Sun Goddess of the Japanese
Shinto religion. One of the few female solar dieties. Here's Her most well-known
myth:
Once upon a time, Amaterasu's brother, Susanowo God of Destruction, was heading to Hell to visit Their mother when He decided to stop on the way to visit His sister. Now, Amaterasu did not trust Her brother since He was always breaking things, and so She asked Him to create some new gods with Her as a sign of friendship. She took His sword and bit it into five pieces, and the five pieces morphed into five new gods. He similarly took the jewels She was wearing, chewed them up and spat out a mist which also became five new gods.
Well, Susanowo, being a God of Destruction, was amazed and delighted at the fact that He could create. In fact, He got really excited and more than a little hyper. He shook the trees of Amaterasu's Garden causing the blossoms to fall. In His frenzy He flayed a horse and tossed it into the weaving house which caused one of the weavers to fall and impale herself on her loom's shuttle.
Amaterasu was more than a little depressed at Her brother's antics. Here She had reached out to Him, but nothing had really changed. In Her depression, she sealed Herself in a cave.
The world grew dark and cold. The Gods implored Her to return to Her place in Heaven. They begged and cajoled. They tried Gestalt Therapy, Group Therapy, Psychoanalysis, Dream Analysis, prescription drugs, Hypnoregression Therapy, and Re-evaluation Counseling, but to no avail. The Goddess would not take Her meds.
The trickster Goddess Uzume conceived a plan. She placed a big mirror in front of the cave. She cast streamers and hung jewels on all the trees. She invited all the other Gods and Goddesses to a party in front of the cave. The Gods were all cold and afraid. "Come on everybody," said Uzume, "We don't need that old fart Amaterasu: we've found a better and even more beautiful Goddess to light our skies." At which point Uzume began the most hilariously erotic dance that ever has been or ever will be.
And all the Gods and Goddesses laughed and ovated standingly with catcalls of ecstasy and Yahoo-Wahoos of delight.
Well, Amaterasu's curiosity was peaked, to say the least. Who could be brighter and more beautiful than She? She peaked from the cave and caught a glimpse of brilliance from the mirror, and, finally, emerged fully only to find her own radiance reflected back at Her. And Her depression was broken forever as She once again received the worship that is Her due form all the other Gods and Goddesses, including Her genuinely contrite brother, Susanowo. And they all lived happily ever after in the light of the bright and beautiful Amaterasu.
The Japanese Imperial Regalia consists of a sword, a mirror and some jewelry.