Ame no Hohi (天菩比神, 天穗日命,アメノホヒ, "Heavenly grain sun"), also known as Ame no Fuhi (天乃夫比, アメノフヒ) is a male deity and the second son of sun goddess

Amaterasu , often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () ...

Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contac ...

. Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko or the historical rulers of

Izumo Izumo (出雲) may refer to: Locations * Izumo Province, an old province of Japan * Izumo, Shimane, a city located in Shimane Prefecture ** Izumo Airport * Izumo-taisha, one of Japan's most ancient and important Shinto shrines Ships * ''Izumo ...

and modern heads of

Izumo-taisha , officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god , fa ...

and

Izumo-taishakyo is a Japanese Shinto grouping. It was established by Senge Takatomi (1845–1918), the 80th head priest of Izumo-taisha in 1882, as one of the original thirteen sects of ''Kyoha Shintō Rengokai'' (Association of Sectarian Shinto), during the ...

descend from him.

Mythology

Children born from the Challenge of Amaterasu and Susanoo-en

Ame no Hohi is found in the main works of literature that record the mythology and the mythologized history of Japan. He is found in both the and the as Ame no Hohi no Mikoto (: 天之菩卑能命, 天菩比命, 天菩比神; : 天穂日命). In the he is referred to as Ame no Fuhi no Mikoto (天乃夫比命). He is also mentioned in the by the name Ame no Hohi no Mikoto (天穂比命). In some myths he was sent first to earth to rule after his brother

Ame-no-oshihomimi Amenooshihomimi (天忍穗耳尊,天之忍穂耳命) or Oshihomimi for short, is the first son of Amaterasu. He is believed to be the ancestor to the Japanese Imperial family. Name and etymology Amenooshihomimi name means "Ruling Rice Ears ...

refused the offer. However, when he didn't return after three years they sent another god to rule.

Family

Ame no Hohi's sons are called Ame-no-Hinadori and Takehi-Nateru. Ame no Hohi is believed to be the ancestor of the Izumo no Omi as well as the priests of the

and Sugawara clans. Nomi no Sukune is said to be one of his descendants. He is also believed to be the ancestor of the Haji clan.

Worship

Ame no Hohi is worhsipped across Japan as a god of agriculture, ears of rice,

sericulture Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, the caterpillar of the Bombyx mori, domestic silkmoth is the most widely used and intensively studied silkwo ...

, cotton fabric, and industry, among other things. The Japanese version of this page lists the following shrines as being dedicated to Ame no Hohi: * Noki Shrine -

Yasugi is a Cities of Japan, city located in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 35,965 in 14257 households and a population density of 85 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Yasugi is located ...

Shimane Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a ge ...

() -

* Washinomiya Shrine - Kuki,

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

* Kiryūten-mangū - Kiryū,

Gunma Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of . Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuk ...

* Ame no Hohi no Mikoto Shrine - Tottori,

Tottori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, least populous prefecture of Japan at 538,525 (2023) and has a geographic area of . ...

* Ōe Shrine - Hashigashira,

* Ashiya Shrine - Ashiya,

Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...

(There is an dedicated to him on the grounds of the Rokkosan Country House, at the top of

Mount Rokkō is the name of a range of mountains in southeastern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Outline There is no single mountain or peak called "Rokkō," although the highest peak of the mountains is called , (literally, ''the highest peak of the Rokkō ...

) * Dōmyōji Tenmangū - Fujiidera,

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

* Yamasaka Shrine -

Higashisumiyoshi-ku is one of 24 wards of Japan, wards of Osaka, Japan. Points of interest *Nagai Park **Nagai Botanical Garden **Nagai Stadium **Yanmar Field Nagai **Yodoko Sakura Stadium Shopping *Komagawa Shopping Arcade (駒川商店街) Headquarters *Sangari ...

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

* Umamiokawatamuki Shrine -

Hino Hino may refer to: Places Estonia * Hino, Põlva County * Hino, Võru County ** Lake Hino Japan * Hino, Shiga * Hino, Tokyo * Hino, Tottori ** Hino District, Tottori ** Hino River Transportation * Hino Motors, a Japanese truck manufacturer own ...

Shiga Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to th ...

Dazaifu Tenmangū is a Shinto shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka, Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is built over the grave of Sugawara no Michizane (845–903) and is one of the main shrines dedicated to Tenjin (kami), Tenjin, the deified form of Michizane. Shrine ...

() - Dazaifu,

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...

* Ame no Hohi no Mikoto Shrine -

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

* Kamo Shrine () - Imabari,

Ehime Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

Tagata Shrine Tagata Shrine (田縣神社) is a small shrine located in Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, near Nagoya Airfield. Tagata Shrine is famous for its Harvest Festival Hōnensai, a fertility festival that some foreign tourists have dubbed "penis ...

is a shrine dedicated to Ame no Hohi. He is also said to be enshrined at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.

References

{{Izumo-taishakyo Japanese gods Amatsukami Izumo clan Kuni no miyatsuko position holders