Takamimusubi (高御産巣日神, lit. "High Creator") is a
god of agriculture in
Japanese mythology
Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of year ...
, who was the second of the first beings to come into existence.
It is speculated that Takamimusubi was originally the
tutelary deity
A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and ...
for the
Japanese imperial family
The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...
.
According to the
Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
, Takamimusubi was a
hitorigami
Hitorigami (独神) are Shinto deities (kami) who came into being alone, as opposed to those who came into being as male-female pairs. According to the ''Kojiki'', this group includes the "three deities of creation" and the "separate heavenly kami ...
.
Mythology
According to ''
Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'', when the
heaven and earth were created,
Ame-no-Minakanushi
Ame-no-Minakanushi (アメノミナカヌシ, lit. "Lord of the August Center of Heaven") is a deity (''kami'') in Japanese mythology, portrayed in the ''Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki'' as the very first or one of the first deities who manifes ...
was the first one to appear in
Takamagahara
In Japanese mythology, Takamagahara (高天原, "Plain of High Heaven" or "High Plain of Heaven", also read as Takaamanohara, Takamanohara, Takaamagahara, or Takaamahara), is the abode of the heavenly gods ('' amatsukami''). Often depicted as locat ...
, Takamimusubi the second, and
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 (''K ...
the third.
One myth tells of a bird named Nakime who was sent down to earth to check in on
Amewakahiko. Amewakahiko shot the bird with his bow. The arrow pierced through the bird, but the arrow flew all the way to heaven. Takamimusubi saw the arrow and threw it back at the earth where it hit Amewakahiko while he was laying in bed, killing him.
Family
He is the father of several gods including
Takuhadachiji-hime(栲幡千千姫),
Omoikane,
Futodama
Futodama () is a god in Japanese mythology, claimed to be the ancestor of Imbe clan, whose characteristics are believed to reflect the functions of the clan as court ritualists.
Name and etymology
The god is known as Ame-no-Futodama-no-Mikoto () ...
(some versions Takammusubi is the grandfather of Futodama) and some versions
Ame-no-oshihomimi. According to ''
Nihon Shoki'', he is the father of
Sukunabikona
Sukunabikona or Sukuna bikona (少彦名神, also known as Sukuna-biko, Sukuna-biko-na, Sukuna hikona) is the Shinto kami of the ''onsen'' (hot springs), agriculture, healing, magic, brewing sake and knowledge. His name means "the small lord of re ...
.
According to ''
Shinsen Shōjiroku
is an imperially commissioned Japanese genealogical record. Thirty volumes in length, it was compiled under the order of Emperor Saga by his brother, the Imperial Prince Manta (万多親王, 788–830). Also by Fujiwara no Otsugu and Fujiwara no ...
'', he is the grandfather of
Tamanoya
Tamanoya is a kami from Japanese mythology. He is believed to be the creator of Yasakani no Magatama.
Tama-no-iwaya is believed to be the grave for the kami, and he is venerated at Tamanooya-jinja but is not venerated at any kampeisha.
Famil ...
.
In one version of the Nihon Shoki,
Mihotsuhime(三穂津姫) is the daughter of Takamimusubi.
He is the grandfather of
Ninigi-no-Mikoto
is a deity in Japanese mythology. Grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu, Ninigi is regarded according to Japanese mythology as the great-grandfather of Japan’s first emperor, Emperor Jimmu. The three sacred treasures brought with Ninigi from ...
, who descended on
Ashihara no Nakatsukuni first as a member of the Imperial Family and was a grandson of
Amaterasu
Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojik ...
, according to the ''
Nihon Shoki''.
Worship
Izumo-taisha
, officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god , fam ...
is one of the shrines dedicated to Takamimusubi.
Hasshinden was once a temple that enshrined him.
See also
*
References
Shinto
Japanese mythology
Agricultural gods
{{Japan-myth-stub