Saonetsuhiko

Saonetsuhiko (槁根津日子) is a deity recorded in the Kojiki (712 CE). He guided the sea-route of Jimmu's eastward expedition as the pilot deity, appearing as an earthly deity in the form of a sea-going person on the back of a turtle. He was positioned as the ancestor of the Yamato no Kuni-no-miyatsuko by the merit of guiding Jimmu and the eastern army. According to the Kojiki middle scroll on Emperor Jimmu, at the Hayasuhi Strait, an angler riding on the back of a turtle approached; he answered that he was an earthly deity who knew the sea-routes. Jimmu extended his pole, drew him aboard, and conferred the name Saonetsuhiko. The name derives from "sao" (the boat-pole), a function-based name connected with the Yamato no Kuni-no-miyatsuko ancestral tradition. Principal shrine: Shiinetsuhiko Shrine at Saganoseki, Oita.