Amatsukume no Mikoto - Amatsukume no Mikoto

Japanese: 天津久米命 - あまつくめのみこと

The legendary ancestor of the Kume clan who led the Kumebe. The Kumebe was a military group subordinate to the Yamato Imperial Court. According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, when the ancestor of the Imperial family descended from heaven, he led the way together with Ame-no-Oshihi, the ancestor of the Otomo clan, who were also a family of warriors. He descended from the heavens (Takamagahara) dressed as a scabbard on his back, a hammer-shaped sword on his belt, a scabbard on his arm, a bow and arrow in his hand, and a whistling arrow. He is a figure who symbolizes the role of the Kume clan within the Yamato Imperial Court. Based on the differences between the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in this scene, there is an old debate, begun by Motoori Norinaga, about the relationship between the Kume and Otomo clans (whether they were equal or not). <References> Naoki Kojiro, Ancient Japanese Clans and the Emperor

(Mutsuko Mizoguchi)

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

Japanese:

久米部を率いた久米氏の伝説上の先祖神。久米部は大和朝廷に従属した軍事集団。『古事記』『日本書紀』によると,天皇家の先祖神が天降りしたとき,同じく武の家柄である大伴氏の先祖神天忍日命と共にその先導を務めたとされる。背に靭を負い,腰に頭槌の剣,腕に鞆をつけ,弓を持ち矢を手挟み,さらに鳴鏑の矢を持ちそえるといういでたちで天上界(高天原)から降りてきた。大和朝廷内における久米氏の役割を象徴する人物である。なおこの場面における『古事記』と『日本書紀』の差をもとに,久米氏と大伴氏の関係(対等か否かなど)をめぐって古く本居宣長に始まる論争がある。<参考文献>直木孝次郎『日本古代の氏族と天皇』

(溝口睦子)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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