Kids interview Amaterasu
by Charactorium · Amaterasu · Mythology · 5 min read
Two twelve-year-old visitors push open the door of a sunlit shrine. Before them shines the great sun goddess. Intimidated but curious, they pull out their notebook of questions.
—How were you born? They say it was from a face—is that true?
Yes, my child, it is true. My father Izanagi had returned from a very dark journey, the land of the dead. On his way back, he washed himself to purify, as one rinses one's hands after a long path. And from his left eye, I was born! Imagine a light bursting from a face being cleansed. My brothers and sisters were born at the same time, from his other gestures. Deities like me are called kami, the spirits that inhabit the sky and nature. As for me, I received the most beautiful realm: Takamagahara, the High Plain of Heaven, at the very top of the sky.
I was born from an eye my father was washing, like a light that bursts forth.
—Is it you who makes the day? What happens in the morning?
Yes, it is somewhat my job. Every morning, I rise to the horizon and bring light to the world. Imagine a great journey across the sky, from dawn to dusk, without ever stopping. I do not know fatigue as you do when you run. My presence warms the fields, makes the rice grow, wakes the birds. Without me, everything remains cold and dark. Humans call me the goddess who illuminates the world. It is a great responsibility, you know: if I miss a single day, the order of the world goes awry. So I continue, faithful, like the sun that always returns.
If I miss a single day, the order of the world goes awry.
—When people think of you, what do they see? A drawing? A symbol?
I am often seen as a great red disk, round and bright, like the sun in the middle of the sky. That is my simplest image. You know, on the flag of my country, Japan, there is precisely that red circle on a white background. When you look at it, it is a little bit of me you are looking at. I also wear beautiful celestial robes, adorned with sun symbols. But the essential is not my clothing. It is the light. A gentle circle of fire that says: 'life is here, the day is rising.' That is how humans keep me in their hearts.
That red circle on a white background, when you look at it, it is a little bit of me.
—We read that you hid in a cave. Why?
Ah, that is my saddest story. I had a brother, Susanoo, the god of storms. He was violent, brutal, and he wrecked my rice fields, did terrible things. I was so scared and so sad that I went to hide. Imagine a hurt child slamming the door of her room and rolling a rock in front of it. That cave is called Ama no Iwato, the Rock Door of Heaven. And then, terrible: because I am the sun, by disappearing, I plunged the whole world into darkness. No more day, no more warmth. Everything went out with my grief.
When I hid out of grief, the whole world went dark.
—And how did they make you come out of the cave?
The other kami were very worried in the dark. So they had a clever idea. In front of my cave, they held a joyful party: laughter, dances, music, a huge racket! As for me, in my corner, I wondered: 'but why are they laughing without me?' Curiosity pushed me to move the rock a little. And then, they held out a mirror, the Yata no Kagami. I saw a dazzling light—it was my own reflection! Surprised, I came out. Quickly, they stretched a sacred straw rope, the Shimenawa, to prevent me from hiding again. And the day returned.
I thought I saw another light in the mirror—it was my own reflection.
—What are those three sacred treasures everyone talks about?
They are my three most precious gifts, my child. First the mirror, Yata no Kagami, the one that made me come out of the cave: it tells the truth, because a mirror does not lie. Then a sword, Kusanagi, for strength and courage. Finally a curved jewel, the Magatama, shaped like a comma, for wisdom and kindness of heart. Truth, courage, wisdom—that is what these three objects teach. I entrusted them to my family so that they might govern with justice. Even today, they are used at the coronation of emperors. Three treasures, three qualities never to forget.
The mirror, the sword, the jewel: truth, courage, wisdom.
—And why do the emperors of Japan say they are your children?
Because it is true, in our stories! One day, I sent my grandson Ninigi down to Earth. He descended from the sky onto a mountain, Mount Takachiho, carrying my three treasures. Imagine a child coming down a stairway of clouds to found a new home. From his lineage was born the first emperor, Jinmu, around 660 BCE. That is why the imperial family claims descent from me, the sun goddess. It is a very long chain, from grandmother to grandchildren, linking heaven to earth. And that chain continues to this day.
From grandmother to grandchildren, a chain links heaven to earth.
—Do you have a house on Earth? A place where we can see you?
Yes! It is my dearest place: the Ise Shrine, called Ise Jingū. It is located in the heart of Japan, in a peaceful forest. It is the most sacred shrine in the whole country, and it is where my mirror, the Yata no Kagami, is kept. To enter, you pass under a great wooden gate, a torii: it marks the boundary between the everyday world and my sacred world. For a very, very long time, people have come on pilgrimage, sometimes from far away, just to bow before me. Imagine thousands of footsteps treading the same path, generation after generation.
The torii marks the boundary between the everyday world and mine.
—What do people bring you when they come to see you? Do you eat?
How kind of you to worry about that! No, I do not eat like you in the morning. But at Ise, the priests offer me beautiful offerings every day: rice, fruits, and sake, a rice drink. They are not meals; they are gifts of respect and gratitude. Imagine placing a flower before someone you love: that is the gesture. These rites at Ise are so important that they were considered the greatest ceremony of the entire state. Receiving these offerings makes me feel that humans remember me with tenderness. And that touches me deeply.
These offerings do not feed me: they tell me that I am remembered.
—If we could remember just one thing about you, what would it be?
Remember this, my child: after the darkest night, the light always returns. Remember my cave. I was hurt, hidden, and the world was plunged into darkness. But thanks to the patience and joy of the other kami, I came out, and the day returned. That is my greatest message. When you are sad, when everything seems dark, think of the sun that rises every morning without ever giving up. I was born from a simple act of purification, and I watch over you from Takamagahara. Be like the light: faithful, gentle, and always ready to return.
After the darkest night, the light always returns.
This imaginary interview was generated by artificial intelligence from sources documented in Amaterasu's profile. It dramatises what the figure might have said based on what we know about them, but does not constitute attested historical testimony. For primary sources and factual documentation, refer to the full profile.