Ajisukitakahikone no Kami - Ajisukitakahikone no Kami

Japanese: 味耜高彦根神 - あじすきたかひこねのかみ

A god who appears in the Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, and Fudoki, and is the son of Okuninushi no Mikoto. In the Kojiki, he is written as Ajishiki Takahikone no Mikoto. In the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, when he visited the funeral of his friend Amewakahiko, he was angered by the family's mistaken belief that the dead had returned to life, so he cut down the funeral building, kicked it away with his foot, and flew away. At that moment, he shone brightly with a form so long that it spanned two valleys. The Izumo no Kuni Fudoki also tells us that even when he grew long enough to have a long beard, he cried day and night (he did not speak a word). Of these stories, the fact that he destroyed a building and flew away, and that he did not speak a word for a long time are thought to be expressions of his character as a thunder god. In addition, his long, shiny form indicates that he is actually a snake, and the god's name, "Ajisuki," comes from a sharp metal hoe (farming tool). All of these are related to thunder, and indicate that this god is the thunder god who protects agriculture.

(Noritaka Kanda)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

『古事記』『日本書紀』や『風土記』にみえる神で大国主命の子。『古事記』では阿遅志貴高日子根神と記す。記紀では友人の天稚彦の葬儀に訪れたとき,その家族から死者が生き返ったと勘違いされたことに怒り,葬儀の建物を切り倒して足で蹴とばし,そのまま飛び去ってしまった。そのとき,ふたつの谷に渡るほど長大な姿で光り輝いたという。また『出雲国風土記』は髭が長く伸びるほどに成長しても,昼夜を分かたず泣いていた(言葉を話さない)と伝える。これらの話のうち,建物を壊して飛び去ったり,いつまでも言葉を話さないというのは雷神としての性格の表れと考えられている。また,ぴかぴか光る長大な姿というのは正体が蛇であることを示しており,神名の「あじすき」は切れ味の良い金属製の鋤(農具)に由来する。これらはいずれも雷と縁のあるもので,この神が農耕の守護神たる雷神であることを示している。<参考文献>神田典城『日本神話論考』

(神田典城)

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