Kagu-tsuchi
Kagu-tsuchi or Kagutsuchi (カグツチ), referred to as Hinokagatsuchi (火之迦具土) in the Kojiki, and Kagutsuchi (軻遇突智) or Homusubi (火産霊) in the Nihon-Shoki, is the kami of fire in Japanese mythology.
Mythology
Kagu-tsuchi's birth burned his mother Izanami, causing her death. His father Izanagi, in his grief, beheaded Kagu-tsuchi with his sword, Ame no Ohabari (天之尾羽張), and cut his body into eight pieces, which became eight volcanoes. The blood that dripped off Izanagi's sword created a number of deities, including the sea god Watatsumi and rain god Kuraokami.
Kagu-tsuchi's birth, in Japanese mythology, comes at the end of the creation of the world and marks the beginning of death.[1] In the Engishiki, a source which contains the myth, Izanami, in her death throes, bears the water god Mizuhame, instructing her to pacify Kagu-tsuchi if he should become violent. This story also contains references to traditional fire-fighting tools: gourds for carrying water and wet clay and water reeds for smothering fires.[1]
Name
The name Kagutsuchi was originally a compound phrase, consisting of kagu, an Old Japanese root verb meaning "to shine"; tsu, the Old Japanese possessive particle; and chi, an Old Japanese root meaning "force, power".[2]
Worship
Kagutsuchi was the patron deity of blacksmiths and ceramic workers. He is worshipped in several shrines, one of which is Atago Shrine, near Kyoto. [3]
Other Media
• In the anime Fairy Tail, a character named Zancrow uses the Flame God Slayer Magic, and has a attack named after Kagu-tsuchi.
• In the anime Mai-HiME, Mai's Child is based upon Kagu-tsuchi.
• In the anime Naruto: Shippuden, one of the main characters called Sasuke Uchiha is shown to have the ability to manipulate the black flames of Amaterasu into various weapons. This is referred to as Blaze release: Kagu-tsuchi, which refers to the fire god.
• In the anime Ao No Exorcist, the hometown to several of the characters is Kyoto, where a powerful sword was made from long ago by, and had to do with Kagu-Tsuchi.
Notes
- 1 2 Ashkenazy, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 186
- ↑ Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition (国語大辞典（新装版）) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 1988
- ↑ http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/japanese-mythology.php?deity=KAGUTSUCHI
References
- Ashkenazy, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003.
- Bock, Felicia G., trans. Engi-shiki: Procedures of the Engi Era. ASU Center for Asian Studies (Occasional Paper #17).
External links
- Kagutsuchi, Encyclopedia of Shinto
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