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Mikeiri no Mikoto

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Mythical brother of Japan's first Emperor
Mikeiri no Mikoto
Genealogy
Parents
SiblingsEmperor Jimmu
SpousePrincess Unome

Mikeiri no Mikoto (Japanese: 三毛入野命, also known as Mikenu, d. 663 BC according to traditional dating) is a Japanese deity. He was the older brother of Jimmu. While playing a minor role in the Nihon Shoki, he has a prominent local tradition at Takachiho Shrine of which he is the main deity. There is an annual festival for him called Shishikake Festival.


Myths

Nihon Shoki

According to the Nihon Shoki, Mikeiri no Mikoto, Ugayafukiaezu's third son and the older brother of Japan's first Emperor Jimmu, assisted his brother the Emperor in government affairs. All his three brothers, including Mikeiri, supported his decision to embark on the military campaign to eastern Japan. Later during the military campaign, Mikeiri disappeared at sea alongside Inahi and as a result, Jimmu was left the sole leader and became Emperor.

Takachiho myth

However, Takachiho legend offers a different account, suggesting he returned to Takachiho to govern it. The legend further narrates that a formidable kami deity named Kihachi, residing in a cave on Mt. Futagami, often terrorized the residents of Araragi Village. The climax of his reign of terror came when he kidnapped Princess Unome, intending to forcibly marry her. Mikeiri no Mikoto, upon his return to Takachiho, saw a haunting reflection of Princess Unome in a pond by the Gokase River. This vision revealed Kihachi's sinister intentions. In response, Mikeiri rallied a group of forty-four vassals to storm Kihachi's cave and rescue the princess.

Despite the initial victory, Kihachi was not easily subdued. After his defeat, he resurrected the very next day, burning with rage. In their subsequent encounter, Mikeiri took drastic measures by severing Kihachi into three distinct sections: head, torso, and limbs. Each segment was buried separately to ensure Kihachi's permanent incapacitation. Following this victory, Mikeiri and Princess Unome married, eventually having eight children. The legend asserts that their descendants later ruled over the region of Takachiho.

Modern worship

Today, physical reminders of this legend are scattered throughout Takachiho. Among them are the Nanatsuga Pond, where legend says Mikeiri first encountered Princess Unome's reflection, and the Chikara Ishi, a massive boulder believed to have been thrown by Kihachi during their initial battle. Distinct markers indicate the burial spots of Kihachi's divided body: his head is near the Solest Takachiho Hotel, the torso is proximate to Ryokan Shinsen, and his limbs are found near the ruins of Awaji Castle, adjacent to Takachiho High School.

In modern Takachiho, local folklore says that Kihachi's vengeful spirit occasionally stirs, casting early frosts that harm the crops. To counteract this, the Takachiho Shrine hosts an annual event known as the Shishikake Festival. The ceremony involves offering a boar and the chanting of special prayers by Shinto priests to appease Kihachi's spirit. Additionally, Kagura, a traditional Shinto dance, is showcased during the festival, typically taking place on the third day of the twelfth lunar month, often coinciding with January.

