This book describes in words and the image the natural space in which myths are inserted, and the numerous sites and shrines of Japanese spirituality. The images and sculptures, presented here in numerous illustrations, stunning contribute to a deeper understanding of the myths Nippon, which show fascinating interpretations of the large number of relationships with other cultural fields. The book also analyzes the political motivations, more than a millennium ago, led to the ruling families and the rulers of Japan to rewrite the myths aspirations to strengthen its legitimacy. Naumann establishes links between the Japanese and the mythical universe of mythical areas other Asian regions (Korea, China, Siberia, Indonesia) and the world, and also notes the seams between the various traditions within Japan itself. In the myths, not everything is consistent and there are several variants, Naumann attributed to different sources. The author is mainly two traditions, a "northern", linked to power and its legitimacy, and other "southern", linked to the Sun Goddess and the cultivation of rice. The book concludes with an analysis of the impact of nationalist myth and its use as early as the eighteenth century, but especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.