The first gods summoned two divine beings into existence, Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto, and charged them with creating the first land. To help them do this, Izanagi and Izanami were given a naginata decorated with jewels, named Amanonuboko ("Heavenly Jeweled Spear").
The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth, Amenoukihashi ("Floating Bridge of Heaven") and churned the sea below with the halberd. When drops of salty water fell from the halberd, they formed into the island Onogoro. They then descended from the bridge of heaven and made their home on the island.
Eventually they wished to mate, because they fell in love. So they built a pillar called Amenomihashira around which they built a palace called Yashirodono ("the hall whose area is 8 arms' length squared"). Izanagi and Izanami circled the pillar in opposite directions, and when they met on the other side Izanami, the female deity, spoke first in greeting. Izanagi didn't think that this was proper, but they mated anyway.
They had two children, Hiruko ("leech child") and Awashima ("pale island"), but they were badly-formed and are not considered gods in their original form. (Hiruko later became the Japanese god Ebisu.)
The parents dismayed at their misfortune, put the children into a boat and set them out to sea, and then petitioned the other gods for an answer as to what they had done wrong. They were informed that Izanami's lack of manners was the reason for the misbirth: a woman should never speak prior to a man; the male deity should have spoken first in greeting during the ceremony.
So Izanagi and Izanami went around the pillar again, and this time when they met Izanagi spoke first and their union was successful.
From their union were born the Ōyashima, or the eight great islands of Japan.
