Tsukiyomi

Shintō deity

Also known as: Tsuki-yomi, Tsukiyomi no Mikoto

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

Tsukuyomi is a prominent deity in Shintō, the indigenous religion of Japan. He is known as the moon god and is one of the three most important deities born from the purification bath of Izanagi, the creator god. The other two are his siblings, the sun goddess Amaterasu and the storm god Susanoo.12

In Japanese mythology, Tsukiyomi was tasked with ruling the night after his birth. However, his relationship with his sister Amaterasu was strained. One account states that Amaterasu became angry with Tsukiyomi after he killed the food goddess Uke Mochi, leading to Tsukiyomi being banished or fleeing to the realm of night, separating the sun and moon.31

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Izanagi and Izanami
…left eye, the moon god Tsukiyomi was born from his right eye, and the storm god Susanoo was born from his nose. In the Shintō religion, Izanagi’s bath is regarded as the founding of harai, the important ritual purification practices of Shintō.
Read More
…left eye, the moon god Tsukiyomi was born from his right eye, and the storm god Susanoo was born from his nose. In the Shintō religion, Izanagi’s bath is regarded as the founding of harai, the important ritual purification practices of Shintō.
Read More

Ukemochi no Kami
…of Japan”), the moon god, Tsukiyomi, was dispatched to earth by his sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu, to visit Ukemochi no Kami. (According to the Kojiki, “Records of Ancient Matters,” it was another brother, the storm god Susanoo, who was sent on the mission.) The food goddess welcomed him by…
Read More
…of Japan”), the moon god, Tsukiyomi, was dispatched to earth by his sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu, to visit Ukemochi no Kami. (According to the Kojiki, “Records of Ancient Matters,” it was another brother, the storm god Susanoo, who was sent on the mission.) The food goddess welcomed him by…
Read More