Takeminakata
Takeminakata-no-Kami or Takeminakata-no-Mikoto, also known as Minakatatomi-no-Kami or Takeminakatatomi-no-Mikoto is the name of one of the two principal deities of Suwa Grand Shrine in Nagano Prefecture. Also known under the epithet Suwa Myōjin or Suwa Daimyōjin', he is considered to be a god of wind, water and agriculture, as well as a patron of hunting and warfare, in which capacity he enjoyed a particularly fervent cult from various samurai clans during the medieval period such as the Hōjō or the Takeda. The deity was also held to be the original ancestor of certain families who once served at the shrine as priests, foremost among them being the Suwa clan, the high priests of the Upper Shrine of Suwa who were also revered as the living incarnations of the god.
The Suwa deity is the subject of a number of different, often conflicting myths. For instance, in the Kojiki and later derivative accounts, Takeminakata appears as one of the sons of Ōkuninushi, god of Izumo and lord of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, who was forced into exile in the region of Suwa after being defeated by Takemikazuchi, an envoy sent by the gods of heaven, whereas other stories - mostly of medieval origin - portray the god as being among other things an interloper who conquered the Suwa region, an Indian king who achieved enlightenment and eventually manifested in Japan as a kami'', a human warrior named Kōga Saburō, or a deity with the body of a snake.
Mythology
Takeminakata of Izumo
Parentage
The god of Suwa Shrine is named 'Takeminakata' in both the Kojiki and the 'Sendai Kuji Hongi'. Variants of the name found in the imperially commissioned national histories and other literary sources include 'Minakatatomi' or 'Takeminakatatomi'.Takeminakata is portrayed in both the Kojiki and the Sendai Kuji Hongi as a son of earthly deity Ōkuninushi, although it does not include him in its genealogy of Ōkuninushi's children. The corresponding section in the Kuji Hongi reckons him as the son of one of the wives of Ōnamuchi, Nunakawahime of Koshi.
'', the Shinpukuji-bon
Takeminakata and Takemikazuchi
Takeminakata appears in both the Kojiki and the Kuji Hongi in the context of Ōkuninushi's "transfer of the land" to the amatsukami, the gods of heaven.When the gods of Takamagahara sent Takemikazuchi and another messenger to demand that Ōkuninushi relinquish his authority over the Central Land of Reed-Plains to the progeny of the sun goddess Amaterasu, he asked to confer with two sons of his first before giving his decision. While the first son, Kotoshironushi, immediately accepted their demands and advised his father to do likewise, the second, Takeminakata, carrying an enormous rock on the fingertips of one hand, instead challenged Takemikazuchi to a test of strength, grabbing the messenger's arm.
When allowed to take his arm, he changed it into a column of ice, then again changed it into a sword blade. At this, he was afraid and drew back.
Then , in his turn, demanded to take hold of the arm of Takeminakata-no-Kami. When he took it, it was like taking hold of a young reed; he grasped it and crushed it, throwing it aside. Immediately, he ran away.
They pursued him, and caught up with him by the lake of Suwa in the land of Shinano. As they were about to kill him, Takeminakata-no-Kami said: "Pray do not kill me. I will go to no other place. Also I will not disobey the commands of my father, Ōkuninushi-no-Kami, and will not disobey the words of the words of Yae-Kotoshironushi-no-Kami. I will yield this Central Land of the Reed Plains in accordance with the commands of the Heavenly Deities."
With Takeminakata's surrender, Ōkuninushi finally agreed to cede the land to the amatsukami.
Variants
The opening section of the Suwa Daimyōjin Ekotoba, a medieval compilation of legends and other information regarding Suwa Shrine, its deity and its festivals, retells the Kuji Hongi version of this story, albeit with Takeminakata's shameful defeat omitted.Amaterasu-Ōmikami gave a decree and sent two gods, Futsunushi-no-Kami and Takeikatsuchi-no-Kami, down to the land of Izumo, where they declared to Ōanamuchi, "The Central Land of Reed-Plains is the land entrusted to our heir. Are you willing to give it up to the heavenly deities?"
Ōanamuchi said, "Ask my son, Kotoshironushi-no-Kami ; he will give you an answer."
Kotoshironushi-no-Kami said, "My father ought respectfully to withdraw, nor will I disobey."
"Do you have any other sons who ought to speak?"
