The Three Precious Children Of Japan

 The legend of Izanagi's return from Yomi serves as an explanation for the origins of the Sun and the Moon in Japanese mythology. Izanagi purified himself with a ceremony after spending so much time in Yomi. As Izanagi cleansed himself, the water and robes that fell from his body created many more gods. Purification rituals still function as important traditions in Japan today, from shoe etiquette in households to sumo wrestling purification ceremonies. Amaterasu, the Sun goddess and divine ancestor of the first Emperor Jimmu, was born from Izanagi's eye.

When Izanagi washed his face, the birth of Amaterasu coincided with that of Susanoo, the storm god, and the Moon-god. Conflict and strife abound in myths about the Sun, Moon, and Storm kami. In Japanese folklore, interpersonal disputes between the Sun goddess and her sister, the moon god, account for why the Sun and the Moon do not remain in the sky at the same time. They both dislike one another, which causes them to turn away from one another. The battles between the storm deity Susanoo and the sun goddess Susano were fierce and violent.

However, in most depictions of this particular myth, Susanoo's behaviour is what frightens Amaterasu into hiding in a cave. Various accounts of Susanoo's temper tantrum in Amaterasu's home depict a variety of disgusting and brutal behaviours (everything from smearing his excrement across her home's walls to skinning her favourite horse alive and throwing it at her maid and killing the maid). To entice Amaterasu out of the cave once more required the combined efforts of several other kami and an amorous dance performed by a specific goddess known as Ame no Uzume. Ame no Uzume made herself visible while dancing, and the noise caused Amaterasu to emerge from her cave. One of the most famous representations of Japanese mythology, which is seen to the right, is the legend of Amaterasu entering and exiting a cave.

There are two reasons why the sun goddess Amaterasu is significant in Japanese mythology. According to tradition, she is the sun, one of Izanagi's favourite offspring, and the progenitor of the Japanese imperial dynasty. The Yamato state most likely profited from the story when dealing with Korean influences because Korea also had a mythology of sun god forebears for the Korean imperial line. Her reputation as a sun goddess had political repercussions for the imperial family.