Amaterasu (mythology)
Amaterasu-o-mikami, often referred to simply as Amaterasu, is a central figure in Japanese Shinto mythology, representing the sun and embodying warmth and light. As the primary kami, she is also regarded as the divine ancestor of the Japanese imperial family. Her origin narratives differ across two significant ancient texts, the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, where she is described as born from the deities Izanagi and Izanami during the creation of Japan. A prominent myth involves her retreating into a cave, which plunged the world into darkness until she was lured out by other kami, restoring light and order.
Amaterasu's lineage continues through her grandson, Ninigi-no-mikoto, who is believed to have brought peace to Japan and established the imperial line, culminating in Emperor Jimmu, the first Japanese emperor. The Ise Shrine, dedicated to Amaterasu, is a major site of pilgrimage and worship, where rituals such as the Kannamesai festival take place annually to honor her and seek her blessings for prosperity. In addition to her significant role in Shinto, Amaterasu has influenced various aspects of Japanese culture, appearing in popular media, including films and video games, where her myths are retold and celebrated.
Amaterasu (mythology)
Symbols: Mirror; sword; necklace
Culture: Japanese (Shinto)
Mother: Izanami
Father: Izanagi
Siblings: Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto (Moon God); Susa-no-o-no-mikoto (Storm God)
Children: Ame no Oshihomimi no mikoto; Ninigi no mikoto (grandson)
Amaterasu-o-mikami, or simply Amaterasu, is the primary kami (deity or spirit) of the Japanese Shinto tradition. She represents the Sun, manifests in representations of warmth and light, and is the leader of the divine plane and as such is the representation of divine oneness. She is the mythological ancestor and guiding force of the Japanese imperial family.
Her origin story differs in the two ancient chronicles of the Shinto tradition, the Kojiki (recorded in 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (recorded in 720 CE). She is the offspring of the deities Izanagi and Izanami, who were assigned to create the land of Japan. The two conceived the deities of the islands of Japan, but in bearing the fire deity, Izanami burned to death. According to Kojiki, Izanagi produced Amaterasu along with her siblings, Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto (the Moon god) and Susano-o-no-mikoto (the Storm god) when he performed a purification ritual on his left eye after a journey into the underworld, where he had sought Izanami after her death. The Nihon Shoki simply accounts for Amaterasu’s birth as a result of intercourse between her parents.
The central myth surrounding her early existence is that she retreated into a cave, fleeing her brother Susanonoo, and as a result sent the world into disorder and darkness. The organized merriment and trickery of the assembled kami brought her out of hiding and restored order to the universe.
Amaterasu’s grandson, Ninigi-no-mikoto, is said to have been sent by the kami herself to bring peace to and watch over the islands of Japan. The imperial symbols and artifacts are said to originate with Ninigi. Ninigi’s grandson, Jimmu, assumed the throne as the first Japanese emperor in 660 CE.
The principal Shinto place of worship, the Ise Shrine in Ise, Japan, is dedicated to her, and contains places of reverence for both Amaterasu and her mother, the agriculture kami, Toyouke-no-omikami. Custodians of the shrine claim that the sacred mirror brought down from the heavenly plane resides in the portion of the shrine reserved for the reverence of Amaterasu. Multitudes make a pilgrimage to the Ise shrine annually for the Kannamesai festival, held in October, where a small portion of the first harvest is offered to Amaterasu to solicit her blessing for continued prosperity. Additionally, Ise’s importance makes it the primary location for all spiritual festivals and major rituals regarding the nation of Japan and the imperial family.