"There is also my son, Takeminakata-no-Kami."
came, bearing a boulder that would take a thousand men to pull on his fingertips, saying, "Who is this that has come to our land, talking so furtively? I wish to challenge you to a test of strength." When he took his hand, it turned into an icicle, and then it turned into a sword blade.
Upon arriving at the sea of Suwa in the land of Shinano, Takeminakata-no-Kami said, "I will go to no other place but this," etc. This is the origin story of this shrine's manifestation.
Similar attempts to portray Takeminakata in a more honorable light are found in certain later versions of the story. In one version, for instance, Takeminakata is portrayed as going to Suwa not so much to flee from Takemikazuchi but to pacify it under the orders of his father Ōkuninushi.
A variant found in a commentary on the Nihon Shoki penned by a 15th century monk named Shun'yu, the Nihon Shoki Shikenmon, claims 'Suwa Daimyōjin' to be the third son of the deity :ja:山王権現|Sannō Gongen. After engaging in a failed rebellion against Amaterasu, the deity surrendered and vowed to settle down in the land of Shinano.
Local legends from within Nagano Prefecture claim Takeminakata to have passed or stayed in various places within the region during his escape. A local legend in Shimoina District for instance claims that Takemikazuchi caught up with the fleeing Takeminakata in the modern village of Toyooka, where they agreed to an armistice and left imprints of their hands on a rock as a sign of their agreement. The rock, bearing the gods' supposed handprints, is found in Otegata Shrine in Toyooka. After Takemikazuchi's departure, Takeminakata temporarily resided in the neighboring village of Ōshika, where he discovered hot springs of saltwater whilst hunting for deer.
The contest between Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata has also been sometimes interpreted as an origin myth for sumo wrestling and aiki. This interpretation apparently follows an alternative reading of the text which sees Takemikazuchi as not so much crushing and tearing Takeminakata's arm off but seizing him by the arm and throwing him into the ground.
Entry into Suwa
A myth from the Suwa area portrays Suwa Myōjin as being opposed during his advent by the local god Moriya.A document supposedly submitted to the Kamakura shogunate in 1249 by Suwa Nobushige, then high priest or Ōhōri of the Upper Shrine of Suwa, known as the Suwa Nobushige Gejō, relates a story from "the ancient customs" that the Suwa deity came down from heaven in order to take possession of the land of 'Moriya Daijin'. The conflict between the two escalated into a battle, but as no winner could be declared, the two finally compete in a tug of war using hooks : Suwa Myōjin, using a hook made out of the wisteria plant, emerges victorious against Moriya, who used an iron hook. After his victory, the god built his dwelling in Moriya's land and planted the wisteria hook, which became a grove known as the 'Forest of Fujisuwa'. Whereas the Kojiki portrays Takeminakata as an earthly god defeated by a deity from heaven, this myth notably features the opposite scenario, in which the deity of Suwa descends from heaven and conquers the land below.
The Suwa Daimyōjin Ekotoba relates a variant of this myth as an origin story of Fujishima Shrine in Suwa City, one of the Upper Shrine's auxiliary shrines where its yearly rice-planting ceremony is traditionally held. In this version, the deity of Fujishima Shrine - usually equated with Suwa Myōjin - defeats "Moriya the evil outlaw" with a wisteria branch:
As for this so-called 'Fujishima no Myōjin': long ago, when the revered deity manifested himself, Moriya the evil outlaw sought to hinder the god's stay and fought him with an iron ring, but the Myōjin, taking up a wisteria branch, defeated him, thus finally subduing heresy and establishing the true Dharma. When the Myōjin swore an oath and threw the wisteria branch away, immediately it took root , its branches and leaves flourishing in abundance, and beautiful blossoms, leaving behind a marker of the battleground for posterity. 'Fujishima no Myōjin' is named thus for this reason.
Two extant medieval genealogies of the Suwa clan also begin by recounting the legend of a battle between the Suwa deity, accompanied by the first high priest of the Upper Shrine, and 'Moriya' during the reign of Emperor Yōmei.
In later versions of this story which combine it with the kuni-yuzuri myth, Moriya opposes Takeminakata after the latter had fled from Izumo. After being defeated, Moriya swears fealty to Takeminakata and becomes a faithful ally. Moriya is reckoned as the divine ancestor of the Moriya clan, one of the former priestly lineages of the Upper Shrine.
