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103-415: In Japanese mythology and fantasy, mazoku ( 魔族 ) are supernatural beings, normally evil ones such as devils or demons. A maō ( 魔王 ) or maou is a ruler of mazoku, or in fiction more generically a dark lord or powerful monster. The name ma ( 魔 – devil ) suggests that they are meant to threaten human existence or defy the gods, while - zoku ( 族 – tribe, clan, family) indicates that they are

206-400: 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

309-604: 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

412-417: A cave. It would take the combined efforts of many other kami, and the erotic dance of a particular goddess named Ame no Uzume, to lure Amaterasu from the cave again. Ame no Uzume exposed herself while dancing and created such commotion that Amaterasu peeked out from her cave. The myth of Amaterasu's entering and emerging from a cave is depicted in one of the most iconic images of Japanese mythology which

515-443: 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. An anecdote concerning Emperor Sujin relates that Amaterasu ( via

618-447: A family. Maō ( 魔王 ) is a term derived from mazoku, suggesting a king ( 王 Ō – king, ruler) that rules the mazoku. The term "mazoku" was used to describe the asura and yaksha in Hindu mythology , as well as Zoroastrianism 's daeva . It is a general term for devils, demons and evil beings. In Japanese polytheism , it is an antonym of 神族 (shinzoku), "the tribe of gods". A maō is

721-433: A historical manner. In this article, underlined h , y , and w denote silent letters; they are omitted from modern spelling. Other syllables are modernized as follows (see also Japanese romanization systems ). Note that some blend of these conventions is also often used. Amaterasu Amaterasu Ōmikami ( 天照大御神, 天照大神 ), often called Amaterasu for short, also known as Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami ( 大日孁貴神 ),

824-434: A kami according to this system. Myths often tell stories of particular, local deities and kami; for example, the kami of a mountain or a nearby lake. Most kami take their origins from Shinto beliefs, but the influence of Buddhism also affected the pantheon. Contact with other cultures usually had some influence on Japanese myth. In the fourteenth century, Christianity found its way to Japan through St. Francis Xavier and there

927-646: A kami who looks almost human in depictions is the ruler of the Seas Ryujin . On the other hand, kami like Ninigi and Amaterasu are often depicted as human in their forms. Shinto originated in Japan, and the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki tell the tales of the Shinto pantheon's origins. Shinto is still practiced today in Japan. In Shinto belief, kami has multiple meanings and could also be translated as "spirit" and all objects in nature have

1030-466: A king or ruler over mazoku. For instance, in Bible translations, Satan is a maō. In polytheism, the counterpart of maō is 神王 (shin'ō), "the king of gods ". The Japanese feudal lord Oda Nobunaga also called himself a maō in a letter to Takeda Shingen , signing it with 第六天魔王 ("the demon king of the sixth heaven"). In Japanese fantasy, the meaning of "mazoku" differs from work to work. Some works use

1133-465: A lumberjack who worked in that forest was not lucky enough to escape the mythological creature. The Jorōgumo spider is commonly told in Japanese folklore. The word itself translate to the meaning,"whore spider". Every story commonly states, that the creature captures it's prey by first seeming like a beautiful women than after seduction is complete turning into the much more bitter better half. This creature

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1236-420: A nap. He rested near, the waterfall and there is when Jorōgumo, caught her first prey. Taking on the persona of a beautiful woman, the man simply thought she was merely a woman. After she saw he was asleep, she quickly turned to her true form, top half a beautiful woman and the bottom half is a spider. The man awoke in a web, and was lucky enough to escape said web, to tell the tale to local citizens. Unfortunately,

1339-457: A purification ceremony. As Izanagi cleansed himself, the water and robes that fell from his body created many more gods. Purification rituals still function as important traditions in Japan today, from shoe etiquette in households to sumo wrestling purification ceremonies. Amaterasu, the Sun goddess and divine ancestor of the first Emperor Jimmu, was born from Izanagi's eye. The Moon god and Susanoo

