Encyclopedia of Shinto

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詳細表示 (Complete Article)

カテゴリー1： 2. Kami (Deities)
カテゴリー2： Kami in Classic Texts
Title
Kunitokotachi
Text [Kuni tokotachi no kami] (Kojiki)
Other names: Kuni no tokotachi no kami(Kojiki), Kuni no tokotachi no mikoto(Nihongi)



One of the first kami to appear in the mythical accounts of the unfolding of heaven and earth. Believed to represent the "foundation of the land," the name originally indicated an abstract being without concrete form or attributes. In Kojiki, Kunitokotachi appears at the beginning of the "seven generations of kami" which emerge following Amenominakanushi and the four other "separate heavenly kami" (kotoamatsukami). On the other hand, Nihongi's main text and three "alternative writings" (1, 4, and 5) suggest that Kunitokotachi was the first kami to appear out of the chaos following the separation of heaven and earth. It is generally believed that Kunitokotachi represents a primitive deity originating from a tradition independent from that of Amenominakanushi.

—Kadoya Atsushi

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

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