While medieval sources such as Nobushige's petition and the Ekotoba situate the battle between the two gods in the slopes of Mount Moriya somewhere in the vicinity of the Upper Shrine, a variant legend first attested in Edo period texts instead place it on the banks of the Tenryū River.
Apart from Moriya, a few scattered local legends make reference to other deities who either submitted to the Suwa deity or refused to do so. One such god that is said to have opposed Suwa Myōjin and his new ally Moriya in local folklore was Yatsukao-no-Mikoto, also known as Ganigawara.
The story relates that Ganigawara, a horse breeder who wielded great authority in the region, held Moriya in contempt for surrendering to Takeminakata and had messengers publicly harass him by calling him a coward. When Ganigawara's servants began to resort to violence by shooting arrows in Takeminakata's newly built house, Takeminakata retaliated by invading Ganigawara's turf. Mortally wounded by an arrow in the ensuing battle, Ganigawara begs forgiveness from Moriya and entrusts his youngest daughter to Takeminakata, who gives her in marriage to the god Taokihooi-no-Mikoto a.k.a. Hikosachi-no-Kami, who was injured by Ganigawara's messengers as he was keeping watch over Takeminakata's abode.
In another legend, a god named Takei-Ōtomonushi swore allegiance to Takeminakata and became the ancestor of a line of priests in the Lower Shrine known as the Takeihōri. Yet another story relates that the Suwa deity forbade the goddess of Sakinomiya Shrine in Owa, Suwa City from building a bridge over the creek before her shrine as punishment for her refusal to submit to him.
The ''Ōhōri''
Before the abolition of the Suwa Grand Shrine's traditional priestly offices during the Meiji period, the Upper Shrine of Suwa's high priest or Ōhōri was a young boy chosen from the Suwa clan, who was, during his term of office, considered to be a living god, the visible incarnation or 'body' of the unseen god of the shrine.The legend of how Suwa Myōjin chose his first priest is recounted in various sources, such as the Suwa Daimyōjin Ekotoba:
At the beginning of the god's manifestation, he took off his robe, put them on an eight year old boy, and dubbed him 'great priest'. The god declared, "I do not have a body and so make this priest my body."
This is Arikazu, the priest of the sacred robe, the founding ancestor of the Miwa/Jin clan.
Although most sources identify the boy with the semi-legendary priest Arikazu, who is said to have lived in the 9th century during the reign of Emperor Kanmu or his immediate successors Heizei or Saga, two genealogical lists - of disputed historical reliability - instead identify the first priest with an individual named Otoei or Kumako, a son of Mase-gimi or Iotari, head of the Kanasashi clan and kuni no miyatsuko of Shinano during the late 6th century.
One of these two texts is a genealogy of the Aso clan of Aso Shrine in Kyushu known as the 異本阿蘇氏系図. It reads in part:
Otoei : also known as Kumako or Kumako.
When he was eight years old, the great god Minakatatomi-no-Mikoto appeared, took off his robe and put them on Kumako, declaring, "I do not have a body and so make you my body." In the third month of the second year of Iware Ikebe no Ōmiya, a sanctuary was built at the foot of the mountain at the southern side of the lake to worship the great god of Suwa and various other gods...
The other is the Ōhōri-ke Jinshi Keizu, a genealogy of the Suwa clan discovered in the Ōhōri
When Kumako was eight years old, the revered deity appeared, took off his robe and put them on Kumako. After declaring, "I do not have a body and so make you my body," he disappeared. This is the ancestor of Arikazu of the Miwa/Jin clan, the Misogihōri. In the second year of Emperor Yōmei, Kumako built a sanctuary at the foot of the mountain at the southern side of the lake.
The King of Hadai
A medieval Buddhist legend portrays Suwa Myōjin as a king from India who later achieved enlightenment and went to Japan to become a native kami.A short text attached to a late 15th century copy of an ordinance regulating the Upper Shrine's ritual purity taboos originally enforced in 1238 and revised in 1317, the Suwa Kamisha monoimi no rei no koto, relates that 'Takeminakata Myōjin' was originally the ruler of a certain Indian kingdom called 'Hadai' who survived an insurrection instigated by a rebel named 'Moriya' during the king's absence while the latter was out hunting deer. After going to Persia to rescue its inhabitants from an evil dragon, the king ruled over it for some time as 'Emperor Suwa' before retiring to "cultivate the seedling of virtue and realize the Buddhist path." He eventually manifested in Japan, appearing in various places before finally choosing to dwell in Suwa.
