Ōmononushi
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Ōmononushi (; historical orthography: ''Ohomononushi'') is a ''
kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...
'' in
Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contac ...
associated with
Mount Miwa or is a mountain located in the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It has been an important religious and historical mountain in Japan, especially during its early history, and serves as a holy site in Shinto. The entire mountain is co ...
(also known as Mount Mimoro) in Sakurai,
Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...
. He is closely linked in the imperial myth cycle recorded in 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 ...
'' (ca. 712 CE) and the ''
Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...
'' (720 CE) with the earthly ''kami''
Ōkuninushi Ōkuninushi (; historical orthography: , ), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (''Oho(a)namuchi'') or Ō(a)namochi (''Oho(a)namochi'') among other variants, is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the cycle of myths re ...
(Ōnamuchi); indeed, the latter text treats 'Ōmononushi' as another name for or an aspect - more precisely, the spirit or ''
mitama The Japanese word refers to the spirit of a ''kami'' or the soul of a dead person. It is composed of two characters, the first of which, , is simply an honorific. The second, means "spirit". The character pair 神霊, also read ''mitama'', is ...
'' - of Ōnamuchi. Ōmononushi's chief place of worship is
Ōmiwa Shrine , also known as , is a Shinto shrine located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is notable because it contains no sacred images or objects, since it is believed to serve Mount Miwa, the mountain on which it stands. For the same ...
located at the foot of Mount Miwa, which serves as the shrine's object of worship (''
shintai In Shinto, , or when the honorific prefix ''go''- is used, are physical objects worshipped at or near Shinto shrines as repositories in which spirits or ''kami'' reside.''Shintai'', Encyclopedia of Shinto ''Shintai'' used in Shrine Shinto (Jin ...
''); he is thus also known as Miwa-no-Ōkami (, 'Great Deity of Miwa') or Miwa (Dai)myōjin (). In addition, he is also enshrined in some other shrines such as Ōsugi Shrine in
Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...
. The deity of Kotohira Shrine (''Kotohira-gū'') in Kotohira,
Kagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Pr ...
, popularly known as Konpira Daigongen ( 金毘羅大権現), is also currently identified with Ōmononushi.


Name

The name 'Ōmononushi' (; historical orthography: おほものぬし, ''Ohomononushi'';
Old Japanese is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language, recorded in documents from the Nara period (8th century). It became Early Middle Japanese in the succeeding Heian period, but the precise delimitation of the stages is controversial. Old Ja ...
: ''Opomo2no2nusi'') is translated either as 'Great Thing Master' (after a literal translation of the
characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...
used in his name) or 'Great Spirit Master' (with ''mono'' being taken as meaning 'spirit' or 'supernatural entity'). The deity is also given the name 'Yamato-no-Ōmononushi-Kushimikatama-no-Mikoto' (倭大物主櫛𤭖玉命, lit. 'Great Master of Things / Spirits, the Wondrous Awe-Inspiring Spirit ('' tama'') of
Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...
') in the ''Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko no Kanʼyogoto'' (出雲国造神賀詞, 'Congratulatory Words of the Chieftain of Izumo'), a ritual declaration (''
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 compilation ...
'') delivered by the governor or ''
kuni no miyatsuko , also read as ''kokuzō'' or ''kunitsuko'', were officials in ancient Japan during the Yamato period who governed provinces called ''kuni''. Yamato period ''Kuni no miyatsuko'' governed provinces called ''kuni'' (国), although the location, nam ...
'' of
Izumo Province was an Old provinces of Japan, 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 reg ...
at the imperial court upon his appointment. A passage in the ''
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 ...
'' of
Harima Province or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji. During th ...
(modern
Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...
) meanwhile refers to a deity worshiped at Misaka Shrine in the village of Shijimi in Minō District (modern Miki City) known both as 'Yatokakesu- / Yatokakasu-Mimoro-no-Mikoto' (八戸桂掛須御諸命) and 'Ōmononushi-Ashihara-no-Shiko(o)' (大物主葦原志許(乎); ''Ashihara-no-Shikoo'' 'Ugly Man / Young Warrior of the Reed Plains' is used in the ''Kojiki'' and the ''Shoki'' as another name for Ōkuninushi).


