Kuraokami
Okami (淤加
Name
[edit]The name Kuraokami combines kura
Marinus Willem de Visser (1913:136) cites the 713 CE Bungo Fudoki
The snake takes a more obtrusive part in the Japanese than in the Chinese dragon and it frequently manifests itself as a god of the sea. The old Japanese sea-gods were often female water-snakes. The cultural influences which reached Japan from the south by way of Indonesia — many centuries before the coming of Buddhism — naturally emphasized the serpent form of the dragon and its connection with the ocean. (1919:101)
Lineage
[edit]In the Kojiki, he is the father of female deity Hikawa-hime (
Then, the great-grandson of Ōkuninushi, Mikanushi-hiko (
Kojiki
[edit]The ca. 680 CE Kojiki transcribes Kuraokami Kami with man'yōgana as
Then His Augustness the Male-Who-invites, drawing the ten-grasp sabre that was augustly girded on him, cut off the head of his child the Deity Shining-Elder. Hereupon the names of the Deities that were born from the blood that stuck to the point of the august sword and bespattered the multitudinous rock-misses were: the Deity Rock-Splitter, next the Deity Root-Splitter, next the Rock-Possessing-Male-Deity. The names of the Deities that were next born from the blood that stuck to the upper part of the august sword and again bespattered the multitudinous rock-masses were: the Awfully-Swift-Deity, next the Fire-Swift-Deity, next the Brave-Awful-Possessing-Male-Deity, another name for whom is the Brave-Snapping-Deity, and another name is the Luxuriant-Snapping Deity. The names of the Deities that were next born from the blood that collected on the hilt of the august sword and leaked out between his fingers were: the Deity Kura-okami and next the Deity Kura-mitsuha. All the eight Deities in the above list, from the Deity Rock-Splitter to the Deity Kura-mitsuha, are Deities that were born from the august sword. (tr. Chamberlain 1919:36)
Basil Hall Chamberlain notes, "The etymology of both these name is obscure. Kura, the first element of each compound, signifies 'dark'."
Another Kojiki section listing ancestors of Ōkuninushi
The Deity Fuha-no-moji-Ku-nu-su-nu … wedded Princess Hikaha, daughter of the Deity Okami, and begot a child: Water-Spoilt-Blossom-of-Fuka-buchi. This Deity wedded the Deity Ame-no-tsudohe-chi-ne, and begot a child: the Deity Great-Water-Master. This Deity wedded the Deity Grand-Ears daughter of the Deity Funu-dzu-nu, and begot a child: the Deity Heavenly-Brandishing-Prince-Lord. This Deity wedded the Young-Princess-of-the-Small-Country, daughter of the Great-Deity-of-the-Small-Country, and begot a child: the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land. (tr. Chamberlain 1919:78-9)
Nihongi
[edit]The ca. 720 CE Nihon Shoki writes Kuraokami with kanji as
At length he drew the ten-span sword with which he was girt, and cut Kagu tsuchi into three pieces, each of which became changed into a God. Moreover, the blood which dripped from the edge of the sword became the multitudinous rocks which are in the bed of the Easy-River of Heaven. This God was the father of Futsu-nushi no Kami. Moreover, the blood which dripped from the hilt-ring of the sword spurted out and became deities, whose names were Mika no Haya-hi no Kami and next Hi no Haya-hi no Kami. This Mika no Haya-hi no Kami was the parent of Take-mika-suchi no Kami.
Another version is: "Mika no haya-hi no Mikoto, next Hi no haya-hi no Mikoto, and next Take-mika-tsuchi no Kami. Moreover, the blood which dripped from the point of the sword spurted out and became deities, who were called Iha-saku no Kami, after him Ne-saku no Kami, and next Iha-tsutsu-wo no Mikoto. This Iha-saku no Kami was the father of Futsu-nushi no Kami."
One account says: "Iha-tsutsu-wo no Mikoto, and next Iha-tsutsu-me no Mikoto. Moreover, the blood which dripped from the head of the sword spurted out and became deities, who were called Kura o Kami no Kami, next Kura-yamatsumi no Kami, and next Kura-midzu-ha no Kami. (tr. Aston 1896:23)
William George Aston (1896:24) footnotes translations for these kami names: Kuraokami "Dark-god", Kurayamatsumi "Dark-mountain-body-god", and Kuramitsuha "Dark-water-goddess". De Visser (1913:136–137) says Kuramitsuha could be translated "Dark-water-snake", "Valley-water-snake", or "Female-water-snake".
Man'yōshū
[edit]The Man'yōshū poetry collection mentions an Okami 於可
It was by speaking
To the dragon of my hill
I caused this snowfall;
A few flakes may have scattered.
No doubt, out there where you are. (2:104, tr. Cranston 1993:490)
Compare Edwin Cranston's translation with that of Burton Watson (1986:22), "I told the water god on my hill to let the snow fall. It scattered, and some must have fallen over your way!"
Okami shrines
[edit]The diverse Japanese kami of water and rainfall, such as Suijin
- Okami Jinja (龗神
社 ) in Daitō, Osaka - Okami Jinja (於加
美神 社 ) in Minamiaizu, Fukushima - Okami Jinja (
意 加美 神社 ) in Hirakata and Izumisano, Osaka - Kuraokami Jinja (
闇 龗神社 ) in Ichikai, Tochigi - Takaokami Jinja (
高 龗神社 ) on Mount Miwa - Takaokami Jinja (
多 加 意 加美 神社 ) in Shōbara, Hiroshima - Kunitsu Okami Jinja (
國津 意 加美 神社 ) on Iki Island
In addition, the water-god Takaokami is worshipped at various shrines named Kibune Jinja (
Family tree
[edit]- Pink is female.
