Japanese Mythology

Outraged by Susanoo's violence, Amaterasu sealed herself in a rock cave and the world went dark, until the gods lured her out with a mirror, jewels, and Ame-no-Uzume's wild dance.

The sun goddess who rules Takamagahara and heads the imperial mythic lineage; her retreat into the Heavenly Rock Cave plunged heaven and earth into darkness.

The Heavenly Jeweled Spear used by Izanagi and Izanami to churn the primordial sea and create the first Japanese islands. It is the divine tool of creation itself.

Goddess of dawn, mirth, and revelry. Her wild, comedic dance lured Amaterasu from the Heavenly Rock Cave, restoring light to the world. Ancestral deity of performing arts.

Goddess of everything that flows: water, time, words, music, and knowledge. One of the Seven Lucky Gods. Originated from Hindu goddess Saraswati.

One of the Seven Lucky Gods. God of wealth, farmers, and the kitchen. Derived from the Hindu deity Mahakala but merged with the native kami Okuninushi in Japan.

One of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin). God of fishermen, merchants, and honest labor. The only purely Japanese deity among the Seven, known for his cheerful disposition.

God of wind and air. Depicted as a demon carrying a large bag of winds. Twin to Raijin. Controls gentle breezes and destructive typhoons.

Syncretic god of war, archery, and protector of Japan and warriors. Originally Emperor Ojin deified. Patron of the samurai clans.

Kami of rice, fertility, agriculture, industry, and prosperity. One of the most popular kami in Japan. Associated with foxes (kitsune) as messengers.

The male creator who stirred the sea into islands with Izanami and fathered the land and its gods; after a failed descent to the underworld, his purification produced the three noble children.

The goddess who bore the islands of Japan with Izanagi. Burned to death delivering the fire god, she became ruler of Yomi and vowed to strangle a thousand people each day.

The fire god whose birth killed his mother Izanami, triggering Izanagi's descent to Yomi and the eternal separation of life and death. From his death came many kami.

A child-sized water imp with a water-filled dish atop its head, fond of cucumbers and sumo, notorious for dragging horses into rivers and stealing a ball said to reside in the human rump.

Intelligent fox spirits who grow additional tails as they age, up to nine. They can be benevolent guardians or mischievous tricksters, and possess powerful shapeshifting abilities.

The divine sword Susanoo drew from the serpent's tail, first called Ame-no-Murakumo; renamed 'Grass-Mower' after Yamato Takeru cut his way out of a fire with it. One of the three imperial regalia, enshrined at Atsuta.

The Great Land Master who built and ruled the earthly realm before ceding it to Amaterasu's descendants. God of nation-building, medicine, magic, and matchmaking. Principal deity of Izumo Grand Shrine.

God of thunder, lightning, and storms. Depicted as a demon beating drums to create thunder. Works with Fujin (wind god).

Dragon god of the sea who dwells in an underwater palace made of red and white coral. Ruler of all sea creatures and controller of the tides through his magical tide jewels.

The oni king of Mount Oe who carried off noblewomen from Kyoto. Minamoto no Raiko and his four champions, disguised as mountain ascetics, drugged him with divine sake and took his head, which flew up and bit Raiko's helmet.

Amaterasu's tempestuous younger brother. Expelled from heaven, he descended to Izumo, got the eight-headed serpent drunk on strong sake, slew it, and drew the sword Kusanagi from its tail.

The celestial realm of the heavenly gods in the eighth-century chronicles, ruled by Amaterasu; the gods held council on the bed of the Tranquil River of Heaven, and Ninigi descended from here to earth.

A fox spirit who charmed Retired Emperor Toba as a peerless court lady; unmasked by a diviner, hunted down on the Nasu plain, she became the poison-breathing Killing Stone, later tied to the nine-tailed fox and Daji.

Red-faced, long-nosed mountain goblins in the garb of ascetic monks, wielding feather fans and given to flight and abduction; a name borrowed from a Chinese meteor omen that grew into the emblematic spirit of Japan's mountains.

The moon god born from Izanagi's right eye, given the realm of night. The chronicles record almost nothing of him beyond one episode: his killing of the food goddess Ukemochi.

A colossal serpent with eight heads and eight tails, its back grown over with moss and cypress, that devoured a maiden each year until Susanoo slew it drunk and found the sword Kusanagi in its tail.

Son of Emperor Keiko who won his name killing the Kumaso chief disguised as a girl, escaped a grass fire with Kusanagi, and died after facing the god of Mount Ibuki bare-handed, becoming a white bird.

The Grand Jewel, one of the three Imperial Regalia representing the virtue of benevolence. This comma-shaped jewel holds the spiritual essence of imperial authority.

The Eight-Span Mirror, one of the three Imperial Regalia representing the virtue of wisdom. It was used to lure Amaterasu from the cave where she hid, restoring light to the world.

A pale woman in white who appears in snowstorms and freezes travelers with her breath. In Hearn's Kwaidan she spares young Minokichi, marries him in disguise, and vanishes when he breaks his vow of silence.

A child spirit dwelling in the parlors of old houses in northeastern Japan, heard as night footsteps and pillow-turning pranks. A house it inhabits prospers; when it leaves, the family's fortune goes with it.