Takemikazuchi no Kami - Takemikazuchi no Kami

Also written as Takemikazuchi-no-kami. A sword god that appears in the Kojiki and Nihon shoki myths. He became an envoy for the transfer of the country and got Okuninushi-no-mikoto to agree to the transfer, and when Emperor Jimmu fainted immediately after landing at Kumano, he was ordered to summon the sword spirit of Heikuni, helping with the founding of the country. Evidence that he is a sword god is clear from the fact that he descended the sword on his behalf and took the form of a sword-tip-supporting figure during the negotiations for the transfer of the country. However, his original origin is Mikatsu-no-mikoto, which can be inferred from his first appearance together with Mikahaya-no-mikoto or as his child in the myth of Izanagi-no-mikoto's murder of the fire god. Due to this deity's transformation into a sword deity, the Mononobe clan's Futsunushi no Kami lost his status, but Futsunushi no Kami does not appear at all in the Kojiki. This deity later became the chief deity of Kashima Shrine, and was also enshrined at Kasuga Shrine in Nara as the tutelary deity of the Fujiwara clan.

[Yoshii Iwao]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

建御雷神とも記す。記紀神話に出てくる剣神。国譲りの使者となって大国主命(おおくにぬしのみこと)に国譲りを承諾させ、また神武(じんむ)天皇が熊野(くまの)上陸の直後に失神した際に、命ぜられて平国の剣の韴霊(ふつのみたま)を降(くだ)し、建国の事業を助けた。その剣神である証(あかし)は、自らのかわりに剣を降したり、国譲り交渉で剣先扶坐(ふざ)の姿をとったりするところに明らかである。しかしその本源は甕(みか)ツ霊(ち)であり、それは伊弉諾尊(いざなぎのみこと)の火神殺害の神話で、甕(みか)ハヤ霊(ひ)とともに、あるいはその子として初現することから推定できる。この神の剣神化により、物部(もののべ)氏の剣神経津主神(ふつぬしのかみ)はその地位を失っていくが、経津主神は『古事記』にはまったく現れない。なお、この神はのちに鹿島(かしま)神宮の主神となり、藤原氏の氏神として奈良の春日(かすが)神社にも祀(まつ)られた。

［吉井　巖］

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