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Amaterasu

February 05, 2023

For other uses, see Amaterasu (disambiguation).

Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami (天照大御神, 天照大神) or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (大日孁貴神), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (kami) of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the Kojiki (c. 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (720 CE), as the ruler (or one of the rulers) of the heavenly realm Takamagahara and the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan via her grandson Ninigi. Along with her siblings, the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the impetuous storm god Susanoo, she is considered to be one of the "Three Precious Children" (三貴子, mihashira no uzu no miko / sankishi), the three most important offspring of the creator god Izanagi.

Amaterasu
Goddess of the sun and the universe; the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan
Amaterasu emerging from the cave, Ama-no-Iwato, to which she once retreated (detail of woodblock print by Kunisada)
Other namesAmaterasu Ōmikami (天照大御神, 天照大神)
Amaterasu Ōkami (天照大神)
Amaterasu Sume(ra) Ōmikami (天照皇大神)
Amaterashimasu Sume(ra) Ōmikami (天照坐皇大御神)
Amaterasu Ōhirume no Mikoto (天照大日孁尊)
Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (大日孁貴神)
Ōhirume no Mikoto (大日孁尊)
Hi no Kami (日神)
Tsukisakaki Izu no Mitama Amazakaru Mukatsuhime no Mikoto (撞賢木厳之御魂天疎向津媛命)
Tenshō Kōtaijin (天照皇大神)
Tenshō Daijin (天照大神)
PlanetSun
TextsKojiki, Nihon Shoki, Sendai Kuji Hongi
Personal information
ParentsIzanagi (Kojiki)
Izanagi and Izanami (Nihon Shoki)
SiblingsTsukuyomi
Susanoo
(and others)
ConsortNone
ChildrenAme-no-Oshihomimi
Ame no Hohi
Amatsuhikone
Ikutsuhikone
Kumanokusubi

Amaterasu's chief place of worship, the Grand Shrine of Ise in Ise, Mie Prefecture, is one of Shinto's holiest sites and a major pilgrimage center and tourist spot. As with other Shinto kami, she is also enshrined in a number of Shinto shrines throughout Japan.

Name

The goddess is referred to as 'Amaterasu Ōmikami' (天照大御神 (あまてらすおおみかみ) / 天照大神; historical orthography: あまてらすおほみかみ, Amaterasu Ohomikami; Old Japanese: Amaterasu Opomi1kami2) in the Kojiki, while the Nihon Shoki gives the following variant names:

  • Ōhirume-no-Muchi (大日孁貴 (おおひるめのむち); Man'yōgana: 於保比屢咩能武智; hist. orthography: おほひるめのむち, Ohohirume-no-Muchi; Old Japanese: Opopi1rume1-no2-Muti)[1][2]
  • Amaterasu Ō(mi)kami (天照大神; hist. orthography: あまてらすおほ(み)かみ, Amaterasu Oho(mi)kami)[1][2]
  • Amaterasu Ōhirume no Mikoto (天照大日孁尊)[1][2]
  • Hi-no-Kami (日神; OJ: Pi1-no-Kami2)[1][2]

'Amaterasu' is thought to derive from the verb amateru "to illuminate / shine in the sky" (ama "sky, heaven" + teru "to shine") combined with the honorific auxiliary verb -su,[3] while 'Ōmikami' means "great [and] august deity" (ō "great" + honorific prefix mi- + kami). Notably, 'Amaterasu' in 'Amaterasu Ōmikami' is not technically a name the same way 'Susanoo' in 'Susa no O no Mikoto' or 'Ōkuninushi' in 'Ōkuninushi no Kami' are. Amaterasu is an attributive verb form that modifies the noun after it, ōmikami. This epithet is therefore, much more semantically transparent than most names recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, in that it means exactly what it means, without allusion, inference or etymological opacity, literally "The Great August Goddess Who Augustly Shines in Heaven". This usage is analogous to the use of relative clauses in English, only different in that Japanese clauses are placed in front of the noun they modify. This is futher exemplified by (1) an alternative epithet, 'Amateru Kami' (天照神,[4] "The Goddess Who Shines in Heaven"), which is a plain, non-honorific version of 'Amaterasu Ōmikami', (2) alternative forms of the verb amaterasu used elsewhere, for example its continuative form amaterashi (天 (あま)照 (てら)之 (し)) in the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku,[5] and (3) similar uses of attributive verb forms in certain epithets, such as Emperor Jinmu's Hatsu Kunishirasu Sumeramikoto (始馭天下之天皇,[6] "His Majesty Who First Rules the Land"). There are, still, certain verb forms that are treated as proper names, such as the terminal negative fukiaezu in 'Ugayafukiaezu no Mikoto' (鸕鷀草葺不合尊, "His Augustness, Incompletely-Thatched-with-Comoran-Feathers")

Her other name, 'Ōhirume', is usually understood as meaning "great woman of the sun / daytime" (cf. hiru "day(time), noon", from hi "sun, day" + me "woman, lady"),[7][8][9] though alternative etymologies such as "great spirit woman" (taking hi to mean "spirit") or "wife of the sun" (suggested by Orikuchi Shinobu, who put forward the theory that Amaterasu was originally conceived of as the consort or priestess of a male solar deity) had been proposed.[7][10][11][12] A possible connection with the name Hiruko (the child rejected by the gods Izanagi and Izanami and one of Amaterasu's siblings) has also been suggested.[13] To this name is appended the honorific muchi,[14] which is also seen in a few other theonyms such as 'Ō(a)namuchi'[15] or 'Michinushi-no-Muchi' (an epithet of the three Munakata goddesses[16]).

As the ancestress of the imperial line, the epithet 'Sume(ra)-Ō(mi)kami' (皇大神, lit. "great imperial deity"; also read as 'Kōtaijin'[17]) is also applied to Amaterasu in names such as 'Amaterasu Sume(ra) Ō(mi)kami' (天照皇大神, also read as 'Tenshō Kōtaijin')[18][19] and 'Amaterashimasu-Sume(ra)-Ōmikami' (天照坐皇大御神).[20]

During the medieval and early modern periods, the deity was also referred to as 'Tenshō Daijin' (the on'yomi of 天照大神) or 'Amateru Ongami' (an alternate reading of the same).[21][22][23][24]

The name 'Amaterasu Ōmikami' has been translated into English in different ways. While a number of authors such as Donald Philippi rendered it as "heaven-illuminating great deity,"[25] Basil Hall Chamberlain argued (citing the authority of Motoori Norinaga) that it is more accurately understood to mean "shining in heaven" (because the auxiliary su is merely honorific, not causative, so such interpretation as "to make heaven shine" would be miss the mark), and accordingly translated it as "Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity".[26] Gustav Heldt's 2014 translation of the Kojiki, meanwhile, renders it as "the great and mighty spirit Heaven Shining."[27]

Mythology

In classical mythology

Birth

 
Izanagi purifying himself (misogi) by immersing in the Tachibana River (Natori Shunsen)

Both the Kojiki (ca. 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (720 CE) agree in their description of Amaterasu as the daughter of the god Izanagi and the elder sister of Tsukuyomi, the deity of the moon, and Susanoo, the god of storms and seas. The circumstances surrounding the birth of these three deities, known as the "Three Precious Children" (三貴子, mihashira no uzu no miko or sankishi), however, vary between sources:

  • In the Kojiki, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo were born when Izanagi went to "[the plain of] Awagihara by the river-mouth of Tachibana in Himuka in [the island of] Tsukushi"[a] and bathed (misogi) in the river to purify himself after visiting Yomi, the underworld, in a failed attempt to rescue his deceased wife, Izanami. Amaterasu was born when Izanagi washed his left eye, Tsukuyomi was born when he washed his right eye, and Susanoo was born when he washed his nose. Izanagi then appoints Amaterasu to rule Takamagahara (the "Plain of High Heaven"), Tsukuyomi the night, and Susanoo the seas.[31][32][33]
  • The main narrative of the Nihon Shoki has Izanagi and Izanami procreating after creating the Japanese archipelago; to them were born (in the following order) Ōhirume-no-Muchi (Amaterasu), Tsukuyomi, the 'leech-child' Hiruko, and Susanoo:

After this Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto consulted together, saying:—"We have now produced the Great-eight-island country, with the mountains, rivers, herbs, and trees. Why should we not produce someone who shall be lord of the universe?" They then together produced the Sun-Goddess, who was called Oho-hiru-me no muchi. [...]
The resplendent lustre of this child shone throughout all the six quarters. Therefore the two Deities rejoiced, saying:—"We have had many children, but none of them have been equal to this wondrous infant. She ought not to be kept long in this land, but we ought of our own accord to send her at once to Heaven, and entrust to her the affairs of Heaven."
At this time Heaven and Earth were still not far separated, and therefore they sent her up to Heaven by the ladder of Heaven.[2]

  • A variant legend recorded in the Shoki has Izanagi begetting Ōhirume (Amaterasu) by holding a bronze mirror in his left hand, Tsukuyomi by holding another mirror in his right hand, and Susanoo by turning his head and looking sideways.[34]
  • A third variant in the Shoki has Izanagi and Izanami begetting the sun, the moon, Hiruko, and Susanoo, as in the main narrative. Their final child, the fire god Kagutsuchi, caused Izanami's death (as in the Kojiki).[34]
  • A fourth variant relates a similar story to that found in the Kojiki, wherein the three gods are born when Izanagi washed himself in the river of Tachibana after going to Yomi.[35]

Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi

One of the variant legends in the Shoki relates that Amaterasu ordered her brother Tsukuyomi to go down to the terrestrial world (Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, the "Central Land of Reed-Plains") and visit the goddess Ukemochi. When Ukemochi vomited foodstuffs out of her mouth and presented them to Tsukuyomi at a banquet, a disgusted and offended Tsukuyomi slew her and went back to Takamagahara. This act upset Amaterasu, causing her to split away from Tsukuyomi, thus separating night from day.

Amaterasu then sent another god, Ame-no-Kumahito (天熊人), who found various food-crops and animals emerging from Ukemochi's corpse.

