is a category of kami in Japanese mythology. Generally speaking, it refers to kami born in, or residing in, Takamagahara.
Amatsukami is one of the three categories of kami, along with their earthly counterpart , and .
Modern Shinto no longer makes the distinction between Amatsukami and Kunitsukami. According to Yijiang Zhong the distinction was made by the writers of the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki to formulate a political discourse.
In the time of Ninigi the ownership of land was moved from Kunitsukami to Amatsukami
proposed a system justifying Japanese Imperialism where Japanese people in the colonies were seen as Amatsukami and natives were seen as Kunitsukami, however he was later censored as his position was considered too supportive of the rights of colonized peoples.
Mythology
Amatsukami refers to kami residing in Takamagahara, along with kami who were born in Takamagahara but later descended to Japan. In the mythological event of kuni-yuzuri, the descendants of amatsukami descended to pacify the world, which was occupied by the kunitsukami. In Shinto practice, there is no clear distinction between amatsukami and kunitsukami, as their definitions change with time and in different source materials.
Susanoo-no-Mikoto, who was cast out of Takamagahara, and his descendants, such as Ōkuninushi, are considered to be Kunitsugami.