Shinatsuhiko (
Kojiki: 志那都比古神 - Long Blowing Lad,
Nihon Shoki: 級長津彦命) is a
Japanese mythological god
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
of
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ho ...
(
Fūjin
or is the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods. He is portrayed as a terrifying wizardly demon, resembling a red-headed green-skinned humanoid wearing a leopard skin, carrying a large bag of winds on his shoulders. In Ja ...
). Another name for this deity is Shinatobe, who originally may have been a separate goddess of wind.
The Nihon Shoki stated that Shinatsuhiko was born after
Izanagi no Mikoto and
Izanami no Mikoto created the great eight islands of Japan.
After these lands were completed, Izanagi blew at the morning mists that obscured them and these became Shinatsuhiko, God of the Wind.
A Shinto liturgical text or ritual incantation called
norito
are liturgical texts or ritual incantations in Shinto, usually addressed to a given ''kami''.
History
The first written documentation of ''norito'' dates to 712 CE in the ''Kojiki'' and 720 CE in the '' Nihongi''.
The Engishiki, a compilatio ...
addressed the god in this masculine name while a different name - Shinatobe - was ascribed to what is presumed to be his feminine version.
Some sources also called the wind deities Ame no Mihashira (pillar of Heaven) and Kuni no Mihashira (pillar of the Earth/Country) according to the belief that the wind supported the sky.
It is noted that these names preceded Shinatsuhiko and Shinatobe.
References
External links
*Shinatsuhiko on th
Japanese History Database
Japanese gods
Wind deities
Shinto kami
{{Shinto-stub