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
Ihika
Text (Kojiki)(Nihongi)
A chthonic kami (kunitsukami) depicted as having a tail, and which appeared from a glowing well or spring during Emperor Jinmu's eastern campaign. Both Nihongi and Kojiki state that he was the ancestor of the indigenous Yoshino no Obito peoples. The motif of a "glowing well" is believed to suggest the entrance to a mercury mine, while the "tail" is thought to refer to the tails of the wild animal skins worn by miners or forest workers. The name Ihika survives in the place name Ikari in Kawakami Village of Yoshino District.

-Yumiyama Tatsuya

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

No movie/映像なし