Toyouke-hime

Toyouke-hime is the goddess of agriculture, industry, food, clothing, and houses in the Shinto religion. Originally enshrined in the Tanba regionTemplate:Efn of Japan, she was called to reside at Gekū, Ise Shrine, about 1,500 years ago at the age of Emperor Yūryaku to offer sacred food to Amaterasu Ōmikami, the Sun Goddess.

File:Descendants of Izanami alone-en.svg

Toyouke-Ōmikami (r: 5th row from the top) is a granddaughter to Izanagi by her father Wakumusubi, who was born while Izanami was still alive (based on Kojiki).

While popular as Toyouke-Ōhmikami presently,Template:Sfn her name has been transcribed using Chinese characters in several manners including in the "Kojiki",Template:Sfn while there is no entry about her in the "Nihon Shoki". Literally, her name means "Luxuriant-food Princess" kami.Template:Sfn

Several alternative transcription and names are attributed to this goddess including Toyouke-Okami, Toyouke-Ōmikami, ,Template:Sfn ,Template:Sfn ,Template:Efn ,Template:Sfn and . God and goddess thought to be identical to Toyouke-Ōhmikami are a god Template:Efn and a goddess .Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

There is a separate shrine dedicated to Toyouke's Ara-mitama, or called Template:Ill (Takamiya) inside Gekū. She is worshipped at Chōkaisan Ōmonoimi Shrine

Mythology

In Kojiki, Toyouke-Ōmikami is described as the granddaughter to Izanami via her father Wakumusubi, and Toyouke was said to settle to Gekū, Ise Shrine at after Tenson kōrin when the heavenly deities came down to the earth.Template:Sfn In her name Toyouke, "uke" means food, making her the goddess of food and grain,Template:Sfn which is said to be the basis on which other kami were equated with and merged into Toyouke as the deity of foodstuffs: Ukemochi (Ōgetsu-hime), Inari Ōkami, and Ukanomitama.Template:Sfn

The head priest of Toyouke Daijingu submitted "", or the record of the Ise Grand Shrine to the government in 804, in which it is told that goddess Toyouke originally had come from Tamba.Template:Sfn It records that Emperor Yūryaku was told by Amaterasu in his dream that she alone was not able to supply enough food, so that Yūryaku needed to bring , or the goddess of divine meals, from Hijino Manai in ancient Tanba Province.Template:Sfn

Stories among various Fudoki indicate the origin of Toyouke: In that of Tango, or "Template:Ill", Template:Sfn had been bathing with other seven deities at Manai spring on the hilltop of Hiji in Tamba province, when an old couple hid Toyouke's heavenly robe so that she was not able to return to the heavenly world.Template:Sfn Toyouke tended to that old couple for over ten years and brewed sake which cured any ailment, but was expelled from the household and wandered to reach and settle at Nagu village as a local deity.Template:Sfn The anecdote in the Fudoki of Settsu Province "Settsu-no-kuni fudoki" mentions that Template:Efn had lived in Tango.Template:Efn

Faith and rituals

She is also thought to be identical to or to have "associated with" Ukemochi.

The original location

In Mineyama Town, Kyōtango, Kyoto prefecture, there is a well and a story of the now lost half-moon-shaped rice paddy . They are believed to be the site where Toyouke had soaked rice seeds to encourage germination and planted the first rice. The is mentioned in Engishiki dating back to Heian period, as literally meaning the Garden of Rice Paddies. That ancient place name is thought to have changed over time to Taba (location of rice paddies), then to .

On the slope of the Kuji Pass, there is a shrine dedicated to Ōkami, as well as Hoi no dan, the ruin of a sacred well Ame no manai of Takamagahara: That well was entered both in Kojiki and Nihonshoki, and was also the highest title given to water bodies. The shrine's auspicious spirit is said to be in the , which has been worshiped as .

There is a shrine named Moto-Ise Template:Ill in Ōemachi, Fukuchiyama CityTemplate:Sfn to the south of Naiku of Moto-Ise uphill the Funaokayama. Its name literally means former Ise, where the priesthood has been inherited by Kawada clan, the further relative of the Fujiwara clan.

Amaterasu and Toyouke

Emperor Sujin appointed imperial daughter as a Saiō to serve "as a cane for Amaterasu" to find a new location to reside, and dispatched Toyosuki-iri to travel from present day Nara to neighboring areas. It is said that on the route, several locations hosted the spirit of Amaterasu by building her shrines, while Tango had the first of such shrines among the list of relocation sites. Those shrines honor Amaterasu as their main kami are:

• Geku, Ise Jingu (Ise, Mie Prefecture),Template:Sfn
• Nagusha (Kyōtango, Kyoto prefecture),Template:Sfn
• Okumiya Ama no manai Shrine, Kono jinja (Miyazu, Kyoto prefecture),Template:Sfn and
• Template:Ill (Kyōtango).

In addition, Toyouke-Ōmikami is worshiped at many branches of Ise shrines called Shinmei shrines, along with Amaterasu,Template:Sfn and separate shrines are often built on the property of regular shrines for Toyouke-Ōmikami. There are also Inari shrines where they build altars for Toyouke as well.Template:Sfn

According to the discipline of Ise Shintō (Watarai Shintō) originated by a priest at Geku named , Toyouke-Ōmikami is recognized as the first divine being which appeared in this world. In their idea, Toyouke is also identical to Ame no minakanushi and Kuni no tokotachi. In this sect of Shinto, Geku, or the shrine of Toyouke-Ōmikami, is treated as ranked higher than Naiku, or the shrine of Amaterasu.Template:Sfn

Omonoimi

File:Mount Chōkai (2017-05-19) - Flickr.jpg

Mt. Chokai

Template:Ill is the God of Chōkaisan Ōmonoimi Shrine and Mount Chokai. There are shrines that enshrine Omonoiminokami in various other places in the Tohoku region, including Template:Ill.

Omonoimi no kami is considered possibly identical to Template:IllTemplate:EfnTemplate:Sfn

He is associated with industrial growth.

Every time Mount Chōkai erupted his rank increased.

See also

• Honji suijaku
• List of Japanese deities
• Ukemochi

Sources

• Originally published in 1954.
• Template:Isbn

Further reading

• Anzu, Motohiko. "" Template:In lang. pp. 1–18, . (79). Taisha, Shimane : Shinto gakkai (ed.), November 1973, , Template:Catalog lookup link.
• "Inner shrine, Ise, early 1st cent. (rebuilt 1993)". Winnipeg : University of Manitoba, 2003. Series: UML Slide Survey set. Template:Catalog lookup link. 1 black and white slide.
• Kohori, Kunio; Hibi, Sadao. (1996) "". Karābukkusu, 890, Tokyo : Hoikusha. Template:ISBN, Template:Catalog lookup link.
• Kohori, Kunio.(2011) "". Kyoto : Tankōsha. Template:ISBN, Template:Catalog lookup link.
• Picken, Stuart D. B. "Faith-Based Schools in Japan: Paradoxes and Pointers". Chapman, Judith D.; International Handbook of Learning, Teaching and Leading in Faith-Based Schools; 515–531; Springer Netherlands : Dordrecht. , Template:ISBN, Template:Catalog lookup link.