Susanoo no Mikoto

Susanoo is one of the three noble children born from Izanagi's purification rites, emerging when Izanagi washed his nose. Assigned dominion over the sea (or the netherworld, depending on the source), Susanoo instead wept for his deceased mother Izanami and caused great destruction, leading to his banishment from the heavenly realm.

Before his exile, Susanoo's rampages in heaven—destroying rice paddies, defiling sacred halls—drove his sister Amaterasu into the Rock Cave. After being expelled, however, he underwent a dramatic transformation. Descending to Izumo Province, he encountered an elderly couple weeping over their daughter Kushinadahime, who was to be devoured by the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi. Through cunning and valor, Susanoo slew the monster, discovering the legendary sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi within its tail.

This dual nature—destructive storm god and heroic serpent-slayer—makes Susanoo one of the most complex figures in Japanese mythology. He is the progenitor of the Izumo divine lineage and is widely venerated at Yasaka Shrine (Gion) as a protector against pestilence.