is a mythical

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

The Book of Ancient Matters, The Book of Ancient Matters,

Gakken is a Japanese publishing company founded in 1947 by Hideto Furuoka, which also produces educational toys. Their annual sales are reported at ¥ 90 billion ($789 million US). Gakken publishes educational books and magazines and produces othe ...

, pp. 130, 138, 139. and guiding

god In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

mythology. He is generally known for his three-legged figure, and his picture has been handed down since ancient times. The word means "eight-span crow" and the appearance of the great bird is construed as evidence of the will of Heaven or divine intervention in human affairs. Yatagarasu as a crow-god is a symbol specifically of guidance. This great crow was sent from heaven by

Takamimusubi Takamimusubi (高御産巣日, lit. "High Generative Force") is a Creator deity, creation deity in Japanese mythology, who was the second of the Kotoamatsukami, first beings to come into existence. It is speculated that Takamimusubi was origin ...

as a guide for legendary

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Kumano to what would become

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...

( Yoshino and then

Kashihara 280px, Kashihara City Hall is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,674 in 56,013 households, and a population density of 3000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . A number of histor ...

). It is generally accepted that Yatagarasu is an incarnation of Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto, but none of the early surviving documentary records are quite so specific.

Overview

In Japanese mythology, the Yatagarasu is said to have guided Emperor Jimmu to

in Yamato, and is believed to be a god of guidance. He is also believed to be an incarnation of the

sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

. 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 imperia ...

'', he was sent by

, and in the ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

'', he was sent by

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 () ...

. In the ''Kojiki'', he was sent to ask the brothers Ukausi and Ukausi to return to Emperor Jinmu, but was turned away by the elder brother with a squeaky whistle. On the other hand, in the ''Nihon Shoki'' (''Chronicles of Japan''), Yatagarasu was sent to ask the brothers to return to the emperor. The younger brother, however, was afraid and said, "I hold the heavens against the gods, and I fear for my life. What a crow, you are singing." He offered food to the crow on eight leaf boards. There is a slight difference between the traditions in the two books; for example, the crow returned to Emperor Jimmu and reported to him that his brother Isoshiro was rebellious. After that, in ''Nihon Shoki'', the merit was worked, and the descendants of Yatagarasu became the lords of Katsuno (Kazuno no Tomori no Agatanushi), and the root was Katsuragi Kokuzo. In the ''Nihon Shoki'', the Kinshi ("golden

kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have ...

") saved Emperor Jimmu in his battle with Naganohiko during his eastern expedition. In addition, the

Kamo clan The is a Japanese '' shake'' clan which traces its roots from a Yayoi period shrine in northeastern Kyoto. The clan rose to prominence during the Asuka and Heian periods when the Kamo are identified with the 7th-century founding of the Kamo Sh ...

is also considered to be the same as the and Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto. In the genealogy of the Kamo clan, another name for Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto is Yatagarasu Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto, even though the Yatagarasu in the Chronicles is said to be Ikutama Anihiko no Mikoto, a contemporary of Emperor Jinmu. In the three Kumano mountains, crows are considered to be

Misaki Misaki (, "misaki") are a collective term for spirit-like existences in Japan like gods, demons and spirits, among other supernatural entities. Their name comes from a kannushi's vanguard. Summary Misaki are subordinate to the high-ranking di ...

deities (spirits of the dead that have been appeased; ''

Shinshi are animals in Japanese mythology that are believed to be associated with a , a divine being. These animals are also known as or . In ancient texts such as and , there are tales of special animals that acted on behalf of the to transmit the d ...

''). In Kumano Sanzan, Yatagarasu is worshiped as a servant of the

Susanoo-no-Mikoto __FORCETOC__ Susanoo (, ; Historical kana orthography, historical orthography: , ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto (), is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical an ...

, the Great God of Kumano, and is also a symbol of Kumano. The crow is depicted on the Kumano Gyuuhoin, which was often used as an invocation before the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

. An ''ata'' is a unit of length, the length of the thumb and middle finger spread out (about 18 cm), and a ''yata'' is 144 cm, but ''yata'' here simply means "large".

Meaning of three legs

There are many theories as to what it means for the Yatagarasu to have three legs. According to

Kumano Hongu Taisha literally means 'Bear Field'. It is a name adopted by various places in Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea o ...

, the three legs of the Yatagarasu represent heaven (Tenjin Jigion), earth (natural environment), and man, respectively, indicating that God, nature, and man are brothers born from the same sun. It is also said to represent the authority of the three Kumano clans (Enomoto, Ui, and Fujihaku Suzuki) that once held power in the Kumano region. There is a theory that the meaning of the three legs originates from the fact that the number representing the sun has been three since ancient times, and that it has the same meaning as the Mitsunoe of the crest of shrines (Himekoso shrines) such as Usa Jingu that worship the sun goddess Hime. However, neither ''Kojiki'' nor ''Nihon Shoki'' mentions that the Yatagarasu has three legs, and the earliest reference to the Yatagarasu as having three legs is ''

Wamyō Ruijushō The is a 938 CE Japanese dictionary of Chinese characters. Heian period scholar Minamoto no Shitagō (源順, 911–983 CE) began compilation in 934, at the request of Emperor Daigo's daughter. The title is abbreviated as , and is also spelle ...

'', written in the middle of the

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 ...

(around 930), and it is thought that at that time Yatagarasu became identified with the

three-legged crow The three-legged (or tripedal) crow is a mythological creature in various mythologies and arts of East Asia. It is believed to inhabit and represent the Sun. Evidence of the earliest bird-Sun motif or totemic articles were excavated around 5000 ...

