Kushinadahime

• • Affiliation: Shinto
  • Kami of: –
  • Family: Ashinadzuchi (father) Tenadzuchi (mother) Susano-o (husband) Ōkuninushi (son?) Yashimajinumi (son) Suga-no-yu-yama-nushi Mitsu-na-saro-hiko-yamaa-shino (son)

Kushinadahime

Kushinadahime (櫛名田比売 / 奇稲田姫 – Lady Wondrous Rice Paddies²) is a Shinto kami seen within the Kojiki and Nihongi narrative with connections to Susano-o and the Dragon Yamata no Orochi.¹²

She is stated to be the final child of Tenadzuchi and Ashinadzuchi. The Nihongi relates how Susano-o comes across her parents in mourning for their daughter. Every year the dragon Yamata no Orochi comes to eat one of their children and he will soon come for Kushinadahime. Susano-o agrees to kill the dragon if he can wed Kushinadahime and it is agree upon. He then turns her into a comb and places her in his hair until the dragon has been killed. The Kojiki agrees with this account, though adds some details.¹²

Additionally the Kojiki states she was the last of eight children to be taken by the dragon, and that once she married Susano-o they had a son by the name of Yashimajinumi.²

After the dragon is killed he takes her to Izumo Province, to a place called Suga where they then marry.¹² After this Susano-o then descends to Yomi but not before they have a child by the name of Ōkuninushi.¹

One version of the Nihongi states he also then composed a poem, this poem is also contained in the Kojiki.¹²

Another version of the Nihongi states that Inadahime (稲田姫) meets Susano-o on the River Hi and together they have a child known as Suga-no-yu-yama-nushi Mitsu-na-saro-hiko-yamaa-shino¹.

A further version states that Tenadzuchi’s child is not yet born, here given the name Inagami Furukushinadahime (真髪触奇稲田媛). When she is about to be born the Dragon would appear to eat her, however again Susano-o intercedes. After she is born she is raised in Izumo and when old enough marries Susano-o. Here it is stated their 6th generational descendant was Ōkuninushi.¹

A final version states that Susano-o wishes to wed Kushinadahime, and so her parents request that he kill the dragon so they will allow her to be wed.¹

Footnotes

1. Aston. W.G. (1896) “Nihongi Volume 1: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD697”. Tuttle Publishing.
2. Yasumaro. O, translated by Gustav Heldt. (2014) “Kojiki. An Account of Ancient Matters”. New York: Columbia University Press.

	Check out the Japan Archives, our Japanese History Podcast. Instagram (Japan): @japan_archives
	Check out our Gaming Channel on Youtube. Instagram (Minecraft): @mycenria
	Find the website useful? Please consider donating to help up keep the website running.