Mythology


Ōmononushi and Ōkuninushi

Ōmononushi first appears in the narrative of the god Ōkuninushi's pacification and development of the terrestrial world, Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni. When Ōkuninushi (also known as Ōnamuchi), the descendant (so the ''Kojiki'') or the son (''Nihon Shoki'') of the god
Susanoo __FORCETOC__ Susanoo (, ; historical orthography: , ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto (), is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese im ...
, took upon himself the monumental task of developing Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, a dwarf named
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 r ...
appeared from beyond the sea and became his partner. However, after a time Sukunabikona left Ōkuninushi and went to the 'eternal land' (常世国, '' tokoyo no kuni''). As Ōkuninushi was lamenting Sukunabikona's departure, another god "illuminating the sea" appears before Ōkuninushi, promising to aid him in his task if he (Ōkuninushi) will worship him. Ōkuninushi, in accordance with the god's wish, then enshrined him in Mount Mimoro (Mount Miwa) in the land of
Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...
. While this god is yet unidentified at this point in the ''Kojiki'', the version of the myth found in the ''Nihon Shoki'' has this deity explicitly identify himself as Ōnamuchi's (the default name of Ōkuninushi in this text) ''kushimitama'' and ''sakimitama'' (, 'wondrous spirit' and 'lucky/auspicious spirit', respectively). Indeed, this same passage lists 'Ōmononushi' as one of the various names for Ōnamuchi. A variant version of the myth of Ōnamuchi's cession of Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni to the gods of the heavenly realm
Takamagahara In Japanese mythology, , also read as Takaamanohara, Takamanohara, Takaamagahara, or Takaamahara, is the abode of the heavenly gods (''amatsukami''). Often depicted as located up in the sky, it is believed to be connected to the Earth by the bridge ...
found in the ''Shoki'' treats 'Ōmononushi' as a name for Ōnamuchi after he left the physical realm to govern the unseen world of the spirit. In this story, Ōnamuchi-as-Ōmononushi along with his son
Kotoshironushi , also known as , is a Shinto ''kami''. In the ''Kojiki'', Kotoshironushi is the son of Ōkuninushi, the earthly deity of Izumo province. When the heavenly deities sent Takemikazuchi to conquer Izumo, Ōkuninushi deferred the decision over whethe ...
ascends to Takamagahara to swear fealty to the heavenly ''kami''. As a reward, the primordial deity
Takamimusubi Takamimusubi (高御産巣日, lit. "High Generative Force") is a Creator deity, creation deity in Japanese mythology, who was the second of the Kotoamatsukami, first beings to come into existence. It is speculated that Takamimusubi was origin ...
gives Ōmononushi his daughter Mihotsuhime (三穂津姫) to be his wife and then sends him back to earth with "the eighty myriads of deities" to become the guardians of the goddess
Amaterasu , often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () ...
's descendants, the Japanese imperial house. In the ''Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko no Kanʼyogoto'', Ōnamochi (Ōkuninushi), after relinquishing his authority over the land, attaches his ''nigitama'' (和魂, 'gentle spirit') in an 'eight-hand
mirror A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera ...
' (八咫鏡 ''yata no kagami''), which he then enshrined in Miwa under the name 'Yamato-no-Ōmononushi-Kushimikatama-no-Mikoto' to serve as a patron of the imperial house along with his children, who he installed in various shrines in the Yamato area.


Isukeyorihime (Isuzuhime)

The ''Kojiki'' relates that when Kamuyamato-Iwarebiko (also known as
Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Ninigi is a deity in Japanese mythology. (-no-Mikoto here is an honorific title applied to the names of Japanese gods; Ninigi is the specific god's name.) Grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu, Ninigi is regarded according to Japanese mythology as the ...
(Amaterasu's grandson who came down from heaven to govern Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni after it was surrendered by Ōkuninushi), was searching for a wife, he was told about a woman named
Seyadatarahime Tamakushi-hime (玉櫛媛, タマクシヒメ) also known as Mishimanomizokui-hime (三嶋溝熾姫, ミシマノミゾクイヒメ) and Seyadatarahime (セヤダタラヒメ), is a feminine deity who appears in Japanese mythology. She is known a ...
(勢夜陀多良比売) who bore a daughter after she was impregnated by Ōmononushi, who took the form of a red arrow and struck her genitals while she was defecating in a ditch. Iwarebiko wooed this daughter, named Hototatara-Isusukihime (富登多多良伊須須岐比売) or Himetatara-Isukeyorihime (比売多多良伊須気余理比売; an altered form of the name which omits the
taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
word ''hoto'' 'genitals'), and took her as his wife. While the main narrative of the first volume of the ''Nihon Shoki'' first describes this daughter, there named Himetatara-Isuzuhime (媛蹈鞴五十鈴媛), as the offspring of the god of Ōmiwa (i.e. Ōmononushi) in agreement with the ''Kojiki'', it is then immediately followed by an alternative account which portrays her as the child of the god Kotoshironushi and the goddess Mizokuhihime (溝樴姫) - also known as Tamakushihime (玉櫛姫) - conceived after Kotoshironushi transformed himself into a gigantic '' wani'' and had intercourse with her. Likewise the main narrative in the third and fourth volumes refer to her as the daughter of Kotoshironushi rather than Ōmononushi.


