Sarutahiko
The 'Monkey-Field' crossroads god who guides the descending prince Ninigi through the earthly realm, and is subdued in the Kuniyurinshi contest.
Who they are
- A deity of crossroads and guidance [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
- Leads Ōkuninushi's retinue and is subdued in the Kuniyurinshi contest [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
- Guides the descending prince Ninigi [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 his subduing (the sword, the 'heavenly gods are strong' line) and his role as guide differ 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.
Connections
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
