Amaterasu-Omikami and Susanoo-no-Mikoto

Takachiho in Miyazaki Prefecture is mentioned in the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan) as a place that appears in the myths of the “Opening of Ama-no-Iwato,” in which Amaterasu-O-no-Mikami hid in Iwato, and the “descent of the grandchild of Amaterasu-O-no-Mikoto” in which his grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto descended from the world of heaven to earth.

In the famous story of the opening of Ama-no-Iwato, the world was enveloped in darkness when Amaterasu hid in Iwato to avoid the violent actions of her brother, Susano-no-mikoto. To restore things to normal, the gods attracted Amaterasu’s attention through dancing and laughter in front of Iwato, and Amaterasu opened Iwato to bring light back again.

Amaterasu, who appears in the story, is the sun itself—symbolizing light, order, agriculture, and civilization. She is believed to illuminate the land and protect the lives of the people, and is also revered as the ancestral deity of the Japanese imperial family. She is enshrined at Ise Grand Shrine, which is located at the starting point of the Kumano Kodo Iseji route, as described in Kaido wo Yuku: Kumano and Koza Kaido.

Susanoo is also well known for slaying the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi—believed to be the prototype for King Ghidorah, as described in Kaido wo Yuku: Inaba and Hōki no Michi.

As a deity symbolizing destruction and rebirth, chaos and order, he plays an extremely dynamic and important role in Japanese mythology. His descendant, Okuninushi no Mikoto, is said to be the god who created the nation of Japan and is also famous for the anecdote of the White Hare of Inaba.

Ara and Nigigi

In Japanese mythology, the concept of order, light, and rule symbolized by Amaterasu is expressed with the word “nighi,” while the role of the sea, storms, death, and destruction played by Susanoo-no-Mikoto is expressed with the word “ara.

Here, “Ara” is destructive energy, and “Wa” is the function of controlling it and guiding it toward harmony. These two concepts are deeply rooted in the Japanese conception of nature, gods, and aesthetics as two opposing yet inseparable sides, and the idea that together they make up the world.

Ara and Nigi in Shinto

In Shinto belief, the concepts of Ara (violent or wild) and Nigi (peaceful or harmonious) represent two aspects of a single deity, known respectively as Aramitama (the rough or assertive spirit) and Nigimitama (the gentle or pacifying spirit). This duality is a core principle of Shinto and serves as the foundation for practices such as saishi (rituals) and chinkon(spirit pacification).

For example, at Ise Grand Shrine, the Inner Shrine (Kōtai Jingū) enshrines the Nigimitama of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, while the Aramatsuri-no-miya (Aramatsuri Shrine) enshrines her Aramitama. Worship at these shrines involves not only prayers for daily peace and prosperity but also invocations for overcoming upheavals, disasters, and matters of national importance.

As noted in Kaido wo Yuku: Takeuchi Kaidō and Ancient Japan, Isonokami Shrine in Nara Prefecture enshrines Futsunomitama no Ōkami, a deity representing an Aramitama force residing in a sacred sword. This god is revered as a martial deity who confronts national crises and disasters with divine wrath and power.

The Outer Shrine (Toyouke Daijingū) of Ise Grand Shrine, on the other hand, enshrines Toyouke Ōmikami, a nurturing and peaceful deity associated with clothing, food, and shelter—a manifestation of Nigimitama. This Nigimitama is worshipped for blessings of agricultural abundance, household harmony, and national well-being. Through festivals and rituals, the benevolence of this spirit is celebrated as a source of happiness and order in human life.

Ara (Violence) and Nigi (Harmony) in Buddhist Thought

The Shinto concepts of Ara (wild, violent) and Nigi (peaceful, harmonious) deeply intersected with Buddhist thought following the introduction of Buddhism to Japan. Rather than being rejected, these dual aspects were absorbed and transformed within the evolving framework of Japanese religious, spiritual, and natural worldviews. The relationship between the two was not one of opposition, but of integration and transformation.

At the heart of Buddhism lies the ideal of Nigi—embodied in teachings such as compassion (karuṇā), the Middle Way, and the pursuit of nirvana. These teachings aim to cultivate inner peace and transcendence, encouraging liberation from earthly desires and suffering through a serene spiritual path.

In contrast, the Shinto notion of Nigi emphasizes communal harmony and worldly prosperity, including bountiful harvests and household safety. Rather than transcendence, it seeks harmony and order within the everyday social world.

As described in Kūya, Hōnen, Shinran, Ippen: The Lineage of Pure Land Thought, Japanese Buddhism developed primarily through Mahāyāna (Greater Vehicle) traditions, which emphasized universal salvation over the individual enlightenment focus of Hīnayāna (Lesser Vehicle). This inclusive vision naturally resonated with the Shinto ideal of Nigi, leading to its integration into Japanese Buddhist practice.

Furthermore, as noted in Rock and Nembutsu, the Nembutsu dances performed by religious figures like Ippen and Nichiren represent ritualistic celebrations of “Nigi”—joyful, communal events blending devotion, harmony, and salvation through rhythm and movement.

