Susanoo
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Susanoo, (Japanese: 須佐之男命, Susanoo-no-mikoto; also romanized as Susano-o, Susa-no-o, and Susanowo) in Shinto is the god of the sea and storms.
Susanoo is the brother of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, and of Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. All three were spawned from Izanagi, when he washed his face clean of the pollutants of Yomi, the underworld. Amaterasu was born when Izanagi washed out his left eye, Tsukuyomi was born from the washing of the right eye, and Susanoo from the washing of the nose.
There is a long-standing rivalry between Susanoo and his sister. When he was to leave heaven by orders of Izanagi, he went to bade his sister good bye. Amaterasu, suspicious, challenged him where the two were to transform an object of the other into people. Amaterasu created three women from Susanoo's sword while he created five men from her necklace. Claiming the men were hers because they were born of her necklace, Susanoo destroyed her rice fields and hurled a flayed pony at her loom and killed one of her attendants in a fit of rage. Amaterasu, in fury and grief, hid inside Amano-Iwato, the "heavenly rock cave", thus effectively hiding the sun for a long period of time.
Though she was persuaded to leave the cave, Susanoo was punished by being banished from heaven. He descended to the province of Izumo, where he met an elderly couple. Seven of the eight daughters had been devoured by eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi and it was about to come for the eighth, Kushinada-hime. After the couple promised their daughter's hand in marriage to Susanoo, he agreed to slay Orochi. By giving it eight bowls of sake (one for each head), Susanoo decapitated the monster once it had fallen asleep.
From one of Orochi's tails, Susanoo pulled out a sword, which he named Ame no Murakumo (Billowing Clouds), later known as the Kusanagi. The sword was presented to Amaterasu as a reconciliation gift and was later given to her descendant Ninigi along with the Yata no Kagami (a mirror) and Magatama (sacred jewels) as proof of his divine right to rule.
Izumo
While Amaterasu is enshrined at Ise Shrine, Susanoo is enshrined in Izumo, where he descended when banished from heaven. Izumo is home to the oldest shrines in Japan and is held in the same regard as the most sacred shrine in Japan, Ise Shrine.Susanoo in works of fiction
He is portrayed in:- Tokusatsu films such as The Three Treasures (where he was played by Toshiro Mifune) and Yamato Takeru
- Anime, such as Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon, Blue Seed and the Masamune Shirow manga Orion.
- The final boss in the video game
- Appears in the Season of Mists storyline in Neil Gaiman's Sandman comic book, claiming his pantheon are adapting for a cadre of new style Gods including Marilyn Monroe, King Kong, and Lady Liberty.
- Susanoo was the inspiration behind Susanoomon in Digimon Frontier.
- The video game Ōkami features a character named after (and based on) Susanoo.
- There is a possibility that Uchiha Itachi will have an attack named Susanoo for his Mangekyō Sharingan because it possesses two attacks by the names Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu.
See also
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| Japanese Mythology |
|---|---|
| Stories and Myths: Kojiki | | Nihon Shoki | Otogizoshi | Yotsuya Kaidan Divinities: List of divinities in Japanese mythology | Kami & Megami | Seven Lucky Gods Legendary Figures: Abe no Seimei | Hidari Jingoro | Kintaro Momotaro | Nezumi Kozo | Tamamo no Mae | Tomoe Gozen | Urashima Tarō Mythical and Sacred Locations: Horai | Mt. Hiei | Mt. Fuji Rashōmon | Ryugu-jo | Suzakumon | Takamagahara | Yomi | |
| Religions | Sacred Objects | Creatures and Spirits |
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