Ōtoshi (大歳神, Ōtoshi-no-kami; lit. "Great-Age God") or Nigihayahi (饒速日尊 Nigihayahi-no-mikoto), commonly known: Toshigami (年神, lit. "Year God") or Ōtoshi (大年神, Ōtoshi-no-kami; lit. "Great-Year God") is a

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

of the

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

religion in Japan. He is the son of the Shinto deity

Susanoo __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 chara ...

and the female deity Kamu'ō-ichi-hime (神大市比売), and also the older brother of

Uka-no-mitama Ukanomitama (宇迦之御魂神 – Mighty Soul of Sustenance - ''Kojiki'') (倉稲魂命 - '' Nihongi'') is a ''kami'' in classical Japanese mythology, associated with food and agriculture, often identified with Inari, the deity of rice. Name ...

(宇迦之御魂神, Uka-no-mitama-no-kami), commonly known as Inari (稲荷神, Inari-no-kami). Kamu'ō-ichi-hime is the youngest sister of

Kushinadahime , also known as or Inadahime among other names, is a goddess (''kami'') in Japanese mythology. She is one of the wives of the god Susanoo, who rescued her from the monster Yamata no Orochi. Name The goddess is named 'Kushinadahime' (櫛名田 ...

, who are both the daughters of

Ōyamatsumi Ōyama-tsumi or Ohoyama-tsumi (Kojiki: 大山津見神 or Nihon Shoki: 大山祇神, 大山積神, 大山罪神; Ōyama-tsumi-mi'oya-no-mikoto 大山祇御祖命) is a god of mountains, sea, and war in Japanese mythology. He is an elder brother o ...

(大山津見神). Ōyamatsumi (大山津見神) is the half-brother of Susano'o. Also, he is the father of Mitoshi (御年神, Mitoshi-no-kami/ Otoshi-no-kami) by his wife Kaguyo-hime (香用比売) and the grandfather of Wakatoshi (若年神, Wakatoshi-no-kami), son of Hayamato (羽山戸神, Hayamato-no-kami). The term consists of two

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...

, and , meaning a deity or spirit. ''Toshigami'' are thought to be deities of the year believed to bring with each

New Year New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...

. ''Toshigami'' are also thought to be the spirits of ancestors. His shrines are scattered throughout Western Japan where he is venerated. The following popular and significant shrines are: * Katsuragi Mitoshi/ Katsuragi Mitose Jinja (葛木御歳神社), in the city of Goseshi,

Nara Prefecture is a 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 northwest, Wakayama P ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

– is the nation's main shrine of the dedicated and celebrated to him * Ōtoshimi'oya Jinja (大歳御祖神社), part of the compound of Shizuoka Sengen Jinja (静岡浅間神社), in Aoi-ku, city of

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

* Hidaichi-no-miya Minashi Jinja (飛騨一宮水無神社, commonly: 水無神社 Minashi Jinja), in the city of Takayama,

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...

in the former ancient Japanese nation of Hida * Ōyamato Shrine (大和神社, Ōyamato Jinja), in the city Tenri,

– the city was briefly the

capital of Japan The current capital of Japan is Tokyo."About Japan"
The Government of Japan. Retrieved 9 March 2022.

during the reign of

Emperor Ninken (449 — 9 September 498) was the 24th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 仁賢天皇 (24) retrieved 2013-8-30. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's ...

. The right hall of the compound is venerated to him, while the middle hall to the

deity Yamato-no-Ōkunitama (倭大国魂神/ Nihon Shiki: 日本大国魂神 – lit. "

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan. Japanese his ...

, Spirit of the Great Nation" = (ancient name of Japan)) which this deity theoretically is the same deity as

Ōkuninushi Ōkuninushi ( historical orthography: ''Ohokuninushi''), 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 ...

(大国主神, Ōkuninushi-no-kami), and the left hall to the

deity to Yachihoko (八千戈大神, Yachihoko-no-Ōkami), another name of the deity

(大国主神, Ōkuninushi-no-kami).

