Oyamatsumi is the **god who rules over the mountains** in Japanese mythology. The element "yamatsumi" in his name means "spirit of the mountain," and he has long been venerated as a vast divinity who governs not only the mountains but also the sea, water, agriculture, and sake brewing. As the father of Konohanasakuya, who married the heavenly grandson Ninigi, of her elder sister Iwanagahime, and of Kamu-oichihime, the wife of Susanoo, he stands at the origin of the lineages of many gods.
| Divine role | God of mountains (mountains, forestry, mining). Also revered as a god of the sea, water, agriculture, and sake brewing |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male deity |
| Parentage | In the Kojiki, a child of Izanagi and Izanami. One variant account in the Nihon Shoki holds that he came into being when Izanagi slew the fire god Kagutsuchi |
| Children | Konohanasakuya, Iwanagahime, Kamu-oichihime, Konohanachiruhime, among others |
| Grandchildren and descendants | Through Kamu-oichihime and Susanoo: Otoshi-no-Kami and Uka-no-Mitama (the Inari deity), among others. Through Konohanasakuya and Ninigi: Umisachihiko and Yamasachihiko |
| Sources | Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, and a surviving fragment of the Iyo no Kuni Fudoki |
| Other names | Watashi-no-Okami (his aspect as a sea god), Sakatoke-no-Kami (his aspect as a sake god), Mishima-no-Kami |
| Blessings | Protection of forests, mining, and agriculture; safety at sea; good fortune; prosperous business; matchmaking; protection of sake brewing, and more |
| Major shrines | Oyamazumi Shrine (Omishima, Ehime / head shrine), Mishima Taisha (Shizuoka), and Mishima and Yama shrines throughout Japan |
In the Kojiki, Oyamatsumi is said to have been born as the god who rules the mountains, a child of Izanagi and Izanami, who carried out the birthing of the land and of the gods. A variant account in the Nihon Shoki, however, relates that when Izanagi slew the fire god Kagutsuchi—who had caused the death of his wife Izanami—the mountain god Oyamatsumi, a thunder god, and a water god (Takaokami) came forth from the slain body. In either lineage, Oyamatsumi is positioned as a primordial nature deity who appears at the very earliest stage of creation.
When the heavenly grandson Ninigi descended to earth, met the beautiful Konohanasakuya at Cape Kasasa, and sought to take her as his wife, her father Oyamatsumi rejoiced greatly and offered both daughters together, sending along her elder sister Iwanagahime as well. But Ninigi sent the homely elder sister back and kept only the beautiful younger one. Oyamatsumi then declared: "I offered Iwanagahime to grant a life eternal as the rocks, and Konohanasakuya to grant flourishing like the blossoms—but because you chose only the younger, the life of the heavenly grandson shall be as fleeting as the flowers." This is known as the origin tale of "the lifespan of the heavenly grandson" in Japanese mythology, which explains why human beings came to die.
One of Oyamatsumi's daughters, Kamu-oichihime, became the wife of the storm god Susanoo and bore Otoshi-no-Kami, a god of agriculture, and Uka-no-Mitama (the Inari deity), who governs the five grains. The fact that Oyamatsumi, a mountain god, stands at the head of the lineage of gods who rule fields and grain is understood to reflect the ancient bond between mountains and agriculture—the mountains being what bring water to the rice paddies.
Oyamatsumi is said to have celebrated the birth of his grandchild (the child of Konohanasakuya) by brewing "Ame-no-Tamuzake" (heavenly sweet sake) from the rice of the fields and feasting the gods. From this episode he came to be worshipped as Sakatoke-no-Kami, the guardian deity of sake brewing, and he continues to be revered by sake brewers to this day.
Oyamatsumi embodies the "mountain" itself, which, without moving, supports and nurtures all things. The mountain produces timber, minerals, and water; it nourishes the rice fields at its foot and flows onward to the sea. Because of this vast capacity to contain, he is depicted as a deep-hearted nature deity who governs in a single body the seemingly disparate realms of mountain, sea, agriculture, and sake. Rather than stepping forward to fight in person, his defining character is that of a "root" who gives rise to the lineages of many gods through his daughters and supports the world from behind. The episode in which he offered together the two contrasting values of eternity (Iwanagahime, the rock) and flourishing (Konohanasakuya, the flower) speaks to his nature as an unmoving embracer—one who accepts everything and quietly watches the outcome of others' choices.
The head shrine of the Oyamazumi and Mishima lineage of shrines throughout Japan is Oyamazumi Shrine, enshrined on the island of Omishima in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture. Called the "Chief Guardian of All Japan," it has received deep veneration from successive imperial courts and warlords as a god of mountains, sea, and martial valor. It is also famous for the armor dedicated by warrior houses such as the Minamoto clan and the Kono clan, and it holds many suits of armor and swords designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. Mishima Taisha in Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture, is likewise a central shrine of the Oyamazumi faith, enshrining Oyamatsumi together with Tsumiha-yae-kotoshironushi-no-Kami, and it has been venerated as the first-ranked shrine of Izu Province. With these two shrines as its twin sacred centers, "Mishima" and "Yama" shrines are widely distributed across the country.
KonohanasakuyaHis daughter. The flower goddess the mountain raised. A bond of father and daughter, of root and blossom
SusanooHusband of his daughter Kamu-oichihime. Mountain and storm—a bond forged through endurance
TsukuyomiSide by side, the space falls still—a quiet resonance of the unmoving and the silent
Ame-no-UzumeThe unmoving and the dancing. Irreconcilable, yet each needs the other in complement