Omononushi-no-kami - Omononushi-no-kami

Japanese: 大物主神 - おおものぬしのかみ

A god who appears in Japanese mythology. "Mono" means to possess awe-inspiring spiritual power. "Nushi" means leader or ruler. He is enshrined at Omikami Shrine (Miwayama, Sakurai City). Some of the legends in the "Nihon Shoki" consider Omononushi to be another name for Okuninushi-no-Kami or Okuninushi-no-Mikoto. Many of the legends surrounding this god are particularly about divine marriages, and according to the "Kojiki," Omononushi transformed himself into a crimson-painted arrow that floated down a ditch and pierced the genitals of a girl named Seyatatarahime. When the girl brought the arrow home and placed it by her bedside, it transformed into a beautiful man. The child born between this man and the girl was Himetatataraisukeyorihime, who became the empress of Emperor Jimmu. Also, during the reign of Emperor Sujin, when a great plague broke out, the cursed Omononushi appeared in the emperor's dream and demanded that Omononushi's daughter, Omonotadaneko, be allowed to worship him, so the emperor appointed the daughter as the chief priest and worshiped the deity Omonotsumiwa. Meanwhile, Omononushi's wife, Yamatototohimomosohime, said she wanted to see her husband's face, so Omononushi transformed into a small snake and hid in a comb box. His wife was shocked to see this, and Omononushi became extremely angry, taking the form of a man and climbing Mt. Mimoro (Mt. Miwa). The wife regretted what she had done, sat down on the spot, stabbed herself in the genitals with a chopstick that was there, and died, according to a story found in the Nihon Shoki. Omononushi was originally a god worshipped at Mt. Miwa, which had an overwhelming influence in the Yamato region, and was probably incorporated into the system as the Imperial Court compiled the myths. The tradition that considers this god to be the same as Okuninushi was probably influenced by the similarity in the names of the two gods. <References> Matsumura Takeo, "Studies in Japanese Mythology," Vol. 4

(Takashi Sasaki)

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

Japanese:

日本神話に登場する神。「もの」は,畏怖すべき霊威を有する意の語。「ぬし」は総領,支配者の意。大神神社(桜井市の三輪山)に祭られる。『日本書紀』の諸伝承の中には,オオモノヌシを大国主神(オオクニヌシノカミ),大己貴命の別名とするものもある。この神をめぐる所伝は特に神の結婚に関するものが多く,『古事記』によれば,大物主神は丹塗矢に変身して溝を流れ下り,勢夜陀多良比売という娘の陰部を突いた。この娘がその矢を持ち帰って床の辺に置いたところ,矢は美形の男になった。この男と娘との間に生まれた子が,神武天皇の皇后となった比売多多良伊須気余理比売だ,という。また,崇神天皇の代に疫病が大流行したとき,祟りをなしていたオオモノヌシが天皇の夢に現れ,意富多多泥古という名の大物主の娘に自分を祭らせることを要求したので,その娘を神主として意富美和の大神を祭った,という。一方,オオモノヌシの妻となった倭迹迹日百襲姫が夫の顔を見たいといったので,オオモノヌシは小さい蛇となって櫛笥の中に入っていたが,これを見て妻が驚いたのでオオモノヌシはひどく怒り,男の姿になって御諸山(三輪山)に登っていった。妻はそのことを後悔してどすんとその場に座り,そこにあった箸で陰部を突いて死んだ,という話も『日本書紀』にみえる。オオモノヌシは,もともと大和地方で圧倒的な影響力を持つ,三輪山に祭られる神であったものが,朝廷によって神話がまとめられていく過程でその体系の中に繰り込まれたものだろうし,この神をオオクニヌシと同神とする伝承は,両神の名称が類似していることにも影響されたものだろう。<参考文献>松村武雄『日本神話の研究』4巻

(佐佐木隆)

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