The Suwa Daimyōjin Ekotoba relates a slightly different, fuller version of the first half of this story as an origin myth for the Upper Shrine's hunting ceremony held every seventh month of the year at Misayama on the slopes of the Yatsugatake Mountains:
If one should inquire about the origins of this hunt: long ago, the Daimyōjin was the king of the land of Hadai in India who went out to hunt at Deer Park from the twenty-seventh to the thirtieth day of the seventh month. At that time, a traitorous vassal named Bikyō suddenly organized an army and sought to kill the king. The king, ringing a golden bell, looked up to heaven and shouted eight times: "I am now about to be killed by this rebel. I have hunted animals, not for my own enjoyment, but in order to lead them to the Buddhist path. If this my action is in accordance with Heaven's will, may Brahmā save me."
Brahmā then saw this and commanded the four great deva-kings to wield vajra-poles and destroy the army. It is said that the Misayama of today reflects that event.
... One should know, therefore, that the deity's compassionate hunting is an expedient means for the salvation of creatures.
Regarding the Upper Shrine's hunting rituals, the Monoimi no rei asserts that
hunts began in the deer park of Hadai-no-kuni . hawks began in Magada-no-kuni.
The second half of the legend is used by the Ekotoba
A similar account appears in a work known as the Suwa Jinja Engi or Suwa Shintō Engi, wherein the Suwa deity is identified as the son of Kibonnō, the son of Amṛtodana, one of Siṃhahanu's four sons. The Lower Shrine's goddess, meanwhile, is the daughter of Prasenajit, claimed here to be the son of Dronodana, another son of Siṃhananu.
The ''Suwa Mishirushibumi''
During the Misayama festival as performed during the medieval period, the Ōhōri recited a ritual declaration supposedly composed by the Suwa deity himself known as the Suwa Mishirushibumi, which begins:I, Great King Suwa, have hidden my person during Sexagenary cycle| the Yang Wood Horse.
'Suwa' and Yang Wood Horse the seal - these three are all one and the same.
archers in hunting gear, Edo period
Within the text, King Suwa declares the Ōhōri to be his 'true body' and the Misayama hunting grounds below Yatsugatake to be another manifestation of himself that cleanses the three evils: evil thoughts, evil speech and evil actions. He promises that whoever sets foot at Misayama will not fall into the lower, evil realms of existence ; conversely, the god condemns and disowns whoever defiles the hunting grounds by cutting down its trees or digging out the soil.
A commentary on the Mishirushibumi, the Suwa Shichū, elaborates on the text by retelling the legend of Suwa Myōjin's consecration of his first priest:
The Daimyōjin was born during the Yang Wood Horse and disappeared during the Yang Wood Horse.
Sokutan Daijin was the Daimyōjin's uncle who accompanied him from India. When the Daimyōjin was to disappear, he took off his garments, put them on the Daijin, and dubbed him the Misogihōri. He then pronounced a vow: "You shall consider this priest to be my body."
The same text identifies the god's uncle Sokutan Daijin with Arikazu.
Other myths
Suwa Myōjin and the frog god
Two texts, the Monoimi no rei and the Suwa Shichū, mention an oral legend about Suwa Myōjin pacifying the waves of the four seas by subduing an unruly frog god.Suwa should be read as "the waves are calm." When a frog god, being a harmful god, caused suffering to the realm, the Daimyōjin quelled it and came to reside here; the four seas were calm, it is called Suwa.
After defeating this frog, Suwa Myōjin then blocked the way to its dwelling - a hole leading to the underwater palace of the dragon god of the sea, the Ryūgū-jō - with a rock and sat on it.
This story functions as an etiological legend for the annual sacrifice of frogs held every New Year's Day in the Upper Shrine as well as yet another folk etymology for the toponym 'Suwa', here explained as deriving either from a term for a wave lapping onto the sea's edge or a reference to the deity's pacification of the waters: "the waves are calm."
The portrayal of Suwa Myōjin's enemy as a frog also hints at the deity's character as a serpentine water god. The frog god itself has been interpreted either as representing the native deities Mishaguji and/or Moriya, with its defeat symbolizing the victory of the cult of Suwa Myōjin over the indigenous belief system, or as a symbol of the Buddhist concept of the three poisons, which Suwa Myōjin, as an incarnation of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, his esoteric aspect Vajrasattva and the Wisdom King Trailokyavijaya, is said to destroy.