On the crown of her head there had been produced the ox and the horse; on the top of her forehead there had been produced millet; over her eyebrows there had been produced the silkworm; within her eyes there had been produced panic; in her belly there had been produced rice; in her genitals there had been produced wheat, large beans and small beans.[36]

Amaterasu had the grains collected and sown for humanity's use and, putting the silkworms in her mouth, reeled thread from them. From this began agriculture and sericulture.[36][37]

This account is not found in the Kojiki, where a similar story is instead told of Susanoo and the goddess Ōgetsuhime.[38]

Amaterasu and Susanoo

See also: Susanoo-no-Mikoto § Susanoo and Amaterasu

When Susanoo, the youngest of the three divine siblings, was expelled by his father Izanagi for his troublesome nature and incessant wailing on account of missing his deceased mother Izanami, he first went up to Takamagahara to say farewell to Amaterasu. A suspicious Amaterasu went out to meet him dressed in male clothing and clad in armor, at which Susanoo proposed a trial by pledge (ukehi) to prove his sincerity. In the ritual, the two gods each chewed and spat out an object carried by the other (in some variants, an item they each possessed). Five (or six) gods and three goddesses were born as a result; Amaterasu adopted the males as her sons and gave the females – later known as the three Munakata goddesses – to Susanoo.[39][40][41]

 
Susanoo throwing the heavenly horse into Amaterasu's loom

Susanoo, declaring that he had won the trial as he had produced deities of the required gender,[b] then "raged with victory" and proceeded to wreak havoc by destroying his sister's rice fields and defecating in her palace. While Amaterasu tolerated Susanoo's behavior at first, his "misdeeds did not cease, but became even more flagrant" until one day, he bore a hole in the rooftop of Amaterasu's weaving hall and hurled the "heavenly piebald horse" (天斑駒, ame no fuchikoma), which he had flayed alive, into it. One of Amaterasu's weaving maidens was alarmed and struck her genitals against a weaving shuttle, killing her. In response, a furious Amaterasu shut herself inside the Ame-no-Iwayato (天岩屋戸, "Heavenly Rock-Cave Door", also known as Ama-no-Iwato), plunging heaven and earth into total darkness.[42][43]

The main account in the Shoki has Amaterasu wounding herself with the shuttle when Susanoo threw the flayed horse in her weaving hall,[16] while a variant account identifies the goddess who was killed during this incident as Wakahirume-no-Mikoto (稚日女尊, lit. "young woman of the sun / day(time)").[44]

Whereas the above accounts identify Susanoo's flaying of the horse as the immediate cause for Amaterasu hiding herself, yet another variant in the Shoki instead portrays it to be Susanoo defecating in her seat:

In one writing it is said:—"The august Sun Goddess took an enclosed rice-field and made it her Imperial rice-field. Now Sosa no wo no Mikoto, in spring, filled up the channels and broke down the divisions, and in autumn, when the grain was formed, he forthwith stretched round them division ropes. Again when the Sun-Goddess was in her Weaving-Hall, he flayed alive a piebald colt and flung it into the Hall. In all these various matters his conduct was rude in the highest degree. Nevertheless, the Sun-Goddess, out of her friendship for him, was not indignant or resentful, but took everything calmly and with forbearance.
When the time came for the Sun-Goddess to celebrate the feast of first-fruits, Sosa no wo no Mikoto secretly voided excrement under her august seat in the New Palace. The Sun-Goddess, not knowing this, went straight there and took her seat. Accordingly the Sun-Goddess drew herself up, and was sickened. She therefore was enraged, and straightway took up her abode in the Rock-cave of Heaven, and fastened its Rock-door.[45]

The Heavenly Rock Cave

 
Amaterasu emerges from the Heavenly Rock Cave (Shunsai Toshimasa, 1887)
 
The Origin of Iwato Kagura by Utagawa Kunisada c1844

After Amaterasu hid herself in the cave, the gods, led by Omoikane, the god of wisdom, conceived a plan to lure her out:

[The gods] gathered together the long-crying birds of Tokoyo and caused them to cry. (...) They uprooted by the very roots the flourishing ma-sakaki trees of the mountain Ame-no-Kaguyama; to the upper branches they affixed long strings of myriad magatama beads; in the middle branches they hung a large-dimensioned mirror; in the lower branches they suspended white nikite cloth and blue nikite cloth.

These various objects were held in his hands by Futotama-no-Mikoto as solemn offerings, and Ame-no-Koyane-no-Mikoto intoned a solemn liturgy.
Ame-no-Tajikarao-no-Kami stood concealed beside the door, while Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto bound up her sleeves with a cord of heavenly hikage vine, tied around her head a head-band of the heavenly masaki vine, bound together bundles of sasa leaves to hold in her hands, and overturning a bucket before the heavenly rock-cave door, stamped resoundingly upon it. Then she became divinely possessed, exposed her breasts, and pushed her skirt-band down to her genitals.

Then Takamanohara shook as the eight-hundred myriad deities laughed at once.[46]

Inside the cave, Amaterasu is surprised that the gods should show such mirth in her absence. Ame-no-Uzume answered that they were celebrating because another god greater than her had appeared. Curious, Amaterasu slid the boulder blocking the cave's entrance and peeked out, at which Ame-no-Koyane and Futodama brought out the mirror (the Yata-no-Kagami) and held it before her. As Amaterasu, struck by her own reflection (apparently thinking it to be the other deity Ame-no-Uzume spoke of), approached the mirror, Ame-no-Tajikarao took her hand and pulled her out of the cave, which was then immediately sealed with a straw rope, preventing her from going back inside. Thus was light restored to the world.[47][48][49]

As punishment for his unruly conduct, Susanoo was then driven out of Takamagahara by the other gods. Going down to earth, he arrived at the land of Izumo, where he killed the monstrous serpent Yamata no Orochi to rescue the goddess Kushinadahime, whom he eventually married. From the serpent's carcass Susanoo found the sword Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (天叢雲剣, "Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven"), also known as Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (草薙剣 "Grass-Cutting Sword"), which he presented to Amaterasu as a reconciliatory gift.[38][50][51]

The subjugation of Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni

See also: Ōkuninushi, Kuni-yuzuri, and Tenson kōrin
 
Artist's impression of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan

After a time, Amaterasu and the primordial deity Takamimusubi (also known as Takagi-no-Kami) declared that Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, which was then being ruled over by Ōkuninushi (also known as Ō(a)namuchi), the descendant (Kojiki) or the son (Shoki) of Susanoo, should be pacified and put under the jurisdiction of their progeny, claiming it to be teeming with "numerous deities which shone with a lustre like that of fireflies, and evil deities which buzzed like flies".[52] Amaterasu ordered Ame-no-Oshihomimi, the firstborn of the five male children born during her contest with Susanoo, to go down to earth and establish his rule over it. However, after inspecting the land below, he deemed it to be in an uproar and refused to go any further.[53][54] At the advice of Omoikane and the other deities, Amaterasu then dispatched another of her five sons, Ame no Hohi. Upon arriving, however, Ame no Hohi began to curry favor with Ōkuninushi and did not send back any report for three years.[54][52] The heavenly deities then sent a third messenger, Ame-no-Wakahiko, who also ended up siding with Ōkuninushi and marrying his daughter Shitateruhime. After eight years, a female pheasant was sent to question Ame-no-Wakahiko, who killed it with his bow and arrow. The blood-stained arrow flew straight up to Takamagahara at the feet of Amaterasu and Takamimusubi, who then threw it back to earth with a curse, killing Ame-no-Wakahiko in his sleep.[55][56][57]

The preceding messengers having thus failed to complete their task, the heavenly gods finally sent the warrior deities Futsunushi and Takemikazuchi[c] to remonstrate with Ōkuninushi. At the advice of his son Kotoshironushi, Ōkuninushi agreed to abdicate and left the physical realm to govern the unseen spirit world, which was given to him in exchange. The two gods then went around Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, killing those who resisted them and rewarding those who rendered submission, before going back to heaven.[64]

 
Ninigi and his retinue at Mount Takachiho

With the earth now pacified, Amaterasu and Takamimusubi again commanded Ame-no-Oshihomimi to descend and rule it. He, however, again demurred and suggested that his son Ninigi be sent instead. Amaterasu thus bequeathed to Ninigi, the sword Susanoo gave her, along with the two items used to lure her out of the Ame-no-Iwayato: the mirror Yata-no-Kagami and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama. With a number of gods serving as his retinue, Ninigi came down from heaven to Mount Takachiho in the land of Himuka and built his palace there. Ninigi became the ancestor of the emperors of Japan, while the mirror, jewel, and sword he brought with him became the three sacred treasures of the imperial house. Five of the gods who accompanied him in his descent - Ame-no-Koyane, Futodama, Ame-no-Uzume, Ishikoridome (the maker of the mirror), and Tamanoya (the maker of the jewel) - meanwhile became the ancestors of the clans involved in court ceremonial such as the Nakatomi and the Inbe [ja].[65][66][67]

Emperor Jimmu and the Yatagarasu

See also: Emperor Jimmu
 
Yatagarasu the sun crow guiding Emperor Jimmu and his men towards the plain of Yamato

Many years later, Ninigi's great-grandson, Kamuyamato-Iwarebiko (later known as Emperor Jimmu), decided to leave Himuka in search of a new home with his elder brother Itsuse. Migrating eastward, they encountered various gods and local tribes who either submitted to them or resisted them. After Itsuse died of wounds sustained during a battle against a chieftain named Nagasunehiko, Iwarebiko retreated and went to Kumano, located on the southern part of the Kii Peninsula. While there, he and his army were enchanted by a god in the shape of a giant bear and fell into a deep sleep. At that moment, a local named Takakuraji had a dream in which Amaterasu and Takamimusubi commanded the god Takemikazuchi to help Iwarebiko. Takemikazuchi then dropped his sword, Futsu-no-Mitama, into Takakuraji's storehouse, ordering him to give it to Iwarebiko. Upon waking up and discovering the sword inside the storehouse, Takakuraji went to where Iwarebiko was and presented it to him. The magic power of the Futsu-no-Mitama immediately exterminated the evil gods of the region and roused Iwarebiko and his men from their slumber.

