The sun goddess Amaterasu is the principal deity (Kami) of the Japanese Shinto (“the way of the gods”) religion and the founder of the imperial dynasty. She is honored, especially at her temple in Ise, Japan, and is believed to give spiritual power to her people. 

Amaterasu was born of the original parent deities, Izanagi and Izanami (see a summary of the Kojiki creation story), and came to have an important role in the ritual traditions of Shinto, especially those connected to the imperial household and the sense of a national religion. As the ancestral deity of the imperial family, she was enshrined in the central shrines of Shinto at Ise. 

Under State Shinto, Ise became the shrine of the whole nation. There is still a belief among many Japanese that pilgrimage to Ise can bring benefits to the nation. The pilgrimage is known as Ise Mairi. Through the centuries, emperors and peasants alike have worshipped her, sought her help in times of trouble, and appealed to her life-giving power of renewal.

According to Japanese mythology, Amaterasu has a brother, the storm god Susanowo, who, when visiting her in heaven, produced five gods by biting Amaterasu’s necklaces and blowing a cloud over them. Meanwhile, Amaterasu had created three goddesses by breaking her brother’s sword, chewing on the pieces, and blowing a cloud over them. 

Later, Susanowo, in a drunken rage, disrupted and destroyed much of Heaven and earth. He uprooted trees, tore down sacred buildings, and destroyed rice fields. Susanowo also destroyed Amaterasu’s home, leading her to hide in a cave, which caused evil spirits to run riot and cause disorder. The world was deprived of light and warmth, causing the deaths of plants and animals. 

Realizing the severity of this situation, the gods held a conference, ama-no-yasu-gawara, deciding that they must get Amaterasu to return. On several occasions, the gods and goddesses failed to lure Amaterasu away from the cave and back into the world.

They then asked the goddess Ama no Uzume to dance in front of the cave, which she did. Dropping her clothes in the process, the gods were overcome with laughter, which was so loud that Amaterasu became curious and opened the door to her cave. In so doing, she noticed the reflection of herself in a mirror that the gods had hung outside her door, and, overcome by her own beauty, she left her cave to examine herself more closely, allowing the gods to rope off the door. Having left the cave, the world became bright and warm again, and life returned to it. Thereafter, the sun was only absent at night.

Susanowo was banished from the Heavens. Now banished, Susanowo built a palace and married the daughter of an earth spirit, for whom he had killed a notorious eight-headed monster. Susanowo and his wife then become parents to many important gods—especially Okuninushi and the “Spirit Master” of Izumo.

Amaterasu’s triumph over her brother secured her rule over the world. In later years, Amaterasu gave her jewels and mirror to her grandson Ninigi who went down to earth as the first ruler. 

References

Bowker, John. 2000. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford University Press.

Cotterell, Arthur. 2003. A Dictionary of World Mythology. Oxford University Press. 

Leeming, David. 2002. A Dictionary of Asian Mythology. Oxford University Press.