1442-530: 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

1545-491: 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. The preceding messengers having thus failed to complete their task,

1648-411: 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. Susanoo, declaring that he had won

1751-537: A trio of gods who produced the next seven generations of gods . Izanagi and Izanami were eventually born, siblings, and using a naginata decorated with jewels, named Ame-no-nuhoko ("Heavenly Jeweled Spear") that was gifted to them. Izanagi created the first islands of the Japanese Archipelago by dipping the Naginata into the primordial waters. Historians have interpreted the myth of Izanagi's creation of

1854-443: A union ceremony is born with no limbs or bones, and the parents discard the child by sending him to sea in a boat. When Izanagi and Izanami ask the older gods why their child was born without bones or limbs, they are told it was because they did not conduct the ceremony properly and that the male must always speak before the female. Once they follow the directions of the older gods correctly, they produce many children, many of whom are

1957-455: 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) ' ). 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

2060-725: 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. 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. The Amanoiwato Shrine ( 天岩戸神社 ) in Takachiho , Miyazaki Prefecture , Japan

2163-566: 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." This phrase may also refer to the early pre-archipelagoan worship of the sun. 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

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2266-527: Is also enshrined in a number of Shinto shrines throughout Japan. The goddess is referred to as Amaterasu Ōmikami ( 天照大御神 / 天照大神 ; historical orthography : あまてらすおほみかみ , Amaterasu Ohomikami ; Old Japanese : Amaterasu Opomi 1 kami 2 ) in the Kojiki , while the Nihon Shoki gives the following variant names: Amaterasu is thought to derive from the verb amateru ' to illuminate / shine in

2369-484: Is also seen in a few other theonyms such as ' Ō(a)namuchi ' or 'Michinushi-no-Muchi' (an epithet of the three Munakata goddesses ). 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 ) 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') and 'Amaterashimasu-Sume(ra)-Ōmikami' ( 天照坐皇大御神 ). During

2472-629: 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 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

2575-501: Is believed to be a 14th-generation descendant of Amenohohi. 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 . A ceremony known as Jingū Shikinen Sengū  [ ja ] ( 神宮式年遷宮 )

2678-709: Is believed to be over 400 years old. There is said to be a male version of this horrific creature, commonly called the Tschuigumo. Many deities appear in Japanese mythology, and many of them have multiple aliases. Furthermore, some of their names are comparatively long. This article, therefore, lists only the most prominent names and gives them in one of their abbreviated forms, other abbreviated forms are also in use. (For instance, Ninigi , or Ame-Nigishikuni-Nigishiamatsuhiko-Hikono-no- Ninigi -no-Mikoto in full, may also be abbreviated as Hikoho-no-Ninigi or Hono-Ninigi .) In some parts of this article, proper names are written in

2781-443: 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. The building materials taken apart are given to many other shrines and buildings to renovate. This practice

2884-449: Is its inclusion of graphic details, with disgusting and horrific images that are considered to be taboo in modern Japanese society, which has many cultural practices associated with purification and cleanliness. After Izanami's death, the myth of Izanagi's efforts to rescue her from Yomi , an underworld described in Japanese mythology, explains the origins of the cycle of birth and death. After killing their child Kagutsuchi , Izanagi

2987-480: Is not found in the Kojiki , where a similar story is instead told of Susanoo and the goddess Ōgetsuhime . 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

3090-472: Is not gender-specific. For instance, " Erlkönig ", by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , widely translated as "Elf King" in English, was translated as "maō" in Japanese. The term daimaō or daimaou ( 大魔王 – great demon king) is sometimes used to describe a very high-ranking or powerful maō. An example is Piccolo Daimaō , a villain from the Dragon Ball manga. Japanese mythology Japanese myths are tied to

