Encyclopedia of Shinto

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
Amenokoyane
Text [Ame no koyane no mikoto] (Kojiki)
Called an ancestor of the Nakatomi clan, this kami is described in various traditions as the child of Kogotomusuhi (Nihongi) or Kamimusuhi no kami (Kogo shūi), or a third generation descendant of Tsuhayamusuhi no mikoto (Shinsen shōjiroku). At the time of Amaterasu's retreat into the rock cave of heaven, Koyane performed incantations by reciting norito litany, and at the time of the Descent of the Heavenly Grandchild (tenson kōrin), he acted as one of the "chiefs of the five clans" who accompanied Ninigi. According to Nihongi, he was "the first in charge of divine affairs, for which reason he was made to serve by performing the Greater Divination." Within the imperial palace, he was known as the one who had been commanded by Amaterasu ōmikami to guard the divine mirror, with the result that he held the status of "Imperial Aide" (Tennō hohitsu no kami) with responsibility for presiding over divine affairs within the palace.

Based on his status as ancestral kami (sojin) to the Fujiwara (Nakatomi) clan, he is worshiped at the clan's shrines, including the Hiraoka Jinja and Kasuga Taisha.

-Mori Mizue

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

No movie/映像なし