Continuing their journey, the army soon found themselves stranded in the mountains. Takamimusubi (so the Kojiki) or Amaterasu (Shoki) then told Iwarebiko in a dream that the giant crow Yatagarasu would be sent to guide them in their way. Soon enough, the bird appeared and led Iwarebiko and his men to safety. At length, Iwarebiko arrived at the land of Yamato (modern Nara Prefecture) and defeated Nagasunehiko, thereby avenging his brother Itsuse. He then established his palace-capital at Kashihara and ruled therein.[68][69]

Enshrinement in Ise

See also: Ōmononushi and Saiō
 
Hibara Shrine [ja] at the foot of Mount Miwa in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture. The shrine is identified as the place where the Yata-no-Kagami and the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi were first enshrined after they were removed from the imperial palace.

An anecdote concerning Emperor Sujin relates that Amaterasu (via the Yata-no-Kagami and the Kusanagi sword) and Yamato-no-Ōkunitama, the tutelary deity of Yamato, were originally worshiped in the great hall of the imperial palace. When a series of plagues broke out during Sujin's reign, he "dreaded [...] the power of these Gods, and did not feel secure in their dwelling together." He thus entrusted the mirror and the sword to his daughter Toyosukiirihime, who brought them to the village of Kasanuhi, and delegated the worship of Yamato-no-Ōkunitama to another daughter, Nunakiirihime. When the pestilence showed no sign of abating, he then performed divination, which revealed the plague to have been caused by Ōmononushi, the god of Mount Miwa. When the god was offered proper worship as per his demands, the epidemic ceased.[70][71]

During the reign of Sujin's son and successor, Emperor Suinin, custody of the sacred treasures were transferred from Toyosukiirihime to Suinin's daughter Yamatohime, who took them first to "Sasahata in Uda" to the east of Miwa. Heading north to Ōmi, she then eastwards to Mino and proceeded south to Ise, where she received a revelation from Amaterasu:

Now Ama-terasu no Oho-kami instructed Yamato-hime no Mikoto, saying:—"The province of Ise, of the divine wind, is the land whither repair the waves from the eternal world, the successive waves. It is a secluded and pleasant land. In this land I wish to dwell." In compliance, therefore, with the instruction of the Great Goddess, a shrine was erected to her in the province of Ise. Accordingly an Abstinence Palace was built at Kaha-kami in Isuzu. This was called the palace of Iso. It was there that Ama-terasu no Oho-kami first descended from Heaven.[72]

This account serves as the origin myth of the Grand Shrine of Ise, Amaterasu's chief place of worship.

Later, when Suinin's grandson Prince Ousu (also known as Yamato Takeru) went to Ise to visit his aunt Yamatohime before going to conquer and pacify the eastern regions on the command of his father, Emperor Keikō, he was given the divine sword to protect him in times of peril. It eventually came in handy when Yamato Takeru was lured onto an open grassland by a treacherous chieftain, who then set fire to the grass to entrap him. Desperate, Yamato Takeru used the sword to cut the grass around him (a variant in the Shoki has the sword miraculously mow the grass of its own accord) and lit a counter-fire to keep the fire away. This incident explains the sword's name ("Grass Cutter").[73][74] On his way home from the east, Yamato Takeru – apparently blinded by hubris – left the Kusanagi in the care of his second wife, Miyazuhime of Owari, and went to confront the god of Mount Ibuki on his own. Without the sword's protection, he fell prey to the god's enchantment and became ill and died afterwards.[75][76] Thus the Kusanagi stayed in Owari, where it was enshrined in the shrine of Atsuta.[77]

Empress Jingū and Amaterasu's aramitama

 
Hirota Shrine in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, where Amaterasu's aramitama is enshrined

At one time, when Emperor Chūai was on a campaign against the Kumaso tribes of Kyushu, his consort Jingū was possessed by unknown gods who told Chūai of a land rich in treasure located on the other side of the sea that is his for the taking. When Chūai doubted their words and accused them of being deceitful, the gods laid a curse upon him that he should die "without possessing this land." (The Kojiki and the Shoki diverge at this point: in the former, Chūai dies almost immediately after being cursed, while in the latter, he dies of a sudden illness a few months after.)[78][79]

After Chūai's death, Jingū performed divination to ascertain which gods had spoken to her husband. The deities identified themselves as Tsukisakaki Izu no Mitama Amazakaru Mukatsuhime no Mikoto (撞賢木厳之御魂天疎向津媛命, "The Awe-inspiring Spirit of the Planted Sakaki, the Lady of Sky-distant Mukatsu", usually interpreted as the aramitama or 'violent spirit' of Amaterasu), Kotoshironushi, and the three gods of Sumie (Sumiyoshi): Uwatsutsunoo, Nakatsutsunoo, and Sokotsutsunoo.[d] Worshiping the gods in accordance with their instructions, Jingū then set out to conquer the promised land beyond the sea: the three kingdoms of Korea.[80][81]

When Jingū returned victorious to Japan, she enshrined the deities in places of their own choosing; Amaterasu, warning Jingū not to take her aramitama along to the capital, instructed her to install it in Hirota, the harbor where the empress disembarked.[82]

Family

Further information: Family tree of Japanese deities

Family tree

Consorts

She is a virgin goddess and never engages in sexual relationships.[93] However, according to Nozomu Kawamura, she was a consort to a sun god[94] and some telling stories place Tsukuyomi as her husband.[95]

Siblings

Amaterasu has many siblings most notably Susanoo and Tsukiyomi.[96] Basil Hall Chamberlain used the words "elder brother" to translate her dialog referring to Susanoo in the Kojiki, even though he noted that she was his elder sister.[97] The word (which was also used by Izanami to address her elder brother and husband Izanagi) was nase (phonetically spelt 那勢[98] in the Kojiki; modern dictionaries use the semantic spelling 汝兄, whose kanji literally mean "thou[, my] elder brother"), an ancient term used only by females to refer to their brothers, who had higher status than them. (As opposed to males using nanimo (汝妹, "thou[, my] younger sister") (那邇妹 in the Kojiki) to refer to their sisters, who had lower status than them.)[99] The Nihon Shoki used the Chinese word 弟 ("younger brother") instead.[100]

Some tellings say she had a sister named Wakahirume who was a weaving maiden and helped Amaterasu weave clothes for the other kami in heaven. Wakahirume was later accidentally killed by Susanoo.[101]

Other traditions say she had an older brother named Hiruko.[102][page needed]

Descendants

Amaterasu has 5 sons Ame-no-oshihomimi, Ame no Hohi, Amatsuhikone, Ikutsuhikone, and Kumanokusubi, who were given birth to by Susanoo by chewing her hair jewels. According to one account in the Nihon Shoki, it was because these children were male that Susanoo won during the ritual to prove his intent, even though they were not his children, but hers. This explanation of the outcome of the ritual contradicts that in the Kojiki, according to which it was because she gave birth to female children using his sword, and those children were his. The Kojiki claims he won because he had daughters to whom she gave birth, while the Nihon Shoki claims he won because he himself gave birth to her sons. Several figures and noble clans claim descent from Amaterasu most notably the Japanese imperial family through Emperor Jimmu who descended from her grandson Ninigi.[103][95]

Her son Ame no Hohi is considered the ancestral kami of clans in Izumo which includes the Haji clan, Sugawara clan, and the Senge clan. The legendary sumo wrestler Nomi no Sukune is believed to be a 14th generation descendant of Amenohohi.[104][105][106][107]

Worship

 
Amanoiwato Shrine (天岩戸神社)

The Ise Grand Shrine (伊勢神宮 Ise Jingū) located in Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan, houses the inner shrine, Naiku, dedicated to Amaterasu. Her sacred mirror, Yata no Kagami, is said to be kept at this shrine as one of the Imperial regalia objects.[108] A ceremony known as Jingū Shikinen Sengū [ja] (神宮式年遷宮) is held every twenty years at this shrine to honor the many deities enshrined, which is formed by 125 shrines altogether. New shrine buildings are built at a location adjacent to the site first. After the transfer of the object of worship, new clothing and treasure and offering food to the goddess the old buildings are taken apart.[108] The building materials taken apart are given to many other shrines and buildings to renovate.[108] This practice is a part of the Shinto faith and has been practiced since the year 690 CE, but is not only for Amaterasu but also for many other deities enshrined in Ise Grand Shrine.[109] Additionally, from the late 7th century to the 14th century, an unmarried princess of the Imperial Family, called "Saiō" (斎王) or itsuki no miko (斎皇女), served as the sacred priestess of Amaterasu at the Ise Shrine upon every new dynasty.[110]

The Amanoiwato Shrine (天岩戸神社) in Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan is also dedicated to Amaterasu and sits above the gorge containing Ama-no-Iwato.

