Why I Chose This Story
Among the countless tales in Japanese mythology, the story of Amenouzume holds a special place for me. She is not a warrior who defeats enemies with supernatural strength. She is not a sage who outwits demons through cunning. She is a dancer—and through dance alone, she saved the entire world from eternal darkness.
There is something profoundly compelling about that.
The version I am sharing here includes some narrative adaptation to help English-speaking readers follow the flow and context more easily. However, the core events, the key turning points, and the cultural significance remain faithful to the original accounts found in Japan’s oldest chronicles. I have not invented plot points or altered the mythology’s essential meaning—only clarified connections that Japanese readers would intuitively understand.
What draws me back to this story again and again is its strangeness. Amenouzume’s methods are unexpected, even shocking by modern standards. Yet within the logic of ancient Shinto belief, her actions make perfect sense. That tension between the familiar and the foreign is precisely what makes Japanese mythology so fascinating to explore.
A Brief Overview
When the sun goddess Amaterasu sealed herself inside a cave, all light vanished from heaven and earth. Crops withered. Rivers stagnated. Malevolent spirits crept through the endless night.
The eight million gods of Japan gathered to devise a plan. They crafted sacred treasures, performed elaborate rituals, and positioned their strongest deity beside the cave entrance.
But the one who actually drew Amaterasu out was none of these.
It was a goddess named Amenouzume, who climbed atop an overturned tub and began to dance—a dance so wild, so uninhibited, that the assembled gods erupted in laughter loud enough to shake the heavens.
What kind of dance makes gods laugh? And why did it work when nothing else could?
The Story
The World Falls into Darkness
According to the Kojiki (712 CE) and Nihon Shoki (720 CE), Japan’s oldest written records, the storm god Susanoo committed a series of violent acts in the heavenly realm. His destruction culminated in an incident at the sacred weaving hall, where his behavior caused the death of one of Amaterasu’s attendants.
Amaterasu, the sun goddess and supreme deity of the Shinto pantheon, withdrew into a cave called Ama-no-Iwato (the Heavenly Rock Dwelling) and sealed the entrance with a massive stone.
The moment she disappeared, both the celestial realm (Takamagahara) and the earthly realm (Ashihara no Nakatsukuni) were plunged into complete darkness. The chronicles describe this as a catastrophic event—without sunlight, the natural order collapsed and evil spirits proliferated.
The Divine Assembly
The eight million gods (yaoyorozu no kami) convened at the riverbed of the Ame-no-Yasukawa to address the crisis. Omoikane, the deity of wisdom, formulated an elaborate ritual plan.
The gods created several sacred objects: the Yata no Kagami (an eight-span mirror), the Yasakani no Magatama (a string of curved jewels), and offerings of cloth hung from a ritually uprooted sakaki tree. Amenokoyane performed divination, while Futodama prepared the sacred offerings. Amenotajikarao, the god of immense physical strength, positioned himself beside the sealed cave entrance.
The Dance of Amenouzume
With preparations complete, the goddess Amenouzume (also known as Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto) took center stage.
She overturned a wooden tub before the cave entrance and climbed on top of it. Then she began stamping her feet rhythmically against the wood.
As the dance intensified, Amenouzume entered a state of divine possession (kamigakari). She loosened her clothing, exposing her body, and continued dancing with increasing fervor.
The assembled gods, witnessing this extraordinary spectacle, began to laugh. The laughter grew until it echoed throughout the heavens.
Hearing the commotion, Amaterasu grew curious. She called out from within the cave, asking why the gods were celebrating when the world should be in darkness.
Amenouzume replied that a deity more magnificent than Amaterasu had appeared, and they were rejoicing.
When the gods held up the sacred mirror to the crack in the doorway, Amaterasu—seeing her own reflection for the first time—opened the stone door further to look more closely. At that moment, Amenotajikarao seized her hand and pulled her out. Futodama immediately stretched a sacred rope (shimenawa) across the entrance to prevent her return.
Light was restored to the world.
The Confrontation at the Crossroads
Amenouzume appears again in the mythology during the Tenson Kōrin (the Descent of the Heavenly Grandchild).
When Ninigi-no-Mikoto, Amaterasu’s grandson, prepared to descend from heaven to rule the earthly realm, a fearsome figure blocked the path at a place called Ama-no-Yachimata (the Heavenly Crossroads). This being possessed the power of “cursing sight”—the ability to strike others mute simply by glaring at them. Every messenger sent to identify him returned having failed to speak.
Amaterasu dispatched Amenouzume, stating that although she was female, she was a deity who could face any opponent without flinching.
Amenouzume approached the stranger directly. Using the same method she had employed before the cave—exposing her body and displaying fearless confidence—she provoked him into speaking. He identified himself as Sarutahiko, a powerful earthly deity who had come to guide Ninigi on his descent.
By compelling him to break his silence, Amenouzume effectively subdued him. Sarutahiko subsequently led Ninigi safely to his destination in Hyuga.