The Sun Goddess Amaterasu-Omikami is the most important deity in Shinto cosmology. All kami can be split into two general groups, “heavenly” kami and “earthly” kami, the heavenly being of superior power and quality in general. Amaterasu-Omikami is the “Queen of Heaven, the center of the spiritual universe.” 
 

Edo Fest -  Kami of Heaven.

To sum up reams of cosmology into a few pitiful sentences: There were seven generations of celestial kami (Tenjin shichi-dai) which we will all skip past except for the last pair, Izanagi-no-Mikoto and his wife, Izanami-no-Mikoto, who generated from themselves the five generations of terrestrial kami (Chijin go-dai). These are the primal “parents” in the Shinto creation epic. Together they stirred the void with the jeweled spear and thus created the material world. (Keep in mind that we are breezing past a whole lot of mythology here.) Their mating gave birth to all the islands of the Earth, then all  natural beings and things. The last, the kami of fire, killed his mother during birth and sent Izanagi into mourning. Izanami thus gave her flesh to form the Earth and she became the essence of the land of death. Izanagi journeyed there to bring her back, but fled in terror when he confronted her decomposed visage. He purified himself upon his return in a river, thus giving birth to 26 kami, the last three being key: Amaterasu-Omikami (the Sun Goddess) from his left eye, the Moon Goddess Tsukiyomi-no-Kami from his right eye and Susano-no-Mikoto from his nose.

Edo Fest - Kami  "who opens the way" walking in parade.

     The Moon Goddess Tsukiyomi, who was said to have been granted the land Umbara (Korea?), has virtually no following today in Japan, only a few shrines exist and she is only worshipped marginally during Tsukimi, the “Autumnal Moon-Viewing Festival” in September.

     Amaterasu is a different story.

     She was given the the land Takama-ga-hara (Japan?) as her portion, here she supposedly taught people to plant rice, weave cloth and, in short, gave them all the accouterments of culture. Her brother Susano (an Earth/Storm God) came to woo her but either his advances or his insolent behavior so offended her that she hid in a cave. This plunged the Earth into darkness and alarmed all the gods. They gathered together and created what became known as two of the “three Treasures:” the Mirror (Yata-no-Kagame) and the Necklace of Precious Stones (Yasakani-no-Magatama). One Goddess went  to a sacred mountain and returned with a sacred masakaki tree to hang them on. These trees are still used in almost all Shinto rites.
 

The Goddess Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto began to dance as the other gods began to play special music. Slowly these things lured her out, especially the bright reflection of her face in the mirror when she peered our. Once she came out, the shut the cave off and she gave in to their entreaties to stay out and keep the Earth alive with her light.( This sacred music and dance, kagura, forms the basis for many Shinto rituals.)      Susano was banished to another part of Japan, but his influence grew and so, eventually, Amaterasu sent her grandson Ninigi-no-Mikoto to take control of the Earthly sphere in her name. From him descended the first Emperor of Japan, the mythical Jimmu. Thus the new Emperor who took the throne last year, Akihito Tenno, can trace his line directly to the Sun Goddess! The Sun Goddess (in her aspect of Ohirume-no-muchi) is the protector and chief kami of the Imperial family, probably the only existing “sacred kingship” that descends from an unbroken line. Thus her cult has tremendous hold on official and stately Japan, she has many shrines all over the country and her grand shrine at Ise is considered the “heart” of the nation.

Edo Fest -  Geisha of the court.

     Interestingly enough, the Goddess originally ruled through her divine Priestess, the Emperor being the token of temporal authority. This Shaman Queen was often the Emperor’s wife and sister (!) and she was considered an oracle, seer and sorceress. This later became a power associated with the daughters of the Emperor when (we can gather) the Patriarchy triumphed here as elsewhere, but she still had great power and occasionally took complete control of the empire as in the case of the legendary Empress Hime-miko.  Princesses were called Hime or “daughter of the Sun.”  This practice died out as Patriarchy became more and more in control, but until a few hundred years ago, princesses still often resided at Ise and became priestesses of the Sun Goddess. To this day there is a selection of priestesses at Ise, several of which are said to be part of the imperial family. 

     In any event, her shrines are everywhere in Japan, this author has in fact just returned from performing hatsumode or New Year’s pilgrimage (along with thousands of other Goddess worshippers) at one of the many of Amaterasu Omikami shrines in Tokyo. In that shrines often house more than one Kami-sama, these many worshippers also paid homage to a smaller shrine on the same grounds. This shrine had several features that mark it as belonging to the most popular Goddess of Japan, Inari-sama.