The worship of Amaterasu to the exclusion of other kami has been described as "the cult of the sun."[111] This phrase may also refer to the early pre-archipelagoan worship of the sun.[111]

According to the Engishiki (延喜式) and Sandai Jitsuroku (三代実録) of the Heian period, the sun goddess had many shrines named "Amateru" or "Amateru-mitama", which were mostly located in the Kinki area. However, there have also been records of a shrine on Tsushima Island, coined as either "Teruhi Gongen" or the "Shining Sun Deity" during medieval times. It was later found that such a shrine was meant for a male sun deity named Ameno-himitama.[110]

Amaterasu was also once worshiped at Hinokuma shrines. The Hinokuma shrines were used to worship the goddess by the Ama people in the Kii Provinces. Because the Ama people were believed to have been fishermen, researchers have conjectured that the goddess was also worshiped for a possible connection to the sea.[110]

Differences in worship

Amaterasu, while primarily being the goddess of the sun, is also sometimes worshiped as having connections with other aspects and forms of nature. Amaterasu can also be considered a goddess of the wind and typhoons alongside her brother, and even possibly death.[112] There are many connections between local legends in the Ise region with other goddesses of nature, such as a nameless goddess of the underworld and sea. It's possible that Amaterasu's name became associated with these legends in the Shinto religion as it grew throughout Japan.[113]

One source interprets from the Heavenly Rock Cave myth that Amaterasu was seen as being responsible for the normal cycle of day and night.[114]

In contrast, Amaterasu, while enshrined at other locations, also can be seen as the goddess that represents Japan and its ethnicity. The many differences in Shinto religion and mythology can be due to how different local gods and beliefs clashed.[113] In the Meiji Era, the belief in Amaterasu fought against the Izumo belief in Ōkuninushi for spiritual control over the land of Japan. During this time, the religious nature of Okininushi may have been changed to be included in Shinto mythology.[115] Osagawara Shouzo built shrines in other countries to mainly spread Japan's culture and Shinto religion. It, however, was usually seen as the worshiping of Japan itself, rather than Amaterasu.[116] Most of these colonial and oversea shrines were destroyed after WWII.[117]

Other worshiped forms

Snake

Outside of being worshiped as a sun goddess, some[who?] have argued that Amaterasu was once related to snakes.[110] There was a legend circulating among the Ise Priests that essentially described an encounter of Amaterasu sleeping with the Saiō every night in the form of a snake or lizard, evidenced by fallen scales in the priestess' bed.[110] This was recorded by a medieval monk in his diary, which stated that "in ancient times Amaterasu was regarded as a snake deity or as a sun deity."[118] In the Ise kanjō, the god's snake form is considered an embodiment of the "three poisons", namely greed, anger, and ignorance.[119] Amaterasu is also linked to a snake cult, which is also tied to the theory that the initial gender of the goddess was male.[118]

Dragon

In general, some of these Amaterasu–dragon associations have been in reference to Japanese plays. One example has been within the Chikubushima tradition in which the dragon goddess Benzaiten was the emanation of Amaterasu.[120] Following that, in the Japanese epic, Taiheki, one of the characters, Nitta Yoshisada (新田義貞‎), made comparisons with Amaterasu and a dragon with the quote: “I have heard that the Sun Goddess of Ise … conceals her true being in the august image of Vairocana, and that she has appeared in this world in the guise of a dragon god of the blue ocean.”[120]

Another tradition of the Heavenly Cave story depicts Amaterasu as a "dragon-fox" (shinko or tatsugitsune) during her descent to the famed cave because it is a type of animal/kami that emits light from its entire body.[121]

Relation to women's positions in early Japanese society

Because Amaterasu has the highest position among the Shinto deities, there has been debate on her influence and relation to women's positions in early Japanese society. Some scholars[who?] have argued that the goddess' presence and high stature within the kami system could suggest that early rulers in Japan were female.[122] Others have argued the goddess' presence implies strong influences female priests had in Japanese politics and religion.[122]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 'Awagihara' or 'Awakihara' (Old Japanese: Apaki1para) is a toponym meaning "a plain covered with awagi shrubs". Its actual location is considered uncertain,[28] although a pond near Eda Shrine in modern-day Awakigahara-chō, Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture (corresponding to the historical Himuka / Hyūga Province) is identified in local lore as the exact spot where Izanagi purified himself.[29][30]
  2. ^ Female in the Kojiki, male in the Shoki.
  3. ^ So the Nihon Shoki, the Kogo Shūi,[58] and the Sendai Kuji Hongi. In the Kojiki (where Futsunushi is not mentioned), the envoys sent by the heavenly gods are Takemikazuchi and the bird-boat deity Ame-no-Torifune.[59][60] In the Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko no Kanʼyogoto ("Congratulatory Words of the Kuni no Miyatsuko of Izumo" - a norito recited by the governor of Izumo Province before the imperial court during his appointment), Futsunushi's companion is Ame-no-Oshihomimi's son Ame no Hinadori.[61][62][63]
  4. ^ The Kojiki's account meanwhile identifies the gods as Amaterasu and the three Sumiyoshi deities.[80]