Ōtataneko and Ikuhi serve Ōmononushi

Both the ''Kojiki'' and the ''Nihon Shoki'' relate that a series of devastating plagues affected the country during the reign of
Emperor Sujin , also known as in the , and or in the was the tenth Emperor of Japan. While Sujin is the first emperor whose existence historians widely accept, he is still referred to as a "legendary emperor" due to a lack of information available and beca ...
. After performing
divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...
to ascertain the will of the ''kami'', the emperor then received a revelation from Ōmononushi via a dream (''Kojiki'') or an
oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...
delivered by Yamato-Totohimomosohime (倭迹迹日百襲姫命), the emperor's grandaunt (''Shoki''). In it, Ōmononushi claimed responsibility for the pestilence and announced that it would not stop until he was offered due worship by a man named (意富多多泥古命 / 大田田根子), who is either his son (''Shoki'') or his great-great-grandson (''Kojiki'') through a woman named Ikutamayorihime (活玉依毘売 / 活玉依媛). After was found and appointed to serve Ōmononushi at his shrine, the epidemic ceased. is reckoned to be the ancestor of the priestly clans of Kamo (鴨君 ''Kamo no Kimi'') and Miwa (神君 / 三輪君 ''Miwa no Kimi''). The ''Shoki'' adds that Sujin appointed another individual named Ikuhi (活日) as the brewer of
sake Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...
presented as offerings to Ōmononushi. When worship of the deity was conducted at the shrine in Miwa, Ikuhi offered the emperor some of this sacred sake ('' miki'') while singing the following
song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...
: A feast was then held at the shrine, after which the emperor sang:


Affair with Ikutamayorihime

The ''Kojiki'' follows the account of 's appointment as Ōmononushi's priest with the story of Ōmononushi's affair with Ikutamayorihime. The beautiful Ikutamayorihime was visited night after night by a handsome young stranger who got her with child. Anxious to discover the man's identity, Ikutamayorihime's parents advised her to sew a
hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...
thread to the hem of the man's garment. The following morning, the yarn was found passing through the keyhole of her chamber door, leading straight to Mount Miwa. Ikutamayorihime and her parents accordingly knew that her lover had been Ōmononushi, the god of the mountain. This legend explains the name 'Miwa' as deriving from the three (''mi''-) loops or twists (''wa'') of hemp thread that remained.


Yamato-Totohimomosohime's death

The ''Nihon Shoki'' records the following story about Yamato-Totohimomosohime, a daughter of
Emperor Kōrei , also known as was the seventh legendary emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further verification and study. Kōrei is known as a ...
and Emperor Sujin's grandaunt. Yamato-Totohimomosohime became wed to Ōmononushi, but the god visited her only at night and was never seen in the daytime. When she requested to see his true form, he hid in her comb case, where she found him as a small snake. After her alarm caused the snake to flee in shame and anger to Mount Miwa, Yamato-Totohimomosohime in remorse stabs her genitals with a
chopstick Chopsticks are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks that have been used as kitchen and eating utensils in most of East Asia for over three millennia. They are held in the dominant hand, secured by fingers, and wielded as extensions of the ha ...
and dies. This narrative serves as an
origin myth An origin myth is a type of myth that explains the beginnings of a natural or social aspect of the world. Creation myths are a type of origin myth narrating the formation of the universe. However, numerous cultures have stories that take place a ...
for Hashihaka Kofun (''hashi (no) haka'' means 'chopstick tomb') at the western foot of Mount Miwa, which is here claimed to be Yamato-Totohimomosohime's tomb. The tumulus, which the story claims to be made of stone from Mount Ōsaka (大坂山, identified with
Mount Nijō Mount Nijō (二上山, Nijōzan) is a mountain in the Kongō Range straddling the prefectural border between Taishi, Osaka, Taishi, Osaka Prefecture, Osaka and Katsuragi, Nara, Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture, Nara in Japan. Mount Nijō has twin peaks ...
on the border of
Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
and
Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
, located 15.3
kilometers The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American and Philippine English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is the preferred measu ...
(9.5
miles The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English f ...
) west of the tomb), is said to have been made by men in the daytime and by the gods at night; the stones used in its construction are said to have been transported from the mountain to the mound by workers standing in single file, who passed the stones from hand to hand.


