There are no holy writings in Shinto, but they do possess some 800 myths, some of which have been enshrined. Shinto literature tends to be based on the interpretation of mythology. Two major texts form the basis of the Shinto sacred literature: the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon (Chronicles of Japan), written in 712 and 720 respectively. These derive from oral traditions and were passed on and compiled. Apparently, because of the lack of a Japanese alphabet at that time, they were written in Chinese characters to represent Japanese sounds.

Of all the myths' subjects, the most famous and important one is about the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami (Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven). One myth states that she was born from the god Izanagi when he used water to purify his left eye after a visit to the nether world. Another says she was born after intercourse between Izanagi and Izanami (Nihon Shoki 720 C.E.). She was the sun goddess and assigned to rule the High Celestial Plain. Later, she sent her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto, to pacify the Japanese islands, having given him a sacred mirror, sword, and jewels that became the Imperial Regalia. Her great-grandson became the first Emperor Jimmu.