Amaterasu

The Sun Goddess

According to legend, Amaterasu was the daughter of Izanagi, the creator god. He gave birth to her while washing his face after visiting the land of the dead. Soon afterward, Izanagi gave birth to two sons named Susano-wo and Tsuki-yomi. As she was his oldest child, Izanagi made Amaterasu the sun goddess and ruler of the heavens. Susano-wo became god of the oceans, and Tsuki-yomi became ruler of the night.

One of the main myths about Amaterasu tells how she quarreled with her brother Susano-wo after a miracle-working contest, which both deities claimed to have won. Susano-wo flew into a rage and frightened Amaterasu so much that she hid in a rocky cave. Without the sun goddess, day turned to night, and the world was plunged into everlasting, wintry darkness. Crops withered and died, so there was nothing for people to eat.

The other gods met and decided to lure Amaterasu from her cave. They gathered outside and made a lot of noise, but Amaterasu did not come out. Then the goddess Uzume began to dance. She became carried away and took off her clothes. The other gods started laughing. Amaterasu peeped out to find out what all the noise was about and was quickly hauled out of the cave. Thus, sunlight returned to light the earth.

Goddess of Farmers

After 500 CE most people in Japan worshiped Amaterasu, especially farmers, because sunlight was vital to ripen their crops. The main crop grown in Japan is rice, which is raised in flooded fields called paddies. Amaterasu was said to have taught humans how to grow rice and dig channels to flood the fields. In spring farmers prayed to Amaterasu as they planted the young rice shoots in the paddies. They asked her to grant a good harvest later in the year.

The Yamato

Before about 300 CE Japan was not a united country. The islands of Japan were a patch-work of tiny states, each ruled by a powerful clan. Amaterasu was the main deity of a clan called the Yamato who ruled southwest Japan. Around 300 the Yamato gradually grew more powerful. Over the next two hundred years they conquered all of Japan and became the ruling dynasty. The Yamato have continued as emperors of Japan into the twenty-first century.

From early times Yamato chiefs claimed to be actually descended from Amaterasu. They also acted as high priests and as people who could pass on communications between the goddess and ordinary people. The rising sun, symbolizing Amaterasu, became the emperor’s emblem and also the official symbol of the Japanese nation. A red circle representing the sun still appears on the Japanese flag.