Family tree

AmaterasuTakamimusubi
Ame-no-oshihomimiTakuhadachiji-himeŌyamatsumi
Ninigi-no-Mikoto
（天孫）		Konohanasakuya-himeWatatsumi
HoderiHosuseri
（海幸彦）		Hoori
（山幸彦）		Toyotama-himeUtsushihikanasaku [ja]Furutama-no-mikoto [ja]
Tensori no Mikoto [ja]UgayafukiaezuTamayori-himeAzumi people（Owari clan
Yamato clan)
Hayato peopleItsuseInahiMikeiriJimmuAhiratsu-hime
Imperial House of JapanTagishimimi
  • Red background is female.
  • Green background means groups
  • Bold letters are three generations of Hyuga.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Legend Mikeiri no Mikoto and Kihachi" (PDF).
  2. ^ Nihongi (W.G. Aston tr., Tuttle 1972 reprint), p. 114
  3. "Click the english button to switch the page language to english since that is the page I am citing, not the Japanese version". www.miyazaki-archive.jp. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  4. Nihongi (W.G. Aston tr., Tuttle 1972 reprint), p. 111
  5. http://www.louis-chor.ca/Nihon-Shoki-Trilingual-January-2020-1.pdf Selections from Nihon-Shoki, ch. 3
  6. "Kamuyamatoiwarebiko". Kokugakuin University Encyclopedia of Shinto.
  7. ^ "Main Sanctuary, Takachiho Shrine". The Official Miyazaki Prefecture Travel Guide. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  8. ^ Borgen, Robert; Ury, Marian (April 1990). "Readable Japanese Mythology: Selections from Nihon shoki and Kojiki" (PDF). The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese. 24 (1). American Association of Teachers of Japanese: 61–97. doi:10.2307/489230. JSTOR 489230. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  9. ^ "万幡豊秋津師比売命 – 國學院大學 古典文化学事業". kojiki.kokugakuin.ac.jp. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  10. ^ "Encyclopedia of Shinto - Home : Kami in Classic Texts : Futodama". eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  11. ^ https://archive.today/20230406174104/https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/eos/detail/?id=9716
  12. ^ "タクハタチヂヒメ". nihonsinwa.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  13. ^ "栲幡千千姫命（たくはたちぢひめのみこと）ご利益と神社". xn--u9ju32nb2az79btea.asia (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  14. ^ "Ninigi". Mythopedia. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  15. ^ Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697, translated from the original Chinese and Japanese by William George Aston. Book II, page 73. Tuttle Publishing. Tra edition (July 2005). First edition published 1972. ISBN 978-0-8048-3674-6
  16. ^ "According to the 'Kojiki', the great 8th century A.D. compilation of Japanese mythology, Konohana Sakuya-hime married a god who grew suspicious of her when she became pregnant shortly after their wedding. To prove her fidelity to her husband, she entered a benign bower and miraculously gave birth to a son, unscathed by the surrounding flames. The fire ceremony at Fuji-Yyoshida recalls this story as a means of protecting the town from fire and promoting easy childbirth among women."
  17. ^ "みやざきの神話と伝承101：概説". 2021-08-04. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  18. ^ Akima, Toshio (1993). "The Origins of the Grand Shrine of Ise and the Cult of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami". Japan Review. 4 (4): 143. ISSN 0915-0986. JSTOR 25790929.
  19. ^ "Explore Azumino! - Hotaka Shrine". Explore Azumino!. Japan Tourism Agency. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  20. ^ https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/common/001562761.pdf
  21. ^ "Mt. Hotaka also have deities enshrined, and these deities are as their tutelaries : JINJA-GAKU 3 | HIKES IN JAPAN". 2020-10-01. Archived from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  22. ^ Tsugita, Masaki (2001) . 古事記 （上） 全訳注 [Complete Translated and Annotated Kojiki, Part 1]. Vol. 38. 講談社学術文庫. p. 205. ISBN 4-06-158207-0.
  23. ^ "Ofune Matsuri – A Unique Festival in Nagano, Japan! - Festivals & Events｜COOL JAPAN VIDEOS｜A Website With Information About Travel, Culture, Food, History, and Things to Do in Japan". cooljapan-videos.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  24. ^ The History of Nations: Japan. Dept. of education. Japan. H. W. Snow. 1910.
  25. ^ "Ahiratsuhime • . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史". . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  26. Norinaga Motoori (2007). The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey. University of Hawaii Press. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-8248-3078-6.
  27. Gary L. Ebersole (1992). Ritual Poetry and the Politics of Death in Early Japan. Princeton University Press. pp. 108–109. ISBN 0-691-01929-0.
  28. The Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters. Tuttle Publishing. 19 June 2012. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-4629-0511-9.

Further reading

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