Oyamakui no Kami (大山咋神) is a Japanese god highly significant in Sannō Ichijitsu Shintō,[1] and worshipped in the Hiyoshi Taisha network of shrines[2] and the Matsunoo Taisha network.[3][4] They are also known as Sanno Gongen (山王権現) in a Buddhist context.[5] They are the son of Toshigami[6] and grandson of Susanoo.[7] Oyamakui no Kami is considered to be androgynous and possibly hermaphroditic.[8] They are the kami of mountains and good health.[9]

Oyamakui no Kami
Major cult centreHiyoshi Taisha
Matsunoo Taisha
Genealogy
Parents

Due to their prominence in at Hiyoshi Taisha the Chinjusha of Enryaku-ji,[10] the head temple of Tendai[11] and the shrine itself leading Sannō Ichijitsu Shintō, they have a very prominent role in the sect, often in the consolidated divinity of Sanno Gongen.[1]

Sanno Gongen is the archetypal deity of heaven, earth, and human beings, the spirit dwelling in the green of the willow, the red of the blossom. This is a truth transmitted from mind to mind

— Kenmitsu naishogi[1]: 67 

The Kojiki says they live on Mount Hiei.[12] He is also worshipped at Hie Shrine.[13]

History

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There is debate about the origin of the kami with some saying they originated in Matsunoo Taisha and others saying they originated in Hiyoshi Taisha.[2]

The first mention of the kami Oyamakui is recorded in Kojiki, written in the 8th century AD, which states that this god resides at Mount Hiei, which is located immediately to the west of Hiyoshi Taisha. This kami was relocated from the summit of the mountain to their present location in the seventh year of the reign of the semi-legendary Emperor Sujin, or 90 BC per the traditional calendar. In 668 AD, Emperor Tenji decided to relocate the capital to Ōmi Province and built the Ōtsu Palace. At this time, the kami of Ōmiwa Shrine in Yamato Province (who served as protector of the imperial dynasty) was relocated as well, and was installed in the Nishi Hongū, whereas the original sanctuary came to be called the Higashi Hongū. In 788 AD, Saichō erected the Tendai Buddhist temple complex of Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei. After the transfer of the capital to Heian-kyō, Enryaku-ji and by extension, Hiyoshi Taisha came to be guardians of the spiritually vulnerable northeast quadrant from the capital. As Enryaku-ji became ever more powerful, and the Buddhist faith gradually amalgamated with Shinto under the Shinbutsu-shūgō policy, Hiyoshi Taisha was subsumed into Enryaku-ji. As missionaries from Enryaku-ji built Buddhist temples all across Japan, they also spread the faith in the "Sanno Gongen" and the Hie kami.

The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period.[14] In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardian kami of Japan,[15] and Hie Taisha was added to this listing by Emperor Go-Suzaku in 1039. This unique number of Imperial-designated shrines has not been altered since that time.[15]

Tenkai wrote extensively about Sanno Gongen. He says Sanno Gongen is very important. According to Tenkai, all kami come from Sanno Gongen. Kami are like parts of Sanno Gongen. Tenkai uses many quotes to explain this. One quote is from the Kenmitsu naishdgi. It says Sanno Gongen is a key deity. Another quote is from the Nimon sosokushu. It says Sanno Gongen represents all dharmas. A different source mentions Jūzenji. It says Jūzenji is part of heaven and earth. Jūzenji exists with all beings. The Masafusa-ki is another text. Oe Masafusa wrote it. He lived from 1041 to 1111. This text also talks about Sanno Gongen. It says Sanno Gongen is the source of all Japanese kami.[1]: 68–69 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had a deep faith in the Sanno Gongen, as his childhood name was "Hiyoshi Maru" and his nickname was "monkey", an animal which was considered to be the spiritual messenger of the Hie kami. The Nishi Hongū was reconstructed in 1586 and the Higashi Hongū in 1595. Tokugawa Ieyasu also had faith in the Sanno Gongen and the shrine was supported by the Tokugawa shogunate.[16]

Sanno Gongen

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Sanno Gongen (山王権現) is the Buddhist name of this deity.[5]

Jūzenji was worshipped as one of the seven key emanations of Sanno Gongen.[17] He was at times seen as being the core god which all things emanated from.[17]

