Heavenly Woman - Ame no Sagume

Japanese: 天探女 - あめのさぐめ

A unique character who appears as a supporting character in the myth of Amenowakahiko in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. Amenowakahiko was ordered to pacify the reed plains of Nakatsukuni on earth, but he disobeyed orders and tried to take it over. So Amaterasu and Takamimusubi sent a pheasant woman to the lower world to ask Amenowakahiko, "Why are you not carrying out our orders?" At that time, Amenosagume advised Amenowakahiko, "This bird's song is not pleasant. It would be best to shoot it to death," and Amenowakahiko shot the woman to death with a bow. Sagume means "the woman who searches," and is a spy-like character who probes into people's minds, but later Sagu came to mean "to rebel," and she transformed into Amano-zaku (also known as Amanjakume), a familiar character from folklore.

(Tsutomu Saijo)

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

Japanese:

『古事記』『日本書紀』の天稚彦(アメノワカヒコ)神話に脇役として顔を出すユニークなキャラクター。地上の葦原の中つ国の平定を命じられたアメノワカヒコが,命に逆らって中つ国を横取りしようとしたので,天照大神と高皇産霊尊は雉の鳴女を下界に遣わし,アメノワカヒコに「なぜ命令を果たさないのか」と問わせた。そのとき,アメノサグメはアメノワカヒコに「この鳥は鳴き声がよくない。射殺すのがよろしゅうございます」と進言,アメノワカヒコは,鳴女を弓で射殺したという。サグメは「探ぐる女」の意で,人の心に探りを入れるスパイもどきの人物だが,のちにサグは「逆らう」の意にとられ,民間伝承でおなじみの天邪鬼(アマノザク,アマンジャクメとも)に変身した。

(西條勉)

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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