Ame-no-Minakanushi
| Ame-no-Minakanushi-no-Kami | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Ame-no-Minakanushi-no-Mikoto (天御中主尊) |
| Japanese | 天之御中主神, 天御中主神 |
| Major cult center | Chiba Shrine, Kurume Suitengū, and others |
| Texts | Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, Kogo Shūi, Sendai Kuji Hongi |
| Personal information | |
| Consort | None |
| Children | None |
| Parents | None; self-generated |
| Siblings | None |
Ame-no-Minakanushi is a god in Japanese stories. They were one of the earliest gods, who appeared when the world was made. They are also called "Lord of the August Center of Heaven".[1][2]
Mythology[change | change source]
According to the Kojiki, Ame-no-Minakanushi was the first deity to emerge in the heavenly realm of Takamagahara after the creation of heaven and earth from the primeval chaos.
At the time of the beginning of heaven and earth, there came into existence in Takamanohara a deity named Ame-no-Minakanushi-no-Kami; next, Takamimusubi-no-Kami; next, Kamimusubi-no-Kami. These three deities all came into existence as single deities (hitorigami), and their forms were not visible (or 'they hid their bodies').[3]
In the main narrative of the Nihon Shoki and in many of its variant accounts, the first kami is identified as Kuni-no-Tokotachi, and Ame-no-Minakanushi only appears briefly in one of these variants.
In one writing it is said:—"When Heaven and Earth began, there were Deities produced together, whose names were, first, Kuni-no-toko-tachi no Mikoto, and next Kuni no sa-tsuchi no Mikoto." It is further stated:—"The names of the Gods which were produced in the Plain of High Heaven were Ama no mi-naka-nushi no Mikoto, next Taka-mi-musubi no Mikoto, next Kami-mi-musubi no Mikoto."
— translation by William George Aston[4]
Analysis[change | change source]
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It is unknown whether people actually worshipped him, as there was no direct evidence historically.[5][6] Some scholars believe the lack of evidence of worship is not enough to say he wasn't worshipped.[7][8][9]
Worship[change | change source]
In Japan, the Buddhist deity Myōken has been worshiped since the 7th century. During the early modern period, Myōken became associated with the Big Dipper and the northern pole star, which led to its conflation with Ame-no-Minakanushi. When the Meiji government required the separation of Buddhism and Shinto, many shrines dedicated to Myōken became shrines to Ame-no-Minakanushi. Ame-no-Minakanushi was also a patron deity of the Taikyo Institute (大教院, Taikyoin), which aimed to fuse Buddhism and Shinto under a state-sponsored initiative after the initial separation policy was deemed too divisive.
Related pages[change | change source]
Counterparts of Ame-no-Minakanushi in other cultures
- Para Brahman, the Hindu counterpart
- Jade Emperor, the Chinese counterpart
- Adi Buddha, the Esoteric Buddhist counterpart
- Yuanshi Tianzun, the Taoist counterpart
- Monad, the Gnostic counterpart
- Yahweh or Jehovah (referred as Allah ("the god") in Arabic), the Abrahamic counterpart
- Haneullim, the Korean counterpart
- Ông Trời, the Vietnamese counterpart
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Breen, John; Teeuwen, Mark, eds. (2013). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami. Routledge. p. 48. ISBN 9781136826979.
- ↑ Ooms, Herman (2009). Imperial Politics and Symbolics in Ancient Japan: The Tenmu Dynasty, 650-800. University of Hawaii Press. p. 168. ISBN 9780824832353.
- ↑ Translation from Philippi, Donald L. (2015). Kojiki. Princeton University Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-1400878000. Names (transcribed in Old Japanese in the original) have been changed into their modern equivalents.
- ↑ "
Book I". Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.. Wikisource. 1896. 5.
- ↑ Mori, Mizue. "Amenominakanushi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugakuin University. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
- ↑ "天之御中主神 (Ame-no-Minakanushi-no-Kami)". コトバンク (Kotobank). The Asahi Shimbun Company, VOYAGE MARKETING. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ↑ Katō, Genchi (2010). A Study of Shinto: The Religion of the Japanese Nation. Routledge. pp. 28–30. ISBN 9781136903700.
- ↑ Kishine, Toshiyuki (2009). "日本神話におけるアメノミナカヌシ（I） (Amenominakanushi in Japanese Mythology (1))". 福岡大学人文論叢 (Fukuoka University Review of Literature & Humanities). 41 (1): 515–551.
- ↑ Kishine, Toshiyuki (2009). "日本神話におけるアメノミナカヌシ（II） (Amenominakanushi in Japanese Mythology (2))". 福岡大学人文論叢 (Fukuoka University Review of Literature & Humanities). 41 (2): 905–944.
Sources[change | change source]
- Joseph Mitsuo Kitagawa. On Understanding Japanese Religion. Princeton University Press, 1987. ISBN 0691102295ISBN 0691102295