Kami: Susanoo-no-Mikoto

I've already made research about the kami Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Izanagi and Izanami. So, now I'll research about Susanoo-no-Mikoto, another brother of Amaterasy and Tsukuyomi. After this there will only be left one kami to research about and then i wil move on to the final skecthes and drawings.

Susanoo-no-Mikoto

Susanoo, the kami of the sea and storms, is one of the central figures in the Kojiki ("Records of Ancient Matters") and Nihon Shoki ("The Chronicles of Japan"). Susanoo's name has not only a variety of forms in Japan but also in English - his Kanji (one of the three Japanese writing systems) might appear as 建速須佐之男命 (Takehaya-Susanoo-no-Mikoto), 神須佐能袁命(Kamususanoo), or just 素戔男尊(Susanno); due to the doube o's is name as also appeared in different ways in English translations - the most common is 'Susanoo' but there is also Susan'o, Susano-o, Susanwo, Susano'o and Susa-no-O. He is a kami known for his chaotic  and destructive behaviour. However, there are different interpretations regarding his actions.

Susanoo-no-Mikoto

As I mentioned in previous posts, Susanoo was born in a purification ritual performed by his father, Izanagi, after coming back from the underworld. In the beginning, Susanoo ruled along side with his sister, Amaterasu, the Takama-no-Hara (High Celestial Plain). However, he was banished from heaven because he was too overemotional and destructive - there are some myths that relate the story of how he caused widespread floods only by crying that he missed having a mother.

After falling from the Heavens, Susanoo landed in Izumo, Japan. In there he heard someone crying - it was an old man named Azinazuchi, who despite being in stress invited the kami to his own home. Then, he revealed the reason why he was crying - of their 8 daughters, 7 have already been devoured by the eight-headed serpent named Yamata-no-Orochi. And now he was coming to take his last child. Hearing this, Susanoo offered to help so he turned her into a comb and put her in his hair. When Orochi came, the elderly couple put the dragon to sleep with a drink and Susanoo cut him into pieces. In that moment he say a sword emerging from the dragon's tail - the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

Given these events, the couple married his older daughter to Susanoo. And in order to make amends with his sister, Amaterasu, the kami give her the sord he had found. After this, his father gave him one final task: he should now be the guardian of Yomi, the Land of the Dead. For this reason, Japanese people see storms as something related with death.

There wasn't as much information as I expected but I believe this research was very useful for my work. Now I know that this god is associated with storms and sea or even with a eight-headed dragon, these are all elements that I can try to represent in my painting.

Reference:

Catwright M. (2012) Susanoo [online] World History, Available from: https://www.worldhistory.org/Susanoo/ [Accessed 16.05.2021]

Wright C. (n.d.) Susanoo [online] Mythopedia, Available from: https://mythopedia.com/japanese-mythology/gods/susanoo/ [Accessed 16.05.2021]

Greenberg M. (2020) Susanoo: The Japanese God of Storms [online] Mythology Source, Available from: https://mythologysource.com/susanoo-japanese-god/ [Accessed 16.05.2021]

Gadeleva, E. (2000). Susanoo: One of the Central Gods in Japanese Mythology [online] JSTOR, Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25791053[Accessed 16.05.2021]