Who is Tsukuyomi no Mikoto in Japanese mythology?

Tsukuyomi no Mikoto (月読命) is God of the moon, night, and the passage of time. This deity appears in Kojiki & Nihon Shoki and is enshrined at 2 shrines across Japan.

What shrines are dedicated to Tsukuyomi no Mikoto?

There are 2 shrines in our database dedicated to Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, including Gassan Shrine (Dewa Sanzan), Chokai-Gassan Ryoshonomiya.

Tsukuyomi no Mikoto - Deity

Q: What myths involve Tsukuyomi no Mikoto?

Tsukuyomi no Mikoto appears in 1 myths including The Purification and Birth of the Three Noble Children (Misogi). These stories come from Kojiki & Nihon Shoki.

About

Tsukuyomi is the moon deity and second of the three noble children born from Izanagi's purification, emerging when Izanagi washed his right eye. Despite his exalted origin, Tsukuyomi remains one of the most enigmatic figures in Japanese mythology, with remarkably few narratives devoted to him.

The Nihon Shoki preserves one notable episode: Amaterasu sent Tsukuyomi to visit Ukemochi, the food goddess. When Ukemochi produced a feast from her own body—rice from her mouth, fish from other orifices—Tsukuyomi was revolted by what he considered filthy and slew her. Enraged by this act, Amaterasu declared she would never again look upon her brother, banishing him to the night. This is offered as the mythological reason the sun and moon are never seen together.

The relative silence surrounding Tsukuyomi in both the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki has led scholars to speculate that moon worship may have been suppressed or absorbed into other cults in early Japan. Nevertheless, Tsukuyomi remains significant in the tripartite structure of Shinto cosmology.