Amaterasu - The Sun Goddess & The Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven | Japanese Mythology Explained

As the central figure of the Shinto religion, the heaven-shining Amaterasu is the ancestress by of the imperial family of Japan, she has always been an important Kami in the Japanese spiritual life. Amaterasu is a glorious goddess and the personification of the rising sun, the queen of Shinto divinities. based on Japanese mythology, the sun represents order and purity, two important concepts in Shintoism. Amaterasu symbolizes not just order but the justice that maintains it as well. The sun goddess is often depicted as a beautiful woman holding a mirror, the raven Yata Garasu is believed to be the messenger of the goddess. The name Amaterasu comes from the verb Amateru which can be translated as to shine from heaven, and this is the shorthand for Amaterasu ōmikami.