Who Is Okuninushi (Onamuji) (Ōkuninushi)?
The god of Izumo who built the land
Ōkuninushi-no-Kami
Okuninushi (Ōkuninushi-no-Kami) is the god in the Kojiki who built and ruled Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, the land on earth. In his youth he was called Onamuji (Ōnamuji-no-Kami), and the Kojiki describes him as a descendant of Susanoo six generations later.
Walking at the very back of the line and carrying the bags of his many brothers, the Eighty Brothers (Yasogami), he taught the Hare of Inaba, which had been skinned and was suffering, the right way to heal. When Princess Yagamihime chose him, his brothers grew jealous and killed him twice, but he was brought back to life thanks to his mother's pleas. Fleeing to Ne-no-Kuni, the underworld, he survived Susanoo's trials with help from Susanoo's daughter Suseribime and a mouse, and earned the name "Okuninushi" ("Great Lord of the Land"). He went on to build the land together with Sukunabikona, but when the gods of heaven demanded the land, he handed it over on the condition that a magnificent palace be built for him.
This palace is said to be the origin of Izumo Taisha, and he is popular as a god of marriage and good relationships.
Episodes featuring this character3
Episode 6
The Hare Who Bragged One Shark Too SoonThe White Hare of Inaba
A hare crosses the sea by hopping along a line of wani (sharks), counting their backs as he goes. Then, one step from shore, he says one word too many and loses his whole coat. The Eighty Brothers give him a fake cure that leaves him in agony, and the one who saves him is their youngest brother, Onamuji, who walks at the very back carrying everyone's bags. When the princess spots yellow pollen and white fur on his sleeve, her choice is clear…
19 pages
NEWEpisode 7
Meet the Father-in-Law: He's the Storm GodOkuninushi in the Land of Roots
Onamuji, the youngest brother, is killed twice by his older brothers. His mother's tears bring him back to life, and he escapes to the land beneath the earth, where he meets Suseribime, the princess he's fated to marry. There's one problem: her father is Susanoo, god of storms. A room full of snakes, a burning field, and a scalp crawling with centipedes are just the start of Susanoo's deadly tests for his new son-in-law.
19 pages
NEWEpisode 8
On a Sword's Tip, He Demanded the KingdomThe Transfer of the Land (Kuni-yuzuri)
Okuninushi has guarded the land he built with his best friend all on his own. Heaven sends envoy after envoy, and none of them come back. The last to arrive is Takemikazuchi, a thunder god of few words, who sits on the point of a sword planted in the sea. After a trial of strength, the king gives up his land on one condition: a shrine whose pillars reach the sky.
19 pages