Japan, the ancient country of Far Asia, draws attention with its mythology full of interesting elements and characters unique to its own culture.
Moreover, the ties of the Japanese, who are famous for their adherence to their traditions and cultures, with their mythology, whose origins are more than 2000 years old, have not been broken even today!
Here are the 8 most important gods and goddesses in Japanese mythology, from Amaterasu to Susanoo.
1. Izanami and Izanagi
These two sister gods and goddesses are at the forefront of the most important figures in Japanese mythology. Because these two siblings were two divine beings responsible for the creation of the Earth according to Japanese mythology. According to mythology, Izanagi and his sister Izanami were tasked with putting an end to chaos and restoring order.
The two siblings used a sacred spear called “Amenonuhoko” to accomplish this challenging task. With this spear, they began to separate the unified landmasses, extract new islands from the bottom of the seas, and shape the Earth. According to mythology, the islands that makeup Japan appeared in this way. However, from the union of the sibling gods, hundreds of divine beings, gods, and goddesses called Kami, who were extremely important to Japanese mythology, were born…
2. Ebisu
Ebisu was the first child born of the union of Izanami and Izanagi. However, cursed for the sins of his parents, he was born without any bones in his body. But Ebisu's "cursed journey" would turn into the greatest story of courage and endurance in Japanese mythology in the coming years...
According to the ancient narratives, Ebisu was left to drift and die in a huge ocean the first time he was born due to his innate curse. However, this baby god, stubbornly attached to life, managed to survive by creating a piece of land in the ocean he was dragged into when he was 3 years old. Overcoming many hardships throughout his life, Ebisu eventually became the patron god of children, fishermen, prosperity, and fortune.
3. Kagutsuchi
Kagutsuchi is the god of destruction and fire in Japanese mythology. Just like Ebisu, Kagutsuchi, the child of Izanagi and Izanami, had such a strong spirit that his mother killed Izanami at the time of his birth! Izanagi, on the other hand, started to cut off Kagutsuchi's head after a fit of anger because of this, and many destructive spirits, especially the gods of thunder, war, and dragons were formed from Kagutsuchi's spilled blood! For this reason, Kagutsuchi was considered the Japanese mythology god of destruction and fire, and the ancestor of other destructive spirits.
On the other hand, it is possible to see the traces of this frightening god in daily life in Japan. In particular, the Japanese royal family organizes "fire protection" ceremonies called "o-shizume-no-matsuri" twice a year to "appease Kagutsuchi".
4. Amaterasu
Amaterasu, also known as the "Great Sun of the Holy Spirits" or the "Great Spirit Radiating from Heaven", is the Sun goddess in Japanese mythology. According to mythology, this mighty goddess was the right name to become the leader of all the holy spirits. Therefore, her father, Izanagi, granted Amaterasu the authority to become the absolute queen of all divine beings. Amaterasu has been considered a symbol of magnificence, order, and divine purity for thousands of years.
5. Tsukuyomi
Tsukuyomi was the Moon god of Japanese mythology. According to ancient legends, he was born at the end of a ceremony performed by his father Izanagi, like many of his siblings, to get rid of his sins. Tsukiyomi married his sister Amaterasu, the goddess of the Sun, and the Sun and Moon thus ascended to the sky…
6. Susanoo
Believed to have been created from the nose of Izanagi, Susanoo was the storm and sea goddess of Japanese mythology. She had a changeable and rather violent temperament, just like seas and storms. This violence due to Susanoo's nature caused her to be referred to as one of the most powerful divine beings in mythology. In addition, she was also the leading name in the event of the darkening of the Sun in Japanese mythology. Legend has it that during her rivalry with her sister, Amaterasu, the sun goddess, she enraged her sister and caused the Earth to be plunged into darkness.
7. Raijin
Raijin was the god of lightning and thunder. Legend has it that when he was angry, he sent lightning bolts to the earth, and as he hit the drum in his hand, he drowned the earth with terrible sounds of thunder! However, he was often depicted with three fingers symbolizing the past, present, and future.
8. Fujin
Along with his brother Raijin, Fujin was one of the most important deities in Japanese mythology, especially when it comes to natural phenomena. Therefore, Fujin and Raijin were considered two parts of a whole. Fujin, the god of the winds, was seen as one of the cruelest divine beings in mythology. When the two brothers joined forces, they became the absolute masters of nature…