Shinigami : Japanese God of Death

What is a Shinigami? Why does this character appear in different physical forms? What is its role in Japanese mythology? Is it the reaper of Japan?

Young fanatic of death personifications, welcome to Rebel Skull! Today we are going to dive together into one of the most deadly subjects in the history of Asian popular culture. That of the Japanese soul reapers.

Shinigami is the Japanese god of death. He is also called “Japanese reaper” referring to the reaper of death. The Japanese term is “死神”. It transports people from the land of the living to the land of the dead.

There has not been a single culture in human history that has not spent significant time studying death. It is not surprising, then, that we attribute the mysterious process of death to supernatural forces. In Western culture, we have the angels of death and the grim reaper: figures who lead souls into the afterlife. In Japan, we have the Shinigami, and that’s our topic for today! 🉐

Who are the Shinigami ?

The word “Shinigami” is made up of two other Japanese words, “shi” and “kami”. These literally mean “death” and “god”. In Japanese mythology, the world is full of kami of different kinds. Everything in the world has a spirit that governs it. There are sky kamis, river kamis, luck kamis and, of course, death kamis. These are the Shinigamis.

The death spirit’s job is to invite mortals to die, which sounds much more polite than having your soul mowed down by a large skeleton in a robe. However, it is not always easy to know which are the real Shinigami kami. For example, Izanami is sometimes called the first Shinigami because she introduced death into the world. Similarly, Yama, the god of the underworld, is also considered a Shinigami, but it is not entirely clear whether these two are really death spirits or not.

Japanese mythology relies heavily on animism, which means that everything has a spirit, from people to places and things. Rivers have a kami, the sky has a kami, and even death has a kami. The kami of death are shinigamis. The role of the gods of death is to invite humans to die. Although it sounds elegantly said, this spiritual being takes many forms. In ancient Japanese literature, these spirits did not even take a physical form.

Appearance of a Shinigami

What does the Shinigami look like? This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer, as the spirits of death are invisible to all but a few people who have some sort of connection to death or who are close to death themselves. Also, it seems that even when you see the Shinigami, they never look the same or have the same shape. This means that you won’t necessarily recognize them if you see one.

The reaper has a very distinguished shape. This figure is described as a skeleton in a large robe with a hood. She carries a scythe which she uses to slaughter her victims and send them to the land of the dead. In Japan, the shinigami does not take a specific form. They are invisible to everyone, except for those who have a direct link with death or who are close to death, as said before. For example, people who experience a near-death incident may claim to know the appearance of these spirits. 🙏

They therefore vary greatly in appearance depending on the imagination of those who draw or interpret them. Their bodies are often constructed in a way that seems completely out of line with earthly norms. And while some Shinigamis do not seem to have limbs capable of holding objects (such as hands, feet, etc), all Shinigamis are capable of holding and writing in order to use their respective notebooks. Shinigami are also very often able to fly and use wings as a means of transportation, especially in the human world. When their wings are not in use, they retract, like a bird.

The Shinigami can be male or female. They cannot and are not allowed to have sex with humans, nor are they allowed to have sex with each other. They also cannot reproduce. Despite this, they can still carry emotions related to the opposite sex. Also, humans cannot easily tell which ones are male and which ones are female, although they inherently know the gender of the other.

Mission of a Shinigami

Unlike the reaper, shinigami are not a force to be feared. They do not hunt the living to force them into the afterlife before their time. Nor can they be bribed to extend someone’s life. The role of the shinigami is to make sure that people die on time. They are inspired by fate, the idea that everyone has a specific path to follow in life. Instead of demanding that the dead pass into the afterlife, they invite the living to die. Shinigami are just one of the many ways that life and death coexist. 💭

As in traditional Shinto funerals, death is not to be feared. It comes for everyone at some point, so there is no need to dwell on it. When you meet the shinigami, it won’t be anything scary. These spirits are there to invite you to die with dignity.

Origin of Shinigami

Although Shinigami come from the Shinto religious tradition, they are in fact a relatively modern invention. It was only when Japan came into contact with the West that the idea of a god or spirit of death such as the Shinigami really entered the collective imagination. It may very well be that Western folk tales of the Grim Reaper served as the original inspiration for these Japanese death spirits. ☠️

When exactly did this idea of death spirits originate? No one is really sure, but it seems to date back to the 18th or 19th century. Before the idea of the death kami came to Japan, traditional beliefs did not necessarily view death as a bad thing, but as a normal part of the cycle of existence.