The dragon (serpent) deity of Suwa
Folk belief has long held the god of Suwa Shrine to assume the form of a serpent or dragon. Consequently, the deity appears as such in a number of folktales and anecdotes.In one such story, Suwa Myōjin once came to Izumo Province in the form of a dragon so gigantic that only his head can be seen; his tail was still at Suwa, caught in a tall pine tree by the shores of the lake. The other gods, upon seeing him, were so astounded and frightened at his enormous size that they exempted him from attending their yearly meetings. Thus, the deity of Suwa is claimed to be one of the very few kami in Japan who do not leave their shrines during the month of Kannazuki, when most gods are thought to gather at Izumo and thus are absent from most of the country. The supposed tree where the dragon's tail was caught is locally known as Okakematsu.
A variant of this story transposes the setting from Izumo to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto; in this version, the various kami are said to travel to the ancient capital every New Year's Day to greet the emperor.
Another popular story promulgated by wandering preachers associated with the shrines of Suwa during the medieval period claimed the Suwa deity to have originally been Kōga Saburō, a warrior who temporarily became a dragon or a snake after a journey into the underworld.
''Omiwatari''
that form on a frozen Lake Suwa during cold winters have traditionally been interpreted as the trail left behind by Suwa Myōjin as he leaves the Upper Shrine and crosses the lake to meet his wife enshrined on the Lower Shrine on the opposite shore. Called Omiwatari, the cracks were considered to be a good omen for the coming year. The priests of the Grand Shrine of Suwa traditionally used the crack's appearance to divine the quality of the year's harvest. For the locals, the crack also served as a sign that the frozen lake was safe to walk upon. Conversely, the omiwatariSince the late 20th century, the omiwatari has become a much rarer sight than it was in the past due to rising temperatures caused by global warming.
As god of war
Suwa Myōjin is also considered to be a god of war, one of a number of such deities in the Japanese pantheon. The Ryōjin Hishō compiled in 1179 also attest to the worship of the god of Suwa in the capacity of god of warfare at the time of its compilation, naming the shrine of Suwa among famous shrines to martial deities in the eastern half of the country.During the medieval period, legends claiming Suwa Myōjin to have appeared and provided assistance to eminent figures such as Empress Jingū or the general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro during their respective military campaigns circulated.
The god of Suwa was also credited with the attempted Mongol invasions of Japan under Kublai Khan. The Taiheiki recounts a story where a five-colored cloud resembling a serpent rose up from Lake Suwa and spread away westward to assist the Japanese army against the Mongols.
On the seventh day, when the Imperial devotions were completed, from Lake Suwa there arose a cloud of many colours, in shape like a great serpent, which spread away towards the west. The doors of the Temple-treasury of Hachiman flew open, and the skies were filled with a sound of galloping horses and of ringing bits. In the twenty-one shrines of Yoshino the brocade-curtained mirrors moved, the swords of the Temple-treasury put on a sharp edge, and all the shoes offered to the god turned towards the west. At Sumiyoshi sweat poured from below the saddles of the four horses sacred to the deities, and the iron shields turned of themselves and faced the enemy in a line.
Analysis
Name
Etymology
The etymology of the name "minakata" is unclear. While most commentators seem to agree that take- are honorifics, they differ in how to interpret the other components of the name. Some of the proposed solutions are as follows.- The Edo period kokugaku scholar Motoori Norinaga explained both take- and mi- as honorifics, with kata as yet another tatae-na meaning 'hard' or 'firm'. Basil Chamberlain followed Motoori's lead and rendered the god's name as 'Brave-August-Name-Firm' in his translation of the Kojiki.
- Historian :ja:太田亮|Ōta Akira interpreted take-, mi- and -tomi as honorifics and took Nakata to be a place name: Nakata District in Awa Province, where stands. Owa Iwao explains the similarity between 'Takeminakata' and 'Takeminatomi' by proposing that the name may have been brought to Suwa by immigrants from Nakata in Awa.
- Minakata has also been linked to the Munakata of Kyushu. Imperial Navy colonel and amateur ethnographer :ja:松岡静雄|Matsuoka Shizuo interpreted Minakatatomi as originally being a goddess – citing the fact that the deities of Munakata shrine were female – that was later conflated with the male god Takeminakata.
- A number of more recent scholars have theorized that mina most likely means "water", pointing to the god originally being a water deity and/or a connection to Lake Suwa. The full name is thought to derive from a word denoting a body of water or a waterside region such as 水潟 or 水県.
