is a category of

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of year ...

. Generally speaking, it refers to kami born in, or residing in,

Takamagahara In Japanese mythology, Takamagahara (高天原, "Plain of High Heaven" or "High Plain of Heaven", also read as Takaamanohara, Takamanohara, Takaamagahara, or Takaamahara), is the abode of the heavenly gods (''amatsukami''). Often depicted as locate ...

. ''Amatsukami'' is one of the three categories of kami, along with their earthly counterpart , and . Modern

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

no longer makes the distinction between Amatsukami and Kunitsukami. According to Yijiang Zhong the distinction was made by the writers of the Nihon Shoki and the

Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...

to formulate a political discourse.

Mythology

''Amatsukami'' refers to kami residing in Takamagahara, along with kami who were born in Takamagahara but later descended to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In the mythological event of

kuni-yuzuri The was a mythological event in Japanese prehistory, related in sources such as the ''Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki''. It relates the story of how the rulership of Japan passed from the earthly ''kami'' ('' kunitsukami'') to the ''kami'' of Hea ...

, the descendants of ''amatsukami'' descended to pacify the world, which was occupied by the ''kunitsukami''. In

practice, there is no clear distinction between ''amatsukami'' and ''kunitsukami'', as their definitions change with time and in different source materials.

List of ''amatsukami''

Kotoamatsukami In Shinto, is the collective name for the first gods which came into existence at the time of the creation of the universe. They were born in Takamagahara, the world of Heaven at the time of the creation. Unlike the later gods, these deities were ...

Amenominakanushi Ame-no-Minakanushi (アメノミナカヌシ, lit. "Lord of the August Center of Heaven") is a deity (''kami'') in Japanese mythology, portrayed in the ''Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki'' as the very first or one of the first deities who manifes ...

Takamimusubi Takamimusubi (高御産巣日神, lit. "High Creator") is a god of agriculture in Japanese mythology, who was the second of the first beings to come into existence. It is speculated that Takamimusubi was originally the tutelary deity for the J ...

Kamimusubi Kamimusubi (神産巣日), also known as Kamimusuhi among other variants, is a ''kami'' and god of creation in Japanese mythology. They are a ''hitorigami,'' and the third of the first three ''kami'' to come into existence (''K ...

** Umashi'ashikabihikoji ** Amenotokotachi *

Kamiyonanayo In Japanese mythology, the are the seven generations of ''kami'' that emerged after the formation of heaven and earth. According to the Kojiki, these deities appeared after the Kotoamatsukami. The first two generations were hitorigami while the f ...

Kuninotokotachi In Shinto faith, Kuninotokotachi is one of the two gods born from "something like a reed that arose from the soil" when the Earth was chaotic. In the '' Nihon Shoki'', he is the first of the first three divinities born after Heaven and Earth wer ...

**Toyo-kumono-no-kami **Uhijini and Suhijini **Tsunuguhi and Ikuguhi **Ōtonoji and Ōtonobe **Omodaru and Aya-kashiko-ne **

Izanagi Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally known as , is the creator deity (''kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can b ...

*Shusaishin **

Amaterasu Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojik ...

*Others **

Ame-no-oshihomimi Amenooshihomimi (天之忍穂耳命) or Oshihomimi for short, is the first son of Amaterasu. He is believed to be the ancestor to the Japanese imperial family. Name and Etymology Amenooshihomimi name means (Ruling Rice Ears of Heaven) he als ...

Ninigi is a deity in Japanese mythology. Grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu, Ninigi is regarded according to Japanese mythology as the great-grandfather of Japan’s first emperor, Emperor Jimmu. The three sacred treasures brought with Ninigi from ...

Takemikazuchi is a deity in Japanese mythology, considered a god of thunder and a sword god. He also competed in what is considered the first sumo wrestling match recorded in history. He is otherwise known as "The ''kami'' of Kashima"" (Kashima-no-kami), the ...

** Omoikane **

Ame-no-Koyane Ame-no-Koyane-no-mikoto ( 天児屋命, 天児屋根命) is a ''kami'' and a male deity in Japanese mythology and Shinto. He is the ancestral god of the Nakatomi clan, and Fujiwara no Kamatari, the founder of the powerful Fujiwara clan. An ''Amat ...

Ame-no-Uzume is the goddess of dawn, mirth, meditation, revelry and the arts in the Shinto religion of Japan, and the wife of fellow-god Sarutahiko Ōkami. She famously relates to the tale of the missing sun deity, Amaterasu Omikami. Her name can also be p ...

** Ame-no-Tajikarao ** Tamanooya **

Futodama Futodama () is a god in Japanese mythology, claimed to be the ancestor of Imbe clan, whose characteristics are believed to reflect the functions of the clan as court ritualists. Name and etymology The god is known as Ame-no-Futodama-no-Mikoto ( ...

Ame-no-Wakahiko Ame no Wakahiko (天若日子, 天稚彦 Heavenly Young Boy) in some versions of Japanese mythology is a god of grains, and the son of Amatsukunitama. Mythology Sent to earth In many versions, when Ame no Hohi did not send word for three ye ...

Ame-no-Hohi Ame no Hohi (アメノホヒ, "Heavenly grain sun") is a male deity and the second son of sun goddess Amaterasu in Japanese mythology. Kokusō is said to have originated from Ame no Hohi. He was also said to be the ancestor to Izumo rulers. M ...

References

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