Ōkuninushi
The 'Great Lord of the Country,' the powerful indigenous deity of the middle land who resists, then yields, the heavenly takeover (the Kuniyurinshi).
Who they are
- The 'Great Lord of the Country,' the indigenous sovereign of the middle land [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
- Defeated in the Kuniyurinshi contest and yields the land to the heavenly line [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
- Thereafter a deity of the earth, healing, and agriculture, especially in Izumo [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
- The exact sequence of the contest (the sword-throw, the subduing of Sarutahiko, which regalia are handed over) differs between the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗[S2]S2 · *Nihon Shoki* ('Chronicles of Japan', 720 CE) — PRIMARY TEXT (annalistic + mythographic) — (translation: G. Cameron, 1968; see Internet Arch.
- Whether he 'yields' the land or is 'subjugated,' and the role of Kotohikone in the marriage/alliance, are treated differently in the two texts [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗[S2]S2 · *Nihon Shoki* ('Chronicles of Japan', 720 CE) — PRIMARY TEXT (annalistic + mythographic) — (translation: G. Cameron, 1968; see Internet Arch.
Connections
Family & kinship
Conflict & enmity
Alliances & rule
Their corner of the divine world
- parentage
- marriage ♥
far = primordials · medium = all · close = detail — scroll/pan, click a deity to focus
2 stories
The Subjugation of the Country (Kuniyurinshi)
When the heavenly prince Ninigi is sent down to rule the middle land, the indigenous island god Ōkuninushi and his retinue (led by the crossroads god Sarutahiko) resist the heavenly takeover [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. A contest ensues, centered on the throwing of the sword: the thunder god Takemikazuchi throws the sword (Kusanagi) from the high land to the middle land, hitting the target and demonstrating the heavenly gods' strength [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. Sarutahiko, carrying the sword, is subdued, and Ōkuninushi is defeated; he yields the land and hands over the three sacred regalia (mirror, jewel, sword) as pledge [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. Thereafter Ōkuninushi becomes a local deity of the earth, healing, and agriculture (especially in Izumo), while the heavenly line takes sovereignty [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗[S2]S2 · *Nihon Shoki* ('Chronicles of Japan', 720 CE) — PRIMARY TEXT (annalistic + mythographic) — (translation: G. Cameron, 1968; see Internet Arch. This is the mythic foundation of the transfer of rule from the indigenous to the heavenly/imperial line.
The Descent of Ninigi (Tenson Kōryō)
The heavenly prince Ninigi, grandson of Amaterasu, is sent down from Takamagahara to take rule of the middle land (Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni) [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. His descent (Tenson Kōryō) alights at Takachiho in Hyūga (Kyūshū) [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. Guided by the crossroads god Sarutahiko, he is confronted by Ōkuninushi's side (the Kuniyurinshi), after which the land is yielded [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. Ninigi takes the earthly bride Konohanasakuya-hime and later the heavenly bride Toyotama-hime (Amaterasu's daughter); their son Hooroni (Ōyahata) is the ancestor of the emperors [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗[S2]S2 · *Nihon Shoki* ('Chronicles of Japan', 720 CE) — PRIMARY TEXT (annalistic + mythographic) — (translation: G. Cameron, 1968; see Internet Arch. The 'birth at sea' of Hooroni (Toyotama-hime giving birth in a hut at sea, whence the sea is born) is part of this descent narrative [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
Depictions