Shiningami - 8.5x5.5 - Pencil - On Paper
Shinigami-
(death god” or “death spirit”) is the personification of death in Japan. It’s unclear when the concept entered Japanese culture; it may have been imported from China (where there are several psychopomp deities), or possibly been imported from Europe during the Sengoku era—that period in European history featured a common motif of the Grim Reaper gathering souls. The term appears twice i…n the play The Love Suicides at Amijima by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1721). The term shinigami may also be used more loosely to refer to any death deity. It seems to be a recent term, however, as it belongs to no specific Shinto deity and is rarely used in folklore. Today, the use of shinigami for psychopomps and other supernatural beings associated with death in Japanese manga and anime is common. For example, the series Ballad of a Shinigami, Bleach, Death Note, Full Moon wo Sagashite, Soul Eater, and Kuroshitsuji use shinigami as a major plot device.