3193-532: 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

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3296-516: Is shown to the right. The sun goddess Amaterasu's importance in Japanese mythology is two-fold. She is the sun, and one of Izanagi's most beloved of children, as well as the ancestor of the Japanese imperial line, according to legend. Her status as a sun goddess had political ramifications for the imperial family, and the Yamato state most likely benefited from the myth when dealing with Korean influences because Korea also had myths of sun god ancestors for

3399-643: Is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology . Often considered the chief deity ( kami ) of the Shinto pantheon, 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 as the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan via her grandson Ninigi . Along with two of her siblings (the moon deity Tsukuyomi and

3502-549: The Kojiki ( c.  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: After this Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto consulted together, saying:—"We have now produced

3605-758: The Shintōshū describes the origins of Japanese deities from a Buddhist perspective. One notable feature of Japanese mythology is its explanation of the origin of the Imperial Family , which has been used historically to deify to the imperial line. Japanese is not transliterated consistently across all sources (see spelling of proper nouns ). Japanese myths are passed down through oral tradition , through literary sources (including traditional art), and through archaeological sources. For much of Japan's history, communities were mostly isolated, which allowed for local legends and myths to grow around unique features of

3708-679: The Kojiki ) to refer to their sisters, who had lower status than them.) The Nihon Shoki used the Chinese word 弟 ( ' younger brother ' ) instead. 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. Other traditions say she had an older brother named Hiruko . Amaterasu has five 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

3811-634: 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 . 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

3914-440: 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

4017-411: 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

4120-493: 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". Amaterasu ordered Ame-no-Oshihomimi ,

4223-427: The topography of the archipelago as well as agriculturally-based folk religion , and the Shinto pantheon holds uncountable kami (" god(s) " or "spirits"). Two important sources for Japanese myths, as they are recognized today, are the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki . The Kojiki , or "Record of Ancient Matters," is the oldest surviving account of Japan's myths, legends, and history. Additionally,

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4326-630: 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

4429-507: The Japanese Archipelago separate the prehistoric history into three eras based on attributes of the discoveries associated with each era. The Jōmun period marks the first cases of pottery found on the archipelago, followed by the Yayoi period and the Kofun period. The Yayoi district of the Japanese capital Tokyo, is the namesake of the Yayoi period because archaeologists discovered pottery associated with

4532-600: The Korean imperial family. The tale of first Emperor Jimmu is considered the origin of the Imperial family. Emperor Jimmu is considered to be the human descendant of Amaterasu the Sun goddess. His ascension to the throne marked the "Transition from Age of the Gods to Human Age". After taking control of Yamato province , he established the imperial throne and acceded in the year of kanoto tori (conventionally dated to 660 B.C.). At

4635-580: 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. Thus the Kusanagi stayed in Owari, where it was enshrined in the shrine of Atsuta . At one time, when Emperor Chūai was on a campaign against the Kumaso tribes of Kyushu , his consort Jingū

4738-622: 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-Cormorant-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 ' ), though alternative etymologies such as ' great spirit woman ' (taking hi to mean ' spirit ' ) or ' wife of

4841-456: 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. 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

4944-417: The Yamato kingdom — the same Yamato state that was responsible for the two most prominent literary sources of Japanese myth, the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. Japan's archipelago creation narrative can be divided into the birth of the deities ( Kamiumi ) and the birth of the land ( Kuniumi ). The birth of the deities begins with the appearance of the first generation of gods who appeared out of primordial oil,

5047-501: The Yata-no-Kagami and the Kusanagi sword ) and Yamato-no-Okunitama , the tutelary deity of Yamato, were originally worshipped 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  [ ja ] , who brought them to

5150-464: The adventures and lives of folk heroes. There are many Japanese heroes that are associated with specific locations in Japan, and others that are more well known across the archipelago. Some heroes are thought to have been real people, such as the Forty-seven rōnin , but their legacy has been transformed into great folktales that depict the historical figures as more gifted, powerful, or knowledgeable than

5253-468: 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. 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

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5356-531: The ancestors of the clans involved in court ceremonial such as the Nakatomi and the Inbe . 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

