Facts about Susanoo
- 17
Worshipped as a deity of storms and the sea, Susanoo is enshrined at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, one of Japan's most prominent Shinto institutions dedicated to him.
- 16
Susanoo's conflict with Amaterasu escalated when he defecated in her sacred hall and threw menstrual blood onto her throne during a heavenly festival, acts considered deeply profane in Shinto tradition.
- 15
Susanoo's three sons with Kushinada-hime included Isotakeru, who became venerated as a deity of sake brewing and alcohol production throughout medieval Japan.
- 14
Susanoo's purification ritual after visiting the underworld involved washing in a river, establishing the Shinto practice of misogi water ablution ceremonies that Japanese practitioners still perform at shrines today.
- 13
Susanoo's descent to the underworld realm of Yomi to retrieve his deceased sister Izanami resulted in his ritual purification involving water ablutions that established Shinto cleansing practices still observed today.
- 12
Eight heads characterized the Yamata no Orochi serpent that Susanoo defeated, with each head capable of devouring an entire human victim in Japanese mythological accounts.
- 11
Depicted with a raging temperament matched only by violent storms, Susanoo represented the chaotic and destructive aspects of nature that coexisted alongside Amaterasu's ordered celestial authority in Japanese cosmology.
- 10
Susanoo's conflict with his sister Amaterasu stemmed partly from her anger at his involvement with the heavenly weaving maidens, whom he disturbed during sacred textile production rituals.
- 09
Susanoo's role as a storm and sea deity made him patron of sailors and fishermen who invoked his protection across the Japanese archipelago during the medieval period.
- 08
Susanoo's violent tantrum in heaven caused such destruction that Amaterasu hid in the Heavenly Rock Cave for an extended period, creating a prolonged darkness across both the celestial and earthly realms.
- 07
Susanoo's temperamental nature caused him to destroy Amaterasu's sacred rice paddies and throw a flayed horse corpse into her heavenly weaving hall, driving the sun goddess into a cave and plunging the world into darkness.
- 06
Among Susanoo's offspring were Okuninushi and other powerful deities who shaped Japanese mythology and were venerated as protectors of medicine, agriculture, and human welfare throughout feudal Japan.
- 05
Susanoo's descent to earth resulted in the creation of Izumo Province, where he built the first shrine at what became Izumo Taisha, one of Japan's oldest and most important Shinto temples.
- 04
Exiled to the earthly realm of Izumo, Susanoo married the goddess Kushinada-hime and established himself as a regional deity venerated across ancient Japan's coastal provinces.
- 03
Susanoo's banishment from heaven by his father Izanagi resulted from his violent weeping that caused mountains to wither and rivers to dry up across the land.
- 02
The sacred sword Kusanagi, which Susanoo discovered in the tail of Yamata no Orochi, became one of Japan's three imperial regalia alongside a mirror and jewel.
- 01
In Japanese mythology, the storm god Susanoo slew the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi by using sake to intoxicate the creature before beheading it with his sword.