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February 05, 2023
amaterasu, other, uses, disambiguation, also, known, Ōmikami, 天照大御神, 天照大神, Ōhirume, muchi, kami, 大日孁貴神, goddess, japanese, mythology, major, deities, kami, shinto, also, portrayed, japan, earliest, literary, texts, kojiki, nihon, shoki, ruler, rulers, heavenly. For other uses see Amaterasu disambiguation Amaterasu also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami 天照大御神 天照大神 or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami 大日孁貴神 is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology One of the major deities kami of Shinto she is also portrayed in Japan s earliest literary texts the Kojiki c 712 CE and the Nihon Shoki 720 CE as the ruler or one of the rulers of the heavenly realm Takamagahara and the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan via her grandson Ninigi Along with her siblings the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the impetuous storm god Susanoo she is considered to be one of the Three Precious Children 三貴子 mihashira no uzu no miko sankishi the three most important offspring of the creator god Izanagi AmaterasuGoddess of the sun and the universe the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of JapanAmaterasu emerging from the cave Ama no Iwato to which she once retreated detail of woodblock print by Kunisada Other namesAmaterasu Ōmikami 天照大御神 天照大神 Amaterasu Ōkami 天照大神 Amaterasu Sume ra Ōmikami 天照皇大神 Amaterashimasu Sume ra Ōmikami 天照坐皇大御神 Amaterasu Ōhirume no Mikoto 天照大日孁尊 Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami 大日孁貴神 Ōhirume no Mikoto 大日孁尊 Hi no Kami 日神 Tsukisakaki Izu no Mitama Amazakaru Mukatsuhime no Mikoto 撞賢木厳之御魂天疎向津媛命 Tenshō Kōtaijin 天照皇大神 Tenshō Daijin 天照大神 PlanetSunTextsKojiki Nihon Shoki Sendai Kuji HongiPersonal informationParentsIzanagi Kojiki Izanagi and Izanami Nihon Shoki SiblingsTsukuyomiSusanoo and others ConsortNoneChildrenAme no OshihomimiAme no HohiAmatsuhikoneIkutsuhikoneKumanokusubiAmaterasu s chief place of worship the Grand Shrine of Ise in Ise Mie Prefecture is one of Shinto s holiest sites and a major pilgrimage center and tourist spot As with other Shinto kami she is also enshrined in a number of Shinto shrines throughout Japan Contents 1 Name 2 Mythology 2 1 In classical mythology 2 1 1 Birth 2 1 2 Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi 2 1 3 Amaterasu and Susanoo 2 1 4 The Heavenly Rock Cave 2 1 5 The subjugation of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni 2 1 6 Emperor Jimmu and the Yatagarasu 2 1 7 Enshrinement in Ise 2 1 8 Empress Jingu and Amaterasu s aramitama 3 Family 3 1 Family tree 3 2 Consorts 3 3 Siblings 3 4 Descendants 4 Worship 5 Differences in worship 5 1 Other worshiped forms 5 1 1 Snake 5 1 2 Dragon 6 Relation to women s positions in early Japanese society 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksName EditThe goddess is referred to as Amaterasu Ōmikami 天照大御神 あまてらすおおみかみ 天照大神 historical orthography あまてらすおほみかみ Amaterasu Ohomikami Old Japanese Amaterasu Opomi1kami2 in the Kojiki while the Nihon Shoki gives the following variant names Ōhirume no Muchi 大日孁貴 おおひるめのむち Man yōgana 於保比屢咩能武智 hist orthography おほひるめのむち Ohohirume no Muchi Old Japanese Opopi1rume1 no2 Muti 1 2 Amaterasu Ō mi kami 天照大神 hist orthography あまてらすおほ み かみ Amaterasu Oho mi kami 1 2 Amaterasu Ōhirume no Mikoto 天照大日孁尊 1 2 Hi no Kami 日神 OJ Pi1 no Kami2 1 2 Amaterasu is thought to derive from the verb amateru to illuminate shine in the sky ama sky heaven teru to shine combined with the honorific auxiliary verb su 3 while Ōmikami means great and august deity ō great honorific prefix mi kami Notably Amaterasu in Amaterasu Ōmikami is not technically a name the same way Susanoo in Susa no O no Mikoto or Ōkuninushi in Ōkuninushi no Kami are Amaterasu is an attributive verb form that modifies the noun after it ōmikami This epithet is therefore much more semantically transparent than most names recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in that it means exactly what it means without allusion inference or etymological opacity literally The Great August Goddess Who Augustly Shines in Heaven This usage is analogous to the use of relative clauses in English only different in that Japanese clauses are placed in front of the noun they modify This is futher exemplified by 1 an alternative epithet Amateru Kami 天照神 4 The Goddess Who Shines in Heaven which is a plain non honorific version of Amaterasu Ōmikami 2 alternative forms of the verb amaterasu used elsewhere for example its continuative form amaterashi 天 あま 照 てら 之 し in the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku 5 and 3 similar uses of attributive verb forms in certain epithets such as Emperor Jinmu s Hatsu Kunishirasu Sumeramikoto 始馭天下之天皇 6 His Majesty Who First Rules the Land There are still certain verb forms that are treated as proper names such as the terminal negative fukiaezu in Ugayafukiaezu no Mikoto 鸕鷀草葺不合尊 His Augustness Incompletely Thatched with Comoran Feathers Her other name Ōhirume is usually understood as meaning great woman of the sun daytime cf hiru day time noon from hi sun day me woman lady 7 8 9 though alternative etymologies such as great spirit woman taking hi to mean spirit or wife of the sun suggested by Orikuchi Shinobu who put forward the theory that Amaterasu was originally conceived of as the consort or priestess of a male solar deity had been proposed 7 10 11 12 A possible connection with the name Hiruko the child rejected by the gods Izanagi and Izanami and one of Amaterasu s siblings has also been suggested 13 To this name is appended the honorific muchi 14 which is also seen in a few other theonyms such as Ō a namuchi 15 or Michinushi no Muchi an epithet of the three Munakata goddesses 16 As the ancestress of the imperial line the epithet Sume ra Ō mi kami 皇大神 lit great imperial deity also read as Kōtaijin 17 is also applied to Amaterasu in names such as Amaterasu Sume ra Ō mi kami 天照皇大神 also read as Tenshō Kōtaijin 18 19 and Amaterashimasu Sume ra Ōmikami 天照坐皇大御神 20 During the medieval and early modern periods the deity was also referred to as Tenshō Daijin the on yomi of 天照大神 or Amateru Ongami an alternate reading of the same 21 22 23 24 The name Amaterasu Ōmikami has been translated into English in different ways While a number of authors such as Donald Philippi rendered it as heaven illuminating great deity 25 Basil Hall Chamberlain argued citing the authority of Motoori Norinaga that it is more accurately understood to mean shining in heaven because the auxiliary su is merely honorific not causative so such interpretation as to make heaven shine would be miss the mark and accordingly translated it as Heaven Shining Great August Deity 26 Gustav Heldt s 2014 translation of the Kojiki meanwhile renders it as the great and mighty spirit Heaven Shining 27 Mythology EditIn classical mythology Edit Birth Edit Izanagi purifying himself misogi by immersing in the Tachibana River Natori Shunsen Both the Kojiki ca 712 CE and the Nihon Shoki 720 CE agree in their description of Amaterasu as the daughter of the god Izanagi and the elder sister of Tsukuyomi the deity of the moon and Susanoo the god of storms and seas The circumstances surrounding the birth of these three deities known as the Three Precious Children 三貴子 mihashira no uzu no miko or sankishi however vary between sources In the Kojiki Amaterasu Tsukuyomi and Susanoo were born when Izanagi went to the plain of Awagihara by the river mouth of Tachibana in Himuka in the island of Tsukushi a and bathed misogi in the river to purify himself after visiting Yomi the underworld in a failed attempt to rescue his deceased wife Izanami Amaterasu was born when Izanagi washed his left eye Tsukuyomi was born when he washed his right eye and Susanoo was born when he washed his nose Izanagi then appoints Amaterasu to rule Takamagahara the Plain of High Heaven Tsukuyomi the night and Susanoo the seas 31 32 33 The main narrative of the Nihon Shoki has Izanagi and Izanami procreating after creating the Japanese archipelago to them were born in the following order Ōhirume no Muchi Amaterasu Tsukuyomi the leech child Hiruko and Susanoo After this Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto consulted together saying We have now produced the Great eight island country with the mountains rivers herbs and trees Why should we not produce someone who shall be lord of the universe They then together produced the Sun Goddess who was called Oho hiru me no muchi The resplendent lustre of this child shone throughout all the six quarters Therefore the two Deities rejoiced saying We have had many children but none of them have been equal to this wondrous infant She ought not to be kept long in this land but we ought of our own accord to send her at once to Heaven and entrust to her the affairs of Heaven At this time Heaven and Earth were still not far separated and therefore they sent her up to Heaven by the ladder of Heaven 2 A variant legend recorded in the Shoki has Izanagi begetting Ōhirume Amaterasu by holding a bronze mirror in his left hand Tsukuyomi by holding another mirror in his right hand and Susanoo by turning his head and looking sideways 34 A third variant in the Shoki has Izanagi and Izanami begetting the sun the moon Hiruko and Susanoo as in the main narrative Their final child the fire god Kagutsuchi caused Izanami s death as in the Kojiki 34 A fourth variant relates a similar story to that found in the Kojiki wherein the three gods are born when Izanagi washed himself in the river of Tachibana after going to Yomi 35 Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi Edit One of the variant legends in the Shoki relates that Amaterasu ordered her brother Tsukuyomi to go down to the terrestrial world Ashihara no Nakatsukuni the Central Land of Reed Plains and visit the goddess Ukemochi When Ukemochi vomited foodstuffs out of her mouth and presented them to Tsukuyomi at a banquet a disgusted and offended Tsukuyomi slew her and went back to Takamagahara This act upset Amaterasu causing her to split away from Tsukuyomi thus separating night from day Amaterasu then sent another god Ame no Kumahito 天熊人 who found various food crops and animals emerging from Ukemochi s corpse On the crown of her head there had been produced the ox and the horse on the top of her forehead there had been produced millet over her eyebrows there had been produced the silkworm within her eyes there had been produced panic in her belly there had been produced rice in her genitals there had been produced wheat large beans and small beans 36 Amaterasu had the grains collected and sown for humanity s use and putting the silkworms in her mouth reeled thread from them From this began agriculture and sericulture 36 37 This account is not found in the Kojiki where a similar story is instead told of Susanoo and the goddess Ōgetsuhime 38 Amaterasu and Susanoo Edit See also Susanoo no Mikoto Susanoo and Amaterasu When Susanoo the youngest of the three divine siblings was expelled by his father Izanagi for his troublesome nature and incessant wailing on account of missing his deceased mother Izanami he first went up to Takamagahara to say farewell to Amaterasu A suspicious Amaterasu went out to meet him dressed in male clothing and clad in armor at which Susanoo proposed a trial by pledge ukehi to prove his sincerity In the ritual the two gods each chewed and spat out an object carried by the other in some variants an item they each possessed Five or six gods and three goddesses were born as a result Amaterasu adopted the males as her sons and gave the females later known as the three Munakata goddesses to Susanoo 39 40 41 Susanoo throwing the heavenly horse into Amaterasu s loom Susanoo declaring that he had won the trial as he had produced deities of the required gender b then raged with victory and proceeded to wreak havoc by destroying his sister s rice fields and defecating in her palace While Amaterasu tolerated Susanoo s behavior at first his misdeeds did not cease but became even more flagrant until one day he bore a hole in