Omiwa Omononushi Legend

The Omiwa Omononushi tradition is the foundation tale of the rite for Omononushi-no-Kami enshrined at Mount Miwa, the sacred mountain of Omiwa Shrine in Sakurai, Nara. The Kojiki, middle scroll, Emperor Sujin segment, says that during a plague that afflicted the people, Omononushi-no-Kami appeared in the emperor's dream and announced that, if his descendant Otataneko were made to perform his rites, the realm would be at peace. Otataneko, sought in Chinu-no-agata, was made the chief priest, and Omononushi was enshrined at Mount Miwa; the plague was quieted, and from then on the Miwa clan inherited the rite generation after generation. Omononushi is, in some accounts, the nigi-mitama (peaceful soul) of Okuninushi, forming a node between the Izumo line and Yamato. The story has three movements: plague and oracle in the reign of Sujin, the discovery of Otataneko and the founding of the rite, and the lasting peace through the Miwa (Omiwa) line. The rite is a classic case of pacifying a vengeful deity, the prototype of later goryo belief. Omiwa Shrine in Miwa, Sakurai, has no main hall and is worshiped through the prayer hall directly toward the mountain, preserving archaic form. The Kojiki, Emperor Sujin segment and Emperor Jimmu segment (Iku-tama-yori-bime), the Nihon Shoki, Sujin chronicle, and the Engishiki Jinmyocho form the textual basis.