Takakuraji is a Japanese mythological figure. He helped with

Jimmu's Eastern Expedition refers to a series of legends in which Emperor Jimmu became the first emperor of Japan, after defeating Nagasunehiko, who had ruled the Nara Basin and its surrounding area, after leaving Hyuga Province. According to the traditional dating s ...

Takemikazuchi is a deity in Japanese mythology, considered a god of thunder and a sword god. He also competed in what is considered the first sumo wrestling match recorded in history. He is otherwise known as "The ''kami'' of Kashima" (Kashima-no-kami), the ...

placed his sword in Takakuraji's warehouse. Takakuraji found it and gave it to Jimmu, after being told to do such in a dream. The

Kujiki , or , is a historical Japanese text. It was generally believed to have been one of the earliest Japanese histories until the middle of the Edo period, when scholars such as Tokugawa Mitsukuni and Tada Yoshitoshi successfully contended that it w ...

says he is the son of Nigihayahi. He is also said to be the great-grandson of

Watatsumi , also pronounced Wadatsumi, is a legendary ''kami'' (神, god; deity; spirit), Japanese dragon and tutelary water deity in Japanese mythology. is believed to be another name for the sea deity Ryūjin (龍神, Dragon God) and also for the , ...

and ancestor of the

Owari clan The Owari clan is a Japanese clan. The clan were originally Kuni no miyatsuko but after the abolition of the role they took on a priestly role at Atsuta Shrine. They share this history with the Izumo clan of Izumo-taisha, the Aso clan of Aso Shr ...

Genealogy

The is a famous document housed at Kono Shrine. It is from early

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

, it is considered the oldest family tree in Japan. The clan claims descent from Amenohoakari, and served as at the ''

kuni no miyatsuko , also read as ''kokuzō'' or ''kunitsuko'', were officials in ancient Japan during the Yamato period who governed provinces called ''kuni''. Yamato period ''Kuni no miyatsuko'' governed provinces called ''kuni'' (国), although the location, nam ...

'' of

Tanba Province was a province of Japan in the area of central Kyoto and east-central Hyōgo Prefectures. Tanba bordered on Harima, Ōmi, Settsu, Tajima. Tango, Wakasa, and Yamashiro provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichid ...

before it was divided into Tamba and Tango. The document records 82 generations of descent from Amenohoakari. It was designated a National Treasure in 1972. In ''

Shinsen Shōjiroku is an imperially commissioned Japanese genealogical record. It was first conceived during Emperor Kanmu's reign in 799 to properly track the clans' then ambiguous lineages, but was not completed before his death in 806. The project was later car ...

'', the descendants of

Amatsuhikone Amatsuhikone (天津日子根命,天津彥根命, which means little lad of Heaven) in Japanese mythology is the third son of Amaterasu. In many versions, he is born from Amaterasu's jewels in her hair. In other versions he is born from the vine us ...

Ame-no-hohi 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 in Japanese mythology. Izumo no Kuni no Miyat ...

, and , together with the descendants of Amenohoakari are referred to as ''Tenson-zoku''. The ''Tenson-zoku'' descended from

Takamagahara In Japanese mythology, , also read as Takaamanohara, Takamanohara, Takaamagahara, or Takaamahara, is the abode of the heavenly gods (''amatsukami''). Often depicted as located up in the sky, it is believed to be connected to the Earth by the bridge ...

(Plain of High

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

) to Owari and Tanba provinces, and are considered to be the ancestors of

, ,

Amabe clan Amabe clan Is a Japanese clan associated with Kono Shrine, which they have run since the Kofun period. The clan was originally the Kuni no miyatsuko or provincial governors of Tanba Province but after the abolition of the role they took on a pri ...

, and clans. However, Toshio Hoga argues that ''Amabe clan genealogy'', which records these four clans as descendants of Amenohoakari, is a forged document, and that these clans actually descended from the sea deity

. In addition, Owari clan's genealogy includes the great-grandson of Watatsumi, Takakuraji, as their ancestor, and he argues this is the original genealogy.

Notes

References

{{reflist Deified Japanese men Owari clan People of ancient Japan