is a monstrous goddess mentioned in the ''

Kujiki , or , is a historical Japanese text. It was generally believed to have been one of the earliest Japanese histories until the middle of the Edo period, when scholars such as Tokugawa Mitsukuni and Tada Yoshitoshi successfully contended that it wa ...

'', which states that she originated when

Susanoo __FORCETOC__ Susanoo (; historical orthography: , ) is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory chara ...

let his own ferocious spirit (his ''

Aramitama The Japanese word refers to the spirit of a ''kami'' or the soul of a dead person. It is composed of two characters, the first of which, , is simply an honorific. The second, means "spirit". The character pair 神霊, also read ''mitama'', is ...

'') build up inside him until he vomited her out. Like her fellow 8 million gods, Amanozako resides in heaven.

Personality

The ''

Wakan Sansai Zue The is an illustrated Japanese ''leishu'' encyclopedia published in 1712 in the Edo period. It consists of 105 volumes in 81 books. Its compiler was Terashima or Terajima (), a doctor from Osaka. It describes and illustrates various activiti ...

'' describes this deity as having a furious temper, a beastly head with a long nose, long ears, and great fangs so strong they can chew metal blades ragged, and to be capable of flying for a thousand li. Amanozako has been known to be a goddess that goes against conformity and does the opposite of what is expected by society and social norms. Also, it is said that Amanozako is picky, and will go into an atrocious rage if she does not get what she wants, or if things do not go according to her way. Her wrath cannot be stopped. In terms of her godly abilities, the legends and stories say that Amanozako is a trickster, of sorts. She likes to possess the hearts of humans and manipulate their emotions and personalities.

History

Stories of Amanozako were being told long before history began being recorded. It is said that she is the ancestor deity of all yokai who share her short-fused temper and disobedience. Some of these yokai include tengu, as well as amanojaku. ''Amanozako'' was illustrated by

Toriyama Sekien 200px, A Mikoshi-nyūdō, specifically a Miage-nyūdō, as portrayed by Toriyama">Miage-nyūdō.html" ;"title="Mikoshi-nyūdō, specifically a Miage-nyūdō">Mikoshi-nyūdō, specifically a Miage-nyūdō, as portrayed by Toriyama , real name Sano ...

in the third volume of his ''

Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki is the second book of Japanese artist Toriyama Sekien's famous ''Gazu Hyakki Yagyō'' tetralogy, published c. 1779. A version of the tetralogy translated and annotated in English was published in 2016. These books are supernatural bestiaries, col ...

''.

Family/Relations

Amanozako is known to be the motherless child of the deity Susanoo, the god of storms, from the text. She has one child, which, due to her obstinate behavior, she gave being to all on her own. Amanosaku is Amanozako's spawn, and is said to be just as terrible and disobedient as she is. Apparently, Amanosaku drove all 8 million gods in heaven mad, and because of this, Amanosaku was made the ruler of every malicious and troublesome kami.

References

Japanese legendary creatures Japanese goddesses Mythological monsters Tengu {{Shinto-stub