- An alternative explanation for the word -tomi is to link it with dialectal words for 'snake', thereby seeing the name as hinting to the god being a kind of serpentine water deity.
''Suwa Daimyōjin''
Takeminakata in the ''Kojiki''
Takeminakata's abrupt appearance in the KojikiPre-modern authors such as Motoori Norinaga tended to explain Takeminakata's absence outside of the Kojiki and the Kuji Hongi by conflating the god with certain obscure deities found in other sources thought to share certain similar characteristics. While a few modern scholars still suppose some kind of indirect connection between the deity and Izumo by postulating that Takeminakata's origins lie either in peoples that migrated from Izumo northwards to Suwa and the Hokuriku region or in Hokuriku itself, others instead propose that the connection between Takeminakata and Izumo is an artificial construct by the Kojiki
The contest between Takeminakata and Takemikazuchi - an element absent in other versions of the kuni-yuzuri myth cycle - is often explained as being either a new myth invented to serve the interests of the imperial court and the Fujiwara clan, descendants of the Nakatomi clan that had worshiped Takemikazuchi as a patron deity, or an adaptation/reversal of a myth concerning a battle between an interloping god and a local deity preserved in the Suwa region, with Takeminakata being recast into the role of the subjugated earthly kami.
'Suwa Myōjin'
While imperial sources apply the name 'minakata' to the god of Suwa Shrine, many medieval texts that speak of the god of the Upper Shrine simply refer to the deity in question with such generic terms as sonshin or myōjin. This however is hardly unusual, as before the early modern period use of titles such as myōjin or gongen for various gods and their shrines were so widespread that these deities were rarely referred to by their proper names.Suwa Myōjin and Moriya
The myth of Takeminakata's arrival in Suwa and his defeat of the god Moriya has been interpreted as the mythicization of a historical event in which a local lineage of chieftains who ruled the Suwa area was subjugated by invading outsiders, who subsequently set themselves up as the new rulers of the region - all the while still retaining the subjugated clan in an important position as the wielder of spiritual and ritual authority. This theory explains the relation between the Suwa and Moriya priestly families of the Upper Shrine of Suwa as that of the Moriya clan being the regional power supplanted by the newly arrived Miwa clan.can be seen at top right.
While one theory places this event during the end of the Jōmon period, thus portraying the new arrivals as agrarian Yayoi tribes who came into conflict with indigenous Jōmon hunter-gatherers, others instead propose this conflict to have taken place during the late Kofun period, when keyhole-shaped burial mounds containing equestrian gear as grave goods - up to this point found mainly in the Shimoina region southwest of Suwa - begin to appear in the Lake Suwa area, replacing the kind of burial that had been common in the region since the early 5th century. This theory thus supposes these migrants to have been a clan allied with the Yamato kingdom that specialized in horse breeding and horseback riding. Indeed, the Yamato polity showed strong interest to Shinano because of its suitability as a place for grazing and breeding horses and considered it a strategic base for conquering the eastern regions. This clan, the Miwa, is thought to be related to either the Kanasashi clan, an offshoot of a local magnate clan that later became the high priestly family of the Lower Shrine of Suwa, or the Miwa clan originally based on the area around Mount Miwa in Yamato Province. The theory suggests based on archaeological evidence that the Miwa came to the Suwa Basin from Shimoina, making their way northwards along the Tenryū River. In conjunction with this hypothesis, it is pointed out that in the Nobushige Gejō, the Suwa deity is said to have descended from heaven bringing with him bells, a mirror, a saddle and a bridle.
This theory that the legend of the Suwa deity's victory over Moriya reflects historical fact has recently come into question. Due to similarities between certain variants of this myth and medieval legends surrounding Prince Shōtoku's defeat of Mononobe no Moriya, some see the myth as being highly influenced by such stories about Shōtoku, while others regard it as an outright invention modeled on these legends. Aoki theorizes that the myth developed somewhere during the late Heian and early Kamakura periods, when the deity of Suwa came to be venerated as a warrior god, and cautions against uncritical application of this story to known archaeological data.
