Onamuchi no Kami - God of Great Muchi

Japanese: オオナムチノカミ - おおなむちのかみ

…This refers to a series of myths set mainly in the Izumo region in the first volume of the Kojiki. It includes the story of Susanoo-no-Mikoto (Susanoo-no-Mikoto), who was banished from Takamagahara, slaying the giant snake, his marriage to Kushinada-hime, and the story of his descendant Oonamuchi-no-Kami rescuing the white rabbit, his visit to the land of roots underground, overcoming difficulties, and returning with Suserihime-no-Mikoto and a cursed vessel, and becoming the king of Izumo under the new name of Okuninushi-no-Kami, as well as a song tale about the search for a wife under the name of Yachihoko-no-Kami. After this, Okuninushi is made the leader of the fierce gods of Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, and the story unfolds of him handing over the country to the son of Amaterasu-Okami on their behalf. …

From "The White Rabbit of Inaba"

...A white rabbit from Oki Island tricked a sea crocodile (shark) into lining up at Keta Cape in Inaba (currently Hakuto Beach in Tottori City) in an attempt to use it as a bridge to cross the island, but failed and was stripped of its fur. When the eighty gods who happened to be passing by further tortured him and he began to cry, Oonamuchi-no-Kami (later known as Okuninushi-no-Kami) told him how to cure it and saved him. The rabbit then predicted that Oonamuchi, not the eighty gods, would marry Yakamihime of Inaba, and this prediction came true....

From "Shinkosyuuri-no-Mikoto"

...This god is mentioned alongside Takamimusuhi-no-mikoto at the beginning of the Kojiki and as the deity worshipped by the Mikannagi of the Imperial Court, and is the ancestor deity of many clans, but in the Kojiki and Nihon shoki myths he does not play an important role like Takamimusuhi. However, in the Kojiki, he is a more concrete example of a creator deity, as he takes silkworms, rice seeds, millet, red beans, soybeans, and wheat from the corpse of the food god and uses them as seeds, and sends Kisakahihime (red shellfish) and Umugihime (clams) to the dead Oonamuchi-no-kami (Okuninushi-no-mikoto) to revive him, making him a mioya-no-kami and mother deity. While Takamimusuhi belongs to the ruling class, this god lives among the gods on earth. ...

*Some of the terminology that mentions "Oonamuchinokami" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…《古事記》上巻の，主として出雲地方を舞台とした一連の神話をいう。それは，高天原（たかまがはら）を追放されたスサノオノミコト(素戔嗚尊)の大蛇退治，クシナダヒメとの結婚，その裔オオナムチノカミが白兎を救う話，地下の根の国を訪問し難題にうち勝って須勢理毘売命（すせりびめのみこと）と呪器を得てかえり，名も大国主神（おおくにぬしのかみ）とあらためて出雲の国の王となる話，さらに八千矛神（やちほこのかみ）という名での妻問いの歌物語などからなる。このあとオオクニヌシは葦原中国（あしはらのなかつくに）の荒ぶる神々の頭目に仕立てられ，それらを代表して天照大神（あまてらすおおかみ）の子に国譲りするという話が展開する。…

【因幡の白兎】より

…隠岐島の白兎が因幡の気多（けた）岬(現，鳥取市白兎（はくと）海岸)へ，海のワニ(鮫（さめ）)をあざむいて並ばせ，それを橋にして渡ろうとして失敗し毛皮をはがれる。通りかかった八十神（やそがみ）にさらに痛めつけられて泣いていると，オオナムチノカミ(のちの大国主神)に治療法を教えられ救われる。そこで兎は八十神ではなくオオナムチが因幡の八上比売（やかみひめ）と結婚すると予言し，的中する。…

【神皇産霊尊】より

…《古事記》冒頭や宮中御巫（みかんなぎ）の祭る神としてこの神は高御産巣日（たかみむすひ）神(高皇産霊尊)と並称され，多くの氏族の祖神となっているが，記紀神話ではタカミムスヒのような重要な働きをしない。しかし《古事記》で食物神の屍（しかばね）から蚕，稲種，粟，小豆，大豆，麦を取って種とし，死んだオオナムチノカミ(大国主神)の下へキサカヒヒメ(赤貝)，ウムギヒメ(蛤)を派遣して再生させるなど，生成神のより具体的な姿を示す御祖神（みおやのかみ）･母神となっている。タカミムスヒが支配者側に属するのに対して，この神は地上の神々の中に息づいている。…

※「オオナムチノカミ」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

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