Meaning, origin and history of the name Amaterasu

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Gender Feminine

Usage Far Eastern Mythology

Scripts 天照(Japanese Kanji)

Pronounced Pron. A-MA-TEH-RA-SOO(Japanese)

[key · IPA]

Meaning & History

Means "shining over heaven", from Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven, sky" and 照 (terasu) meaning "shine". This was the name of the Japanese sun goddess, the ruler of the heavens. At one time the Japanese royal family claimed descent from her.

Images

Amaterasu emerging from a cave, a detail from a work by Utagawa Kunisada (1857)

Categories

goddesses, Japanese mythology, light, Megami Tensei characters, mother goddesses, mythology, sky, sky deities, solar deities, sun

Entry updated February 28, 2019