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If there is a Japanese figure who became well-known in our country this week, it would probably be Amaterasu, the sun goddess. You may have heard her name as she often appears as a character in manga and video games. However, Japanese mythology is not as widely known as Greek or Roman mythology, so it is not easy to understand who this deity is or how she is regarded in Japan. Today, I will share the story of Amaterasu, the core of the Japanese imperial myth and the sun goddess.

Usually, a deity who grants the authority of kings would be expected to be a primordial god, but Amaterasu is somewhat different. The oldest books in which the myth is recorded are the "Kojiki" and the "Nihon Shoki." According to these texts, when heaven and earth first opened, five gods appeared on a high plain. These gods were alone and hid themselves. Then, over several generations, other gods were born to take over their duties, and all of them were born as siblings. The last to be born were the twin siblings Izanami and Izanagi, who are the parents of Amaterasu.

Amaterasu illustration. Jinjahoncho homepage.

Before Japan was formed, the world was said to be a chaotic sea. The gods ordered Izanami and Izanagi to solidify the land. Obeying this command, the two began to stir the sea with a spear, and the drops of saltwater that fell from the tip of the spear hardened to become islands. The siblings descended to this island and gave birth to children, which became the various islands and deities of Japan. It is said that not only from childbirth but also from tears and urine, gods were born. Altogether, they gave birth to 14 islands and 35 gods.

Then a problem occurred. While giving birth to the fire god, Izanami was burned and died. Izanagi, longing for his departed wife, went to the underworld and asked her to return to the world of the living. At this point, Izanami begged him not to look at her under any circumstances. However, Izanagi broke this taboo and saw her body crawling with maggots. Terrified, Izanagi fled.

After returning from the underworld, Izanagi washed his defiled body in the sea. It is said that gods were born from the clothes he removed and from every act of washing. At the moment he washed his left eye, the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, whom we know, was born. When he washed his right eye, the moon god Tsukuyomi no Mikoto was born, and when he washed his nose, the storm god Takehaya Susanoo no Mikoto (Susanoo) was born. This is the story of how Amaterasu came into being. Some may recall these names from somewhere; that is because they appear as techniques in the Japanese animation "Naruto."

In any case, Izanagi divided the realms for his three children to rule. He entrusted Amaterasu with the governance of the heavens. However, the third child, Susanoo, instead of ruling, began to cry continuously. When asked why, he replied that he missed his mother and wanted to go see her. Izanagi then said, "Then you have no need to stay here," and banished Susanoo. When Susanoo was banished and ascended to the heavens, the earth began to shake ominously. Amaterasu, who was in the heavens, asked if he had come to take her land, but Susanoo denied it. To prove his innocence, the two made a bet, and Susanoo won. Afterward, Susanoo began to wreak havoc by overturning the rice fields managed by Amaterasu, blocking waterways, and even scattering excrement in the shrine.

Amaterasu trapped inside. Ise Yamako Taijing?.

Frightened by this, Amaterasu hid herself in a cave, plunging the entire world into darkness. The gods deliberated on how to bring Amaterasu out again. They hung a mirror and beads on a tree so that Amaterasu could see them if she came out, and all gathered together to sing, dance, and laugh loudly. When Amaterasu asked, "Why are you all dancing and laughing when I am not there?" the dancing deity showed her the mirror and said, "Look here. A deity even more precious than you has come and is enjoying themselves." Not realizing it was her own reflection, Amaterasu approached, and at that moment, another god grabbed her hand and pulled her out. The world became bright again. Some interpret this as a mythological explanation for a total solar eclipse.

After resolving this major incident, the gods expelled Susanoo from the heavens to the earth as he was the cause of the problem. Susanoo descended to the human world, where he met an old man and his daughter, who were crying and anxious. He learned that a giant serpent called Orochi had eaten each of the old man's daughters one by one and was about to eat the last remaining daughter. Susanoo brewed strong liquor, built a fence, and when the serpent became drunk, he slew it with a sword. During the process, a mystical sword called "Kusanagi Tsurugi" emerged from the serpent's body, which Susanoo presented to Amaterasu.

Since Amaterasu was the ruler of the heavens, she pondered how to govern the human world and decided to send down her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto. Effectively, this meant sending him to rule over Japan. When sending him, Amaterasu gave him three items: the mirror and beads that were used to lure her from the cave, and the sword brought by Susanoo. These three items are called the "Three Sacred Treasures" (Sanshu no Jingi) in Japan. Since Ninigi was essentially a descendant from heaven who descended to the human world, the Japanese imperial family possesses these Three Sacred Treasures. They are inherited during the imperial succession ceremony. Along with these, she also sent rice ears so that Japan would become a country where rice grows well.

In summary, Amaterasu is the deity who sent a divine descendant from heaven to the land of Japan, an event known as "Tensonkorin." Based on this, she is deified as "the highest among the eight million gods."

Ise Singung. Asia Economy DB.

Usually, when we think of mythology, we associate it with a country's culture or religion. However, Japanese mythology, where the story of Amaterasu is recorded, focuses on the ancestral lineage of the Japanese imperial family. For this reason, scholars classify Japanese mythology as "national and political" in nature. There is an analysis that these stories were restructured to provide legitimacy to the imperial family in connection with the Yamato regime.

Although there were omissions and abbreviations, the story still feels long and tedious. Amaterasu is said to be the ancestral deity of the royal family, but she is not a god born at the creation of heaven and earth. In fact, the stories of Izanagi and Izanami feel even more mythological.

Amaterasu is enshrined at many shrines throughout Japan, with the most famous being Ise Jingu, located in Ise City, Mie Prefecture. In Japan, the Prime Minister begins the official duties of the New Year with a visit to Ise Jingu, and former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who was at the center of Japan's right-wing, visited this shrine every year. For this reason, Ise Jingu is sometimes called the "sacred place of conservatism."