In Mythology
The earliest stories of Amaterasu describe her fitful relationship with her youngest brother, Susanoo, the storm kami. Susanoo, personifying the destructiveness and instability of a storm, constantly quarrels with Amaterasu and insults the dignity of her position in the higher realm. His crude behavior instigates matters, and Amaterasu is provoked to reply with aggressive action from time to time. In a friendly contest intended to forge a truce, the two exchanged totems and bore kami from them. Amaterasu bore three male gods from Susanoo’s sword while Susanoo produced five goddesses from Amaterasu’s mirror. Feeling defeated as a result of the gender balance, Susonoo went on a rampage that destroyed much of the earthly and heavenly realms, as well as Amaterasu’s dwelling. Despondent, Amaterasu retreated to a cave, sending the world into darkness and chaos. The 800 kami of the higher realm assembled outside of the cave in order to lure her out, making merry. After a long time, they lured her out by placing her mirror outside of her cave and hanging her necklace of divine jewelry over a tree. Amenouzume, another kami, danced energetically and suggestively, sending the assembled kami into a frenzy and finally piquing Amaterasu’s interest. When she stepped outside to observe the commotion, the kami grabbed her and prevented her from re-entering the cave, restoring light and order. In some interpretations, this indicates that Amaterasu, as a ruler of kami but a kami nonetheless, is not omniscient, but is a divine creative force.
As the ruler of the higher realm, Amaterasu was responsible for pacifying widespread instability in the islands of Japan. She first sent her son, who found the violence overwhelming. When he came of age, she sent her grandson, Ninigi. He married an earthly woman and produced children, one of which married the kami of the sea, leading to his youngest grandson, Jimmu.
Origins and Cults
The imperial family of Japan takes Amaterasu as its ancestor and guiding force. The three emblems of Amaterasu, the sacred mirror, the sword of Susonoo, and the jewel that was draped around a tree in the cave myth, are the symbols of the Japanese empire. In the imperial tradition, the sacred mirror must be worshipped as the embodiment of Amaterasu, in her grandest form as unifying divinity. The imperial legend explains that Ninigi brought the symbols to the earthly realm and established the imperial family on the order of the kami of the higher realm to pacify Japan at a particularly unstable time. As a descendent of Amaterasu, the emperor is considered to be the highest authority in the Shinto tradition. However, in the twentieth century, Emperor Akihito renounced the claim of personal divinity that prevailed until the death of his father, Hirohito.
As the Shinto tradition was both given primacy to and syncretized with Buddhism in Japan, Amaterasu was given a Buddhist antecedent. The Shingon Buddhist tradition incorporates the concept of kami as manifestations of Buddhahood, and identifies a supreme Sun Buddha, Dainichi, also known as Vairocana. In the Shingon tradition, all of reality emanates from Dainichi. The founder of Shingon, Kukai, established the connection between Dainichi and Amaterasu despite the differences in the way they are revered.
In Popular Culture
Shinto intermingles freely with the cultures of Japan, including the popular culture, featuring the most important myths and concepts mostly implicitly but sometimes explicitly. Kami are important elements of some of the most popular cultural works, such as director Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, about a girl who comes of age after journeying to a world inhabited by kami. The video game Okami features Amaterasu, represented as a wolf, as the protagonist in a story that blends a variety of myths surrounding Amaterasu’s return and the restoration of order to the earthly realm. Amaterasu also features in films that deal explicitly with the origin of the state, or particularly the empire, of Japan, such as The Three Treasures, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki.
Bibliography
Aston, W.G. Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest of Times to A.D. 697. Rutland: Tuttle, 1972. Print.
De Leeuw, Paul and Aidan Rankin. The Essence of Shinto: Japan’s Spiritual Heart. Tokyo: Kodansha Int., 2006. Print.
Fréderic, Louis. Japan Encyclopedia. Trans. Käthe Roth. Cambridge: Belknap, 2002. Print.
Leeming, David. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.
Mason, J.W.T. The Meaning of Shinto. Victoria: Trafford, 2002. Print.
Matthews, Warren. World Religions. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2013. Print.
Mazur, Eric Michael, ed. Encyclopedia of Religion and Film. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2011.
Yasumaro, Ō no. The Kojiki: An Account of Ancient Matters. Trans. Gustav Heidt. New York: Columbia UP, 2014. Print.