“Amaterasu Omikami” was created for the ‘Gods & Monsters’ exhibit here at Pale Horse Gallery and is available as a 24×42 in. framed archival canvas print. $500. Please inquire for purchasing details.

An ancient Japanese religion, Shinto is the “way of the gods,” a ritualistic expression of profound respect for the kami (the intrinsic god-like spirit) in nature. Purity and fertility are paramount Shinto concepts, and cannabis is an essential symbol of both.

Shinto creation stories tell of two creator deities, who descended from heaven and together produced the various islands of Japan, with the mountains, rivers, and surrounding seas. Their first procreation was Amaterasu Omikami, the Great Sun Goddess, whose radiance shone through the six directions: north, south, east, west, above, and below.

She is enshrined at the holiest of places, the Ise Shrine in Mie prefecture. At the shrine, the special prayer given for the founding Goddess of Japan is called “taima”, which literally means “cannabis,” and these ceremonies are still conducted five times a year. In fact, cannabis and mulberry fiber, and cloth and paper made from them are offered to the gods at all Shinto shrines, along with salt, sake and rice.