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The Imperial Regalia of Japan, also known as the three
sacred treasures, were passed from Amaterasu’s grandson
to the Emperor and were used as part of the enthronement
ceremony. They represent wisdom, benevolence, and valor.Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi
(Grass-Cutting
Sword)
Given to Amaterasu
by Susanoo.Yasakani-no-
Magatama (Pendant)
Decorated the tree
around which Ame-
no-Uzume danced.Yata-no-Kagami
(Eight-Sided Mirror)
Used by the gods to
lure Ame-no-Uzume-no-
Mikoto from her cave.he had his fingernails, toenails, and
facial hair torn off. He was then to
be exiled from heaven to Earth.
When the spirits also imposed
a fine of 1,000 tables laden with
food, Susanoo asked the female
food spirit, O-ge-tsu-hime, for help
in finding food. She agreed, but
pulled the food from her nose,
mouth, and backside. Susanoo
found this so offensive that he slew
her, but O-ge-tsu-hime’s corpse
flourished again, mirroring the
harvest cycle of death and rebirth.
Silkworms emerged from her head.
Rice came from her eyes, millet
from her ears, red beans from her
nose, barley from her reproductive
organs, and soybeans from her rear.
These grains and beans were
transformed into seeds, and
Susanoo sowed and harvested
them to pay his fine.
After being banished from
heaven, Susanoo went to Mount
Torikami, on the Spirit River. As he
walked through the countryside, he
saw a chopstick floating down the
river and, following the direction
from which it had come, he found
an elderly couple with a beautiful
daughter. All three were weeping.ASIA
The old man, Ashi-nazu-chi, said
that the couple had once had eight
daughters, but each year one had
been devoured by a dragon called
Yamata-no-Orochi. Now only their
youngest daughter, Kushi-nada-
hime, was left.Killing the dragon
Susanoo was told that the dragon
had eight heads and eight tails,
and was so huge that it spanned
eight valleys and eight peaks.
He agreed to kill the dragon in
return for Kushi-nada-hime’s hand
in marriage. Susanoo ordered theKami and the Japanese emperors
After her dispute with Susanoo
was resolved, Amaterasu turned
to bringing order to the Earth.
Her two sons were unable
to accomplish this task, but
eventually her grandson Ninigi
was sent down. Amaterasu gave
him three powerful treasures:
the pendants, the mirror, and the
sword that Susanoo had given her.
Ninigi brought order to Japan.
He married Kono-hana-sakuya-
hime, the granddaughter of the
original creators, Izanagi and
Izanami. Ninigi’s great-grandson
was Jimmu, the legendary firstemperor of Japan, who was said
to have reigned in 660–585 bce.
Jimmu’s chief wife was a
descendent of Susanoo and
Kushi-nada-hime. As such, the
emperors were regarded as
being the direct descendants
of many of the most important
kami (spirits worshipped in the
Shinto religion). The emperor’s
traditional title is Tenno
(“heavenly sovereign”). In 1945,
however, as part of Japan’s
surrender after World War II,
Emperor Hirohito renounced
his divine status.Emperor Hirohito (1901–1989)
is dressed for his coronation in 1928.
At this time, Hirohito was revered as
a direct descendant of the gods.elderly couple to make a batch of
extra-strong sake, and to make a
fence with eight doors—at each
one, they were to place a cask of
the sake. When the dragon
arrived, it drank from each of the
casks. The sake was so strong
that the beast quickly fell asleep.
Susanoo then hacked it into
pieces. Inside the corpse, he
found a mighty blade which he
later gave to Amaterasu to atone
for his bad behavior. With the
dragon slain, Susanoo and Kushi-
nada-hime married and had six
generations of offspring. ■US_222-225_Susanoo_and_Amaterasu.indd 225 05/12/17 4:16 pm