"Thoughts on Ubusunagami"

...Many Hirata school scholars of Japanese classics who placed importance on the belief in tutelary deities interpret this term theologically. Mutsunobe Koreka interprets ubusuna as the root of birth (Ubusune), the root that gives birth to all things (Sansu-na-sha Koden-sho Hirogi), and Sano Tsunehiko explains that ubusune is synonymous with the word ubusuni, which is shortened to the word uji (family), and tutelary deities are ujigami (family deities) (Ubusuna-no-kami-ko). Others say that it comes from the fact that the sand at Umemiya Shrine, called ubusuna, is used as protection against childbirth (Shinto Myo-moku Ruiju-sho), and that "it is probably because it is the place where the child is born and then dwells" (Shinto Shogo-ko)....

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Ufusuna-no-kami Koto" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…産土神信仰を重視した平田派国学者には，この語を神学的に解釈する者が多い。六人部是香が産須那を産為根（うぶすね）として万物を産む根本の意に解し(《産須那社古伝抄広義》)，また佐野経彦が，産為根はウブスニという語がウヂ(氏)という語に約したものと同義で，産土神は氏神のことだと説いている(《宇夫須那神考》)。そのほかに，産砂とあて梅宮神社の砂を出産の守りとするところから出たとする解釈(《神道名目類聚抄》)や，〈産住場（うぶすにわ）にて，産出てやがて住場なればにや〉(《神祇称号考》)とするものもある。…

※「《宇夫須那神考》」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報