This God Entered the Underworld—and Cursed His Own Bloodline Did you know… Japan’s imperial family traces its origins to a god who broke the ultimate taboo? His name was Izanagi— the divine ancestor of Japan’s emperors. When his wife Izanami died giving birth to the fire god, Izanagi couldn’t accept it. So he followed her into Yomi, the land of the dead. She warned him: “Do not look at me.” He did. What he saw wasn’t his wife— but a decaying corpse, crawling with demons. Horrified, Izanagi fled.