Kamimusubi

Kamimusubi (神産巣日), also known as Kamimusuhi among other variants, is a ''kami'' and god of creation in Japanese mythology. They are a ''hitorigami,'' and the third of the first three ''kami'' to come into existence (''Kotoamatsukami''), alongside Ame-no-Minakanushi and Takamimusubi, forming a trio at the beginning of all creation. The name is composed of kami, denoting deity, and musubi, meaning "effecting force of creation".

Mythology

At the time of the creation of heaven and earth, Kamimusubi was in Takamagahara next to Ame-no-Minakanushi and Takamimusubi.

In ''Kojiki'', Kamimusubi is an ancestral god who sits in Takamagahara and assists the gods of Izumo, and is called "Mi-Oya" (honorfic name for ancestor) by other gods. Kamimusubi became the ancestral god of the five grains (progenitors) after Kamimusubi transformed the grains produced from the body of Ōgetsu-hime, the goddess of food, who was killed by Susanoo, the god of storms.

At the beginning of the text, it is said that Kamimusubi is a genderless ''hitorigami'', but when Ōkuninushi is killed by Yasogami(八十神), his mother, Sashikuniwakahime(刺国若比売), makes a request to Kamimusubi. However, here, Kamimusubi is considered a goddess because Kisagaihime and Umugihime were healed by "mother's milk".

Since the Izumo gods are not mentioned in '' Nihon Shoki'', Kamimusubi exists only as a kinematic pair of Takamimusubi.

In ''Izumo-no-kuni Fudoki'', Kamimusubi appears as the ancestor of the ''Tochi-gami'' (land gods) who appear as the origin of the name of Shimane Peninsula . Many of the ''Tochi-gami,'' such as Kisagaihime and Umugihime, are goddesses, and it is thought that Kamimusubi is the mother goddess in the genealogy of a matriarchal society.

Kamimusubi is considered in many versions to be the mother of Sukunabikona. Sukunabikona would later assist Ōkuninushi with the development of the land.

While being an ''Amatsukami'' ('Kami of heaven')'','' Kamimusubi has a strong connection to '' Kunitsukami'' ('Kami of land') in Izumo tradition. Because of this, it is also theorized that Kamimusubi was a kami of the Izumo clan.

Analysis

In the early Heian period, Kogo Shūi describes Kamimusubi as the ancestor of the Ki clan.

During the medieval and early modern periods, Motoori Norinaga in his commentary on the ''Kojiki'' wrote that Kamimusubi and Takamimusubi are the “First Ancestors of heaven and earth, of the ''kami'', and of all existence”,Sasaki, Kiyoshi. "Amenominakanushi no Kami in Late Tokugawa Period Kokugaku". ''Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics''. Kokugakuin University. Retrieved 2022-12-03. placing greater importance on them over Ame-no-Minakanushi. This viewpoint challenged the belief of the Watari Priesthood, which was that Ame-no-Minakanushi was more important than Kamimusubi and Takamimusubi because they were created first. His reasoning is that Kamimusubi and Takamimusubi are the two ''kami'' of production, and thus:

Each and every thing in the world, from heaven and earth to its manifold beings and phenomena, one and all, came to be from the productive spirit 'musubi'' of these two great ''kami'' of production, so that even though manifold ''kami'' are in the world, it is these wo''kami'' that are particularly esteemed for the blessed virtue 'mimegumi''of their productive spirit. It is they, of all others, which should be worshiped with highest esteem.

Hirata Atsutane describes Kamimusubi and Takamimusubi in a similar way, as the "ultimate natural ancestral ''kami'' of human beings", portraying them as "our great natural parent deities", giving birth to Izanagi and Izanami.

Genealogy

There are no records of a spouse for Kamimusubi, but several children are mentioned.

Children

*Ame-no-Koyane
*Kisagaihime
* Umugihime
* Sukunabikona
*Amenoikutama

See Also

*

References

{{Japan-myth-stub
Shinto kami
Japanese mythology
Goddesses