Ōnamochi: The Great God who Created All Under Heaven

Abstract

Richard Torrance is Professor of Japanese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Ohio State University. In the Izumo no kuni fudoki, the deity Ōnamochi no mikoto, most commonly known as Ōkuninushi no mikoto, is customarily referred to with the designation “The Great God who Created All Under Heaven.” This study, which is indebted to the research of Kanda Norishiro, examines what the title “The Great God who Created All Under Heaven” signifies. Eighth-century texts, primarily the Izumo no kuni fudoki but also the Kojiki, Nihon shoki, Manyōshū, and Harima no kuni fudoki, establish that Ōnamochi is a deity who attracted a number of divine characteristics over time. The geographical extent of “all under heaven” is first defined as embracing the entire terrestrial realm, not just Izumo. The heroic Ōnamochi, Ōnamochi the god of agriculture, Ōnamochi as the great lover, Onamochi’s transformation into a bird, and Ōnamochi as a god who guards the sea and welcomes deities from beyond the horizon are described. In conclusion, the continued vitality of the god in Izumo is examined.