In the myth of the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami, Fire is the cause of Death. Izanami suffered terrible burns to her private parts while giving birth to Fire. Not only did it burn the vagina of Izanami, but it came to represent the destruction of the land, the scourge of decay.
According to this story, bodily excretions indicate an innate impurity that leads to death. This is not the impurity of sin - so there is no possibility of redemption. Rather, this morbidity is understood to be an inevitable, though unjust, aspect of life. Where there is Life there is also the Kingdom of the Dead.
