Susanoo-no-Mikoto: The Storm God of Japanese Mythology

Susanoo-no-Mikoto is the god of storms and ruler of demons. According to legend, he was born from the nose of Izanagi and is the younger brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu as well as the moon god Tsukuyomi.

Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Ruler of the Sea

Susanoo-no-Mikoto was assigned to rule the sea, but being brave, stubborn, hot-tempered, and unwilling to follow any rules, he caused chaos everywhere, not just in the sea.

He sent storms that wrecked the land and covered the sky in darkness. This enraged all 8 million gods, especially after his conflict with his older sister Amaterasu plunged the entire world into darkness for a long time.

In the end, Susanoo-no-Mikoto was stripped of his domain and banished to the human world.

The Legend of Susanoo-no-Mikoto Defeating Yamata-no-Orochi

After being banished to the human world, Susanoo-no-Mikoto changed his ways and used his remaining powers to travel and have adventures in many places. One of his major feats was defeating Yamata-no-Orochi, a giant serpent with 8 heads and 8 tails.

Yamata-no-Orochi had already abducted 7 young women from a village and was about to take an 8th. Susanoo-no-Mikoto devised a plan to trick the giant serpent into drinking 8 jars of sake, one prepared for each head. Once the serpent was drunk and asleep, Susanoo-no-Mikoto defeated it.

Inside one of Yamata-no-Orochi's tails, Susanoo-no-Mikoto found the sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, or "the grass-cutting sword," a magical sword with a 7-pronged tip that represents lightning.

Susanoo-no-Mikoto's Life After Defeating the Giant Serpent

Later, Susanoo-no-Mikoto married Kushinada and built a palace at Suga in Izumo. After that, he moved to the land of Ne-no-Kuni and helped stop an epidemic.