Tachibana River

Tachibana River

The Tachibana River, though its modern day location is unknown, is said to have historically been located in the area known as ‘Awaki‘ in Himuka Province. Due to this it would have been located in modern day Miyazaki Prefecture.

This is the river mentioned in both the Kojiki and Nihongi where Izanagi comes to cleanse himself of the filth and defilement after he spent time in Yomi. After throwing down his clothes he bathes in the river giving birth to the several kami.

Entering the river he decides to wash in the middle, finding the upper stream to fast and the lower one too slow. Washing away the impurities of Yomi causes the kami Yasomagatsuhi to be born. Next whilst remedying the evil of Yomi, the kami Kaminaobi and Ōnaobi are born.¹

The Kojiki differs slightly, giving Ōmagatsuhi in addition to Yasomagatsubi and Izunome as an additional kami from Izanagi’s remedying the evils of Yomi.²

Sinking to the bottom of the river to clean he creates Sokotsuwatatsumi and Sokotsutsuo, from cleaning in the middle he creates Nakatsuwatatsumi and Nakatsutsuo; finally from floating upon the waters surface to clean he creates Uhatsuwatasumi and Uhatsutsuo.¹²

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.