Genealogy

Toshigami fathered many other Shinto deities. The children of his wives were: * Ino-hime (伊怒比売), the daughter of the Shinto deity Kamikusubi (神活須毘神), their children: **Ōhokuni-mitama/ Ōkuni-mitama (大国御魂神, Ōhokuni-mitama/ Ōkuni-mitama -kami) – the meaning of his name is "Spiritual Deity of the Land of the Nation", or "Soul of the Nation" and "Pillar (Master/ Lord) of the Great Nation" **Kara (韓神, Kara-kami, lit. "Deity of Korea") – deity worshipped and introduced by immigrants (known by the Japanese as "Toraijin (渡来人)") of a clan from the ancient

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n kingdom of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

, His shrine is Sonokara-kami-no-Yashiro/ Sonokara Misha (園韓神社) located at the northeastern part of the town of Shuzei-chō/ Chikara-machi (主税町), opposite the

Ministry of the Imperial Household The was a division of the eighth century Japanese government of the Imperial Court in Kyoto, instituted in the Asuka period and formalized during the Heian period. The Ministry was reorganized in the Meiji period and existed until 1947, befor ...

(宮内省 ''Kunai-shō''), in the district of Kamigyō-ku (上京区), of the palace complex of

Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...

, former capital and city of

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, Kyoto Prefecture,

**Sofuri (曾富理神, Sofuri-kami) – deity worshipped and introduced by immigrants (known by the Japanese as "Toraijin (渡来人)") of a clan from the ancient

n kingdom of Shilla/ Silla, also located in the palace complex of

, former capital and city of

, Kyoto Prefecture,

**Shirahi (白日神, Shirahi-no-kami) – deity of

halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

/ light/

corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

of the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

**Hijiri (聖神 Hijiri-no-kami) – deity of knowledge of farming and agriculture by the

*** * Kaguyo-hime (香用比売), their children: **Ohokaguyama-tomi/ Ōkaguyama-tomi (大香山戸臣神, Ohokaguyama-tomi/ Ōkaguyama-tomi -no-kami) **Mitoshi (御年神, Mitoshi-no-kami/ Otoshi-no-kami) – an important deity *** * Amechikarumizu-hime/ Amechikarumidzu-hime (天知迦流美豆比売), their children: **Okitsu-hiko (奥津日子神/ 澳津彦神, Okitsu-hiko-no-kami) – god of the blaze and

hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a lo ...

**Okitsu-hime (奥津比売命 Okitsu-hime-no-mikoto/ 澳津姫神, Okitsu-hime-no-kami) – other name is Ohohe-hime/ Ōhe-hime (大戸比売神, Ohohe-hime/ Ōhe-hime-no-kami) – goddess of the

kitchen A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a ...

and

stove A stove or range is a device that burns fuel or uses electricity to generate heat inside or on top of the apparatus, to be used for general warming or cooking. It has evolved highly over time, with cast-iron and induction versions being develope ...

of the

**Ohoyamakuhi/ Ōyamakuhi (大山咋神, Ohoyamakuhi/ Ōyamakuhi -no-kami) – other name is Yamasu'e-no-ohonushi/ Yamasu'e-no-ōnushi (山末之大主神, Yamasu'e-no-ohonushi/ Yamasu'e-no-ōnushi -no-kami). The mountain-deity of

Mount Hiei is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by S ...

(比叡山 ''Hiei-zan'') is a mountain to the northeast of

, lying on the border between the

and

Shiga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...

. Also, he is the celebrated deity of both the shrine of

Hiyoshi Taisha is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture Japan. This shrine is one of the Twenty-Two Shrines. Known before World War II as or Hie jinja, "Hiyoshi" is now the preferred spelling. It was also known as the . The head shri ...

