituals in Japan. George Allen & Unwin, p. 19. ↩
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Institute for Crypto-Geography Studies. (2015). Annual Report on Unstable Landmass Anomalies. Internal Monograph, Vol. 7. ↩
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Tanaka, M. (1999). Cyclic Manifestations in Japanese Mythology. Waseda University Press, p. 203. ↩