5459-454: 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, such interpretation as ' to make heaven shine ' would miss the mark), and accordingly translated it as ' Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity ' . Gustav Heldt's 2014 translation of the Kojiki , meanwhile, renders it as "the great and mighty spirit Heaven Shining." Both

5562-419: The average person. The heroic adventures of these heroes range from acts of kindness and devotion, such as the myth of Shita-kiri Suzume , to battling frightful enemies, as in the tale of Momotaro . Themes that appear in the folklore concerning heroes are moral lessons, or stories that function as parables. The tale of Shita-kiri Suzume, for example, warns of the dangers of greed, avarice, and jealousy through

5665-477: The capital, instructed her to install it in Hirota , the harbor where the empress disembarked. She is a virgin goddess and never engages in sexual relationships. However, according to Nozomu Kawamura  [ ja ] , she was a consort to a sun god and some telling stories place Tsukuyomi as her husband. Amaterasu has many siblings, most notably Susanoo and Tsukiyomi . Basil Hall Chamberlain used

5768-412: The compiler, suggesting that the compiler believed that Izanami was Izanagi's sister. While scholars disagree about the nature of Izanami and Izanagi's relationships, the gods Amaterasu and Susanoo , children of Izanagi, were sibling gods who created children together in a contest preceding Susanoo's desecration of Amaterasu's home which leads to her hiding in a cave. A unique aspect of Japanese mythology

5871-687: The current constitution of Japan. Japanese gods and goddesses, called kami, are uniquely numerous (there are at least eight million) and varied in power and stature. They are usually descendants from the original trio of gods that were born from nothing in the primordial oil that was the world before the kami began to shape it. There are easily as many kami in Japanese myth as there are distinct natural features, and most kami are associated with natural phenomena. Kami can take many shapes and forms, some look almost human in depictions found by archaeologists; meanwhile, other kami look like hybrids of humans and creatures, or may not look human at all. One example of

5974-589: 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. This account serves as

6077-543: 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

6180-560: The eight-hundred myriad deities laughed at once. 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

6283-477: The end of the seventh century, the Imperial court finally moved from where Emperor Jimmu was said to have founded it in Yamato. The importance of this myth in particular is that it establishes the origins, and the power, of the Japanese imperial family as divine. Although some scholars believe that the myths found in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki are meant to give authority to the imperial family, others suggest that

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6386-474: The example of an old couple's experiences with a fairy who disguised herself as a sparrow to test the old man. The influence of Bushido is noticeable in the behavior of heroes, and heroes often were also warriors. Momotaro, born from a peach for a childless couple to raise, is a mythic hero who embodied courage and dutifulness as he went on a journey to defeat oni who were kidnapping, raping, and pillaging his home island. The tale of Momotaro also shares in

6489-406: The first Japanese Island Onogoro as an early example of phallocentrism in Japanese mythology. The earliest creation myths of Japanese mythology generally involve topics such as death, decay, loss, infanticide, and contamination. The creation myths place great importance on purification, ceremonial order, and the masculine. For example, the first child born to Izanagi and Izanami after they attempt

6592-508: 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. 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. The heavenly deities then sent

6695-502: The geographic location where the people who told the stories lived. The Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, completed in A.D. 712 and A.D. 720 respectively, had the two most referenced and oldest sources of Japanese mythology and pre-history. Written in the Eighth century , under the Yamato state , the two collections relate the cosmogony and mythic origins of the Japanese archipelago, its people, and

6798-457: The heavenly gods finally sent the warrior deities Futsunushi and Takemikazuchi 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. With

6901-407: The historical and mythical origins of Japan's people, culture, and the imperial family. Motoori Norinaga , an Edo-period Japanese scholar, interpreted Kojiki and his commentary, annotations, and use of alternate sources to supplement his interpretations are studied by scholars today because of their influence on the current understanding of Japanese myths. Archaeologists studying the history of

