Omizunu was a Japanese deity.
the Great Great Grandson of
Susanoo-no-Mikoto
__FORCETOC__
Susanoo (; historical orthography: , ) is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory charac ...
.
He is known for expanding the
Izumo Province
was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku region.
History
During the early Kofun period (3rd century) this region was independent an ...
which he also gave the name to
according to
Motoori Norinaga.
He is worshipped at
Kamochi Shrine. and
Kanemochi Shrine. Featured in the film Myths of the Izumo Province
Izumo expansion myth
He has a notable myth recorded in the Izumo
Fudoki
are ancient reports on provincial culture, geography, and oral tradition presented to the reigning monarchs of Japan, also known as local gazetteers. They contain agricultural, geographical, and historical records as well as mythology and ...
.
The myth of Omitsuno is about making Izumo bigger. He saw Izumo as a small strip of land. He decided to add more land to it. He looked towards
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...
for extra land.
Omitsuno used a special spade. It was shaped like a young girl's breast. He used it to cut land. It was like cutting through fish gills. He cut off pieces of land.
He attached these pieces to a three-strand rope. He pulled this land towards Izumo. He used a lot of strength. The land moved like a boat on a river. Omitsuno encouraged the land by shouting. He said, "Come on, land!"
The new land went from Kozu bay to Kizuki. This area is known for its pure spikes.
Family tree
References
{{reflist
Japanese deities
Izumo Province
Water deities