Amaterasu
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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 (Gama or God) who shines in the heaven".[1] The Emperor of Japan is said to be a direct descendant of Amaterasu.
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[edit] History
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, out of disgust, he killed the goddess of food, Uke Mochi, when she pulled "food from her rectum, nose, and mouth" [2] This killing upset Amaterasu causing her to label Tsukuyomi an evil god and split away from him; separating night from day.
[edit] Worshipping the Sun Goddess
The Ise Shrine located in Honshū, Japan houses the inner shrine, Naiku dedicated to Amaterasu. Her sacred mirror, Yata no Kagami is said to be 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".[3] This phrase can also refer to the early pre-archipelagoan worship of the sun itself.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ ama means "heaven"; tera is an inflectional form of teru, "to shine"; su is an honorific auxiliary verb which shows respect for the actor; then amaterasu means "to shine in the heaven". And ō means "big" or "great"; mi is a prefix for noble and august beings. See Daijirin (2nd ed.). ISBN 4-385-13900-8..
- ^ Roberts, Jeremy (2010). Japanese Mythology A To Z (2nd ed.). New York: Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 978-1-60413-435-3. http://www.enryo.ro/carti/Japanese%20mythology%20A%20to%20Z.pdf.
- ^ a b Wheeler, Post (1952). The Sacred Scriptures of the Japanese. New York: Henry Schuman. pp. 393-395. ISBN 1-4254-8787-4.