7004-405: The history of the Japanese archipelago and its mythological origins were recorded in spite of Emperor Temmu's death before its completion. As a result of Hideya no Are's account, the Kojiki was finally completed, transcribed in kanji characters, during Empress Genshō 's time as sovereign. The Yamato state also produced fudoki and Man'yōshū , two more of the oldest surviving texts that relate

7107-465: The imperial family. It is based on the records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki that the imperial family claims direct descent from the sun goddess Amaterasu and her grandson Ninigi . Emperor Temmu enlisted the help of Hiyeda no Are who committed to memory the history of Japan as it was recorded in two collections that are thought by historians to have existed before the Kojiki and Nihongi . Under Empress Gemmei 's rule, Hideya no Are's memory of

7210-461: The impetuous storm-god Susanoo ) she ranks as 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'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

7313-415: The islands of the Japanese Archipelago. Among their children are the Ōyashima , or the eight great islands of Japan — Awaji , Iyo , Oki , Tsukushi , Iki , Tsushima , Sado , and Yamato . The last child that Izanami produces is a fire god, Kagutsuchi (incarnation of fire), whose flames kill her; and Izanagi murders the child in grief-driven anger. The child's corpse creates even more gods. Izanami

7416-564: The latter, he dies of a sudden illness a few months after.) 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

7519-409: 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). 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 ' , Basil Hall Chamberlain argued (citing

7622-469: 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. After a time, Amaterasu and

7725-404: The myths in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki are unique accounts meant to give authority to the mythic histories in themselves. The Nihon Shoki and Kojiki have varying accounts of the mythic history of Japan, and there are differences in the details of the origins of the imperial family between the two texts. The imperial dynasty still has a role as a public symbol of the state and people, according to

7828-625: The noun they modify. This is further exemplified by (1) an alternative epithet, Amateru Kami ( 天照神 , ' 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 照 之 ) in the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku , and (3) similar uses of attributive verb forms in certain epithets, such as Emperor Jimmu 's Hatsu Kunishirasu Sumeramikoto ( 始馭天下之天皇 , ' His Majesty Who First Rules

7931-413: 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

8034-435: 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. 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

8137-532: The other. Meanwhile, the sun goddess and the storm god Susanoo's conflicts were intense and bloody. Various accounts of Susanoo's temper tantrum in Amaterasu's home depict a variety of disgusting and brutal behaviors (everything from smearing his feces across her home's walls to skinning her favorite horse alive and throwing it at her maid and killing the maid) but it is usually, in depictions of this particular myth, Susanoo's behavior that scares Amaterasu into hiding in

8240-519: The pair were siblings. Hattori Asake, another scholar, argued that Oka was correct because he drew evidence from another myth about humans who had incestuous relations because of a great flood wiping out the rest of the human population. Essentially, Hattori said the myth Oka used as evidence was too different to be the origin of the Izanagi and Izanami myth. In the Man'yōshū, Izanami is also referred to as imo by

8343-497: 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

8446-561: The shikome who stop to eat them, granting him time to escape. The peaches he uses to scare the shikome off are then blessed, and peaches appear in many other Japanese myths, especially the tale of Momotarō the peach boy. The origins of the Sun and the Moon are accounted for in Japanese mythology through the myth of Izanagi's return from Yomi. After spending so much time in Yomi, Izanagi cleansed himself with

8549-505: The sky ' ( ama ' sky, heaven ' + teru ' to shine ' ) combined with the honorific auxiliary verb -su , while Ōmikami means 'great 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

8652-498: The storm god were born at the same time as Amaterasu, when Izanagi washed his face. Myths related the Sun, the Moon, and the Storm kami are full of strife and conflict. The Sun goddess and her sibling the moon god's interpersonal conflicts explain, in Japanese myth, why the Sun and the Moon do not stay in the sky at the same time — their distaste for one another keeps them both turning away from

8755-407: 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. 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. To this name is appended the honorific muchi , which

