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

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