Tsukuyomi

Tsukuyomi, or Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, is a major kami in Shinto and Japanese mythology, chiefly regarded as the god of the Moon. In the principal classical sources, the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, he is a child of Izanagi and Izanami and one of the three siblings who stand with Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Susanoo, the storm god, though the exact birth order and details vary between texts.

As the moon deity, Tsukuyomi is associated with the night and the lunar cycle, and is commonly depicted as male. His role emphasizes celestial order and ritual, and he is often presented as a counterpart to Amaterasu, the sun goddess, reflecting a duality in the heavens.

One well-known myth concerns a feast in which Tsukuyomi kills Uke Mochi, the goddess of food, after she presents food in a way he deems deceitful. Amaterasu is angered by the act, and as a consequence withdraws from the world. In many versions this leads to the sun and moon never meeting, a narrative used to explain the separation of day and night in Shinto cosmology, though the story appears with variations in the different texts.

In modern culture, Tsukuyomi has been adapted beyond religious contexts. In manga and anime, the name is used for the powerful genjutsu Tsukuyomi in Naruto, notably by Itachi Uchiha, and for the broader concept of the Infinite Tsukuyomi linked to the moon motif.