- Blue is male.
- Grey means other or unknown.
- Clans, families, people groups are in green.
References
[edit]- ^ Kaoru, Nakayama (7 May 2005). "Ōyamatsumi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ a b c Chamberlain (1882). Section XIX.—The Palace of Suga.
- ^ a b c Chamberlain (1882). Section XX.—The August Ancestors of the Deity-Master-of-the-Great-Land.
- ^ Atsushi, Kadoya (10 May 2005). "Susanoo". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ "Susanoo | Description & Mythology". Encyclopedia Britannica.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Herbert, J. (2010). Shinto: At the Fountainhead of Japan. Routledge Library Editions: Japan. Taylor & Francis. p. 402. ISBN 978-1-136-90376-2. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ a b
大年 神 [Ōtoshi-no-kami] (in Japanese). Kotobank. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023. - ^ a b
大年 神 [Ōtoshi-no-kami] (in Japanese). Kokugakuin University. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023. - ^ a b Mori, Mizue. "Yashimajinumi". Kokugakuin University Encyclopedia of Shinto.
- ^ Frédéric, L.; Louis-Frédéric; Roth, K. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press reference library. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ a b c "My Shinto: Personal Descriptions of Japanese Religion and Culture". www2.kokugakuin.ac.jp. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ “‘My Own Inari’: Personalization of the Deity in Inari Worship.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 23, no. 1/2 (1996): 87-88
- ^ "Ōtoshi |
國學院大學 デジタルミュージアム". 2022-08-17. Archived from the original on 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2023-11-14. - ^ "Encyclopedia of Shinto - Home : Kami in Classic Texts : Kushinadahime". eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp.
- ^ "Kagutsuchi". World History Encyclopedia.
- ^ Ashkenazi, M. (2003). Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Handbooks of world mythology. ABC-CLIO. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-57607-467-1. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ Chamberlain, B.H. (2012). Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters. Tuttle Classics. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4629-0511-9. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ Philippi, Donald L. (2015). Kojiki. Princeton University Press. p. 92.
- ^ Chamberlain (1882). Section XX.—The August Ancestors of the Deity-Master-Of-The-Great Land.
- ^ a b Ponsonby-Fane, R. A. B. (2014-06-03). Studies In Shinto & Shrines. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-89294-3.
- ^ a b "Encyclopedia of Shinto - Home : Kami in Classic Texts : Futodama". eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ Philippi, Donald L. (2015). Kojiki. Princeton University Press. pp. 104–112.
- ^ Atsushi, Kadoya; Tatsuya, Yumiyama (20 October 2005). "Ōkuninushi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ Atsushi, Kadoya (21 April 2005). "Ōnamuchi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ a b The Emperor's Clans: The Way of the Descendants, Aogaki Publishing, 2018.
- ^ a b c Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns. Columbia University Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780231049405.
- ^ Atsushi, Kadoya (28 April 2005). "Kotoshironushi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ Sendai Kuji Hongi, Book 4 (
先代 舊 事 本紀 巻 第 四 ), in Keizai Zasshisha, ed. (1898). Kokushi-taikei, vol. 7 (国史 大系 第 7巻 ). Keizai Zasshisha. pp. 243–244. - ^ Chamberlain (1882). Section XXIV.—The Wooing of the Deity-of-Eight-Thousand-Spears.
- ^ Tanigawa Ken'ichi 『
日本 の神 々神社 と聖地 7山陰 』(新装 復刊 ) 2000年 白水 社 ISBN 978-4-560-02507-9 - ^ a b Kazuhiko, Nishioka (26 April 2005). "Isukeyorihime". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ a b 『
神話 の中 のヒメたち もうひとつの古事記 』p94-97「初代 皇后 は「神 の御子 」」 - ^ a b c
日本人 名 大 辞典 +Plus, デジタル版 . "日子 八 井 命 とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-06-01. - ^ a b c ANDASSOVA, Maral (2019). "Emperor Jinmu in the Kojiki". Japan Review (32): 5–16. ISSN 0915-0986. JSTOR 26652947.
- ^ a b c "Visit Kusakabeyoshimi Shrine on your trip to Takamori-machi or Japan". trips.klarna.com. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ 『
図説 歴代 天 皇紀 』p42-43「綏靖天皇 」 - ^ Anston, p. 143 (Vol. 1)
- ^ Grapard, Allan G. (2023-04-28). The Protocol of the Gods: A Study of the Kasuga Cult in Japanese History. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-91036-2.
- ^ Tenri Journal of Religion. Tenri University Press. 1968.
- ^ Takano, Tomoaki; Uchimura, Hiroaki (2006). History and Festivals of the Aso Shrine. Aso Shrine, Ichinomiya, Aso City.: Aso Shrine.
Further reading
[edit]- Aston, William George, tr. 1896. Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697. 2 vols. Kegan Paul.
- Chamberlain, Basil H., tr. 1919. The Kojiki, Records of Ancient Matters.
- Cranston, Edwin A. 1993. A Waka Anthology. Stanford University Press.
- de Visser, Marinus Willem (1913), The Dragon in China and Japan, J. Müller, archived from the original on 2008-10-26
- Smith, G. Elliot. 1919. The Evolution of the Dragon Archived 2018-01-11 at the Wayback Machine. Longmans, Green & Company.
- Watson, Burton and Sato, Hiroaki. 1986. From the Country of Eight Islands: An Anthology of Japanese Poetry. Columbia University Press.
External links
[edit]- Kuraokami, Takaokami, Kuramitsuha, Encyclopedia of Shinto
- Kura Okami, The Serene Dragon