Kushinadahime


In the Shinto religion, Kushinadahime or Kushi-nada-hime is a goddess of rice. She is the wife of the god Susanoo, who rescued her from the monster Yamata-no-Orochi and made her a deity.
She is the older sister of the goddess Kamu'ō-ichi-hime and a daughter of Ōyamatsumi, the half-brother of Susanoo. She is also known as Ina-Gami Furu-Kushi-Nada-Hime or Inagami-Hime.

Myth

According to the Nihon Shoki, Susanoo saved Kushinadahime from the legendary serpent Orochi, as related in the following translation by William George Aston in Nihongi:
Then Susanoo built a palace or shrine for Kushinadahime in Suga, and made her father Ashinazuchi its head. On that occasion, according to the Kojiki, he composed a song in tanka form later held to be the root of Japanese waka poetry:
The Kojiki dedicates a chapter to the six generations of progeny of Susanoo and Kushinadahime, which include Isukeyorihime, the wife of Jimmu, the mythical first emperor of Japan.

Veneration and legacy

Kushinadahime is principally venerated at the Hikawa Shrine in Saitama, which is dedicated to Susanoo, under the name of Ō-kushi-inada-hime-no-mikoto. A matsuri is held in her honor annually on 15 April.
She is also venerated at other shrines together with her husband, including at the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto. At the annual Gion Matsuri, one of Kyoto's principal festivals, she is paraded through the city in a mikoshi together with Susanoo.
The asteroid 10613 Kushinadahime, discovered in 1997, is named after Kushinadahime.