Ravens in Japanese Mythology

Primary Sources

[lore] The two oldest extant Japanese chronicles both record Yatagarasu:

• Kojiki (712 CE, "Record of Ancient Matters"): compiled by Ō no Yasumaro under imperial order; contains the account of Jimmu's expedition to Yamato and the divine crow guide
• Nihon Shoki (720 CE, "Chronicles of Japan"): the second official chronicle; also records the Yatagarasu story with some variation

Both texts were compiled in the 8th century CE but record mythological traditions of uncertain antiquity. The Kojiki is the primary narrative source; the Nihon Shoki provides alternative versions.^1,2

The Story of Yatagarasu

[lore] In the Kojiki narrative:

• Emperor Jimmu, leading his forces from Hyūga (Kyushu) toward the east, became lost in the mountains of Yoshino
• Amaterasu, the sun goddess, commanded Takemikazuchi-no-kami to guide Jimmu; in some versions, the gods sent Yatagarasu as the guide
• The great crow led Jimmu's forces through the wilderness to the Yamato region (present-day Nara Prefecture) — the future heartland of the imperial state
• Yatagarasu's role is as a divine messenger and guide, not an omen of death

The name Yatagarasu: ya (八) = eight; ta (咫) = an old unit of measurement (the width of a spread hand); garasu (烏) = crow/raven. "Eight-span crow" — indicating great size.¹

The Three Legs

[lore] Yatagarasu is depicted with three legs — a feature shared with the sun-crow (sanzuwu or sānzúwū) of Chinese mythology, which also has three legs and is associated with the sun:

• The three-legged crow appears in Chinese sources from at least the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) — it was thought to live in the sun
• Japanese and Chinese mythological traditions were in contact through cultural exchange; the three-legged sun-crow may have been adopted and transformed in Japan
• Various later Japanese interpretations of the three legs include associations with Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo (the sun, moon, and sea deities); or with wisdom, benevolence, and courage

The connection between the Chinese three-legged sun-crow and Yatagarasu is discussed by scholars but the precise transmission is not fully documented in the sources.³

Yatagarasu in Modern Japan

[lore] Yatagarasu remains a living symbol in Japanese culture:

• The Japan Football Association (JFA) adopted Yatagarasu as its emblem in 1931 — the three-legged crow appears on the national team kit
• Kumano Grand Shrine (Kumano Taisha) in Wakayama Prefecture is closely associated with Yatagarasu — the region is traditionally linked to the Jimmu expedition, and crow imagery is prominent in Kumano religious contexts
• Kumano Nachi Taisha also uses a Yatagarasu emblem

The football association connection makes Yatagarasu one of the most globally recognised Japanese mythological figures outside Japan, through the visibility of the Japan national football team.³

Crow or Raven?

[science] Karasu (烏) is the Japanese word used for both crows and ravens — it does not distinguish between species. The Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) is the most familiar large corvid in Japan and is often what Japanese speakers visualise. The Large-billed Crow is a large, impressive bird well-suited to divine messenger imagery. The Common Raven does not occur in Japan's main islands.⁴