The Rock-Cave of Heaven (Ama-no-Iwato)

The Rock-Cave of Heaven is a central episode in the mythological corpus of the *Kojiki* (Records of Ancient Matters, 712 CE) and *Nihon Shoki* (Chronicles of Japan, 720 CE). Susanoo-no-Mikoto commits acts of desecration in Takamagahara, the plain of high heaven—destroying the boundaries of rice fields, scattering filth in the sacred hall, and causing the death of a weaving maiden. In response, Amaterasu-no-Omikami withdraws in anger and sorrow into the rock-cave, and the world is sealed in darkness.

The eight million kami gather at Ame-no-Yasukawara to deliberate. On the counsel of Omoikane-no-Kami, the deities prepare the Yata-no-Kagami (sacred mirror) and Yasaka-no-Magatama (sacred jewel)—two of the Three Imperial Regalia. Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, seized by divine possession, performs sacred dance and music (kagura) before the cave entrance, and the assembled kami erupt in jubilation. Curious at the commotion, Amaterasu-no-Omikami opens the cave slightly; at that moment, Ame-no-Tajikarao-no-Kami grasps her hand and draws her forth, restoring light to the world.

The myth establishes the origins of kagura performance, legitimates two of the Three Imperial Regalia, and marks the ritual division of sacerdotal authority between the Nakatsomi clan (ancestral deity: Ame-no-Koyane-no-Mikoto) and the Inbe clan (ancestral deity: Futo-Tama-no-Mikoto). Major pilgrimage sites associated with the narrative include the Ama-no-Iwato Shrine and Ame-no-Yasukawara Shrine in Takachihō, Miyazaki Prefecture; the Togakushi Shrine complex in Nagano Prefecture (said to have formed from a rock cast by Ame-no-Tajikarao-no-Kami); and the inner sanctuary of Ise Grand Shrine, which enshrines Amaterasu-no-Omikami as its principal deity.