Japanese Mythology | Amaterasu and Susanoo — The Sun Goddess, Her Brother, and the Vow

Across a river in heaven, the sun goddess Amaterasu and her younger brother Susanoo stood face to face. A sword and strings of jewels were chewed to pieces and blown out as mist, and from that mist, eight gods were born. Through this vow, Susanoo should have shown that his heart was pure. So why did he go on to lay waste to heaven? Susanoo was given the sea to rule, but instead he wept and wailed for years, longing for the land of his late mother, Izanami. Driven out by his father Izanagi, he goes up to Takamagahara, the high plain of heaven, to see his sister, and Amaterasu takes up her bow to meet him. This episode follows them through the ukei, a vow made before the gods to test whose heart is true; the birth of the three goddesses later worshipped at Munakata; Susanoo's claim of victory; and the deeds that drove Amaterasu to hide behind the rock door of Ama-no-Iwato. This story comes from the Kojiki, the Record of Ancient Matters, compiled in 712, the oldest book in Japan. Some of its original words are spoken in old Japanese, with their meaning given in English. The Nihon Shoki, Japan's other ancient chronicle, tells parts of this story differently. This video follows the Kojiki. This is Episode 2 of our series retelling the Kojiki from the beginning. Original Japanese title: アマテラスとスサノオ (Amaterasu to Susanoo) ⬅️ PREVIOUS: Episode 1, Izanagi and Izanami    • Japanese Mythology | Izanagi and Izanami —...   📚 CHAPTERS 0:00 The first question 0:37 The lands given to the three noble children 2:25 Susanoo weeps, and his father asks why 3:40 Izanagi drives Susanoo out 4:23 Susanoo goes up to Takamagahara 5:14 Amaterasu suspects her brother 6:03 Amaterasu prepares for battle 7:52 Sister and brother face to face 8:45 Susanoo proposes the ukei 9:37 Three goddesses born from the sword 10:52 Five gods born from the jewels 12:09 Whose children are they? 13:31 Susanoo claims victory 13:59 Was there ever a rule for winning? 14:50 Kachisabi, and the ruin of the rice fields 16:55 What happened in the weaving house 18:54 Amaterasu's fear 19:32 Ama-no-Iwato, and the story to come 🏮 VISIT THE REAL PLACES Several places in Japan are tied to this story, and for some of them more than one place is named. ・Munakata Taisha, in Fukuoka (where the three goddesses born in the vow are worshipped): https://www.google.com/maps/search/?a... ・Ama-no-Yasukawara, in Takachiho, Miyazaki (a riverbank said to be where the gods gathered): https://www.google.com/maps/search/?a... ・Ise Grand Shrine, in Mie (where garments are still offered to Amaterasu every spring and autumn): https://www.google.com/maps/search/?a... ・Taga Taisha, in Shiga (where Izanagi is said to have come to rest): https://www.google.com/maps/search/?a... 🪨 A FEW THINGS TO LISTEN FOR ・The episode opens with a question: why did Susanoo lay waste to heaven after proving his heart was pure? Listen for what the two never agreed on before the vow. ・Amaterasu first takes up her bow against her brother. Listen for how, after his claim of victory, she chooses her words to shield him instead. ・Listen for the long name of Amaterasu's first son, Masakatsu-Akatsu-Kachihayahi-Amenooshihomimi-no-Mikoto. It can be read as "Truly, it is won. I have won." His line will one day come down to the earth. ➡️ NEXT: Ama-no-Iwato. With the sun goddess hidden, heaven and earth sink into darkness, and the eight million gods gather to find a way to open the rock door. A mirror, jewels and a single dance will be the key. — Animated Stories of Japan. The myths and history of Japan, told as animated stories in English: the same stories and art as our Japanese channel, with English narration and subtitles. Preserving Japan's stories for the next generation. Please note: this channel is made for adults and older teens, and is not aimed specifically at young children. #JapaneseMythology #Kojiki #Amaterasu #Susanoo #Shinto #JapaneseFolklore #Japan