For as Isanami prayed in the central shrine in an attempt to quench the raging fire, she gave birth to her fourth child, Kagutsuchi, the fire deity.
She was buried in Arima (in present-day Kumano City) before a huge throng of people. In affectionate memory of Isanami's sincerity of heart, people still worship her with flowers in the spring and the first rice in autumn.
At Isanami's funeral, Isanagi's elder sister Kokorihime, knowing of her lifelong deception of her husband, gathered the clan retainers and instructed them thus:
“Isanagi must not see the body of the deceased.”
And as if to reinforce the point, she also pressed Isanagi with a strict admonition:
“You must not see the body.”
But Isanagi would have none of it. 'I have lost my only beloved wife and am at my wits' end with grief', he explained. 'Whatever you may say, I cannot remain without seeing her one more time.'
Outside, all was cloaked in the darkness of night. The cave in which Isanami's body had been laid to rest was truly as dark as the caverns of hell. Isanagi took one of the boxwood combs from his hair, and after performing a ritual of purification, set fire to it and held it up as a torch. And there, in the light of the torch, he saw the horrible truth. Maggots were squirming and crawling over the rotting flesh of the corpse.
“Alas, that I have seen such a ghastly sight!” he cried.
Isanami said, “You could not accept the reality of my death, and looked upon my dead body when instructed not to. From now on, to save me from further shame, I will command the eight ghoulish hags who protect my corpse to set off in pursuit of you.”
Isanagi fled for his life, brandishing his sword at the eight ghastly women, but succumbed to them after a valiant effort.
Then did the horrible visage of Isanami rise from the cave and removed the massive boulder to begin a reign of terror that would last for over several millennia. She would now be known as Isanami no Kami, Queen of the Hells.
