science

Ōmononushi

Ōmononushi is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ōmononushi rather than just read about it. In short: Ōmononushi (Japanese: 大物主神, romanized: Ōmononushi-no-Kami; historical orthography: Ohomononushi) is a kami in Japanese mythology associated with Mount Miwa (also known as Mount Mimoro) in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture. He is closely linked in the imperial myth cycle recorded in the Kojiki (c. 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (720 CE) with the earthly kami Ōkuninushi (Ōnamuchi); indeed, the latter text treats 'Ōmononushi' as a…

Key takeaways

Ōmononushi belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ōmononushi to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ōmononushi from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ōmononushi (Japanese: 大物主神, romanized: Ōmononushi-no-Kami; historical orthography: Ohomononushi) is a kami in Japanese mythology associated with Mount Miwa (also known as Mount Mimoro) in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture. He is closely linked in the imperial myth cycle recorded in the Kojiki (c. 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (720 CE) with the earthly kami Ōkuninushi (Ōnamuchi); indeed, the latter text treats 'Ōmononushi' as another name for or an aspect—more precisely, the spirit or mitama—of Ōnamuchi. Ōmononushi's chief place of worship is Ōmiwa Shrine located at the foot of Mount Miwa, which serves as the shrine's object of worship (shintai); he is thus also known as Miwa-no-Ōkami (三輪大神, 'Great Deity of Miwa') or Miwa (Dai)myōjin (三輪(大)明神). In addition, he is also enshrined in some other shrines such as Ōsugi Shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture. The deity of Kotohira Shrine (Kotohira-gū) in Kotohira, Kagawa Prefecture, popularly known as Konpira Daigongen (金毘羅大権現), is also currently identified with Ōmononushi.

Name The name 'Ōmononushi' (大物主(おおものぬし); historical orthography: おほものぬし, Ohomononushi; Old Japanese: Opomo2no2nusi) is translated either as 'Great Thing Master' (after a literal translation of the characters used in his name) or 'Great Spirit Master' (with mono being taken as meaning 'spirit' or 'supernatural entity'). The deity is also given the name 'Yamato-no-Ōmononushi-Kushimikatama-no-Mikoto' (倭大物主櫛𤭖玉命, lit. 'Great Master of Things / Spirits, the Wondrous Awe-Inspiring Spirit (tama) of Yamato') in the Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko no Kanʼyogoto (出雲国造神賀詞, 'Congratulatory Words of the Chieftain of Izumo'), a ritual declaration (norito) delivered by the governor or kuni no miyatsuko of Izumo Province at the imperial court upon his appointment. A passage in the Fudoki of Harima Province (modern Hyōgo Prefecture) meanwhile refers to a deity worshiped at Misaka Shrine in the village of Shijimi in Minō District (modern Miki City) known both as 'Yatokakesu- / Yatokakasu-Mimoro-no-Mikoto' (八戸桂掛須御諸命) and 'Ōmononushi-Ashihara-no-Shiko(o)' (大物主葦原志許(乎); Ashihara-no-Shikoo 'Ugly Man / Young Warrior of the Reed Plains' is used in the Kojiki and the Shoki as another name for Ōkuninushi).

Mythology

Ōmononushi and Ōkuninushi

Ōmononushi first appears in the narrative of the god Ōkuninushi's pacification and development of the terrestrial world, Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni. When Ōkuninushi (also known as Ōnamuchi), the descendant (so the Kojiki) or the son (Nihon Shoki) of the god Susanoo, took upon himself the monumental task of developing Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, a dwarf named Sukunabikona appeared from beyond the sea and became his partner. However, after a time Sukunabikona left Ōkuninushi and went to the 'eternal land' (常世国, tokoyo no kuni). As Ōkuninushi was lamenting Sukunabikona's departure, another god "illuminating the sea" appears before Ōkuninushi, promising to aid him in his task if he (Ōkuninushi) will worship him. Ōkuninushi, in accordance with the god's wish, then enshrined him in Mount Mimoro (Mount Miwa) in the land of Yamato. While this god is yet unidentified at this point in the Kojiki, the version of the myth found in the Nihon Shoki has this deity explicitly identify himself as Ōnamuchi's (the default name of Ōkuninushi in this text) kushimitama and sakimitama (幸魂奇魂, 'wondrous spirit' and 'lucky/auspicious spirit', respectively). Indeed, this same passage lists 'Ōmononushi' as one of the various names for Ōnamuchi. A variant version of the myth of Ōnamuchi's cession of Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni to the gods of the heavenly realm Takamagahara found in the Shoki treats 'Ōmononushi' as a name for Ōnamuchi after he left the physical realm to govern the unseen world of the spirit. In this story, Ōnamuchi-as-Ōmononushi along with his son Kotoshironushi ascends to Takamagahara to swear fealty to the heavenly kami. As a reward, the primordial deity Takamimusubi gives Ōmononushi his daughter Mihotsuhime (三穂津姫) to be his wife and then sends him back to earth with "the eighty myriads of deities" to become the guardians of the goddess Amaterasu's descendants, the Japanese imperial house. In the Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko no Kanʼyogoto, Ōnamochi (Ōkuninushi), after relinquishing his authority over the land, attaches his nigitama (和魂, 'gentle spirit') in an 'eight-hand mirror' (八咫鏡 yata no kagami), which he then enshrined in Miwa under the name 'Yamato-no-Ōmononushi-Kushimikatama-no-Mikoto' to serve as a patron of the imperial house along with his children, who he installed in various shrines in the Yamato area.

Isukeyorihime (Isuzuhime)

The Kojiki relates that when Kamuyamato-Iwarebiko (also known as Emperor Jimmu), the great-grandson of Ninigi (Amaterasu's grandson who came down from heaven to govern Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni after it was surrendered by Ōkuninushi), was searching for a wife, he was told about a woman named Seyadatarahime (勢夜陀多良比売) who bore a daughter after she was impregnated by Ōmononushi, who took the form of a red arrow and struck her genitals while she was defecating in a ditch. Iwarebiko wooed this daughter, named Hototatara-Isusukihime (富登多多良伊須須岐比売) or Himetatara-Isukeyorihime (比売多多良伊須気余理比売; an altered form of the name which omits the taboo word hoto 'genitals'), and took her as his wife. While the main narrative of the first volume of the Nihon Shoki first describes this daughter, there named Himetatara-Isuzuhime (媛蹈鞴五十鈴媛), as the offspring of the god of Ōmiwa (i.e. Ōmononushi) in agreement with the Kojiki, it is then immediately followed by an alternative account which portrays her as the child of the god Kotoshironushi and the goddess Mizokuhihime (溝樴姫)—also known as Tamakushihime (玉櫛姫)—conceived after Kotoshironushi transformed himself into a gigantic wani and had intercourse with her. Likewise the main narrative in the third and fourth volumes refer to her as the daughter of Kotoshironushi rather than Ōmononushi.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ōmononushi

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ōmononushi claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ōmononushi before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ōmononushi ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ōmononushi

In research: Ōmononushi appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ōmononushi in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ōmononushi is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Agricultural deities, Japanese deities, Kunitsukami, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ōmononushi outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ōmononushi in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ōmononushi means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ōmononushi out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ōmononushi in simple terms?

Why does Ōmononushi matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ōmononushi?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ōmononushi.