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This article is part of a series on Shinto |
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| Kami · Ritual purity · Polytheism · Animism · Japanese festivals · Mythology · | |
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| List of Shinto shrines · Twenty-Two Shrines · Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines · Association of Shinto Shrines | |
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| Amaterasu · Sarutahiko · Ame no Uzume · Inari · Izanagi · Izanami · Susanoo · Tsukuyomi | |
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| Kojiki · Nihon Shoki · Fudoki · Rikkokushi · Shoku Nihongi · Jinnō Shōtōki · Kujiki | |
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| Religion in Japan · Glossary of Shinto · List of Shinto divinities · Sacred objects · Japanese Buddhism · Mythical creatures | |
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Shinto Portal |
Amaterasu (天照), Amaterasu-ōmikami (天照大神／天照大御神) or Ōhirume-no-muchi-no-kami (大日孁貴神) is a part of the Japanese myth cycle and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. The name Amaterasu derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great August kami (god) who shines in the heaven".[1] The Emperor of Japan is said to be a direct descendant of Amaterasu.
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The oldest tales of Amaterasu came from two ancient texts known as the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. They are the oldest records of Japanese history dating back to around the 8th century.
Amaterasu was born from Izanagi-no-Mikoto while he was purifying himself after entering Yomi, the underworld, failing to save Izanami-no-Mikoto. As he purified himself, gods began to form from his body. From Izanagi's face, the most important gods fell, including Amaterasu who came from his left eye. She became the ruler of the sun and the heavens along with her brother, Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon and ruler of the night.
Originally, Amaterasu shared the sky with Tsukuyomi, her husband and brother until he killed the goddess of food, Uke Mochi. She offered him food that she pulled "food from rectum, nose, and mouth" (Roberts 110) [2]. Disgusted, Tsukuyomi killed her upsetting Amaterasu. Labeling Tsukuyomi as an evil god, she split away from him separating night from day.
In 1946, Emperor Shōwa issued the Humanity Declaration. It was effectively a renunciation of the conception of akitsumikami (現御神), divinity in human form, and claimed his relation to the people did not rely on such a mythological idea but on a historically developed family-like reliance. Many authors, such as John W. Dower and Herbert Bix, who dispute the former interpretation, consider that by choosing the word akitsumikami (現御神) instead of arahitogami, Emperor Shōwa did not deny his divine descent from the goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami.
It must however be noted, that according to Shinto beliefs, all Japanese people descend from the gods, not only the Emperor. On this topic, Emperor Shōwa expressed in December 1945 his point of view to his vice-grand chamberlain Michio Kinoshita: "It is permissible to say that the idea that the Japanese are descendants of the gods is a false conception; but it is absolutely impermissible to call chimerical the idea that the emperor is a descendant of the gods."[3]
The Ise Shrine located in Honshū, Japan houses the inner shrine, Naiku dedicated to Amaterasu. Her sacred mirror, Yata no Kagami is kept at this shrine as one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. At this shrine, a ceremony known as Shikinen Sengu is held every 20 years to honor Amaterasu. The main shrine buildings are destroyed and rebuilt at a location adjacent to the site. New clothing and food is then offered to the goddess. This practice is a part of the Shinto faith and has been practiced since the 690s.
The worship of Amaterasu to the exclusion of other kami has been described as "the cult of the sun".[4] This phrase can also refer to the early pre-archipelagoan worship of the sun itself.[4]