Which traditions do they belong to?

Both belong to the Japanese Pantheon.

Side by side

Okuninushi vs Susanoo

Q: What do Okuninushi and Susanoo have in common?

They share no domain in this atlas: Okuninushi holds nation-building, medicine, magic, marriage, agriculture, while Susanoo holds storms, sea, chaos, heroism.

Okuninushi and Susanoo are recorded in a parent-and-child line within the Japanese Pantheon.

At a glance

Japanese Pantheon

tradition

Japanese Pantheon

nation-building, medicine, magic, marriage, agriculture

domains

storms, sea, chaos, heroism

hare of Inaba, medicine bag, jewel, giant bale of rice

symbols

sword, storm, dragon

Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, Daikoku-sama, Onamuchi, Ashihara-no-Shikoo

also called

Susanoo-no-Mikoto

Where they meet

The atlas records no shared domain or symbol between them. What connects them is elsewhere: Okuninushi and Susanoo are recorded in a parent-and-child line within the Japanese Pantheon.

Where they part

Okuninushi alone

nation-building, medicine, magic, marriage, agriculture

Susanoo alone

storms, sea, chaos, heroism

How each was worshipped

Okuninushi

Cult sites: Izumo Taisha.

Festivals: Kamiari-zuki at Izumo, when the gods gather.

The great land master and matcher of fates. Izumo's shimenawa is the size of the claim. En-musubi is the popular face of a much older kingdom-god.

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.

Okuninushi

Japanese Pantheon

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.

Okuninushi was the son of **Susanoo** and endured trials including being killed by his jealous brothers and revived by his mother. He descended to the underworld, married Susanoo's daughter **Suseri-hime**, and escaped with magical treasures. He then built the earthly nation with the help of the dwarf deity **Sukunabikona**.

**Okuninushi-no-Mikoto** is one of the most beloved and complex figures in Japanese mythology. His lengthy saga, recorded primarily in the **Kojiki** and the **Izumo Fudoki**, tells of a persecuted youngest son who rises through trials to become ruler of the earthly realm—only to graciously surrender that realm to the heavenly gods.

Read the full Okuninushi 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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At a glance

Japanese Pantheon

tradition

Japanese Pantheon

nation-building, medicine, magic, marriage, agriculture

domains

storms, sea, chaos, heroism

hare of Inaba, medicine bag, jewel, giant bale of rice

symbols

sword, storm, dragon

Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, Daikoku-sama, Onamuchi, Ashihara-no-Shikoo

also called

Susanoo-no-Mikoto

How each was worshipped

Okuninushi

Cult sites: Izumo Taisha.

Festivals: Kamiari-zuki at Izumo, when the gods gather.

The great land master and matcher of fates. Izumo's shimenawa is the size of the claim. En-musubi is the popular face of a much older kingdom-god.

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.