Ookuninushi
Encyclopedia
Ōkuninushi is a divinity (kami
) in Japanese Shinto
. His name literally translates to "Great Land Master", and he is believed to be originally the ruler of Izumo Province
, until he was replaced by Ninigi. In compensation, he was made ruler of the unseen world of spirits and magic. He is believed to be a god of nation-building, farming, business, and medicine.
stopped them and asked them for help. They told the hare to wash in the sea and dry itself in the wind, which naturally caused great pain for it. Ōkuninushi then met the hare, and he told it to bathe in fresh water and then roll in the pollen
of cattail. The hare immediately got better, and it revealed its true form as a god. In gratitude, the hare told Ōkuninushi that Yakami would be his.
His brothers, who were furious, heated a boulder to white-hot temperatures, and rolled it down a mountain toward him. He thought it was a boar and grabbed it, subsequently burning to death. His mother, Kami-Musubi, revived him. His brothers then crushed Ōkuninushi to death. Kami-Musubi then advised him to take refuge in the underworld instead.
and his daughter Suseri-hime, with whom he shortly fell in love. Of course, Susa-no-Ō was aghast. In response, he sent Ōkuninushi to sleep in a room full of snakes. However, Suseri-hime had given him a scarf, which protected him. When Susa-no-Ō sent him to sleep in a room with centipedes and wasps the next night, he was still successfully protected. As a trial, Susa-no-Ō shot an arrow into the middle of an enormous meadow, and told him to look for it. Ōkuninushi searched and eventually reached the middle of the field, at which point Susa-no-Ō proceeded to light the field on fire. A mouse showed Ōkuninushi a hole that he could hide in, and also brought the arrow to him.
with him. When the couple made their escape, the koto brushed against a tree, awakening Susa-no-Ō. The god jumped up, and pulled down the palace with his hair. At the borders of the underworld, Susa-no-Ō almost caught up with the elopers and called out to them, advising Ōkuninushi to fight his brothers with Susa-no-Ō's weapons. Ōkuninushi asked him to make Suseri-hime his wife, and to build a palace at the foot of Mount Uka, which he agreed to. After the entire ordeal was over, Ōkuninushi became ruler of the province of Izumo.
The Grand Izumo Shrine is dedicated to his spirit and is one of the oldest and most important shrines in Japan.
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
) in Japanese Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
. His name literally translates to "Great Land Master", and he is believed to be originally the ruler of Izumo Province
Izumo Province
was an 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 :It was one of the regions of ancient Japan where major political powers arose...
, until he was replaced by Ninigi. In compensation, he was made ruler of the unseen world of spirits and magic. He is believed to be a god of nation-building, farming, business, and medicine.
Hare of Inaba
Ōkuninushi had eighty other brothers, who all wanted to marry the princess Yakami. While the brothers were on their way to visit the princess, the flayed Hare of InabaHare of Inaba
The Hare of Inaba can refer to two distinct Japanese myths.-Kojiki version:This version originates from the oldest surviving book in Japan, the Kojiki. In this version of the myth, a hare tricks some sharks into being used as a land bridge, in order to travel from the Island of Oki to Cape Keta...
stopped them and asked them for help. They told the hare to wash in the sea and dry itself in the wind, which naturally caused great pain for it. Ōkuninushi then met the hare, and he told it to bathe in fresh water and then roll in the pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
of cattail. The hare immediately got better, and it revealed its true form as a god. In gratitude, the hare told Ōkuninushi that Yakami would be his.
His brothers, who were furious, heated a boulder to white-hot temperatures, and rolled it down a mountain toward him. He thought it was a boar and grabbed it, subsequently burning to death. His mother, Kami-Musubi, revived him. His brothers then crushed Ōkuninushi to death. Kami-Musubi then advised him to take refuge in the underworld instead.
Love to Suseri-Hime
In the underworld, he met the storm god Susa-no-ŌSusanoo
, also known as is the Shinto god of the sea and storms. He is also considered to be ruler of Yomi.-Myths:In Japanese mythology, Susanoo, the powerful storm of Summer, is the brother of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, and of Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. All three were born from Izanagi, when...
and his daughter Suseri-hime, with whom he shortly fell in love. Of course, Susa-no-Ō was aghast. In response, he sent Ōkuninushi to sleep in a room full of snakes. However, Suseri-hime had given him a scarf, which protected him. When Susa-no-Ō sent him to sleep in a room with centipedes and wasps the next night, he was still successfully protected. As a trial, Susa-no-Ō shot an arrow into the middle of an enormous meadow, and told him to look for it. Ōkuninushi searched and eventually reached the middle of the field, at which point Susa-no-Ō proceeded to light the field on fire. A mouse showed Ōkuninushi a hole that he could hide in, and also brought the arrow to him.
Ruler of Izumo
By now, after all his various attempts of murder, Susa-no-Ō was beginning to actually approve of Ōkuninushi. One night, after he told Ōkuninushi to wash his hair and go to sleep, Ōkuninushi tied Susa-no-Ō's hair to the rafters of his palace, and fled with Suseri-hime. He took Susa-no-Ō's bow and arrows and kotoKoto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
with him. When the couple made their escape, the koto brushed against a tree, awakening Susa-no-Ō. The god jumped up, and pulled down the palace with his hair. At the borders of the underworld, Susa-no-Ō almost caught up with the elopers and called out to them, advising Ōkuninushi to fight his brothers with Susa-no-Ō's weapons. Ōkuninushi asked him to make Suseri-hime his wife, and to build a palace at the foot of Mount Uka, which he agreed to. After the entire ordeal was over, Ōkuninushi became ruler of the province of Izumo.
The Grand Izumo Shrine is dedicated to his spirit and is one of the oldest and most important shrines in Japan.
Other names
He has a lot of other names. It is thought faith in him came from several virtuous gods and was combined from their image.- Ōkuninushi-no-kami (大国主神) - It means an emperor or monarch. According to another opinion, he is said to have been the king in Izumo.
- Ōnamuchi-no-kami (大穴牟遅神), Ōnamuchi-no-mikoto (大己貴命, 大穴持命) - These were his names when he was young.
- Yachihoko-no-kami (八千矛神) - A hokoHokoHoko yari in an older form of Japanese spear or yari based on a Chinese spear. and thought to be from the Nara period.-Appearance and use:The hoko yari was thought to be a guard's spear used in the defense palisades and gates...
("spear") is a symbol of power. For this reason, Yachihoko ("eight-thousand-spears") is believed a god of power. - Ashihara-Shiko-no-Ō (葦原醜男), Ashihara-Shiko-no-Ō-no-kami (葦原色許男神) - A shiko-no-ō is a symbol of strength of men, that is, Ashihara-Shiko-no-Ō is believed a god of war.
- Ōmononushi-no-kami (大物主神)
- Ōkunitama (大國魂大神)
- Utsushikunitama (宇都志国玉神)
- Kunitsukuriōnamuchi-no-mikoto (国作大己貴命)