Omononushi-no-Kami

Omononushi-no-Kami is a *kunitsukami* (earthly kami) documented in the *Kojiki* (*Records of Ancient Matters*, 712 CE) and the *Nihon Shoki* (*Chronicles of Japan*, 720 CE). The deity is described as the manifestation of the radiant and wondrous souls (*sakimitama* and *kushimitama*) of Okuninushi-no-Kami, and resides in Miwa Mountain in Yamato (modern Nara Prefecture) as its sacred peak. Omononushi-no-Kami embodies characteristics of both a snake deity and a thunder deity, and was revered by the ancient imperial court as a protector against epidemic disease and a bestower of agricultural blessing.

In the *Kojiki*, a passage describes how, after the deity Sukunabikona departed to the land of Eternal Youth, a divine being illuminating the sea appeared and declared: "If you govern me well, we shall together create and accomplish." The deity requested to be enshrined on Mount Moro (Miwa Mountain). The *Nihon Shoki* account of Emperor Sujin records that when plague ravaged the realm, Omononushi-no-Kami appeared in the emperor's dream and instructed that his descendant Ōtataneko perform the rites of worship; the plague then ceased.

According to the *Kojiki*, Omononushi-no-Kami is regarded as the gentle soul (*nigimitama*) of Okuninushi-no-Kami and shares genealogical identity with that deity. The kami's children include Kushimikata-no-Mikoto and Ōtataneko; through the latter line, Omononushi-no-Kami became the ancestral deity of the Miwa clan (*Ōmiwa no Asobi*) and related lineages. A legend of sacred marriage with Yamato-Totohimomoso-Hime-no-Mikoto links the deity to the burial mound of Hashihaka.

Ōmiwa Shrine (*Ōmiwa Jinja*, Sakurai, Nara Prefecture) is the principal seat of this deity's worship. Among Japan's oldest shrines, it uniquely lacks a conventional main hall; instead, Miwa Mountain itself serves as the sacred body of the kami, preserving the form of worship from the ancient period. The shrine appears in the *Engishiki* (*Procedures of the Engi Era*, 927 CE) *Jinmyocho* (Register of Shrines) as a major shrine. Omononushi-no-Kami is honoured nationwide as the central deity of Miwa worship, presiding over sake brewing, agriculture, and epidemic prevention. Branch shrines including Hinokihara Shrine and Sai Shrine extend across the foothills of Miwa Mountain.