Kannabi

In ancient times, it was a place where divine spirits resided, and was thought to be a small hill or forest. It was also written as Kaminahi, Kaminahi, and Kannabi. There have been various theories about the meaning of "Kannabi" since ancient times, including (1) a corrupted version of "Kami no Mori" (Forest of God), (2) "Kami nariba" (lined with gods), (3) originating from the Korean word Namu (tree), meaning sacred tree, and (4) meaning "Kannabari" (spirited away), but theory (4) is considered to be the most appropriate. There were mountains named "Kannabiyama" in various provinces, but Miwayama in Yamato (Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture) is the most famous. There are also many in Yamato (Nara Prefecture) and Izumo (Shimane Prefecture), so the prevailing theory is that they were used to enshrine gods of the Izumo line. Oba Iwao believes that the mountain's beautiful, conical or umbrella-shaped form makes it easy to see, making it a suitable place for a divine spirit to reside.

[Masamichi Kamei]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代において神霊の鎮まる場所で、小山や森のような所と考えられる。神名樋、神名火、甘南備などとも書く。「かんなび」の語義については、(1)神の森の転訛(てんか)、(2)神並び、(3)朝鮮語ナムNamu（木）からおこり、神木の意、(4)神隠(かんなば)りの意など、古来種々の説があるが、(4)の説が妥当と考えられる。「かんなび山」の名称をもつ山は諸国にあったが、大和(やまと)の三輪山(みわやま)（奈良県桜井市）がもっとも著名である。このほか大和（奈良県）、出雲(いずも)（島根県）に多いため、出雲系の神を祀(まつ)ったものであろうとする説が有力である。大場磐雄(おおばいわお)は、この山容が円錐(えんすい)形または笠(かさ)形の美しい姿をして目につきやすいので、神霊が宿るにふさわしいものと考えている。

［亀井正道］

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