Amaterasu's Birth and the Story of the Cave
Amaterasu is born of Izanagi’s left eye during his cleansing ritual in the River Woto after he escaped the Underworld and the wrath of his dead wife Izanami. It is decided that she will be the divine ruler of the Heavens and is, therefore, the ancestor of the imperial family (Cartwright 2012 and Wu 2017). One of the first known stories regarding Amaterasu is the story of her argument with her younger brother Susanoo and subsequent retreat into a cave. There are several versions of this story that differ only slightly. One claims Susanoo was causing chaos on Earth and ended when he threw a flayed horse in the room that Amaterasu was weaving with other Gods (Wu 2017), while another claims Amaterasu was weaving with servants and many were harmed when Susanoo threw the dead horse in (Cartwright 2012). There are many more depictions that vary just slightly in details, but each story is based off the writings of the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. Either way, Amaterasu always ends up running away in fear and locks herself in a cave. This results in attempts by other Gods to coax and force her out. In some stories, the Gods gather and attempt to coax her out gently with no luck. When this fails, they pretend that they’ve found a replacement for her and will use that to return the Sun to the world. She peaks out of the cave to see this replacement and is forcibly dragged out and prevented from returning (Wu 2017). In other interpretations, the Gods, again, start by trying to gently coax her out. Upon that failure, they get creative and try to trick her out of the cave. They set Roosters next to the cave and encourage them to call; set up a sakaki tree with jewels, pure white garments and mirror; and they had the Goddess Amenouzume do a wild dance to incite laughter from all the Gods. When Amaterasu stuck her head out of the cave to see what was happening, her reflection stunned her long enough for another God to drag her out of the cave and block her from returning (Carwright 2012).
There were several sun deities in ancient times before the story of Amaterasu. They became obsolete with her introduction to the culture, as she is said to be the ancestor of the Imperial family. With this title given to her, many shrines were created to honor her. These shrines are called Amateru or Amateru-mitama. Many of these shrines were found in the Kinki area, but one important one rose up on Tsushima Island. This shrine was called Teruhi Gongen (the Shining Sun Deity Shrine). Later, a shrine in Nagoya called the Atusta Shrine was deemed as a sanctuary to Amaterasu. Even with all of these shrines, Amaterasu was mainly worshipped at Ise and Hinokuma. These shrines are still standing today and carry on the traditional worship of Amaterasu. (Takeshi, 1978).
Traditional worship at the Shrine of Ise consisted of both traditional and indigenous elements. A large festival would occur, starting with a secret ritual performed by three maidens. They would approach the sacred pillar to offer food a sake. Many ceremonies and performances would occur the following day. Then, the saiô would pay homage to the goddess, followed by a prayer from Nakatomi priest and ending with an offering of sakaki tree by the Imibe priest. These traditions were carried over into the rule of the Yamato Court. (Takeshi, 1978).
Amaterasu Emerges from the Light
Painted by: Utagawa KunisadaIt was during the 1930’s that Japanese women started to look more into their historical culture and root themselves in the ideals of motherhood. Takamure Itsue’s book Bokeisei no kenkyū discussed the matrilineality that was present in ancient Japan. (Suzuki, 2010). Japan was not originally a Buddhist country that revolved around men, but rather a country based around women and motherhood. Parts of this culture still showed through in the mythos despite the evolution that occurred. However, it would take several centuries for this to come out. Patriarchal codes were placed upon the interpretations of the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. It was during the nineteenth century and the introduction of the Shinto religion that Amaterasu would again be looked at as the highest deity (Nakamura, 2014). Amaterasu was seen as the Sun Goddess, leader of the heavens, despite being female. Her origins are likely rooted in this matrilineal society of ancient Japan, and not the Buddhist patriarchy that came later. Her standing throughout the times as a powerful female leader resonates with many women.
Amaterasu’s influence found its way into the modern culture through many different artistic works. Her presence can be felt in several video games and anime. Both of which are hugely important in Japan and the world. She is found minorly in the works of Naruto as an influence on a power of fire, representing her standing as the Sun Goddess. Her character is present in the works BlazBlue, Otogi: Secret Spirit Agents and MASA works designs Sister’s Story Trilogy. She has a story told about her in a game called Okami, where she appears as a wolf. She is the main character in a storyline based off her brother Susanoo’s story of slaying the eight-headed serpent. Many other aspects of Japanese mythology are embedded throughout the game. She is also present in Smite, an online fighting game that incorporates different deities from various cultures. Here, she is present as herself and a short excerpt is given about her history. Her hold in modern day Japan has allowed her story to be known throughout the world, giving her a chance to influence many individuals such as myself. Her story is a powerful one that deserves recognition.
Works Cited
Cartwright, Mark. “Amaterasu.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. December 2012.
Mingren, Wu. “Solar Goddess Amaterasu, Divine Ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family.” Ancient Origins. October 2017.
Nakamura, Konoyu. "Goddess Politics: Analytical Psychology and Japanese Myth." Psychotherapy and Politics International, vol 11, issue 3, 2013, pp. 234-250.
Suzuki, Michiko. Becoming Modern Women. Stanford University Press, 2010.
Takeshi, Matsume. "Origin and Growth of the Worship of Amaterasu." Asian Folklore Studies, vol 37, no 1, 1978, pp. 1-11.