Family tree

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Ōyamatsumi[18][19][20] Susanoo[21][22][23]: 277 
Kamuo Ichihime[19][20][24][25]
Konohanachiru-hime[26][23]: 277 Ashinazuchi[27][28]Tenazuchi[28]Toshigami[25][24]Ukanomitama[19][20]
(Inari)[29]
Oyamakui[30]
Kushinadahime[28][31][23]: 277 
Yashimajinumi[26][23]: 277 
Kagutsuchi[32]
Kuraokami[33]
Hikawahime [ja][34][23]: 278 Fuha-no-Mojikunusunu [ja][23]: 278 
Fukabuchi-no-Mizuyarehana [ja][23]: 278 Ame-no-Tsudoechine [ja][23]: 278 Funozuno [ja][23]: 278 
Sashikuni Okami [ja][23]: 278 Omizunu[23]: 278 Futemimi [ja][23]: 278 
Sashikuni Wakahime [ja][23]: 278 Ame-no-Fuyukinu[35][36][23]: 278 Takamimusubi[37][38]
Futodama[37][38]
Nunakawahime[39] Ōkuninushi[40][23]: 278 
(Ōnamuchi)[41]
Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto[42]
Kotoshironushi[43][44] Tamakushi-hime[42] Takeminakata[45][46] Susa Clan[47]
 
JAPANESE
EMPERORS
711–585 BC
 
Jimmu[48]
660–585 BC(1)
Himetataraisuzu-hime[48]Kamo no Okimi[43][49]Mirahime [ja]
632–549 BC
 
