Which traditions do they belong to?

Both belong to the Japanese Pantheon.

Side by side

Amaterasu vs Susanoo

Q: What do Amaterasu and Susanoo have in common?

They share no domain in this atlas: Amaterasu holds sun, light, universe, agriculture, imperial authority, while Susanoo holds storms, sea, chaos, heroism.

Amaterasu and Susanoo are recorded as siblings within the Japanese Pantheon.

At a glance

Japanese Pantheon

tradition

Japanese Pantheon

sun, light, universe, agriculture, imperial authority

domains

storms, sea, chaos, heroism

mirror, jewel, sun

symbols

sword, storm, dragon

Amaterasu-omikami

also called

Susanoo-no-Mikoto

Where they meet

The atlas records no shared domain or symbol between them. What connects them is elsewhere: Amaterasu and Susanoo are recorded as siblings within the Japanese Pantheon.

Where they part

Amaterasu alone

sun, light, universe, agriculture, imperial authority

Susanoo alone

storms, sea, chaos, heroism

How each was worshipped

Amaterasu

Cult sites: Ise Grand Shrine (Naiku), rebuilt on a twenty-year cycle, Atsuta and other shrines holding imperial regalia traditions.

Festivals: Kannamesai, Shikinen Sengu (periodic rebuilding).

The mirror, the rice, and the imperial line. Ise is not a tourist temple in origin; it is a restricted house of the sun kami. Offerings of first rice and the rebuilding of the shrine are the cult's time-keeping.

Susanoo

Cult sites: Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, Hiromine and other Gion-line shrines, Izumo as the wild brother of the sun.

Festivals: Gion Matsuri, Susanoo festivals at Yasaka.

Storm, sword, and the eight-headed serpent. Gion's month-long parade is plague-exorcism dressed as spectacle. He is worshipped as a settler of chaos, not as a polite rice god.

Amaterasu

Japanese Pantheon

Supreme goddess of the sun and universe. Ruler of the High Celestial Plain. Divine ancestor of the Japanese Imperial family. Most important deity in Shinto.

Born from Izanagi's left eye during his purification ritual. She was assigned to rule the heavens. Her grandson Ninigi descended to Earth, becoming ancestor of Japan's emperors.

**Amaterasu-omikami** stands as the most important deity in Shinto, embodying the sun itself and serving as the divine ancestor of Japan's Imperial family. Her name translates to "Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven," reflecting her role as the source of all light and life in the cosmos.

Read the full Amaterasu entry

Susanoo

Japanese Pantheon

God of storms, sea, and chaos. Brother of Amaterasu. Initially wild but later heroic. Famous for slaying the eight-headed dragon Yamata no Orochi.

Born from Izanagi's nose during purification. Exiled from heaven for his violence, he descended to Earth where he became a hero, slaying the dragon Yamata no Orochi.

**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.

Read the full Susanoo entry

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How each was worshipped

Amaterasu

Cult sites: Ise Grand Shrine (Naiku), rebuilt on a twenty-year cycle, Atsuta and other shrines holding imperial regalia traditions.

Festivals: Kannamesai, Shikinen Sengu (periodic rebuilding).

Susanoo

Cult sites: Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, Hiromine and other Gion-line shrines, Izumo as the wild brother of the sun.

Festivals: Gion Matsuri, Susanoo festivals at Yasaka.

Storm, sword, and the eight-headed serpent. Gion's month-long parade is plague-exorcism dressed as spectacle. He is worshipped as a settler of chaos, not as a polite rice god.