Susanno-no-Mikoto

Susanno-no-Mikoto's History

Susanoo-no-Mikoto is the Japanese god of the sea and storms. A powerful and boisterous guardian kami, Susanoo’s moods are often as temperamental as his actions are chaotic. His fight with the dragon Orochi led to the creation of the sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, one part of Japan’s sacred regalia.

Susanoo is the son of Izanagi, the ancestor of all kami, and is a sibling of both Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Tsukuyomi, the moon god. His family varies greatly depending from tale to tale, and as such he has many wives and children. Included in their number is Kushinada-hime, his first (and most prominent) wife who bore him five children: Kushiinada-hime, Inada-hime, Makami-furu-kushi’inada-hime, Yashimajinumi, and Okuninushi, the god of magic. Outside of his marriage, Susanoo has had countless consorts and children by other women and kami.

Susanoo is a tumultuous deity at heart, and his chaotic moods and disheveled appearance are direct reflections of his status as the god of storms. The seas surrounding South Japan—where many of his shrines are located—reflect these attributes. Like many storm, wind, and sea kami who serve under him, Susanoo can be both benevolent and malevolent. Despite this seeming moral ambivalence, he remains one of Japanese mythology’s most celebrated heroes. In what is now his most famous feat, he fought and slew the fearsome eight-headed dragon, Yamata-no-Orochi, killing it with his famed ten-span sword, a Totsuka-no-Tsurugi.

As the son of Izanagi, he holds dominion over spirits of thunder, lighting, storms, winds, and the sea.