Sumiyoshi sanjin
The three Sumiyoshi kami (Japanese住 吉 三 神, sumiyoshi sanshin ) are Japanese kami of the sea.
Specifically, these are ( in order of appearance in the Kojiki and the translation of Karl Florence):
- Sokotsutsu o no mikoto (底 筒 男 命, "The [ sea - ] soil venerable man " ),
- Nakatsutsu o no mikoto (中 筒 男 命, " The [ marine ] middle venerable man " ) and
- Uwatsutsu o no mikoto (表 筒 男 命, " The surface venerable man ").
When speaking of the Sumiyoshi daijin, the "big Sumiyoshi gods ", which is also in Sumiyoshi Taisha under the name Okinagatarashihime (息 长 帯 姫) is also worshiped Tennōgemahlin Jingū - Kogo included in this group. According to the Kojiki, the Sumiyoshi - Kami Jingūs escorted ship at their military expedition to Korea.
The Sumiyoshi kami are venerated in over 2,000 Sumiyoshi shrines spread across Japan, the main shrine of Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka is.
Name
The characters住 吉sumiyoshi were originally read Suminoye, where住( " dwell, reside " ) sumi was read, and吉("good sign " ) had the reading ye. The no is an inserted particle, together it means something like " inherent happiness." If we write Suminoe as澄江or清江, it can also mean " unadulterated river ". As part of the Yasoshima Matsuri (八十 嶋 祭), one of 850 carried out until the Kamakura period festivity to the throne of Tennō, this blessed the sea in a ritual that is called Suminoe (住 吉). Confusingly, there are near the Sumiyoshi - taisha two places that carry the name Suminoe. One is written住 之 江, in the meaning " pure river ", but the other墨 江, in the meaning " ink - flow " ( sumie Sumi here is the same character as in墨 絵, ink image).
In the Heian period, the reading of the second character was then changed from now on住 吉was read as sumiyoshi.
The names of the three gods can be described as " under -the-art ", " medium " and " the forefront of a number " point, where o no mikoto each " male Kami " means.
It is believed that the names of the three gods refer to the three stars that form the belt of Orion. As Kami seafaring these three stars have helped the early navigators in navigation.
Formation
After the gods narratives of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki of the three Sumiyoshi kami were born together with the three Watatsumi - Kami, Izanami as washed in the sea, to perform the misogi ritual. Another version is the Sumiyoshi kami, along with five other so -born cleaning Kami ( misogi harai -no- kami ): Soko- tsu - wata -tsu -mi -no- kami, Naka- tsu - wata -tsu -mi -no- kami, Wa -tsu - wata -tsu -mi -no- kami, Kamu - Naho -bi -no- kami and Ō- Naho -bi -no- kami (sometimes also necessary along with Ya -so- maga - tsu -hi -no- kami ).
Originally, the three Watatsumi and the three Sumiyoshi kami were the same beings. As in the early period of Japanese history, however, the political center of power in Japan was transferred to Kinai area of Kyushu, the kami were whose shrine still remained in Kyushu, as Watatsumi - kami refers, while the relocated after Kinai gods to the Sumiyoshi - Kami were. The hypothesis of a link between the two gods triads is supported by the fact that the shrine of the patron saint ( Ujigami ) Tsumori the family, with several generations the chief priest of the Sumiyoshi shrine, as Ō- Watatsumi -jinja (大海 神社) is called.