Furthermore, within the esoteric Buddhist tradition (Mikkyō), Myōō (Wisdom Kings) emerged as powerful deities enshrined as principal icons in many temples. They are considered wrathful manifestations of Dainichi Nyorai(Mahāvairocana), who is sometimes equated with Amaterasu through syncretic fusion with Shinto. Among them, the most widely revered is Fudō Myōō—affectionately known as O-Fudō-san—a fierce guardian deity who crushes evil and protects the Buddhist Law.

This is precisely equivalent to the concept of Ara in Shinto—the introduction of a force that destroys obstacles to the path of “Wa” (harmony) in Buddhism. In this sense, wrathful deities like Fudō Myōō represent the violent energyemployed to protect and uphold the peaceful teachings of the Buddha.

As discussed in The Thought and History of Zen, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Daoist Philosophy, and Christianity, Zen is often associated with images of serenity and harmony (Nigi). However, at its core, Zen practice involves confronting the Ara-like aspects within the human self—desires, impulses, and the limitations of reason. Through this intense, sometimes harsh confrontation, the practitioner seeks enlightenment. In this way, the discipline of Zen resonates deeply with the Shinto concept of Aramitama, the fierce and transformative side of the divine.

Ara and Nigi in Japanese Art

The concepts of Ara (wildness, chaos) and Nigi (harmony, order) have had a profound influence on Japanese art. A central characteristic of Japanese aesthetics is the appreciation of the coexistence of opposing forces—order and disorder, stillness and motion, light and shadow—which together give rise to uniquely “Japanese” expressions of beauty.

1. Calligraphy: The “wildness of the brush” is seen as connected to spiritual energy, while orderliness is associated with the pacification of the soul.

• The beauty of Ara: Exemplified by the works of Kūkai and Ryōkan, whose sōsho (cursive script), hattaisho(broken style), and hihakutai (flying white style) feature explosive strokes, splattered ink, and brushwork so intense it seems to tear the paper—expressing emotional depth and dynamic energy.

Japanese beauty: The elegant brush strokes and well-defined compositions found in standard, running, and Japanese-style calligraphy, as typified by Fujiwara no Yukinari and Sanseki (Ono Dofu, etc.).

2. painting – While expressing the power of roughness, the entire picture converges toward harmony.

Rough expression: the intense brush strokes and ink flow in the landscape of Sesshu’s “Landscape with Broken Ink”, the “rough spirit” aspect of nature, the raging fog and wind in Hasegawa Tohaku’s “Pine Trees”, and the outburst of ink and blank spaces create tension in the work.

Japanese expression: the gilt, symmetrical composition, and harmony amidst opulence of the Kano school’s folding screen paintings, or the decorative and stable compositional beauty in nature of the Rimpa school (e.g. Korin Ogata).

Tea Ceremony, Flower Arrangement, and Crafts – Roughness in the “Beauty of Breaking Tone

3. Tea Ceremony: Sen no Rikyu and “Roughness

In the aesthetics of “wabi-sabi”, “cracked tea bowls” and “broken forms” are valued.

Roughness = natural, accidental beauty → Harmony = acceptance and harmony.

Kado: Ikenobo and Sogetsu Schools

Even if a branch is twisted or a flower is biased to one side, it is seen as beauty because it is seen as “the power of a raging life.

→ It is incorporated into the beauty of composition as harmony.

4. architecture and gardens – “roughness” hidden in stillness

Karesansui (Kare-sansui) (Ryoanji Temple, etc.)

Harmony: Arrangement, blank space, tranquility

Rough: Composition that evokes “intentional collapse” or “storm flow” in the arrangement of stones

5. reinterpretation of roughness and harmony in contemporary art

In Japanese art, “rough” symbolizes intensity, distortion, and explosion, while “wa” symbolizes harmony, orderliness, and tranquility. The two are not in opposition, but rather create beauty where movement and stillness, rupture and order coexist.

Taro Okamoto’s “Tower of the Sun”: a dynamic form symbolizing the explosion of life, the undulation and expression of intense shapes. The structural intention is to break “harmony” in order to achieve new unity (= universality) and fusion. While rejecting order, the resulting whole harmonizes as one cosmic vision.

Hiroshi Sugimoto’s “Seascape” series: The silence of the horizon, the infinite series, and the subdued beauty of black and white. The signs of nature’s wildness lurking in the stillness force the viewer to confront the depths of time.

In these Japanese arts, there is a delicate adjustment of the fluctuation and balance between “roughness and harmony,” and through this an attempt to express the essence of nature and human beings. This aesthetic, which evokes tranquility in the midst of intensity and energy in the midst of stillness, permeates deeply throughout Japanese culture, from calligraphy and painting to architecture and crafts.

The concept of “swaying,” which affirms ambiguity, asymmetry, and in-betweenness unique to Japan, as described in “Swaying and Its Applications,” is created by the balance of “roughness” and “harmony,” which is also expressed in the structure of tension and relaxation of Noh drama, the subtle ‘gap’ in pitch in gagaku and shakuhachi music, and the “sway” of beats. The concept of “harmony” is also expressed in the structure of tension and relaxation in Noh, the subtle ‘shifts’ in pitch in gagaku and shakuhachi, and the “sway” of the beat.

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