Ōyamatsumi

Ōyama-tsumi (Old Japanese Opoyama-tumi; Kojiki: or Nihon Shoki: , , ), also Ōyama-tsumi-mi'oya-no-mikoto (), is a god of mountains, sea, and war in Japanese mythology. He is an elder brother of Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo. His other names are Watashi-no-Ōkami () and Sakatoke ().

Genealogy

Kojiki genealogy

In the Kamiumi section of the Kojiki, Ōyama-tsumi was born between Izanagi and Izanami. With the female deity , also known as , he fathered eight kami (deities):

• , female kami
• , male kami
• , female kami
• , male kami
• , female kami
• , male kami
• , male kami
• , female kami

He also rendered several offspring without a mother:

• , who then gave birth to , also known as or and also commonly known as .
• Ko-no-hana-chiru-hime (木花知流比売), the wife of Yashimajinumi (八島士奴美神), Ōyama-tsumi's nephew through Susanoo
• , or 磐長姫命 in the Kujiki, wife of Ninigi-no-Mikoto
• , wife of Ninigi-no-Mikoto

In later genealogical traditions, particularly some medieval charts that represent variant passages of the Nihon Shoki, but importantly not in the Kojiki, nor the main Nihon Shoki narrative themselves, Ashinazuchi (or Ashinazuchi (Kojiki: 足名椎; Nihon Shoki: 脚摩乳命; 足名鉄神), also known as 足摩乳命 or 足名槌命 (Ashinazuchi-no-mikoto or Ashinadzuchi-no-mikoto)) and Tenazuchi (or Tenazuchi; Kojiki: 手名椎; Nihon Shoki: 手摩乳命), also known as 名槌命 (Nazuchi-no-mikoto) were siblings fathered by Ōyamatsumi. In the Kojiki, Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi are simply introduced as an elderly married couple living in Izumo with their last surviving daughter (Kushinadahime). In the Kojiki, no parentage is given for them. This discrepancy stems from the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki being primarily political documents and not having been fully harmonized. Furthermore, medieval schools such as Ise, Yoshida, and Suika, and later Kokugaku scholars, reworked genealogies extensively.

Nihon Shoki genealogy

However, in the Nihon Shoki, Ōyama-tsumi is supposed to be born when Izanagi slashed his child, Kagutsuchi (軻遇突智).

The child of Ōyama-tsumi from his first wife Kaya-no-hime, the deity Ame-no-sagiri has a daughter, Tohotsumachi-ne (遠津待根神), and the eighth descendant of the male deity Ōkuninushi (大国主神), the male deity Ame-no-hibara-ōshinadomi (天日腹大科度美神), from their union gave birth to the male deity, To'otsuyama-sakitarashi (遠津山岬多良斯神), who is the descendant of Ōyama-tsumi.

There is not much written about Ōyama-tsumi, and children associated with him appears at times. As for the myth of Yamata-no-orochi, Susanoo's wife, Kushinada-hime (櫛名田比売命 Kushinada-hime-no-mikoto), and her twin parents, the male deity Ashinazuchi (足名椎) and female deity Tenazuchi (手名椎), are known and claimed to be the children of Ōyama-tsumi.

Afterwards, the lineage falls together with his descendants of his half-brother Susanoo, with the union of Ōyama-tsumi first daughter, Kamu'ō-ichi-hime (神大市比売), between them gave birth to Ōtoshi (or Toshigami) and Uka-no-mitama. Then, Susanoo's union with Ōyama-tsumi granddaughter, Kushinada-hime, gave birth to the male deity Yashimajinumi (八島士奴美神). Then Yashimajinumi married Ōyama-tsumi's daughter Konohachiru-hime (木花知流比売), from their union gave birth to the male deity Fuwanomojikunusunu/ Fuwanomodjikunusunu (布波能母遅久奴須奴神, or Fuhanomojikunusunu/ Fuhanomodjikunusunu). Fuwanomojikunusu is the husband of Hikawa-hime (日河比売, or Hikaha-hime), the daughter of the male deity Okami (淤加美神), from their union gave birth to the male deity Fukafuchi-no-Mizuyarehana (深淵之水夜礼花神).

Then, Fukafuchi-no-Mizuyarehana married Ame-no-tsudohechine (天之都度閇知泥神, or 阿麻乃都刀閇乃知尼, Ama-no-tsutohenochine in the "Origin of the Great Shining Deity Awaga" (Awaga Daimyōjin Mototsufumi, 粟鹿大明神元記)) and from their union gave birth to Omizunu/ Omidzunu (淤美豆奴神, or 意弥都奴). Then, Omizunu/ Omidzunu married the female deity Futemimi (布帝耳神), who is the daughter of the deity Funozuno (布怒豆怒神) and from their union gave birth to the male deity Ame-no-Fuyukinu (天之冬衣神). Ame-no-Fuyukinu married the female deity (刺国若比売), who is the daughter of the male deity (刺国大神, Sashikuni Ōkami), from their union gave birth to the male deity Ōkuninushi, the sixth generation grandson of Ōyama-tsumi. These are recorded from a book called the "Origin of the Great Shining Deity Awaga" (Awaga Daimyōjin Mototsufumi, 粟鹿大明神元記) at Awaga Shrine (粟鹿神社, Awaga Jinja) in Awaga, town of Santō, Asago, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.

In the myth of Tenson Kōrin (天孫降臨), the descent of Amaterasu's grandson Ninigi-no-Mikoto from Heaven (Takamagahara) to Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, Ninigi has encountered Ōyama-tsumi's daughter Ko-no-hanasakuya-hime (木花之佐久夜毘売), - the kami of Mount Fuji, Ōyama-tsumi has offered both Ko-no-hanasakuya-hime and her older sister Iwanaga-hime (石長比売). Then, when Ninigi sends back Iwanaga-hime only by her ugly appearance, which in return has angered Ōyama-tsumi and said, "The reason why I gave together with Iwanaga-hime aside from her sibling Ko-no-hanasakuya-hime was because I made a pledge that the heavenly grandson (Ninigi) would be eternal like a rock, but she was sent back and the life expectancy of the heavenly grandson (Ninigi) was shortened."

His most important shrine, Ōyamazumi Shrine, is located on Ōmishima.

References