Amaterasu

Artwork Info

Scratchboard and 23k gold leaf 
16 x 12 in. 
Framing included 
© 2026

This piece was inspired by the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu.

After withdrawing into a heavenly cave and plunging the world into darkness, Amaterasu was lured out by the joyful singing and dancing of the other deities. A sacred rope (the shimenawa) was stretched across the entrance to the cave, and the gods forbade her from retreating any further than that back into the darkness. Thus the sun retreats at night, but always returns each day.

Amaterasu as a goddess stands apart from other sun deities who are often masculine. The sun of her myth is a gift that brings life back to the world and inspires gratitude for all that it illuminates.

In my work, I chose to emphasize the interplay of light and shadow throughout, allowing the gold accents to shine all the more brightly against the darkness.