Amaterasu

cannot bear the thought of giving all of my faith to someone or something so inhumanely “pure”. Perhaps he may not be, but that is the way I have grown to see him, a purity that evades Hell. As a child it was especially important to me to have a figure that I could relate to in a way that did not make me feel uncomfortable with all of my flaws. I needed imperfections in entities that held equally immense power and I found it in cultures with polytheism. It started with Greek myth—Zeus, Hades, Aphrodite—and moved on to many others that caught my eye through various media. Amaterasu, goddess of the sun in Shinto religion, is one of the gods I am rather fond of. I came across her through a game called Ōkami in which she was portrayed as a wolf whose job was to save Japan from the darkness spread by Orochi—an eight headed snake. Not only was her personality rather quirky for a silent protagonist, but so…

himself of the impurities from the underworld. As he washed his face, he created the Sun, moon, and sea deities. Amaterasu the incarnation of the Sun was born from his left eye, Tsukiyomi the incarnation of the moon was born from his right eye, and Susanoo the incarnation of the sea was born from washing his nose. These three are perhaps the most significant deities in Japanese mythology. Amaterasu roughly translates to “she who shines in the heavens.” She is not only the goddess of the Sun but…

shrine is dedicated to Amaterasu, the sun goddess and supreme deity in the Shinto religion. The story goes that the inner shrine was built when princess Yamatohime was tasked with finding a permanent place of worship for Amaterasu. After twenty years of searching, the inner shrine was built in the beautiful countryside of Ise. The outer shrine was later added in the 5th century, around 7 kilometers from the inner shrine. The Ise Grand Shrine is known as Japan’s most sacred shrine. The inner…

methods for various reasons; according to the myths, a lot of gods and goddesses were born after this world was created. By their own roles, they have ruled over from a small tribe to a big society that is larger than a country with diverse names. Inanna, Ishtar, and Aphrodite are the goddesses who have similar roles, personalities, and characteristics but different names because those three regions of myths are adjoined. However, the faraway continents such as Asia and America have completely…

volcanic soils are extremely fertile, causing high productivity of farmers. A disadvantage is that it is prone to earthquakes. It is significant that Japan is an island country because it strengthened the sense of ethnic and cultural distinctiveness. The sense of racial and cultural homogeneity has enabled them to import ideas from abroad without worrying that the borrowings will destroy the uniqueness of their own culture. According to legend the islands were formed as a result of the…

Shinto gods, also known as kami, are sacred spirits that take on forms of things like: animals, rivers, mountains, wind, rain, plants etc. The most important kami is Amaterasu, she is the greatest of all gods and goddess according to the oldest chronicle of Japan (Nakao and Ohara, 2014). Also known as, the sun goddess to her followers. The etiological myth of the Shinto dance is a key episode of Japanese mythology: when Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess, hid herself in a rock cave and darkness…

the world is referred to as contain the nature of kami. They are not like a traditional deity and are usually broken up into three types. The first type of kami are associated with nature and the effects of nature on society. The second type of kami are associated with family ancestors who have passed away but continue to look after the family. The third type of kami are souls of auspicious dead, which are souls of soldiers and those whom die in war. Izangai and Izanami are the first kami. …

take part in making offerings like food to their ancestors and Kami as well as ritual prayer to exalt ancestors and Kami (Religion: Shinto). Often families will purchase items from larger well-known shrines and place them in their Kami Dana thus linking their home shrine to the greater one (Religion: Shinto). IX. Who was the founder? Shinto has no original founder (Hay 290)(Toropov 181). X. How was the religion/cult evolved over time? Shinto is always constantly evolving and only recently…

Izanagi that she would kill one thousand people of Japan each day. He said that if she did, he would cause fifteen hundred Japanese people to be born. After this traumatizing experience of being chased by his wife and maggot-Gods he decided to bathe himself. To wash himself, he had to take off his jewelry, when they touched the ground more Gods formed in their place. When he immersed himself in the water even more Gods formed. The most important three were created once he washed his face. They…

natural beauty of the world while simultaneously maintaining balance with the kami. The divine age is what the whole basis of Shinto is based upon. Page 336 reads, “Then the sun goddess sent her grandson to rule Japan with the divine commission that the throne that his descendants would occupy would prosper forever. This divine commission is the basic foundation of all the principles of this world.” One seeking the true way must rely upon the oral transmissions of this age. This divine age…