the rooftop of Amaterasu s weaving hall and hurled the heavenly piebald horse 天斑駒 ame no fuchikoma which he had flayed alive into it One of Amaterasu s weaving maidens was alarmed and struck her genitals against a weaving shuttle killing her In response a furious Amaterasu shut herself inside the Ame no Iwayato 天岩屋戸 Heavenly Rock Cave Door also known as Ama no Iwato plunging heaven and earth into total darkness 42 43 The main account in the Shoki has Amaterasu wounding herself with the shuttle when Susanoo threw the flayed horse in her weaving hall 16 while a variant account identifies the goddess who was killed during this incident as Wakahirume no Mikoto 稚日女尊 lit young woman of the sun day time 44 Whereas the above accounts identify Susanoo s flaying of the horse as the immediate cause for Amaterasu hiding herself yet another variant in the Shoki instead portrays it to be Susanoo defecating in her seat In one writing it is said The august Sun Goddess took an enclosed rice field and made it her Imperial rice field Now Sosa no wo no Mikoto in spring filled up the channels and broke down the divisions and in autumn when the grain was formed he forthwith stretched round them division ropes Again when the Sun Goddess was in her Weaving Hall he flayed alive a piebald colt and flung it into the Hall In all these various matters his conduct was rude in the highest degree Nevertheless the Sun Goddess out of her friendship for him was not indignant or resentful but took everything calmly and with forbearance When the time came for the Sun Goddess to celebrate the feast of first fruits Sosa no wo no Mikoto secretly voided excrement under her august seat in the New Palace The Sun Goddess not knowing this went straight there and took her seat Accordingly the Sun Goddess drew herself up and was sickened She therefore was enraged and straightway took up her abode in the Rock cave of Heaven and fastened its Rock door 45 The Heavenly Rock Cave Edit Amaterasu emerges from the Heavenly Rock Cave Shunsai Toshimasa 1887 The Origin of Iwato Kagura by Utagawa Kunisada c1844 After Amaterasu hid herself in the cave the gods led by Omoikane the god of wisdom conceived a plan to lure her out The gods gathered together the long crying birds of Tokoyo and caused them to cry They uprooted by the very roots the flourishing ma sakaki trees of the mountain Ame no Kaguyama to the upper branches they affixed long strings of myriad magatama beads in the middle branches they hung a large dimensioned mirror in the lower branches they suspended white nikite cloth and blue nikite cloth These various objects were held in his hands by Futotama no Mikoto as solemn offerings and Ame no Koyane no Mikoto intoned a solemn liturgy Ame no Tajikarao no Kami stood concealed beside the door while Ame no Uzume no Mikoto bound up her sleeves with a cord of heavenly hikage vine tied around her head a head band of the heavenly masaki vine bound together bundles of sasa leaves to hold in her hands and overturning a bucket before the heavenly rock cave door stamped resoundingly upon it Then she became divinely possessed exposed her breasts and pushed her skirt band down to her genitals Then Takamanohara shook as the eight hundred myriad deities laughed at once 46 Inside the cave Amaterasu is surprised that the gods should show such mirth in her absence Ame no Uzume answered that they were celebrating because another god greater than her had appeared Curious Amaterasu slid the boulder blocking the cave s entrance and peeked out at which Ame no Koyane and Futodama brought out the mirror the Yata no Kagami and held it before her As Amaterasu struck by her own reflection apparently thinking it to be the other deity Ame no Uzume spoke of approached the mirror Ame no Tajikarao took her hand and pulled her out of the cave which was then immediately sealed with a straw rope preventing her from going back inside Thus was light restored to the world 47 48 49 As punishment for his unruly conduct Susanoo was then driven out of Takamagahara by the other gods Going down to earth he arrived at the land of Izumo where he killed the monstrous serpent Yamata no Orochi to rescue the goddess Kushinadahime whom he eventually married From the serpent s carcass Susanoo found the sword Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi 天叢雲剣 Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven also known as Kusanagi no Tsurugi 草薙剣 Grass Cutting Sword which he presented to Amaterasu as a reconciliatory gift 38 50 51 The subjugation of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni Edit See also Ōkuninushi Kuni yuzuri and Tenson kōrin Artist s impression of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan After a time Amaterasu and the primordial deity Takamimusubi also known as Takagi no Kami declared that Ashihara no Nakatsukuni which was then being ruled over by Ōkuninushi also known as Ō a namuchi the descendant Kojiki or the son Shoki of Susanoo should be pacified and put under the jurisdiction of their progeny claiming it to be teeming with numerous deities which shone with a lustre like that of fireflies and evil deities which buzzed like flies 52 Amaterasu ordered Ame no Oshihomimi the firstborn of the five male children born during her contest with Susanoo to go down to earth and establish his rule over it However after inspecting the land below he deemed it to be in an uproar and refused to go any further 53 54 At the advice of Omoikane and the other deities Amaterasu then dispatched another of her five sons Ame no Hohi Upon arriving however Ame no Hohi began to curry favor with Ōkuninushi and did not send back any report for three years 54 52 The heavenly deities then sent a third messenger Ame no Wakahiko who also ended up siding with Ōkuninushi and marrying his daughter Shitateruhime After eight years a female pheasant was sent to question Ame no Wakahiko who killed it with his bow and arrow The blood stained arrow flew straight up to Takamagahara at the feet of Amaterasu and Takamimusubi who then threw it back to earth with a curse killing Ame no Wakahiko in his sleep 55 56 57 The preceding messengers having thus failed to complete their task the heavenly gods finally sent the warrior deities Futsunushi and Takemikazuchi c to remonstrate with Ōkuninushi At the advice of his son Kotoshironushi Ōkuninushi agreed to abdicate and left the physical realm to govern the unseen spirit world which was given to him in exchange The two gods then went around Ashihara no Nakatsukuni killing those who resisted them and rewarding those who rendered submission before going back to heaven 64 Ninigi and his retinue at Mount Takachiho With the earth now pacified Amaterasu and Takamimusubi again commanded Ame no Oshihomimi to descend and rule it He however again demurred and suggested that his son Ninigi be sent instead Amaterasu thus bequeathed to Ninigi the sword Susanoo gave her along with the two items used to lure her out of the Ame no Iwayato the mirror Yata no Kagami and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama With a number of gods serving as his retinue Ninigi came down from heaven to Mount Takachiho in the land of Himuka and built his palace there Ninigi became the ancestor of the emperors of Japan while the mirror jewel and sword he brought with him became the three sacred treasures of the imperial house Five of the gods who accompanied him in his descent Ame no Koyane Futodama Ame no Uzume Ishikoridome the maker of the mirror and Tamanoya the maker of the jewel meanwhile became the ancestors of the clans involved in court ceremonial such as the Nakatomi and the Inbe ja 65 66 67 Emperor Jimmu and the Yatagarasu Edit See also Emperor Jimmu Yatagarasu the sun crow guiding Emperor Jimmu and his men towards the plain of Yamato Many years later Ninigi s great grandson Kamuyamato Iwarebiko later known as Emperor Jimmu decided to leave Himuka in search of a new home with his elder brother Itsuse Migrating eastward they encountered various gods and local tribes who either submitted to them or resisted them After Itsuse died of wounds sustained during a battle against a chieftain named Nagasunehiko Iwarebiko retreated and went to Kumano located on the southern part of the Kii Peninsula While there he and his army were enchanted by a god in the shape of a giant bear and fell into a deep sleep At that moment a local named Takakuraji had a dream in which Amaterasu and Takamimusubi commanded the god Takemikazuchi to help Iwarebiko Takemikazuchi then dropped his sword Futsu no Mitama into Takakuraji s storehouse ordering him to give it to Iwarebiko Upon waking up and discovering the sword inside the storehouse Takakuraji went to where Iwarebiko was and presented it to him The magic power of the Futsu no Mitama immediately exterminated the evil gods of the region and roused Iwarebiko and his men from their slumber Continuing their journey the army soon found themselves stranded in the mountains Takamimusubi so the Kojiki or Amaterasu Shoki then told Iwarebiko in a dream that the giant crow Yatagarasu would be sent to guide them in their way Soon enough the bird appeared and led Iwarebiko and his men to safety At length Iwarebiko arrived at the land of Yamato modern Nara Prefecture and defeated Nagasunehiko thereby avenging his brother Itsuse He then established his palace capital at Kashihara and ruled therein 68 69 Enshrinement in Ise Edit See also Ōmononushi and Saiō Hibara Shrine ja at the foot of Mount Miwa in Sakurai Nara Prefecture The shrine is identified as the place where the Yata no Kagami and the Kusanagi no Tsurugi were first enshrined after they were removed from the imperial palace An anecdote concerning Emperor Sujin relates that Amaterasu via the Yata no Kagami and the Kusanagi sword and Yamato no Ōkunitama the tutelary deity of Yamato were originally worshiped in the great hall of the imperial palace When a series of plagues broke out during Sujin s reign he dreaded the power of these Gods and did not feel secure in their dwelling together He thus entrusted the mirror and the sword to his daughter Toyosukiirihime who brought them to the village of Kasanuhi and delegated the worship of Yamato no Ōkunitama to another daughter Nunakiirihime When the pestilence showed no sign of abating he then performed divination which revealed the plague to have been caused by Ōmononushi the god of Mount Miwa When the god was offered proper worship as per his demands the epidemic ceased 70 71 During the reign of Sujin s son and successor Emperor Suinin custody of the sacred treasures were transferred from Toyosukiirihime to Suinin s daughter Yamatohime who took them first to Sasahata in Uda to the east of Miwa Heading north to Ōmi she then eastwards to Mino and proceeded south to Ise where she received a revelation from Amaterasu Now Ama terasu no Oho kami instructed Yamato hime no Mikoto saying The province of Ise of the divine wind is the land whither repair the waves from the eternal world the successive waves It is a secluded and pleasant land In this land I wish to dwell In compliance therefore with the instruction of the Great Goddess a shrine was erected to her in the province of Ise Accordingly an Abstinence Palace was built at Kaha kami in Isuzu This was called the palace of Iso It was there that Ama terasu no Oho kami first descended from Heaven 72 This account serves as the origin myth of the Grand Shrine of Ise Amaterasu s chief place of worship Yamato Takeru Later when Suinin s grandson Prince Ousu also known as Yamato Takeru went to Ise to visit his aunt Yamatohime before going to conquer and pacify the eastern regions on the command of his father Emperor Keikō he was given the divine sword to protect him in times of peril It eventually came in handy when Yamato Takeru was lured onto an open grassland by a treacherous chieftain who then set fire to the grass to entrap him Desperate Yamato Takeru used the sword to cut the grass around him a variant in the Shoki has the sword miraculously mow the grass of its own accord and lit a counter fire to keep the fire away This incident explains the sword