Amaterasu and the Heavenly Cave

The Storm God's Rampage

Susanoo, the storm god, was jealous of his sister Amaterasu, the sun goddess. He went on a destructive rampage in her realm of the High Plain of Heaven. He destroyed her rice fields, defecated in her sacred halls, and finally threw a flayed pony through the roof of her weaving hall, killing one of her attendants.

Terrified and outraged, Amaterasu fled into the Heavenly Rock Cave (Ama-no-Iwato) and sealed the door shut. Instantly, the world was plunged into eternal night. Chaos reigned, and evil spirits swarmed in the darkness.

The Divine Plan

The eight hundred myriad kami gathered by the Heavenly River to figure out how to coax the sun back. Omoikane, the god of wisdom, devised a plan. They made a mirror (Yata no Kagami) and jewels (Yasakani no Magatama) and hung them on a Sakaki tree outside the cave.

Then, the goddess Ame-no-Uzume overturned a tub and began a wild, erotic dance upon it, stomping her feet and exposing herself. The gathered gods laughed and cheered so uproariously that the ground shook.

The Return of Light

Inside the cave, Amaterasu was puzzled. "Why are they celebrating when the world is dark?" She opened the stone door just a crack to peek out. "Why do you laugh?"

Uzume replied, "We rejoice because there is a new goddess here more illustrious than you!" At that moment, they held up the mirror. Amaterasu, seeing her own brilliant reflection and thinking it was another sun goddess, stepped forward in fascination.

A string god who was waiting in the shadows grabbed her hand and pulled her out, and a straw rope (shimenawa) was quickly tied across the entrance so she could not return. Light flooded the world once more, chasing away the shadows and evil spirits.