Emperor Yūryaku and the serpent of Mount Miwa

An episode recorded in the ''Shoki'' concerning
Emperor Yūryaku (417/18 – 479) was the 21st Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. According to the ''Kojiki'', this Emperor is said to have ruled from the Thirteenth Day of the Eleventh Month of 456 ( Heishin) until his death on ...
relates that the emperor, wishing to see the physical form of the god of Mount Miwa with his own eyes, commanded a retainer named Chiisakobe no Sugaru (少子部蜾蠃) to fetch the deity. Sugaru went up the mountain and captured a large snake, which he presented to the emperor. However, as Yūryaku neglected to ritually purify himself beforehand, the serpent made thunderous noise (or summoned
thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...
) and its eyeballs flashed. The emperor fled for fear of the snake and ordered it to be returned to Mount Miwa. He then gave the mountain (or Sugaru) the name 'Ikazuchi' (雷), meaning "thunder." A different variant of this story is found in the ''
Nihon Ryōiki The is an early Heian period setsuwa collection. Written by Kyōkai between 787 and 824, it is Japan's oldest collection of Buddhist setsuwa. It is three volumes in length. Title Commonly abbreviated as ''Nihon Ryōiki'', which means "Record ...
'' (ca. 822 CE). There, Sugaru is commanded to capture the
thunder god Polytheistic peoples from many cultures have postulated a thunder deity, the creator or personification of the forces of thunder and lightning; a lightning god does not have a typical depiction and will vary based on the culture. In Indo-Europea ...
after Sugaru accidentally walked into the palace while the emperor was making love with the empress. Sugaru then went out and summoned the god to appear before the emperor, at which lightning struck near the temple of Toyura-dera (modern
Kōgen-ji Kōgen-ji (向原寺, also written 広厳寺) is a Buddhist temple in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The original temple was established by Soga no Iname. It is affiliated with Jōdo Shinshū , also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land ...
in the village of Asuka in
Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...
). Sugaru sent for priests to place this lightning (i.e. the thunder god) in a
palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...
, which he then brought before the emperor. The emperor was frightened after the god gave off a brilliant flash of light and had it released at the hill where it fell, which became known as Ikazuchi-no-Oka (雷丘 'Thunder Hill').


In later mythology

A late 13th century (
Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
) text, the ''Miwa Daimyōjin Engi'' (三輪大明神縁起), features retellings of two of the above myths concerning Ōmononushi reinterpreted within a Buddhist framework. *The ''Engi'''s version of the narrative of Ōnamuchi's encounter with Ōmononushi (based on the one found in the ''Nihon Shoki'') identifies the god enshrined in Miwa to be Tenshō Kōtaijin (天照皇太神, the
Amaterasu , often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () ...
of classical mythology). Indeed, Miwa Daimyōjin, the deity of Mount Miwa, and Kōtaijin, the deity of Mount Kamiji in
Ise Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today includes most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered on Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History The name of Ise appears ...
(i.e.
Ise Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...
), are treated in the text to be two different earthly incarnations of the same heavenly deity Tenshō / Amaterasu, who in turn is a
manifestation Manifestation may refer to: * Manifestation of conscience, a practice in religious orders * Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith), the prophets of the Bahá'í Faith * Materialization (paranormal), also called manifestation, the creation or app ...
of the
buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
Vairocana Vairocana (from Sanskrit: Vi+rocana, "from the sun" or "belonging to the sun", "Solar", or "Shining"), also known as Mahāvairocana (Great Vairocana), is a major Buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in text ...
(Dainichi). At the same time, however, the text claims that the shrine in Miwa is superior to that of Ise, in that the Miwa deity's descent to earth occurred during the mythical
Age of the Gods In Shinto chronology, the is the period preceding the accession of Jimmu, the first Emperor of Japan. The kamiyo myths are chronicled in the "upper roll" (''Kamitsumaki'') of the ''Kojiki'' and in the first and second chapters of the ''Nihon Sh ...
, whereas Tenshō Daijin was only enshrined in Ise much later, during the reign of
Emperor Suinin , also known as was the 11th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Less is known about ''Suinin'' than his father, and likewise he is also considered to be a "legendary emperor". Both the ''Kojiki'', and t ...
. *The story of Ōmononushi's amorous relationship with Ikutamayorihime is here transformed into an origin legend of Daigorin-ji (大御輪寺, also Ōmiwa-dera), the Buddhist temple (''
jingū-ji Until the Meiji period (1868–1912), the were places of worship composed of a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine, both dedicated to a local ''kami''. These complexes were born when a temple was erected next to a shrine to help its kami with it ...
'') associated with Ōmiwa Shrine during the medieval period. :The narrative adds that the boy's mother died seven days after giving birth. The prince grew up, longing for his compassionate mother. To console the grieving boy, the Miwa deity appeared in the form of a man and gave him a statue bearing his mother's likeness. Thereafter, the prince constantly worshiped at the god's shrine until he reached his teens, when he secluded himself in a cell in the temple and entered ''
samādhi Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh ''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...
'', never to come out again. Six centuries later,
Prince Shōtoku , also known as or , was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yōmei and his consort, Princess Anahobe no Hashihito, who was also Yōmei's younger half ...
visited the temple and discovered the statue of the prince's mother, which the story identifies with the principal image of Daigorin-ji, that of the Eleven-Faced
Kannon Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...
(
Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (meaning "the lord who looks down", International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), also known as Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World") and Chenrezig (in Tibetan), is a Bodhisattva#Bhūmis (stages), tenth-level bodhisattva associ ...
). Ōmononushi is the kami of rain.