Takeminakata in imperial sources
While the Kojiki does not yet explicitly mention the worship of Takeminakata in Suwa, by the following century, we see the name applied to the god worshipped in what is now the Grand Shrine of Suwa: aside from the Kuji HongiDuring the 850-60s, Takeminakata and his shrine rose very rapidly in rank, being promoted to the rank of junior fifth, upper grade in 850, to junior third in 851, to junior and then senior second in 859, and finally to junior first rank in 867. The influence of the Kanasashi-no-toneri clan is thought to be behind the deity's sudden progress in rank.
After a few decades, the 'Register of Deities' section of the Engishiki speaks of the 'Minakatatomi Shrine' as enshrining two deities and being the two major shrines of Suwa district. By 940, the deity had been promoted to the highest rank of senior first.
Consort and Offspring
Yasakatome
Suwa Myōjin's spouse is the goddess Yasakatome-no-Kami, most often considered to be the deity of the Lower Shrine of Suwa or the Shimosha. Unlike the relatively well-documented Suwa Kamisha, very little concrete information is available regarding the origins of the Shimosha and its goddess.Yasakatome's first historical attestation is in the Shoku Nihon Kōki, where the goddess is given the rank of junior fifth, lower grade by the imperial court in the tenth month of Jōwa 9, five months after the same rank was conferred on Takeminakata. As Takeminakata rose up in rank, so did Yasakatome, so that by 867 CE, Yasakatome had been promoted to senior second. The goddess was finally promoted to senior first rank in 1074.
Stories and claims about the goddess are diverse and contradictory. Regarding her parentage for instance, the lore of Kawaai Shrine in Kitaazumi District identifies Yasakatome as the daughter of Watatsumi, god of the sea,
which has been seen as hinting to a connection between the goddess and the seafaring Azumi clan. Another claim originating from sources dating from the Edo period is that Yasakatome was the daughter of Ame-no-yasakahiko, a god recorded in the Kuji Hongi as one of the companions of Nigihayahi-no-Mikoto when the latter came down from heaven.
The ice cracks that appear on Lake Suwa during cold winters, the omiwatari are reputed in folklore to be caused by Suwa Myōjin's crossing the frozen lake to visit Yasakatome.
Princess Kasuga
The Kōga Saburō legend identifies the goddess of the Shimosha with Saburō's wife, whose name is given in some variants of the story as 'Princess Kasuga'.Children
In Suwa, a number of local deities are popularly considered to be the children of Suwa Myōjin and his consort. Ōta lists the following gods:- Hikokamiwake-no-Mikoto
- Tatsuwakahime-no-Kami
- Taruhime-no-Kami
- Izuhayao-no-Mikoto
- Tateshina-no-Kami
- Tsumashinahime-no-Kami
- Ikeno'o-no-Kami
- Tsumayamizuhime-no-mMikoto
- Yakine-no-Mikoto
- Suwa-wakahiko-no-Mikoto
- Katakurabe-no-Mikoto
- Okihagi-no-Mikoto
- Wakemizuhiko-no-Mikoto
- Moritatsu-no-Kami
- Takamori-no-kami
- Enatakemimi-no-Mikoto
- Okutsuiwatate-no-Kami
- Ohotsuno-no-Kami
- Ōkunugi-no-Kami
Claimed descendants
Suwa clan
The Suwa clan who once occupied the position of head priest or ōhōri of the Suwa Kamisha traditionally considered themselves to be descendants of Suwa Myōjin/Takeminakata, although historically they are probably descended from the Kanasashi-no-toneri clan appointed by the Yamato court to govern the Suwa area in the 6th century.Other clans
The Suwa ōhōri was assisted by five priests, some of whom were also considered to be descendants of local deities related to Suwa Myōjin/Takeminakata. One clan, the Koide, the original occupants of the offices of negi-dayū and gi-no-hōri, claimed descent from the god Yakine. A second clan, the Yajima, which served as gon-no-hōri, considered the god Ikeno'o to be their ancestor.Worship
Shrines
As the gods of the Grand Shrine of Suwa, Suwa Myōjin/Takeminakata and Yasakatome also serve as the deities of shrines belonging to the Suwa shrine network all over Japan.As god of wind and water
The Nihon ShokiSnake-shaped iron sickle blades called nagikama were traditionally used in the Suwa region to ward off strong winds, typhoons and other natural disasters; it was once customary for nagikama to be attached to wooden staves and placed on one corner of the rooftop of the house during the autumn typhoon season. Nagikama are also traditionally hammered onto the trees chosen to become the onbashira of the Suwa Kamisha and Shimosha some time before these are actually felled. In addition to these and other uses, the blades are also distributed to function as shintai for branch shrines of the Suwa shrine network.
