Amaterasu - Japanese Shinto Goddess of the Sun

The legend of Amaterasu is as follows:

Amaterasu was the most beautiful and beloved of all the gods. She had a beautiful garden in the heavens, in which rice and flowers of all kinds grew to magnificence. One day, while Amaterasu was not home, her brother, the Storm God, Susano decided to visit her. Now Susano was very jealous of Amaterasu,
because she was the most beloved of all the gods. In a fit of jealous rage, Susano destroyed Amaterasu's beautiful garden and laid waste to her lands.

Upon returning to her home, Amaterasu was heartbroken over the damage to her garden, and decided to withdraw from the world forever, so she hid deep in a cave, with a large, heavy stone in front of the door.

With Amaterasu's withdrawal from the land, the world grew dark and cold, and nothing was able to grow. Even the gods became depressed without the beautiful Amaterasu to shine down upon them. They gathered in front of the cave where Amaterasu had hidden herself and begged her to come back out. They pleaded
with her for days, but she remained unmoved.

Uzume, the Goddess of Merriment, decided to take things into her own hands, and tried to cheer up the gods herself. She began to dance, a very erotic and humorous dance. The other gods began to play music, just as humorous as Uzume's dance, and they began to laugh.

They laughed so hard and loud, that it drew the curiosity of Amaterasu. She began to creep forward to the opening of the cave, and realized that the strange noises she was hearing was music and laughter. She slowly opened the door to the cave and peeked around the stone.

Now, before Uzume had begun to dance, she had placed a mirror on a tree in front of the cave where Amaterasu was hidden. When Amaterasu peeked around the stone, she saw her reflection in the mirror and became enchanted with her own
beauty.

The gods then begged Amaterasu not to leave them again, because they loved her, she was their beloved Sun and the joy of their lives. It was Susano's apology however, that finally melted Amaterasu's heart, and she returned to the land, never to leave it again.

The royal families of Japan trace their ancestry to Amaterasu, and the items of the Sacred Regalia of Japan (the mirror, the jewel, and the sword) are said to have belonged to Amaterasu herself.

Celebrations in Her honor as Amaterasu, queen of all the gods take place on July 17. During this Great Festival of the Sun Goddess, street processions go on all day.

She is also honored on December 21, the winter solstice, as the birth of light, and of Amaterasu coming out of Her cave to once again warm the earth.