Who is Japan’s Supreme and Most Important God?
As you may already know, Kami (神) is the Japanese word for god, and its honorific title is Kami-Sama (神様).
When you hear Kamisama, the first person that comes to your mind might be the Kamisama in the manga Dragon Ball who has the same appearance as King Piccolo or Piccolo Daimao.
But of course, he is not Japan’s highest and most important god in the real world. Then, who is the supreme? Do you know that?
The Answer: Amaterasu Omikami (天照大御神)
You might say it’s Hotoke-Sama (仏様) or the Buddha.
But for the Buddhist, Buddha is not a god but an enlightened human being, and generally speaking, Amaterasu Omikami (天照大御神) or Amaterasu Okami (天照大神) is considered Japan’s supreme god or deity.
天照大御神 means Great god who shines throughout the universe, and the god (goddess) is the solar deity ranking the highest in the Yaoyorozu no Kami (八百万の神: eight million gods).
One primary reason why Amaterasu Omikami is considered Japan’s supreme and most important god is that the deity is believed to be the ancestor god of the Imperial Family.
The god Amaterasu appears in both Kojiki (古事記), or Japan’s oldest chronicle, compiled in 712, and Nihon Shoki (日本書紀), or Japan’s second oldest chronicle, compiled in 720.
Ise Jingu (伊勢神宮)
By the way, Amaterasu Omikami is enshrined in the Naiku (内宮: inner shrine) of the Shinto shrine Ise Jingu (伊勢神宮) (Google Map) located in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, and the god is said to make any wish come true.
(Reference Pages: Wikipedia 天照大神, DiscoverJapan )
