Takamimusubi (高御産巣日神, lit. "High Creator") is a
god of agriculture
A fertility deity is a god or goddess associated with fertility, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, and crops. In some cases these deities are directly associated with these experiences; in others they are more abstract symbols. Fertility rites may a ...
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 ye ...
, 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 a ...
for the
Japanese imperial family.
According to the
Kojiki, Takamimusubi was a
hitorigami.
Mythology
According to ''
Kojiki'', when the
heaven and earth were created,
Ame-no-Minakanushi 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 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 (some versions Takammusubi is the grandfather of Futodama) and some versions
Ame-no-oshihomimi
Amenooshihomimi (天之忍穂耳命) or Oshihomimi for short, is the first son of Amaterasu.
He is believed to be the ancestor to the Japanese imperial family.
Name and Etymology
Amenooshihomimi name means (Ruling Rice Ears of Heaven) he al ...
. According to ''
Nihon Shoki'', he is the father of
Sukunabikona.
According to ''
Shinsen Shōjiroku'', 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 fro ...
, who descended on
Ashihara no Nakatsukuni
is, in Japanese mythology, the world between Takamagahara (Heaven) and Yomi (Hell). In time, the term became another word for the country or the location of Japan. The term can be used interchangeably with Toyoashihara no Nakatsukuni (豊葦原� ...
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 '' K ...
, according to the ''
Nihon Shoki''.
Worship
Izumo-taisha 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