8858-462: 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

8961-417: The term for all evil beings that are enemies of humans or good beings, while others use it to specify a certain group of beings (not necessarily evil). The term 悪魔族 ( akumazoku ) may be used to designate evil mazoku specifically (the word 悪 , aku, means "evil"). A maō may be a king of the mazoku, or more generally a king of demons, overlord, dark lord , archenemy of the hero or video game boss . The term

9064-522: The themes of violence, sexual violence, and deities or demons devouring humans. Stories of sexual violence are common in the Buddhist text Nihon ryōiki , while stories of people being devoured by mountain deities are found as if they are historical accounts in the fudoki. In Japanese folklore, heroes like Momotaro rescue women from violent kami and oni . Although the exploits of heroes are well known, Japanese mythology also featured heroines. Ototachibana,

9167-412: The three gods of Sumie ( Sumiyoshi ): Uwatsutsunoo, Nakatsutsunoo, and Sokotsutsunoo . 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 . 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

9270-422: The time period there. Contact with Korean civilization in the latter part of the Yayoi period influenced the culture of the Japanese Archipelago greatly, as evidenced by the discovery of artifacts that archaeologists associate with various cultural streams from Korea, and northeast Asia. Finally, Kofun period artifacts, ranging from A.D. 250 to A.D. 600, are the archaeological sources of what historians know about

9373-484: 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. 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 . This account

9476-517: The trial as he had produced deities of the required gender, 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

9579-497: 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

9682-412: The village of Kasanuhi, and she would become the first Saiō . and delegated the worship of Yamato-no-Okunitama 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. During

9785-518: The wife of Yamato Takeru, threw herself into the sea to save her husband's ship and quell the wrath of the storm that threatened them. Yamato Takeru, once safe, built a tomb for her and his mourning utterance for his wife caused Eastern Honshu to be called Adzuma. Jorōgumo spider: The Jorōgumo spider is commonly known as a member of the Yōkai myths. The myth begins in a waterfall near the city of Izu. A man had been working long hours, and decided to take

9888-576: The words "elder brother" to translate her dialog referring to Susanoo in the Kojiki , even though he noted that she was his elder sister. The word (which was also used by Izanami to address her elder brother and husband Izanagi) was nase (phonetically spelt 那勢 in the Kojiki ; modern dictionaries use the semantic spelling 汝兄 , whose kanji literally mean ' 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 , ' my younger sister ' ) ( 那邇妹 in

9991-474: 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. The main account in the Shoki has Amaterasu wounding herself with the shuttle when Susanoo threw the flayed horse in her weaving hall, while

10094-488: Was also contact with westerners. However, during the Tokugawa shogunate Christians were executed in Japan. Twenty Christians were crucified before that while Toyotomi Hideyoshi was consolidating his power after the assassination of Oda Nobunaga . Christianity was banned in Japan until well into the nineteenth century. As in other cultures, Japanese mythology accounts for not only the actions of supernatural beings but also

10197-451: 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"). On his way home from the east, Yamato Takeru – apparently blinded by hubris – left

10300-413: 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

10403-482: 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

10506-610: Was still grief-stricken, so he undertook the task of finding a way to bring Izanami back from the dead. After finally locating her, he disobeyed her order to not look at her while she went to ask permission to leave Yomi. He used his hair to create a flame, and when he gazed at Izanami's rotting, maggot-filled flesh he fled in fear and disgust. Izanami felt betrayed and tried to capture him, but he escaped by creating obstacles for Izanami's horde of shikome including using peaches to threaten them. The myth of Izanagi's journey into Yomi features many themes of food, he creates grapes to distract

10609-537: Was then buried on Mount Hiba , at the border of the old provinces of Izumo and Hoki , near modern-day Yasugi of Shimane Prefecture . Scholars of Japanese mythology have noted the incestuous themes of the creation myth as represented in the Kojiki, and the first scholar to write about Izanagi and Izanami as siblings was Oka Masao . Izanami is referred to in the Kojiki as Izanagi's imo (meaning both wife or little sister in Japanese) and other scholars dispute that

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