Amaterasu

Also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami, Ōhirume-no-Muchi-no-Kami, Amaterasu-Ōhirume-no-Mikoto

, often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , 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 () and the (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 the impetuous storm-god Susanoo) she ranks as one of the "Three Precious Children" (, ), the three most important offspring of

AI overview

Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology and is considered the chief deity of Shinto, described in Japan's earliest texts as the ruler of the heavenly realm and the mythical ancestor of Japan's Imperial House. She holds profound cultural importance as one of the three most significant deities in the Japanese pantheon, alongside the moon and storm gods who are her siblings.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Deity.type: Japanese
Deity.name: Amaterasu
Deity.god_of: Goddess of the sun and the universe; the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan
Deity.image: File:Amaterasu cave crop.jpg
Deity.caption: Amaterasu emerging from the cave, Ama-no-Iwato, to which she once retreated (detail of woodblock print by Kunisada)
Deity.planet: Sun
Deity.texts: , , Sendai Kuji Hongi
Deity.cult_centre: Ise Shrine
Deity.abode: Takamagahara
Deity.artifacts: Yata no Kagami and Yasakani no Magatama
Deity.animals: Snake and dragon

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: Amaterasu cave crop.jpg

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Amaterasu Ōmikami
native label: 天照大神
nickname: 大日孁貴神

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~34 min read

Article

29 sections

Contents

Name
Mythology
In classical mythology
Birth
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi
Amaterasu and Susanoo
The Heavenly Rock Cave
The subjugation of Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni
Emperor Jimmu and the Yatagarasu
Enshrinement in Ise
Empress Jingū and Amaterasu's ''aramitama''
Family
Family tree
Consorts
Siblings
Descendants
Worship
Shrines
Differences in worship
Other worshiped forms
Snake
Dragon
In Japanese Buddhism
Relation to women's positions in early Japanese society
In Japanese new religions
See also
Notes
References
External links

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 is also enshrined in a number of Shinto shrines throughout Japan.