Association with snakes and dragons
Suwa Myōjin's association with the snake or the dragon in many stories featuring the god such as the Kōga Saburō legend might be related to his being considered as a deity presiding over wind and water, due to the association of dragons with winds and the rain in Japanese belief.Under ''shinbutsu-shūgō''
During the Middle Ages, under the then-prevalent synthesis of Buddhism and Shinto, Suwa Myōjin was identified with the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, with the goddess of the Shimosha being associated with the thousand-armed form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. During the medieval period, Buddhist temples and other edifices were erected on the precincts of both shrines, including a stone pagoda called the Tettō - symbolizing the legendary iron tower in India where, according to Shingon tradition, Nagarjuna was said to have received esoteric teachings from Vajrasattva - and a sanctuary to Samantabhadra, both of which served at the time as the KamishaWith the establishment of State Shinto after the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and the subsequent separation of Buddhism and Shinto, the shrine monks attached to Buddhist temples in the Suwa shrine complex were laicized, with Buddhist symbols and structures being either removed or destroyed; Buddhist ceremonies performed in both the Kamisha and the Shimosha, such as the yearly offering of the Lotus Sutra to Suwa Myōjin, were discontinued.
As god of hunting
Suwa Myōjin is also worshipped as a god of hunting; not surprisingly, some of the KamishaFor instance, the Frog Hunting Ritual held every New Year's Day involves the shooting of frogs captured from a sacred river or stream within the Kamisha
Another festival, the Ontōsai or the Tori no matsuri currently held every April 15, feature the offering of seventy-five stuffed deer heads, as well as the consumption of venison and other game such as wild boar or rabbit, various kinds of seafood and other foodstuffs by the priests and other participants in a ritual banquet.
One of the Suwa Kamisha
Suwa Myōjin's association with the mountains and hunting is also evident from the description of the ōhōri as sitting upon a deer hide during the Ontōsai ritual as practiced during medieval times.
Suwa Myōjin and meat eating
At a time when slaughter of animals and consumption of meat was frowned upon due to Mahayana Buddhism's strict views on vegetarianism and the general Buddhist opposition against the taking of life, the cult of Suwa Myōjin was a unique feature in the Japanese religious landscape for its celebration of hunting and meat eating.A four-line verse attached to the Kōga Saburō legend popularly known as the Suwa no kanmon encapsulates the justification of meat eating within a Buddhist framework: by being eaten by humans and 'dwelling' inside their bodies, ignorant animals could achieve enlightenment together with their human consumers.
The Kamisha produced special talismans and chopsticks that were held to allow the bearer to eat meat. Since it was the only one of its kind in Japan, the talisman was popular among hunters and meat eaters. These sacred licenses and chopsticks were distributed to the public both by the priests of the Kamisha as well as wandering preachers associated with the shrine known as oshi, who preached the tale of Suwa Myōjin as Kōga Saburō as well as other stories concerning the god and his benefits.
As war god
Suwa Myōjin is also considered to be a god of war, one of a number of such deities in the Japanese pantheon. Besides the legend of the god's apparition to Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, the Ryōjin Hishō compiled in 1179 also attest to the worship of the god of Suwa in the capacity of god of warfare at the time of its compilation, naming the shrine of Suwa among famous shrines to martial deities in the eastern half of the country.During the Kamakura period, the Suwa clan's association with the shogunate and the Hōjō clan helped further cement Suwa Myōjin's reputation as a martial deity. The shrines of Suwa and the priestly clans thereof flourished under the patronage of the Hōjō, which promoted devotion to the god as a sign of loyalty to the shogunate. Suwa branch shrines became numerous all across Japan, especially in territories held by clans devoted to the god.
The Takeda clan of Kai Province were devotees of Suwa Myōjin, its most famous member, the Sengoku daimyō Takeda Shingen being no exception. His devotion is visibly evident in some of his war banners, which bore the god's name and invocations such as Namu Suwa Nangū Hosshō Kamishimo Daimyōjin. The iconic horned helmet with the flowing white hair commonly associated with Shingen, popularly known as the Suwa-hosshō helmet, came to be reputed in some popular culture retellings to have been blessed by the god, guaranteeing success in battle to its wearer. Shingen also issued an order for the reinstitution of the religious rites of both the Kamisha and the Shimosha in 1565.