Ashinazuchi

Ashinazuchi (足名椎) is a kunitsukami—an earthly kami—recorded in the *Kojiki* (Records of Ancient Matters, 712 CE) and *Nihon Shoki* (Chronicles of Japan, 720 CE). He appears in the mythology of Izumo (modern Shimane Prefecture) as the father of Kushinada-Hime and forms a divine pair with his consort Tenazuchi. Together, they play a crucial role in framing Susanoo-no-Mikoto's earthly activities and the celebrated serpent-slaying narrative.

According to the *Kojiki*, Susanoo-no-Mikoto encountered an elderly couple and their daughter weeping by the upper reaches of the Hii River (modern Hii River). When questioned, Ashinazuchi revealed himself as a kunitsukami and child of the Great Mountain Deity (Ōyamazumi-no-Kami). He recounted how the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi demanded their daughter Kushinada-Hime as tribute each year. Susanoo-no-Mikoto agreed to slay the beast on the condition that he marry Kushinada-Hime.

In genealogy, Ashinazuchi is son of Ōyamazumi-no-Kami and husband of Tenazuchi; their daughter is Kushinada-Hime (along with seven sisters similarly claimed by the serpent). After the serpent's defeat, Ashinazuchi received the honorific name "Inada-no-Miyabushi-Suga-no-Yatsuimi-no-Kami" from Susanoo-no-Mikoto and was appointed steward of the Palace of Suga. As an Izumo-lineage deity, he marks the threshold of Susanoo-no-Mikoto's earthly reign.

Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi are venerated together at Suga Shrine in Unnan City, Shimane (a shrine listed in the historical *Engishiki* registry), and at Yaegaki Shrine near Matsue. Both locations lie in the Hii River region associated with the Yamata-no-Orochi myth. They are widely invoked as a conjugal deity pair and protective guardians of children across Suwa and other regions of Japan where Susanoo-no-Mikoto worship is practised.