s name Grass Cutter 73 74 On his way home from the east Yamato Takeru apparently blinded by hubris left the Kusanagi in the care of his second wife Miyazuhime of Owari and went to confront the god of Mount Ibuki on his own Without the sword s protection he fell prey to the god s enchantment and became ill and died afterwards 75 76 Thus the Kusanagi stayed in Owari where it was enshrined in the shrine of Atsuta 77 Empress Jingu and Amaterasu s aramitama Edit Hirota Shrine in Nishinomiya Hyōgo Prefecture where Amaterasu s aramitama is enshrined At one time when Emperor Chuai was on a campaign against the Kumaso tribes of Kyushu his consort Jingu was possessed by unknown gods who told Chuai of a land rich in treasure located on the other side of the sea that is his for the taking When Chuai doubted their words and accused them of being deceitful the gods laid a curse upon him that he should die without possessing this land The Kojiki and the Shoki diverge at this point in the former Chuai dies almost immediately after being cursed while in the latter he dies of a sudden illness a few months after 78 79 Empress Jingu After Chuai s death Jingu performed divination to ascertain which gods had spoken to her husband The deities identified themselves as Tsukisakaki Izu no Mitama Amazakaru Mukatsuhime no Mikoto 撞賢木厳之御魂天疎向津媛命 The Awe inspiring Spirit of the Planted Sakaki the Lady of Sky distant Mukatsu usually interpreted as the aramitama or violent spirit of Amaterasu Kotoshironushi and the three gods of Sumie Sumiyoshi Uwatsutsunoo Nakatsutsunoo and Sokotsutsunoo d Worshiping the gods in accordance with their instructions Jingu then set out to conquer the promised land beyond the sea the three kingdoms of Korea 80 81 When Jingu returned victorious to Japan she enshrined the deities in places of their own choosing Amaterasu warning Jingu not to take her aramitama along to the capital instructed her to install it in Hirota the harbor where the empress disembarked 82 Family EditFurther information Family tree of Japanese deities Family tree Edit Amaterasu s family tree based on the Kojiki Takamimusubi 83 Izanagi 84 IzanamiKagutsuchi 85 Watatsumi 86 AmaterasuSusanooTsukuyomiYorozuhata Akitsuhime Takuhata Chijihime 87 Ame no OshihomimiAme no HohiAmatsuhikoneIkutsuhikoneKumanokusubi 88 Ōyamatsumi 89 Ninigi 90 Konohana SakuyahimeHooriToyotamahimeTamayorihime 91 Ugayafukiaezu 92 Emperor JimmuConsorts Edit She is a virgin goddess and never engages in sexual relationships 93 However according to Nozomu Kawamura she was a consort to a sun god 94 and some telling stories place Tsukuyomi as her husband 95 Siblings Edit Amaterasu has many siblings most notably Susanoo and Tsukiyomi 96 Basil Hall Chamberlain used the words elder brother to translate her dialog referring to Susanoo in the Kojiki even though he noted that she was his elder sister 97 The word which was also used by Izanami to address her elder brother and husband Izanagi was nase phonetically spelt 那勢 98 in the Kojiki modern dictionaries use the semantic spelling 汝兄 whose kanji literally mean thou my elder brother an ancient term used only by females to refer to their brothers who had higher status than them As opposed to males using nanimo 汝妹 thou my younger sister 那邇妹 in the Kojiki to refer to their sisters who had lower status than them 99 The Nihon Shoki used the Chinese word 弟 younger brother instead 100 Some tellings say she had a sister named Wakahirume who was a weaving maiden and helped Amaterasu weave clothes for the other kami in heaven Wakahirume was later accidentally killed by Susanoo 101 Other traditions say she had an older brother named Hiruko 102 page needed Descendants Edit This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed September 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Amaterasu has 5 sons Ame no oshihomimi Ame no Hohi Amatsuhikone Ikutsuhikone and Kumanokusubi who were given birth to by Susanoo by chewing her hair jewels According to one account in the Nihon Shoki it was because these children were male that Susanoo won during the ritual to prove his intent even though they were not his children but hers This explanation of the outcome of the ritual contradicts that in the Kojiki according to which it was because she gave birth to female children using his sword and those children were his The Kojiki claims he won because he had daughters to whom she gave birth while the Nihon Shoki claims he won because he himself gave birth to her sons Several figures and noble clans claim descent from Amaterasu most notably the Japanese imperial family through Emperor Jimmu who descended from her grandson Ninigi 103 95 Her son Ame no Hohi is considered the ancestral kami of clans in Izumo which includes the Haji clan Sugawara clan and the Senge clan The legendary sumo wrestler Nomi no Sukune is believed to be a 14th generation descendant of Amenohohi 104 105 106 107 Worship Edit Amanoiwato Shrine 天岩戸神社 The Ise Grand Shrine 伊勢神宮 Ise Jingu located in Ise Mie Prefecture Japan houses the inner shrine Naiku dedicated to Amaterasu Her sacred mirror Yata no Kagami is said to be kept at this shrine as one of the Imperial regalia objects 108 A ceremony known as Jingu Shikinen Sengu ja 神宮式年遷宮 is held every twenty years at this shrine to honor the many deities enshrined which is formed by 125 shrines altogether New shrine buildings are built at a location adjacent to the site first After the transfer of the object of worship new clothing and treasure and offering food to the goddess the old buildings are taken apart 108 The building materials taken apart are given to many other shrines and buildings to renovate 108 This practice is a part of the Shinto faith and has been practiced since the year 690 CE but is not only for Amaterasu but also for many other deities enshrined in Ise Grand Shrine 109 Additionally from the late 7th century to the 14th century an unmarried princess of the Imperial Family called Saiō 斎王 or itsuki no miko 斎皇女 served as the sacred priestess of Amaterasu at the Ise Shrine upon every new dynasty 110 The Amanoiwato Shrine 天岩戸神社 in Takachiho Miyazaki Prefecture Japan is also dedicated to Amaterasu and sits above the gorge containing Ama no Iwato The worship of Amaterasu to the exclusion of other kami has been described as the cult of the sun 111 This phrase may also refer to the early pre archipelagoan worship of the sun 111 According to the Engishiki 延喜式 and Sandai Jitsuroku 三代実録 of the Heian period the sun goddess had many shrines named Amateru or Amateru mitama which were mostly located in the Kinki area However there have also been records of a shrine on Tsushima Island coined as either Teruhi Gongen or the Shining Sun Deity during medieval times It was later found that such a shrine was meant for a male sun deity named Ameno himitama 110 Amaterasu was also once worshiped at Hinokuma shrines The Hinokuma shrines were used to worship the goddess by the Ama people in the Kii Provinces Because the Ama people were believed to have been fishermen researchers have conjectured that the goddess was also worshiped for a possible connection to the sea 110 Differences in worship EditAmaterasu while primarily being the goddess of the sun is also sometimes worshiped as having connections with other aspects and forms of nature Amaterasu can also be considered a goddess of the wind and typhoons alongside her brother and even possibly death 112 There are many connections between local legends in the Ise region with other goddesses of nature such as a nameless goddess of the underworld and sea It s possible that Amaterasu s name became associated with these legends in the Shinto religion as it grew throughout Japan 113 One source interprets from the Heavenly Rock Cave myth that Amaterasu was seen as being responsible for the normal cycle of day and night 114 In contrast Amaterasu while enshrined at other locations also can be seen as the goddess that represents Japan and its ethnicity The many differences in Shinto religion and mythology can be due to how different local gods and beliefs clashed 113 In the Meiji Era the belief in Amaterasu fought against the Izumo belief in Ōkuninushi for spiritual control over the land of Japan During this time the religious nature of Okininushi may have been changed to be included in Shinto mythology 115 Osagawara Shouzo built shrines in other countries to mainly spread Japan s culture and Shinto religion It however was usually seen as the worshiping of Japan itself rather than Amaterasu 116 Most of these colonial and oversea shrines were destroyed after WWII 117 Other worshiped forms Edit Snake Edit Outside of being worshiped as a sun goddess some who have argued that Amaterasu was once related to snakes 110 There was a legend circulating among the Ise Priests that essentially described an encounter of Amaterasu sleeping with the Saiō every night in the form of a snake or lizard evidenced by fallen scales in the priestess bed 110 This was recorded by a medieval monk in his diary which stated that in ancient times Amaterasu was regarded as a snake deity or as a sun deity 118 In the Ise kanjō the god s snake form is considered an embodiment of the three poisons namely greed anger and ignorance 119 Amaterasu is also linked to a snake cult which is also tied to the theory that the initial gender of the goddess was male 118 Dragon Edit In general some of these Amaterasu dragon associations have been in reference to Japanese plays One example has been within the Chikubushima tradition in which the dragon goddess Benzaiten was the emanation of Amaterasu 120 Following that in the Japanese epic Taiheki one of the characters Nitta Yoshisada 新田義貞 made comparisons with Amaterasu and a dragon with the quote I have heard that the Sun Goddess of Ise conceals her true being in the august image of Vairocana and that she has appeared in this world in the guise of a dragon god of the blue ocean 120 Another tradition of the Heavenly Cave story depicts Amaterasu as a dragon fox shinko or tatsugitsune during her descent to the famed cave because it is a type of animal kami that emits light from its entire body 121 Relation to women s positions in early Japanese society EditBecause Amaterasu has the highest position among the Shinto deities there has been debate on her influence and relation to women s positions in early Japanese society Some scholars who have argued that the goddess presence and high stature within the kami system could suggest that early rulers in Japan were female 122 Others have argued the goddess presence implies strong influences female priests had in Japanese politics and religion 122 See also EditFirst sunrise Himiko List of solar deities Zalmoxis Ōkami Amaterasu Tokapcup kamuy Shinto in popular culture Solar MythsNotes Edit Awagihara or Awakihara Old Japanese Apaki1para is a toponym meaning a plain covered with awagi shrubs Its actual location is considered uncertain 28 although a pond near Eda Shrine in modern day Awakigahara chō Miyazaki Miyazaki Prefecture corresponding to the historical Himuka Hyuga Province is identified in local lore as the exact spot where Izanagi purified himself 29 30 Female in the Kojiki male in the Shoki So the Nihon Shoki the Kogo Shui 58 and the Sendai Kuji Hongi In the Kojiki where Futsunushi is not mentioned the envoys sent by the heavenly gods are Takemikazuchi and the bird boat deity Ame no Torifune 59 60 In the Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko no Kanʼyogoto Congratulatory Words of the Kuni no Miyatsuko of Izumo a norito recited by the governor of Izumo Province before the imperial court during his appointment Futsunushi s companion is Ame no Oshihomimi s son Ame no Hinadori 61 62 63 The Kojiki s account meanwhile identifies the gods as Amaterasu and the three Sumiyoshi deities 80 References Edit a b c d Kuroita Katsumi 1943 Kundoku Nihon Shoki vol 1 訓読日本書紀 上巻 Iwanami Shoten p 27 a b c d e Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 18 via Wikisource Akira Matsumura ed 1995 大辞林 Daijirin in Japanese 2nd ed Sanseido Books ISBN 978 4385139005 天照神 kotobank jp 日本三代實録の地震史料 ja wikisource