Suminoe-no-Mimae-no-Okami

Suminoe-no-Mimae-no-Okami (墨江之三前大神) is the collective name in the Kojiki (712 CE) for the Sumiyoshi triad (Sokotsutsu-no-O, Nakatsutsu-no-O, Uwatsutsu-no-O). The triad emerged in the group of deities formed when Izanagi returned from the Land of Yomi and purified himself at Awakihara in Tachibana-no-Odo in Tsukushi. They have drawn devoted veneration since antiquity as deities of maritime safety and sea-route protection. According to the Kojiki upper scroll on purification, "when he washed at the water-bottom, the deities born were Sokotsuwatatsumi-no-Kami; next Sokotsutsu-no-O-no-Mikoto. When he washed in mid-water, the deities born were Nakatsuwatatsumi-no-Kami; next Nakatsutsu-no-O-no-Mikoto. When he washed at the water-surface, Uwatsuwatatsumi-no-Kami; next Uwatsutsu-no-O-no-Mikoto". The text continues, "These three deities are Suminoe-no-Mimae-no-Okami". The Empress Jingu Sankan expedition tradition records the founding of Sumiyoshi Taisha. Principal shrine: Sumiyoshi Taisha in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka.