Kaya-no-hime explained

Type:	Japanese
Kaya-no-hime
Deity Of:	Goddess of vegetation, grass and fields
Other Names:	,,, and
Script Name:	Japanese
Script:	草祖草野
Parents:	Izanami and Izanagi
Siblings:	Ōyamatsumi
Gender:	Female

, also called,,, or (meaning Moorland Elder),^{[1] [2]} is the Japanese goddess of vegetation, grass, and fields. She is considered protector of fields.^{[3] [4]} She is also considered the ancestor of herbs.^[5]

She is the daughter of Izanami and Izanagi. She is married to her husband and brother Ōyamatsumi, and gave birth to eight deities. Some versions of her origin story claim she is also the mother of Konohanasakuya-hime.^[6]

Worship

In the past, people often prayed to her before cutting down wood or reeds for building.^[7] She was worshipped because the plants that she favored provided the raw materials for furniture and houses.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kayanohime • A History of Japan - 日本歴史. 2020-10-14. A History of Japan - 日本歴史. en-GB.
2. Book: Japan Encyclopedia. Louis-Frédéric. 2005. Harvard University Press. 978-0-674-01753-5. en.
3. Book: Picken. Stuart D. B.. Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings. Picken. Stuart. 1994. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-26431-3. en.
4. Book: Buttimer. Anne. Nature and Identity in Cross-Cultural Perspective. Wallin. L.. 1999-07-31. Springer Science & Business Media. 978-0-7923-5651-6. en.
5. Book: Aveni, Anthony. Creation Stories: Landscapes and the Human Imagination. 2021-04-20. Yale University Press. 978-0-300-25124-1. 144. en. Anthony Aveni.
6. Book: Coulter. Charles Russell. Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Turner. Patricia. 2013-07-04. Routledge. 978-1-135-96397-2. en.
7. Book: Hastings. James. Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics: Sacrifice-Sudra. Selbie. John Alexander. 1921. T. & T. Clark. 978-0-567-06509-4. en.
8. Book: Aston, W. G.. Shinto. 2019-09-25. BoD – Books on Demand. 978-3-7340-7989-4. 120. en.