Sukunabikona-no-Kami

Sukunabikona-no-Kami (少名毘古那神) is a nation-building helper deity recorded in the Kojiki (712 CE) and Nihon Shoki (720 CE). The child of Kamimusubi-no-Kami in the Kojiki (the child of Takamimusubi-no-Mikoto in the Nihon Shoki), he joined Okuninushi-no-Kami in the nation-building of the central reed-plain country, and at the end departed for the eternal realm. He is widely venerated as a deity of medicine, sake brewing, hot springs, agriculture, and protective rites. According to the Kojiki upper scroll on Okuninushi, he appeared from the waves on a heavenly arrowroot ship at Cape Miho in Izumo, wearing a moth-skin garment, as a small visiting deity. Through the assistance of Kuebiko (the scarecrow deity), he was identified as a child of Kamimusubi-no-Kami, and he formed a brotherhood with Okuninushi to undertake nation-building. After completion he departed for the eternal realm. Principal shrines: Sukunahikona Shrine in Osaka, Oarai Isosaki Shrine in Ibaraki.