Kotoshironushi no Kami

Japanese: 事代主神 - ことしろぬしのかみ

A god who appears in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. Also known as Yae Kotoshironushi no Mikoto. In the Kojiki, he is also written as Kotoshiro-nushi no Mikoto. He is the son of Okuninushi no Mikoto, and when Takamagahara demanded Okuninushi hand over the country, he answered on behalf of his father that he would accept. In another version of the Nihon Shoki, he is mentioned along with Omononushi no Mikoto as a particularly influential god among the gods who submitted to Takamagahara after Okuninushi's departure. In several places in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, gods and people with "Kotoshiro" in their name appear, and all of them are related to oracles. In these cases, regardless of whether all of the gods are the same god as Kotoshironushi no Mikoto, who appears here as the son of Okuninushi, it is clear that this god is a god of oracles. Although he is a deity of the Izumo origin, he had a deep connection with the Yamato Imperial Court, and the daughter born when this deity visited a woman became the Empress of Emperor Jimmu. Furthermore, in the "Izumo Kuni no Miyatsuko Shinkagoto" handed down by the Izumo clan, he is commanded by his father to be the guardian deity of Koson no Mikoto (corresponding to the successive Emperors). Furthermore, his name is listed in the Hasshinden shrines enshrined in the Imperial Palace to protect the Emperor. Miho Shrine in Mihonoseki Town, Shimane Prefecture, is the most famous shrine that enshrines this deity, and one of the important rituals held there, the Aoshibagaki ritual, is based on an episode from the mythical time of the transfer of the country. Incidentally, probably from around the Middle Ages, this deity has come to be considered Ebisu-sama, and continues to be so to this day. <References> Saigo Nobutsuna, Commentary on the Kojiki, Volume 2

(Noritaka Kanda)

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

Japanese:

『古事記』『日本書紀』にみえる神。八重事代主神とも。『古事記』では言代主神とも記す。大国主命(オオクニヌシノミコト)の子で,高天原からオオクニヌシに国譲りを迫ってきたとき,父に代わって承諾する旨を答える。『日本書紀』の別伝では,オオクニヌシ退去ののちに,高天原に帰順した神のうちで特に有力な神として,大物主神と共に名を挙げられている。記紀の天皇代の数カ所に「事代」を名に持つ神や人物のことがみえており,いずれも託宣に関連している。これらの事例について,その神の全てがここにいうオオクニヌシの子として現れている事代主神と同一神かどうかは別として,この神が託宣の神であることは明らかである。出雲系の神だが,大和朝廷との縁は深く,この神が女性のもとに通って生まれた娘は,神武天皇の皇后となっている。また出雲氏一族の伝える『出雲国造神賀詞』では,父から皇孫命(歴代天皇に当たる)の守り神たることを命じられている。さらに天皇の身を守るべく宮中に祭る八神殿にも名を連ねる。島根県美保関町の美保神社がこの神を祭る最も著名な神社で,ここの重要な神事のひとつの青柴垣神事は,神話の国譲りのときのエピソードに基づくものである。なお,およそ中世のころからか,この神は恵比須様とされるようになって今日に至っている。<参考文献>西郷信綱『古事記注釈』2巻

(神田典城)

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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