Suizei[50][51][52]
581–549 BC(2)
Isuzuyori-hime[49][53] Hikoyai[50][51][52] Kamuyaimimi[50][51][52]
d.577 BC
Miwa clan and Kamo clan Nunasokonakatsu-hime[54][43]
Imperial House of JapanŌ clan[55][56] and Aso clan[57]
  • Pink is female.
  • Blue is male.
  • Grey means other or unknown.
  • Clans, families, people groups are in green.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Sugahara Shinkai 菅原信海 The Distinctive Features of Sanno Ichijitsu Shinto. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1996 23/1-2.
  2. ^ a b Religions mdpi-res.com
  3. ^ Groemer, Gerald (2023-02-28). A Year in Seventeenth-Century Kyoto: Edo-Period Writings on Annual Ceremonies, Festivals, and Customs. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-9465-8.
  4. ^ Cali, Joseph; Dougill, John (2012-11-30). Shinto Shrines: A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan's Ancient Religion. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3775-4.
  5. ^ a b "Enshrined in the modern world". The Japan Times. 2004-09-03. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  6. ^ "Ōtoshi | 國學院大學デジタルミュージアム". 2022-08-17. Archived from the original on 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  7. ^ The East. East Publications. 1971.
  8. ^ Sparks, David Hatfield (1998-11-01). Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit. Cassell. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-304-70423-1.
  9. ^ "Hie Shrine". www.futarasan.info. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  10. ^ Satō, Masato: "Sannō Shintō". Encyclopedia of Shinto, Kokugakuin University, retrieved on 2011-07-20
  11. ^ Ryuichi Abe. Saichō and Kūkai: A Conflict of Interpretations Ryuichi Abe. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1995 22/1-2
  12. ^ Kojiki
  13. ^ "Sanpai Japan - Hiejinja(Shrine)". Sanpai Japan. 2016-05-27. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  14. ^ Breen, John et al. (2000). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami, pp. 74-75.
  15. ^ a b Ponsonby-Fane, Shrines, p. 118.
  16. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, pp. 125.
  17. ^ a b Porath, Or (August 2022). "Japan's Forgotten God: Jūzenji in Medieval Texts and the Visual Arts". Religions. 13 (8): 693. doi:10.3390/rel13080693. ISSN 2077-1444.
  18. ^ Kaoru, Nakayama (7 May 2005). "Ōyamatsumi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  19. ^ a b c Chamberlain (1882). Section XIX.—The Palace of Suga.
  20. ^ a b c Chamberlain (1882). Section XX.—The August Ancestors of the Deity-Master-of-the-Great-Land.
  21. ^ Atsushi, Kadoya (10 May 2005). "Susanoo". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  22. ^ "Susanoo | Description & Mythology". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Herbert, J. (2010). Shinto: At the Fountainhead of Japan. Routledge Library Editions: Japan. Taylor & Francis. p. 402. ISBN 978-1-136-90376-2. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
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  25. ^ a b 大年神 [Ōtoshi-no-kami] (in Japanese). Kokugakuin University. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  26. ^ a b Mori, Mizue. "Yashimajinumi". Kokugakuin University Encyclopedia of Shinto.
  27. ^ Frédéric, L.; Louis-Frédéric; Roth, K. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press reference library. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  28. ^ a b c "My Shinto: Personal Descriptions of Japanese Religion and Culture". www2.kokugakuin.ac.jp. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  29. ^ “‘My Own Inari’: Personalization of the Deity in Inari Worship.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 23, no. 1/2 (1996): 87-88
  30. ^ "Ōtoshi | 國學院大學デジタルミュージアム". 2022-08-17. Archived from the original on 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  31. ^ "Encyclopedia of Shinto - Home : Kami in Classic Texts : Kushinadahime". eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp.
  32. ^ "Kagutsuchi". World History Encyclopedia.
  33. ^ Ashkenazi, M. (2003). Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Handbooks of world mythology. ABC-CLIO. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-57607-467-1. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  34. ^ Chamberlain, B.H. (2012). Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters. Tuttle Classics. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4629-0511-9. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  35. ^ Philippi, Donald L. (2015). Kojiki. Princeton University Press. p. 92.
  36. ^ Chamberlain (1882). Section XX.—The August Ancestors of the Deity-Master-Of-The-Great Land.
  37. ^ a b Ponsonby-Fane, R. A. B. (2014-06-03). Studies In Shinto & Shrines. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-89294-3.
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  39. ^ Philippi, Donald L. (2015). Kojiki. Princeton University Press. pp. 104–112.
  40. ^ Atsushi, Kadoya; Tatsuya, Yumiyama (20 October 2005). "Ōkuninushi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  41. ^ Atsushi, Kadoya (21 April 2005). "Ōnamuchi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  42. ^ a b The Emperor's Clans: The Way of the Descendants, Aogaki Publishing, 2018.
  43. ^ a b c Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns. Columbia University Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780231049405.
  44. ^ Atsushi, Kadoya (28 April 2005). "Kotoshironushi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  45. ^ Sendai Kuji Hongi, Book 4 (先代舊事本紀 巻第四), in Keizai Zasshisha, ed. (1898). Kokushi-taikei, vol. 7 (国史大系 第7巻). Keizai Zasshisha. pp. 243–244.
  46. ^ Chamberlain (1882). Section XXIV.—The Wooing of the Deity-of-Eight-Thousand-Spears.
  47. ^ Tanigawa Ken'ichi [de] 『日本の神々 神社と聖地 7 山陰』(新装復刊) 2000年 白水社 ISBN 978-4-560-02507-9
  48. ^ a b Kazuhiko, Nishioka (26 April 2005). "Isukeyorihime". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  49. ^ a b 『神話の中のヒメたち もうひとつの古事記』p94-97「初代皇后は「神の御子」」
  50. ^ a b c 日本人名大辞典+Plus, デジタル版. "日子八井命とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  51. ^ a b c ANDASSOVA, Maral (2019). "Emperor Jinmu in the Kojiki". Japan Review (32): 5–16. ISSN 0915-0986. JSTOR 26652947.
  52. ^ a b c "Visit Kusakabeyoshimi Shrine on your trip to Takamori-machi or Japan". trips.klarna.com. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  53. ^ 『図説 歴代天皇紀』p42-43「綏靖天皇」
  54. ^ Anston, p. 143 (Vol. 1)
  55. ^ Grapard, Allan G. (2023-04-28). The Protocol of the Gods: A Study of the Kasuga Cult in Japanese History. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-91036-2.
  56. ^ Tenri Journal of Religion. Tenri University Press. 1968.
  57. ^ Takano, Tomoaki; Uchimura, Hiroaki (2006). History and Festivals of the Aso Shrine. Aso Shrine, Ichinomiya, Aso City.: Aso Shrine.