Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi

Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi
A small Shinto shrine with a stone lamppost beside it
Shrine to Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi at Tsuno Shrine
OffspringKushinadahime

Ashinazuchi (Japanese: 足名椎) and Tenazuchi (Japanese: 手名椎) are a married pair of Japanese earth deities[1] (kami) that appear in the Kojiki.[2] Their names mean "foot-earth" and "hand-earth" respectively.[1] They are the parents of Kushinadahime, though they originally had eight daughters before the other seven were devoured by Yamata no Orochi, one every year.[3]

Description

Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi appear as an old man and woman.[1] Sometimes the names are switched, and Tenazuchi is the father.[4] In versions where the names are swapped, Tenazuchi is said to also appear as Gendayū and protect travelers on the Tōkaidō road.[4]

Mythology

When Susanoo was exiled, he found Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi weeping and consoling their daughter, Kushinadahime, by the Hii River.[1] When he asked what was wrong they introduced themselves and explained that Yamata no Orochi was about to come for Kushinadahime, as it had done for their other seven daughters.[1] Susanoo turned Kushinadahime into a comb and put her in his hair to keep her safe. He then had Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi build an eight-gated fence and put a tub of saké behind each gate.[1] When Yamata no Orochi arrived, it drank all the saké and fell asleep. Susanoo cut up the monster while it was asleep, finding the sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi in its tail.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Japan Report. Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan. 1962. p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "足名椎 – 國學院大學 古典文化学事業". kojiki.kokugakuin.ac.jp. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
  3. ↑ Kamata, Tōji (January 6, 1999). 神道用語の基礎知識 [Basic Knowledge of Shinto Terms] (in Japanese). KADOKAWA. ISBN 978-4047033016.
  4. 1 2 Poorter, Erika de (1 October 2021). Zeami's Talks on Sarugaku: An annotated translation of Sarugaku dangi with an introduction on Zeami Motokiyo. BRILL. p. 99. ISBN 978-90-04-48758-1. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
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