AMATERASU. - For Shintoists, she is the "great, august divinity that shines in the sky," that is, the sun goddess.
At the time when Shinto was still a pure nature religion, it is likely that the ancestors of the imperial house worshiped the sun as their highest divinity. Later, in order to procure greater authority for the ruling house, either the sun goddess herself came to be recognized as the progenitrix of the imperial family, or the true ancestress was deified and identified with the sun goddess. And so A. Omikami became not only the progenitrix of the Japanese dynasty, but was also worshiped as the highest divinity, although in original Shinto this had been Ameno-minakanushi ("the lord of the august center of heaven"). This god, however, recalling the era when the ancestors of the Japanese were monotheists, lent himself less than A. to the national aims of State Shinto, and therefore she was declared the highest divinity of Japan.
According to Japanese tradition, the cult and veneration of the sun goddess go very far back in time. At first she was worshiped in the imperial dwelling, where the sacred mirror, her symbol, was also kept.
Already in the first millennium A.D. there was the custom that on the most important occasions the emperor would send envoys to Ise, where the goddess's temple is, with gifts and sacrifices for her. All events of some significance, such as the declaration of war or the conclusion of peace, must be communicated by imperial messengers to the sanctuary of Ise, where the relevant documents must be read to the goddess.
When a new emperor ascends the throne, he himself goes on pilgrimage to Ise to announce the great event in person to his divine ancestress. On the occasion of the Second World War, the emperor Hirohito again went on pilgrimage to Ise to pray to the sun goddess and implore her particular help for the prosperity of the Japanese empire.
All Japanese are then urged to undertake at least once in their lives a pilgrimage to the national sanctuary of A., from which they promise themselves the particular protection of the powerful helper for the people and the family.
Also in the imperial palace of Tokyo, in the so-called Kashikodokoro hall, there is a small temple sacred to the sun goddess, in which the emperor from time to time performs religious functions in his capacity as high priest of State Shinto.
Numerous are the temples consecrated to the goddess A. in the various places of the empire, and one often happens to encounter memorial stones or stone lanterns with the name of A. written on them.
The people honor the goddess in various ways at sunrise, clapping their hands, bowing toward the East and at the same time reciting prayers. The army honored the imperial progenitrix and highest goddess by presenting arms to the rising sun.