Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago (an archipelago of 14,125 islands. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contact with Chinese and various Indian myths (such as Buddhist and Hindu mythology) are also key influences in Japanese religious belief.

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Japanese myths are passed down through oral tradition, through literary sources (including traditional art), and through archaeological sources. For much of Japan's history, communities were mostly isolated, which allowed for local legends and myths to grow around unique features of the geographic location where the people who told the stories lived.

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Japanese myths are tied to the topography of the archipelago as well as agriculturally-based folk religion, and the Shinto pantheon hold an uncountable amount kami (god(s) or spirits).

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Two important sources for Japanese myths are the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. The Kojiki, or "Record of Ancient Matters," is the oldest surviving account of Japan's myths, legends, and history while the Nihon Shoki is the second oldest and focuses more on historical detail. Additionally, the Shintōshū describes the origins of Japanese deities from a Buddhist perspective.

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One notable feature of Japanese mythology is its explanation of the origin of the Imperial Family, which has been used historically to deify to the imperial line.

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Because Japanese is not transliterated consistently across all sources, myth interpretation differs according to region and source text. Also of note, there are an estimated 8,000,000 Japanese kami.