, located in Ōtsu, Shiga,

and the shrine of Matsuno'o Taisha/ Matsu'o Taisha in the south of the

Arashiyama is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district. Arashiyama is a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty. Notable t ...

district of

, Kyoto Prefecture,

**Niwa-tsuhi (庭津日神, Niwa-tsuhi-no-kami) – the meaning of his name is "Light who Shines/ Illuminates the Garden" – is the deity of the mansion or house **Asuha (阿須波神, Asuha-no-kami) – deity of the mansion or house and the fourth of the five column deities known as "Ikasuri/ Zama (座摩神, Ikasuri/ Zama -no-kami)" venerated in the northern office (situated in the centre) in the western courtyard of the Department of Divinities (神祇官 ''Jingi-kan'') of

Heian Palace The was the original imperial palace of (present-day Kyoto), the capital of Japan, from 794 to 1227. The palace, which served as the imperial residence and the administrative centre for most of the Heian period (from 794 to 1185), was located a ...

, former capital and city of

, Kyoto Prefecture,

**Hahiki (波比岐神/ 波比祇神/ 婆比支神, Hahiki-no-kami) – deity of the mansion or house and the fifth of the five column deities known as "Ikasuri/ Zama (座摩神, Ikasuri/ Zama -no-kami)" venerated in the northern office (situated in the centre) in the western courtyard of

Department of Divinities The , also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, Department of Rites, Department of Worship, as well as Council of Divinities, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the ''ritsuryō'' reforms. It was fi ...

(神祇官 ''Jingi-kan'') of

, former capital and city of

, Kyoto Prefecture,

**Kaguyama-tomi (香山戸臣神, Kaguyama-tomi-no-kami) **Hayamato (羽山戸神, Hayamato-no-kami) – an important male deity, who governs the mountain ridges and lower parts of the mountains. The husband of the goddess Ōgetsu-hime (大気都比売神, Ōgetsu-hime-no-kami) **Niwataka-tsuhi (庭高津日神, Niwataka-tsuhi-no-kami) – the deity of the mansion or house **Ohotsuchi/ Ōtsuchi (大土神, Ohotsuchi/ Ōtsuchi -no-kami) – other name is Tsuchi-no-mi'oya (土之御祖神, Tsuchi-no-mi'oya-no-kami) – deity of the

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

and

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

, protector deity of the

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

*** The grandchildren of Toshigami through his wife Amechikarumizu-hime, from his son Hayamato (羽山戸神) and his wife Ōgetsu-hime (大気都比売神, Ōgetsu-hime-no-kami): **Wakayamaku'i (若山咋神, Wakayamaku'i-no-kami) – deity of the mountains ** Wakatoshi (若年神, Wakatoshi-no-kami), other names: (若歳神/ 稚年神, Wakatoshi-no-kami) ** Wakasana-me (若狭那売神, Wakasana-me-no-kami) – female youth deity planting of the fields **Mizumaki/ Midzumaki (弥豆麻岐神, Mizumaki/ Midzumaki -no-kami) – deity of watering and irrigation **Natsutakatsuhi (夏高津日神, Natsutakatsuhi-no-kami) – other name: Natsuno-me (夏之売神, Natsuno-me-no-kami) – deity of the Sun shining highest in the summer **Aki-bime (秋毘売神, Akibi-me-no-kami) – other name: Aki-hime (秋比女神, Akihime-no-kami) – goddess of autumn **Kukutoshi (久久年神, Kukutoshi-no-kami) – other name: Fuyutoshi (冬年神, Fuyutoshi-no-kami) – meaning "the stems of rice about to/ that will grow" **Kukuki-wakamurotsunane (久久紀若室葛根神, Kukukiwakamurotsunane-no-kami) – other names: Wakamurotsunane (若室葛根)/ Fuyuki-wakamurotsunane (冬記若室葛根神, Fuyukiwakamurotsunane-no-kami) – the intention is to build a new room and tie it with a rope of

kudzu Kudzu (; also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot) is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands, but invasive species, invasive in many ...

. It is considered to build a house for the Harvest Festival (新嘗祭, Ni'inamesai)

Genealogy

See also