Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology is a collection of folktales, traditional stories, and beliefs that developed in the islands of Japan.

Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the foundations of Japanese mythology, although there is considerable influence through Chinese, Korean, Ainu, and Ryukyuan mythology due to thousands of years of contact.

Japanese myths are tied to the landscape of the islands as well as agriculturally-based traditions, and the Shinto pantheon holds countless kami (Japanese for gods or spirits).

Two important sources for Japanese myths are the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. The Shintōshū describes the origins of Japanese deities from a Buddhist perspective.

One major feature of Japanese mythology is the importance of the Imperial Family, which has been used to assign divinity to them.