See also

*
Legend of the White Snake The Legend of the White Snake is a Chinese legend centered around a romance between a man named Xu Xian and a female snake spirit named Bai Suzhen. It is counted as one of China's Four Great Folktales, the others being '' Lady Meng Jiang'', ' ...
*
Kamo clan The is a Japanese '' shake'' clan which traces its roots from a Yayoi period shrine in northeastern Kyoto. The clan rose to prominence during the Asuka and Heian periods when the Kamo are identified with the 7th-century founding of the Kamo Sh ...
*
Kotohira-gū (also known as , , or Konpira Shrine in English) is a Shinto shrine in the town of Kotohira, Kagawa, Kotohira in Kagawa Prefecture, Kagawa, Japan. This shrine is patron of sea ship transport and sailors. It is a Kotohira Shrines, Kotohira Shrin ...
*
Kotoshironushi , also known as , is a Shinto ''kami''. In the ''Kojiki'', Kotoshironushi is the son of Ōkuninushi, the earthly deity of Izumo province. When the heavenly deities sent Takemikazuchi to conquer Izumo, Ōkuninushi deferred the decision over whethe ...
*
Mount Miwa or is a mountain located in the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It has been an important religious and historical mountain in Japan, especially during its early history, and serves as a holy site in Shinto. The entire mountain is co ...
*
Mitama The Japanese word refers to the spirit of a ''kami'' or the soul of a dead person. It is composed of two characters, the first of which, , is simply an honorific. The second, means "spirit". The character pair 神霊, also read ''mitama'', is ...
*
Ōkuninushi Ōkuninushi (; historical orthography: , ), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (''Oho(a)namuchi'') or Ō(a)namochi (''Oho(a)namochi'') among other variants, is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the cycle of myths re ...
*
Snake worship Snake worship is devotion to serpent deities. The tradition is nearly universal in the religions and mythologies of ancient cultures, where snakes were seen as the holders of knowledge, strength, and renewal. Near East Ancient Mesopotamia Anc ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* *Aoki, Michiko Y., tr. (1997). ''Records of Wind and Earth: A Translation of Fudoki, with Introduction and Commentaries''. Association for Asian Studies, Inc. . *Aston, William George, tr. (1896). ''Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697''. 2 vols. Kegan Paul. 1972 Tuttle reprint. *Chamberlain, Basil H., tr. (1919)
''The Kojiki, Records of Ancient Matters''
1981 Tuttle reprint. *Philippi, Donald L. (2015). ''Kojiki''. Princeton University Press. .


External links


Official Website of Ōmiwa Shrine
(Japanese)
Official Website of Ōsugi Shrine
(Japanese)
Official Website of Kotohira Shrine
(Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Omononushi Japanese deities Shinto Agricultural deities Shinto kami Snake gods Kunitsukami