Sea God - Watatsumi

It is also written as Watatsumi, and refers to a divine spirit that lives in the sea. It is also called Kaido or Shodo, from the Chinese "Kaiwaka", and "wata (sea)" is said to have the same origin as the Korean word Pata, and also refers to the marine other world. The myths of Umisachi and Yamasachi in the Kojiki and Nihonshoki are myths in which the magical power is given from the marine other world, and the sea god rules this other world and is said to be a god who controls wind, waves, tides, and rain. However, the sea god's country is also called Tokoyo (Tomorrow's World) in the legend of Mizunoe Urashimako (Manyoshu) and Horai Mountain (Yuryakuki), and it has changed under the influence of Taoist thought. There are three sea gods: the Azumi clan's Watatsumi sea gods, the Munakata clan's three gods, and the Sumiyoshi clan's three gods.

[Yoshii Iwao]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

海(わた)ツ霊(み)とも書き、海に住む神霊を表す。中国の「海若」から海童、少童ともいい、「わた（海）」は朝鮮語Pataと同源とされて海洋的他界もさす。記紀神話の海幸(うみさち)・山幸(やまさち)神話は、本来海洋的他界よりその呪力(じゅりょく)を与えられる神話であり、海神はこの他界を支配し、風波、干満、雨水をつかさどる神とされている。しかし海神国も、水江浦島子(みずのえうらしまこ)の伝承では常世(とこよ)（万葉集）、蓬莱山(ほうらいのやま)（雄略(ゆうりゃく)紀）とよばれ、神仙思想を受けて変容する。なお海神には、安曇(あずみ)氏の海神(わたつみ)三神、宗像(むなかた)三神、住吉(すみよし)の三神がある。

［吉井　巖］

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