Kawa-no-Kami (æ²³ã®祠or å·Âä¹Âç¥Â), also known as Kahaku (河伯) is a river deity in Japanese mythology. He is king of the river gods.
The line with this, kami is not mentioned in classical text. The Man'yà Âshà « does however, include poems indicating that Kawa-no-Kami serves the emperor. Kawa-no-Kami is also mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. In other iterations, Kappas are a representation of him.
The god goes by the name "Kawa-no-Kami". It is also known as "Kahaku", a name that is believed to be inspired by the Chinese god of the Yellow River, Hebo. Both names are considered generic terms for a god of rivers or streams. The same is applicable to Korea's Habaek (see Habaek's etymology).
Many sources show that people offered human sacrifice to Kawa-no-Kami. In earlier times, when rivers were in flood, people would offer human sacrifice to please Kawa-no-Kami. With the introduction of Buddhism this practice ended. This led people to use dolls made of flowers or straw as offerings to Kawa-no-Kami instead. This is still practiced today in some parts of Japan.
Kawa-no-Kami is a minor character in the 2001 animated movie Spirited Away. There is a scene where Kawa-no-Kami goes to the bath house. He is filled with trash which gives him the appearance of a stinking spirit. This led staff to be hesitant to clean him. When Chihiro is asked to clean Kawa-no-Kami, she discovers something sticking out of Kawa-no-Kami's side. She decides to pull it out. The other staff then helps Chihiro when they realize he is not a stinking spirit but a river spirit filled with pollutants. Many have said the scene represents themes about environmental issues.