In the earliest chapters of the Nihon Shoki, the cosmos is still in flux when Izanagi, fresh from his harrowing visit to Yomi (the underworld), purifies himself by washing in a sacred river. From the cleansing of his left eye springs Amaterasu Ōmikami, the radiant sun goddess whose very essence turns darkness into day. This birth-from-purification scene carries a powerful message: light and order emerge when chaos is washed away.

Amaterasu quickly steps into her starring role. Tasked with illuminating Takamagahara, the Plain of High Heaven, she becomes the divine radiance that sustains all life below. Her glow isn’t just poetic flourish—within Shinto cosmology, her presence establishes the world’s moral and natural balance. When Susanoo, her storm-god brother, wreaks havoc—tossing a flayed horse into her weaving hall and causing her grief—Amaterasu retreats into the heavenly rock cave (Ame-no-Iwato). Night blankets the realm, crops wither and gods tremble. Only after a playful dance by the goddess Ame-no-Uzume and the lure of a mirror’s reflection does Amaterasu emerge, restoring daylight. It’s a vivid reminder that even divine order can be fragile, requiring communal effort to maintain.

Her influence extends beyond myth into the very foundation of Japanese rulership. The Nihon Shoki recounts how Amaterasu dispatches her grandson Ninigi-no-Mikoto to earth, bearing the sacred mirror, sword and jewel. These Three Imperial Regalia symbolize her authority and cement the link between heaven and the Chrysanthemum Throne—a lineage still acknowledged during ceremonies at Ise Grand Shrine, where thousands gather every spring and autumn even today.

Amaterasu’s story resonates in modern culture, from the enthronement rites of 2019 to appearances in video games like Okami. She remains, quite literally, the light by which identity and tradition have shone for centuries.