(East Asian mythology)
Takehaya Susanowo, ‘valiant, swift, impetuous deity’, is the storm god of Shinto, the native belief of Japan. For his harassment of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, he lost his beard, had his possessions confiscated, and was sentenced to banishment. The world had been divided between three deities, the children of the primeval parents Izanagi and Izanami. The realm of light, including the heavens and the land, was assigned to the sun goddess, the realm of night to Tsuki–yomi, the moon god, while the sea was entrusted to the rule of Susanowo. Unable to contain his violent aspect, the storm god ravaged the land, darkened the sky, and raised against himself the anger of ‘the eight million divinities’, who restored Amaterasu to her proper place.
Exiled, Susanowo began his wanderings and adventures. At Izumo he gave battle to a serpent with eight monstrous heads. When he cut the carcass to pieces, a sword fell from its tail, and the storm god sent the marvellous weapon to his sister as a token of his submission. The sword, along with a mirror and a jewel, now form the insignia of the ruling family. His other exploits involved the conquest of Korea, the worsting of the plague, and the afforestation of the Pacific coast. He planted the mountains with his own hairs, which became trees. His tomb is thought to exist on the eastern coast of Kii.