org 始馭天下之天皇 御肇国天皇 kotobank jp a b Tatsumi Masaaki 天照らす日女の命 Amaterasuhirumenomikoto 万葉神事語辞典 in Japanese Kokugakuin University Archived from the original on 2020 10 11 Retrieved 2020 10 11 Naumann Nelly 1982 Sakahagi The Reverse Flaying of the Heavenly Piebald Horse Asian Folklore Studies 41 1 26 27 doi 10 2307 1178306 JSTOR 1178306 Akima Toshio 1993 The Myth of the Goddess of the Undersea World and the tale of Empress Jingu s Subjugation of Silla Japanese Journal of Religious Studies Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture 20 2 3 120 121 doi 10 18874 jjrs 20 2 3 1993 95 185 Eliade Mircea ed 1987 Amaterasu The Encyclopedia of Religion vol 1 Macmillan p 228 Akima 1993 p 172 Matsumura Kazuo 2014 Mythical Thinkings What Can We Learn from Comparative Mythology Countershock Press p 118 ISBN 9781304772534 Wachutka Michael 2001 Historical Reality Or Metaphoric Expression Culturally Formed Contrasts in Karl Florenz and Iida Takesato s Interpretations of Japanese Mythology LIT Verlag Munster pp 113 114 貴 むち goo国語辞書 in Japanese Retrieved 2020 10 11 Tsugita Uruu 2008 Shinpan Norito Shinkō 新版祝詞新講 Ebisu Kōshō Shuppan pp 506 507 ISBN 9784900901858 a b Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 40 via Wikisource 皇大神 Kotobank コトバンク The Asahi Shimbun Company Retrieved 2020 10 11 Tobe Tamio 2004 Nihon no kami sama ga yoku wakaru hon yaoyorozu no kami no kigen seikaku kara go riyaku made o kanzen gaido 日本の神様 がよくわかる本 八百万神の起源 性格からご利益までを完全ガイド PHP Kenkyusho Nagasawa Rintarō 1917 Kōso kōsō no seiseki 皇祖皇宗之聖蹟 Shinreikaku p 1 天照大御神 アマテラスオオミカミ 京都通百科事典 Encyclopedia of Kyoto Retrieved 2020 10 11 Teeuwen Mark 2015 Knowing vs owning a secret Secrecy in medieval Japan as seen through the sokui kanjō enthronement unction In Scheid Bernhard Teeuwen Mark eds The Culture of Secrecy in Japanese Religion Routledge p 1999 ISBN 9781134168743 Kaempfer Engelbert 1999 Kaempfer s Japan Tokugawa Culture Observed Translated by Bodart Bailey Beatrice M University of Hawaii Press p 52 ISBN 9780824820664 Hardacre Helen 1988 Kurozumikyo and the New Religions of Japan Princeton University Press p 53 ISBN 0691020485 Bocking Brian 2013 The Oracles of the Three Shrines Windows on Japanese Religion Routledge ISBN 9781136845451 Philippi Donald L 1968 Kojiki Translated with an Introduction and Notes University of Tokyo Press p 454 Chamberlain 1882 Section XI Investiture of the Three Deities The Illustrious August Children Heldt Gustav 2014 The Kojiki An Account of Ancient Matters Columbia University Press pp xiv 18 ISBN 978 0 2311 6388 0 Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 462 463 ISBN 978 1400878000 みそぎ祓 はら いのルーツ 阿波岐原 Awakigahara Forest Park Retrieved 2022 02 12 阿波岐原 國學院大學 古事記学センター in Japanese Kokugakuin University Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 68 71 ISBN 978 1400878000 Chamberlain 1882 Section XI Investiture of the Three Deities The Illustrious August Children Chamberlain 1882 Section XII The Crying and Weeping of His Impetuous Male Augustness a b Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 20 via Wikisource Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 28 via Wikisource a b Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 32 33 via Wikisource Roberts Jeremy 2010 Japanese Mythology A To Z PDF 2nd ed New York Chelsea House Publishers ISBN 978 1604134353 Archived from the original PDF on 2017 11 19 Retrieved 2012 04 04 a b Chamberlain 1882 Section XVII The August Expulsion of His Impetuous Male Augustness Chamberlain 1882 Section XIII The August Oath Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 72 78 ISBN 978 1400878000 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 35 39 via Wikisource Chamberlain 1882 Section XV The August Ravages of His Impetuous Male Augustness Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press p 79 ISBN 978 1400878000 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 46 via Wikisource Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 47 via Wikisource Translation from Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 82 84 ISBN 978 1400878000 Names and untranslated words transcribed in Old Japanese in the original have been changed into their modern equivalents Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 82 85 ISBN 978 1400878000 Chamberlain 1882 Section XVI The Door of the Heavenly Rock Dwelling Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 42 via Wikisource Chamberlain 1882 Section XVIII The Eight Forked Serpent Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 45 52 via Wikisource a b Aston William George 1896 Book II Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 64 via Wikisource Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 120 122 ISBN 978 1400878000 a b Chamberlain 1882 Section XXX The August Deliberation for Pacifying the Land Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 123 125 ISBN 978 1400878000 Mori Mizue Amewakahiko Encyclopedia of Shinto Kokugakuin University Archived from the original on 14 February 2020 Retrieved 13 February 2017 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 65 66 via Wikisource Kogoshui Gleanings from Ancient Stories Translated with an introduction and notes Translated by Katō Genchi Hoshino Hikoshirō Meiji Japan Society 1925 p 16 Chamberlain 1882 Section XXXII Abdication of the Deity Master of the Great Land Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press p 129 ISBN 978 1400878000 De Bary Wm Theodore Keene Donald Tanabe George Varley Paul eds 2001 Sources of Japanese Tradition From Earliest Times to 1600 Columbia University Press p 38 ISBN 9780231121385 Takioto Yoshiyuki 2012 Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko no Kan yogoto no Shinwa 出雲国造神賀詞の神話 PDF Komazawa Shigaku in Japanese Komazawa University 78 1 17 Archived PDF from the original on 2022 10 09 Nishioka Kazuhiko Amenooshihomimi Encyclopedia of Shinto Kokugakuin University Retrieved 2020 03 25 permanent dead link Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 68 70 via Wikisource Chamberlain 1882 Section XXXIII The August Descent from Heaven of His Augustness the August Grandchild Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 137 141 ISBN 978 1400878000 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 70 76 77 via Wikisource Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 163 177 ISBN 978 1400878000 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 114 128 via Wikisource Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 151 154 via Wikisource Kogoshui Gleanings from Ancient Stories Translated with an introduction and notes Translated by Katō Genchi Hoshino Hikoshirō Meiji Japan Society 1925 pp 29 30 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 176 via Wikisource Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 238 240 ISBN 978 1400878000 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co p 205 via Wikisource Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 245 249 ISBN 978 1400878000 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 208 210 via Wikisource Kogoshui Gleanings from Ancient Stories Translated with an introduction and notes Translated by Katō Genchi Hoshino Hikoshirō Meiji Japan Society 1925 p 33 Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 257 258 ISBN 978 1400878000 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 221 223 via Wikisource a b Philippi Donald L 2015 Kojiki Princeton University Press pp 259 263 ISBN 978 1400878000 Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 224 227 via Wikisource Aston William George 1896 Book I Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Kegan Paul Trench Trubner amp Co pp 237 238 via Wikisource Nihongi Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A D 697 Volume 1 Izanagi and Izanami Shintō deity Britannica com Kagutsuchi Oxfordreference com Retrieved 26 June 2022 Watatsumi no kami Oxfordreference com Ninigi Mythopedia com Retrieved 26 June 2022 Alone among Women A Comparative Mythic Analysis of the Development of Amaterasu Theology Archived from the original on 2021 01 26 Retrieved 2020 11 21 Encyclopedia of Shinto Home Kami in Classic Texts Ōyamatsumi Eos kokugakuin ac jp Ninigi World History Encyclopedia Retrieved 26 June 2022 Shinto Portal IJCC Kokugakuin University Eos kokugakuin ac jp Shinto Portal IJCC Kokugakuin University Eos kokugakuin ac jp Alone among Women A Comparative Mythic Analysis of the Development of Amaterasu Theology 2 kokugakuin ac jp Archived from the original on 2021 01 26 Retrieved 2020 11 21 Kawamura 2013 12 19 Sociology amp Society Of Japan Routledge p 205 ISBN 978 1 317 79319 9 a b Amaterasu Mythopedia com Retrieved 2020 11 21 Izanagi and Izanami Shintō deity britannica com Retrieved 2020 11 20 The Kojiki Volume I Section XIII The August Oath Sacred texts com 古事記 上卷 维基文库 自由的图书馆 Zh wikisource org Retrieved 26 June 2022 スーパー大辞林 Super Daijirin 日本書紀 卷第一 维基文库 自由的图书馆 Zh wikisource org Retrieved 26 June 2022 Amaterasu World History Encyclopedia Retrieved 2020 11 20 Coulter Charles Russell Turner Patricia 2013 07 04 Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities Routledge ISBN 978 1 135 96397 2 Kitagawa Joseph Mitsuo 1987 10 21 On Understanding Japanese Religion Princeton University Press ISBN 978 0 691 10229 0 Encyclopedia of Shinto Home Kami in Classic Texts Amenohohi eos kokugakuin ac jp Archived from the original on 2020 11 30 Retrieved 2020 11 21 Borgen Robert 1975 The Origins of the Sugawara A History of the Haji Family Monumenta Nipponica 30 4 405 422 doi 10 2307 2383977 ISSN 0027 0741 JSTOR 2383977 Cali Joseph Dougill John 2012 Shinto Shrines A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan s Ancient Religion University of Hawaiʻi Press ISBN 978 0 8248 3713 6 Sumo World History Encyclopedia Retrieved 2020 11 21 a b c Ellwood Robert S 1968 Harvest and Renewal at the Grand Shrine of Ise Numen 15 3 165 190 doi 10 2307 3269575 ISSN 0029 5973 JSTOR 3269575 Cristina Martinez Fernandez Naoko Kubo Antonella Noya Tamara Weyman 2012 11 28 Demographic Change and Local Development Shrinkage Regeneration and Social Dynamics Shrinkage Regeneration and Social Dynamics OECD Publishing ISBN 9789264180468 a b c d e Takeshi Matsumae 1978 Origin and Growth of the Worship of Amaterasu Asian Folklore Studies 37 1 1 11 doi 10 2307 1177580 JSTOR 1177580 a b Wheeler Post 1952 The Sacred Scriptures of the Japanese New York Henry Schuman pp 393 395 ISBN 978 1425487874 Metevelis Peter The Deity and Wind of Ise permanent dead link a b Akira Toshio 1993 The Origins of the Grand Shrine of Ise and the Cult of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Nichibunken Japan Review 4 doi 10 15055 00000383 Bellingham David Whittaker Clio Grant John 1992 Myths and Legends Secaucus New Jersey Wellfleet Press p 198 ISBN 1 55521 812 1 OCLC 27192394 Zhong Yijiang Freedom Religion and the Making of the Modern State in Japan 1868 89 permanent dead link Nakajima Michio Shinto Deities that Crossed the Sea Japan s Oversea Shrines 1868 1945 Suga Koji A Concept of Overseas Shinto Shrines A Pantheistic Attempt by Ogasawara and Its Limitation permanent dead link a b Kidder Jonathan Edward 2007 Himiko and Japan s Elusive Chiefdom of Yamatai Archaeology History and Mythology Honolulu University of Hawai i Press p 265 ISBN 978 0 8248 3035 9 Breen John Teeuwen Mark 2013 Shinto in History Ways of the Kami Oxon Routledge p 109 ISBN 978 1 136 82704 4 a b Faure Bernard 2015 12 31 Protectors and Predators Gods of Medieval Japan Volume 2 University of Hawai i Press doi 10 21313 hawaii 9780824839314 001 0001 ISBN 9780824839314 S2CID 132415496 Breen John Teeuwen Mark 2000 Shinto in History Ways of the Kami University of Hawaii Press ISBN 9780824823634 a b Roberts Jeremy 2010 Japanese mythology A to Z 2nd ed New York NY Chelsea House Publishers ISBN 9781438128023 OCLC 540954273 External links Edit Look up amaterasu in Wiktionary the free dictionary Media related to Amaterasu ōmikami at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Amaterasu amp oldid 1135329080, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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