Toshigami

Toshigami
Harvest, grain
Other namesToshigami (大年神)
年神 or 歳神Japanese
Genealogy
Parents
SiblingsUkanomitama
Consorts
  • Ino-hime (伊怒比売)
  • Kaguyo-hime (香用比売)
  • Amechikarumizu-hime (天知迦流美豆比売)
OffspringOyamakui no Kami

Toshigami (年神 or 歳神, Toshigami or Tomo; lit. "year god"), also known as Ōtoshi-no-kami (大年神; lit. "great year god"), is a Japanese kami and a part of the Shinto pantheon.

Etymology

The 年 (nen) kanji originally meant "harvest", which became "year" over time as harvest happened once each year. Toshigami was therefore the god of abundant harvests, and specifically of grain or rice. The character 神 (kami) literally means "god" or "deity".

Mythology

Parentage and siblings

According to the Kojiki, Toshigami was the son of Susanoo and Kamuo Ichihime and the older brother of Ukanomitama.

Family

Toshigami had offspring through three different wives: Ino-hime (伊怒比売), Kaguyo-hime (香用比売), and Amechikarumizu-hime (天知迦流美豆比売). Through Ino-hime, his children include Ohokuni-mitama (大国御魂神), Kara-kami (韓神), Sofuri-kami (曾富理神), Shirahi-no-kami (白日神), and Hijiri-no-kami (聖神). His children by Kaguyo-hime include Ōkaguyama-tomi (大香山戸臣神) and Mitoshi-no-kami (御年神). With Amechikarumizu-hime, he had Okitsu-hiko-no-kami (奥津日子神), Okitsu-hime-no-mikoto (奥津比売命), Oyamakui-no-kami (大山咋神), Niwa-tsuhi-no-kami (庭津日神), Asuha-no-kami, Hahiki-no-kami, Kaguyama-tomi-no-kami (香山戸臣神), Hayamato-no-kami (羽山戸神), Niwataka-tsuhi-no-kami (庭高津日神), and Ōtsuchi-no-kami (大土神).

Worship

Toshigami is believed to visit homes at every New Year. The decorations put out for the new year, such as kadomatsu and the kagami mochi rice cakes, were originally offerings to him.

His home is believed to be on Shimokoshiki-shima Island, off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu.

Toshigami's name refers to the rice harvest. In ancient Japan, Toshigami was also worshipped as a patron of good harvests at the start of the year, influencing Japanese new year's traditions.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 大年神 [Ōtoshi-no-kami] (in Japanese). Kokugakuin University. Retrieved 5 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. 1 2 大年神 [Ōtoshi-no-kami] (in Japanese). Kotobank. Retrieved 5 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ↑ 国安洋 (October 1989). 平安時代の「遊び」:「古今和歌集」をめぐって [Playing in the Heian Period: Disputing the "Kokin Wakashū"]. 横浜国立大学人文紀要 第一類 哲学・社会科学 (in Japanese). 35. Yokohama National University: 129–140. ISSN 0513-5621. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Ōtoshi | 國學院大學デジタルミュージアム". 2022-08-17. Archived from the original on 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2023-11-14.