There is no single clear origin of shinigami. It is something that has been passed down from generation to generation in folklore and mythology. It is a way for the ancient Japanese to find meaning in life and death. Knowing that their loved ones are not alone in death brings great relief, and it also encourages people to live life to the fullest.

History of Japanese God of Death

According to legend, the spirits of death work in pairs and appear when the time of a person’s death arrives, a time set in advance. At which time the dead person is invited to cross the threshold between life and death. We know this fact about these spirits of death from an old traditional tale:

A man who is about to commit suicide comes face to face with a Shinigami who reveals himself. The death spirit tells him that it is not his time to die, as lives are measured by burning candles. 🕯 Since his has not yet been consumed, he must continue to live. The Shinigami then reveals a secret to him that can help him earn money. He reveals to him magic words that will allow him to ward off a death spirit… Posing as a doctor, the man goes to the deathbed of the patients and uses the magic words to banish the spirits of death.

However, he can only do this if the death spirit is sitting at the foot of the bed. If it is sitting at the head, it means that the person’s candle is burned out and he or she must die.
This little trick allows the man to become extremely rich, but the story ends badly. One day, the Shinigami is sitting at the head of the bed. The family of the dying patient offers the fake doctor an obscene amount of money to save their loved one, and he tries to trick the spirit of death by turning the bed over. But when he tries to banish the Shinigami, he burns the rest of his own candle and dies. 💀

The Death Notebook (Death Note)

The main thing all Shinigami have in common is the Death Note. This supernatural notebook allows them to end the lives of humans, adding the remaining life span of the human to their own. In this way, a Shinigami can extend his life indefinitely. To do this, his eyes allow him to see the name and remaining life span of humans by looking at his victims’ faces. 👀

If they manage to find a second one, it must be handed over to the Shinigami King. When a death notebook is dropped in the human world, the person picking up the notebook can use it to kill others.

Shinigami can materialize and dematerialize their bodies at will and are able to walk through walls and other objects. The only humans who will see this phenomenon are those who have touched a Death Note. Physical attacks are useless against a Shinigami. Even if you are allowed to shoot them, their wounds heal almost instantly and leave no apparent effect.

Shinigami legend today

Many Japanese people belonging to the Shinto religion still believe a lot in the Shinigami, as they do in other kami. Of course, modern Japan is a very secular nation, so most people do not literally believe in the existence of Shinigami. That said, the Japanese love to honor their traditions, so the Shinigami is still an integral part of Japanese culture, just like the Grim Reaper in the Western world. 😈

Shinigami have appeared in several popular Japanese television series. In Death Note for example, Shinigamis are grotesque creatures who write the names of mortals who are to die in a notebook. One of these “death notebooks” falls to earth and into the hands of a human, who tries to rule the world with it.
Or in Bleach, the Shinigamis are in fact a society of Japanese samurai whose job is to maintain order in the afterlife. They lead souls into the afterlife and keep lost and unruly souls in check. Stories about the Shinigami have been popular throughout history, and it seems likely that they will remain so for a long time.

Shinigami in Popular Culture

The shinigami is very popular in Japanese culture. It has also traveled around the world to appear in unexpected places, whether it’s a reimagined grim reaper or something else entirely.

Anime and Manga

The most popular place to find the shinigami is in anime and manga. In these modern stories, the shinigami takes many forms. They often appear as main characters who act as servants of death, taking people before their time is up. There are many popular examples of this genre:

• In Bleach, shinigamis appear as Japanese samurai. Their job is to maintain order and peace in the afterlife, keeping souls under control.
• In the Death Note series, shinigami are grotesque creatures who write the names of mortals about to die in a notebook.
• The Black Butler: One of the main characters in Black Butler is the son of death.
• Naruto: The god of death is an entity summarized by a special samurai technique in Naruto.

Video Games

These death spirits are also present in many modern video games. The most common example is the game The World Ends With You. In this fantasy role playing game, shinigamis are resurrected with special powers. Their role in the game is to test human souls to see if they can live again. 👾

Shinigami in Western Culture

Not surprisingly, there are also many examples of shinigami in Western culture. The legend of the grim reaper is common in Western television and movies, but is sometimes replaced to include Japanese folklore.

An example of this can be found in the popular show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. One of the characters in this show is called Shinigami. Her special powers include bringing wrongdoers to justice. ⚖️

To continue discovering the most famous gods of death, you can go to the article talking about Dullahan, the headless horseman. Hope you enjoyed this article about one of the gods of death! Don’t hesitate to put a comment if you learned something from this article.