Tsukuyomi

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto (Art from Shoto Museum of Art)

**Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto**, also known as **Tsukuyomi**, is one of the two rulers of Takamagahara along with Amaterasu.

## Overview

Tsukuyomi is the Shinto deity of the moon and one of the two rulers of the Shinto Heavens. Despite their seemingly high importance, Tsukuyomi is pretty mysterious.

## Appearance

Tsukuyomi is usually depicted as a young androgenous Japanese person wearing a loose fitting Kimono. Commonly Tsukuyomi is seen holding a white mirror of copper.

## Personality

Tsukuyomi is immensely quiet and subdued, preferring to use as little words as possible. However when around their close family like Amaterasu, Susanoo, Izanami and Izanagi they become more jovial, cracking small jokes and participating in banter, but still keeping quiet.

Tsukuyomi harbors much guilt and self hate for their actions when they were younger, being arrogant and violent, causing his alienation from Amaterasu and the rest of heaven.

## History

Tsukuyomi was born between the union of Izanagi and Izanami as the second born child along with Amaterasu and Susanoo. after Izanami's death and during Izanagi's failed rescue attempt Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu get married.

During Amaterasu's self imposed exile, Tsukuyomi took the helm in the attempts to lure out Amatersu before banishing the guilty Susanoo from heaven. After many failed attempts the Amatsukami hang the mirror Yata-no-kagami in a nearby Sakaki tree, with the naked dawn goddess Ame-no-Uzume dancing on a turned over bucket. As the gods laughed in hilarity at Ame-no-Uzume Amaterasu emerged from the cave lured both by the dancing goddess and her own beautiful refelction. Before she could go back into the cave the Amatsukami resealed it behind her, with Tsukuyomi asking her to return to her throne in Takamagahara, with Ameterasu accepting.

One day a grand banquet for the Amatsukami was organized, however Amaterasu could not attend so she sent Tsukuyomi to go in her stead. At the banquet Tsukuyomi grew interested in how the goddess Ukemochi made the food. So the goddess brought them behind a large rock and produced the food from every orifice on her body, greatly disgusting Tsukuyomi who in response cut off her head. Amaterasu greatly angered by Tsukuyomi's actions she exiled Tsukuyomi to the other end of the sky, forever splitting day and night.

When the evil serpent Yamata no Orochi was reborn on earth, Tsukuyomi teamed up with Susanoo and Amaterasu's earthly incarnation Shiranui. After the battle Tsukuyomi confided in her for the first time in millennia, tearfully apologizing to her for their actions and for their coldness to her when they were married. The two made up before Amaterasu invited Tsukuyomi back to her side of the sky, Tsukuyomi however refused as they had grown quite comfortable on their side of the sky.

## Myths and Legends

Despite their large importance to the heavenly hierarchy in Shintoism, Tsukuyomi is rarely ever mentioned in old Japanese legends. Because of their lack of information the actual sex of Tsukuyomi is a highly debated topic, as the few legends that do speak of them don't ever use any concrete pronouns for Tsukuyomi.

## Trivia

* Due to Tsukuyomi manifesting as both male and female, it has been theorized that Amaterasu, his wife, is possibly bisexual.