, commonly known as , the daughter of the Shinto deities

Izanagi Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally known as , is the creator deity (''kami'') of both creation and life in Japanese mythology. He and his sister-wife Izanami are the last of the seven generations of ...

and

Izanami , formally known as , is the creator deity of both creation and death in Japanese mythology, as well as the Shinto mother goddess. She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested ...

, is a

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ...

in the

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoist ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural ...

of Japan. In some differing interpretations, Ukemochi is referred to as both male and female. When shown in other forms, Ukemochi takes the shape of a fox. Ōgetsu-hime is the wife of Hayamato (羽山戸神, Hayamato-no-kami), who is the son of

Toshigami Ōtoshi (大歳神, Ōtoshi-no-kami; lit. "Great-Age God") or Nigihayahi (饒速日尊 Nigihayahi-no-mikoto), commonly known: Toshigami (年神, lit. "Year God") or Ōtoshi (大年神, Ōtoshi-no-kami; lit. "Great-Year God") is a Kami of the Sh ...

through his wife Amechikarumizu-hime (天知迦流美豆比売) in the ''

Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperi ...

''. In some legends, Ukemochi is also the wife of

Inari Inari may refer to: Shinto * Inari Ōkami, a Shinto spirit ** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari ** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari * Inari-zushi, a type of sushi Places * Inari, ...

and in others, she is Inari. When Ukemochi (Ōgetsu-hime) was visited by Tsukuyomi, she prepared a feast by facing the

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

and spitting out a fish, then she faced the

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

and bountiful game spewed out of her mouth, finally turning to a

rice paddy A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Au ...

, she coughed up a bowl of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

. In the ''

'', it is stated that she pulled various foods from within her nose, rectum, and mouth to prepare a feast. Tsukuyomi was so disgusted he killed her. Her dead body also produced food:

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets ...

, rice seeds,

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeolog ...

, and

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes t ...

s sprang forth. Out of her eyebrows came

silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically ...

s. While different sources mention similar items that came from Ukemochi's body, from which part of her body these items came from is less agreed upon. In some narratives of Ukemochi, after her death Tsukuyomi finds that the food that came from her body could not be destroyed. He takes the grains and animals that came from Ukemochi's body and gives them new life. This new life was put under Inari's jurisdiction. It is believed that Ukemochi's death explained why the sun and the moon are not seen together as the sun goddess, Amaterasu, who heard of Ukemochi's passing, never wanted to meet her killer, the moon god, Tsukuyomi, again, or that Tsukuyomi hid during the day out of fear of Amaterasu's wrath. In addition, in a legend passed down in Iwami district (石見地方) in

Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamag ...

(島根県), her daughter and deity Otogosa-hime (乙子狭姫) rode on a red goose and descended to transmit the seeds of the crops to the ground. Otogosa-hime was able to get food from anywhere on her body. Ukemochi,

, and Toyouke are all said to be connected to each other.

References

External links

*Encyclopedia of Shinto - http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp *Ukemochi on th
Japanese History Database
{{Jmyth navbox long Food goddesses Japanese goddesses Origin myths Shinto kami Inari faith

See also

References

External links