I was asked the other day about the ancient Shinto myths that give the Imperial House legitimacy. The general story is that the imperial house traces its legitimacy back to Amaterasu’s grandson, Ninigi-no-mikoto, who was given domain over the earth. But was the earth in Amaterasu’s right to give? Didn’t it belong to her brother, Susanoo? And if so, then is the imperial house not legitimate?
Susanoo is the brother to Amaterasu, and the myths say that Susanoo (a Dionysian kami) was given domain over the earth and Amaterasu (an Apollonian kami) over heaven. However, Susanoo’s descendent (Princess Himetataraisuzu) marries Amaterasu’s descendent (Emperor Jinmu) and they become the first imperial rulers of Japan. In other words, the imperial house draws its legitimacy from both Susanoo (representing the Kunitsu kami or Izumo kami) and Amaterasu (representing the Amatsu kami or Yamato kami). So this myth suggests a union between the two tribes of kami.
Of course, there are many versions of the ancient myths and only a few of them were actually written down, so it is impossible to know if one version is correct and the other is wrong from an objective point of view.
天地間に 