Deity
Okami-no-Kami
A water deity formed from the sword that slew Kagutsuchi. As Kuraokami and Takaokami, this deity governs prayers for rain at Kifune and Niukawakami.
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Water deity in the Kojiki (712 CE), formed from the sword that slew Kagutsuchi; principal kami of Kifune Shrine.
Description
Okami-no-Kami (淤加美神) is a water deity recorded in the Kojiki (712 CE) and Nihon Shoki (720 CE), where it appears as Okami no Kami with alternate names Kuraokami-no-Kami (dark valley dragon) and Takaokami-no-Kami (high peak dragon). The element "okami" is an ancient term for the serpent-dragon and refers to the deity governing valley waters, rainfall, and the cessation of rain. According to the Kojiki, when Izanagi struck down the fire deity Kagutsuchi, blood pooling on the sword hilt produced Kuraokami alongside Kuramitsuha-no-Kami. The deity is principally venerated at Kifune Shrine in Kyoto, which the imperial court designated as the official site for rain-related rites from the Heian period onward, and at Niukawakami Shrine in Nara.
Enshrined at
Appears in legends
Sources
淤迦美神 おかみのかみ
Primary source國學院大學 古典文化学事業「神名データベース」淤迦美神。
https://kojiki.kokugakuin.ac.jp/shinmei/okaminokami/淤加美神 - Wikipedia 日本語版
Secondary sourceWikipedia contributors
水神 淤加美神（高龗神・闇龗神）について、古事記でイザナギが迦具土神を斬った場面の出生・大国主神祖系への接続・貴船神社/丹生川上神社の祭祀を整理する。
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B7%A4%E8%BF%A6%E7%BE%8E%E7%A5%9E
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