Susanoo
Also known as: Susanoo-no-Mikoto
Mythological Narrative
Susanoo was born when Izanagi washed his nose, the last of the three noble children, and was given the sea to rule. Instead he wept and howled for his dead mother until the green mountains withered, and was banished by his father. Ascending to heaven to take leave of his sister Amaterasu, he claimed victory in a vow-contest against her, then ran amok, wrecking rice fields and hurling a flayed colt into the sacred weaving hall. For provoking the Rock Cave crisis the gods fined him, cut his beard and nails, and cast him out.
He descended at Torikami on the upper Hii River in Izumo, where an old couple wept over Kushinada-hime, the last of eight daughters not yet devoured by the serpent Yamata-no-Orochi. Susanoo had them brew eightfold-refined sake and set out eight vats; when the serpent's eight heads drank themselves senseless, he hacked it to pieces, turning the river red. Inside its middle tail his blade struck a great sword, Ame-no-Murakumo, later called Kusanagi, which he presented to Amaterasu. He married Kushinada-hime, built a palace at Suga, and sang the verse counted as the first waka poem.
As ancestor of Okuninushi he stands at the head of the Izumo mythic line; in medieval times he merged with the Buddhist deity Gozu Tenno, and Kyoto's Yasaka Shrine and its Gion Festival honor him to this day.
Scholarly Commentary & Evolution
## The Storm God
**Susanoo-no-Mikoto** embodies the raw, untamed power of storms and the sea. Born from Izanagi's nose during his purification ritual, Susanoo was assigned to rule the ocean realm. However, his nature was wild and tempestuous, and his refusal to accept his duties set in motion one of Shinto mythology's most dramatic sagas.
## Exile from Heaven
Susanoo's longing for his dead mother Izanami and his violent tantrums caused chaos in the heavens. He destroyed his sister Amaterasu's sacred rice paddies, defiled her weaving hall, and threw a flayed horse into her chambers—an act so terrible that Amaterasu retreated into the Heavenly Rock Cave, plunging the world into darkness. For these offenses, the assembled gods punished Susanoo with exile from **Takamagahara** (the High Celestial Plain).
## Heroic Redemption
Descending to the province of Izumo, Susanoo encountered an elderly couple weeping over their daughter Kushinadahime, the last of their eight daughters. Each year, the terrible eight-headed serpent **Yamata no Orochi** had devoured one daughter. Susanoo devised a cunning plan: he had eight vats of sake prepared, and when the dragon drank itself into stupor, Susanoo slew each head. From the serpent's tail, he discovered the legendary sword **Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi**, which he presented to Amaterasu as atonement.
## Legacy
Susanoo married Kushinadahime and became the ancestor of the Izumo clan. The **Izumo Taisha** shrine honors his lineage. He represents transformation—from destructive chaos to protective heroism—and remains one of Japan's most beloved mythological figures.
Cross-Pantheon Parallels & Archetypes
Classical Art & Museum Artifacts
High-resolution museum artifacts, classical sculptures, pottery reliefs, and bronze idols preserving authentic historical representations of Susanoo.
Fireman’s Jacket (Hikeshi-Banten) with Susanoo-no-mikoto Deity Scene
Academic Discussion & Critique
Exchange peer-reviewed hypotheses, comparative Indo-European etymologies, and archaeological field interpretations regarding Susanoo.
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Amaterasu
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.
Izanagi
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.
Ama-no-Iwato
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.
Kusanagi
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.