, a mythical bird of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, and became three-legged. It is possible that the belief in the bird as a messenger of the gods, which originally existed in Japanese mythology, was fused with the Chinese belief in the spiritual bird of the sun.

Chinese "three-legged crow"

Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural tradit ...

, the three-legged crow lives in the sun. Based on the theory of the five elements of

yin and yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...

, two is yin and three is yang, and three legs are more suitable to symbolize the sun than two legs. The legs represent the sunrise, daylight, and sunset. In China, the three-legged crows have appeared in books since the

Former Han The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring int ...

period (3rd century BCE), and have been depicted on artifacts found in the tombs of kings. The

triskelion A triskelion or triskeles is an ancient motif consisting either of a triple spiral exhibiting rotational symmetry or of other patterns in triplicate that emanate from a common center. The spiral design can be based on interlocking Archimedean s ...

, an abstract design composed of three spirals, and its derivative, the three-legged crow, are widespread designs.

History

As mentioned above,

lore can be found in ancient Chinese cultural regions. If it is in China, it is the Golden Crow. If in the Korean peninsula, it is depicted on a burial mound in the area where

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

(1st–6th century BC) once stood (present-day

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

). The people of Goguryeo believed that three-legged crows lived in the sun and turtles lived in the moon. On the other hand, there is a theory that they did not spread to the southern part of the Korean Peninsula (present-day

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

). In the Japanese myth of the "Eastern Expedition", Yatagarasu is said to have served as a guide for Emperor Jimmu as he attempted to advance from the Seto Inland Sea to the Kinki region. Emperor Jimmu initially attacked Osaka from the west and was defeated, so he thought that he, as a descendant of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, should attack from the east to the west with his back to the sun, instead of from the west to the east.「幕末の風雲児も歌った「ヤタガラス」」（和歌山県総合情報誌「和-nagomi-」vol.3、和歌山県知事室広報課、2007年9月25日）
/ref> Therefore, guided by Yatagarasu, they decided to attack from the vicinity of the present-day Shingu, largely bypassing the

Kii Peninsula The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan and is located within the Kansai region. It is named after the ancient Kii Province. The peninsula has long been a sacred place in Buddhism, Shinto, and Shugendo, and many people wou ...

, and then went through Yoshino to Kashihara, where they established the Yamato Imperial Court. In mythology, Yatagarasu is also a messenger of the god Kumano. In the reign of

Emperor Kōrei , also known as was the seventh legendary emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further verification and study. Kōrei is known as a ...

, a hunter named Chiyokane, who was chasing wild boar in the mountains, was led by a crow to a large tree. When he pointed an arrow at the light, he heard a voice saying, "I am the god of Kumano." He built a shrine dedicated to the deity and became the chief administrator of the three Kumano mountains. This was the moment when the god of Kumano first appeared to the people. Yatagarasu is recorded in the'' Kojiki'' (''Records of Ancient Matters''), the ''Nihonshoki'' (''Chronicles of Japan''), and the ''Enki Shiki'' (''Records of Ancient Matters''), as well as in the wall paintings of the Kitorazuka burial mound, the mural paintings of the stone chamber in the side hole of the Chinshikizuka burial mound (Fukuoka Prefecture), the mirror excavated from the Takabe No. 30 jet in Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, and the pedestal of the Tamamushi zuriko (a wooden box) at Horyuji Temple. According to '' Shinsengumi Roku'', the Yatagarasu is an incarnation of Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto, the great grandson of Emperor Takehito, who later became the ancestor of the Kamo no Agatonushi. The Yatagarasu Shrine in Haibara,

Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...

, Uda City, has Kengakuminomikoto as its deity. In the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

, it was also the family crest and flag of the Suzuki family, who ruled Zoga-shu in Kii Province. At the end of the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

Takasugi Shinsaku was a samurai from the Chōshū Domain of Japan who contributed significantly to the Meiji Restoration. He used several aliases to hide his activities from the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life Takasugi Shinsaku was born in the castle town Ha ...

wrote a tojitsu in which he wrote, "I want to kill the crows of three thousand worlds and take a morning nap with the Lord." This is because it was believed that if a man broke a promise written on the back of a Kumano Gyudama Hōin tag, one (or three) Kumano ravens would die and the person who broke the promise would also be punished, so he wrote, "Even if I break all my promises to other men and let all the Kumano ravens die, I want to take a morning nap with you. This is an expression of a prostitute who chooses to sleep in the morning, risking her own life.

Asteroids

Takao Kobayashi is a Japanese amateur astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets who currently works at the Ōizumi Observatory. The asteroid 3500 Kobayashi is named after him. Career Kobayashi has discovered more than 2000 asteroids using CCD technology ...

, an astronomer from

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 ...

, Oizumi-cho, named the

Asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

he discovered in 1997 ( provisional code1997 AY1), which he named "Yatagarasu", and registered it as (9106)

Yatagarasu is a mythical crowThe Book of Ancient Matters, The Book of Ancient Matters, Gakken, pp. 130, 138, 139. and guiding Kami, god in Shinto mythology. He is generally known for his three-legged figure, and his picture has been handed down since an ...

on 9 August in 2004.

Gallery

File:Yatagarasu, Kumano Hongū Taisha.jpg, Banner and Yatagarasu

File:Kumano-hongû-taisha Shrine - Yatagarasu-Postbox.jpg, Yatagarasu Post

File:Yatagarasu, Kumano Nachi Taisha.jpg, Yatsugi U,

Kumano Nachi Taisha is a Shinto shrine and part of the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range of Japan. The Kumano Kodō route connects it to other sites under the same classification, which are primarily locat ...

File:Yuzuruha-ball.jpg, A

soccer ball A football or soccer ball is the ball used in the sport of association football. The ball's spherical shape, as well as its size, mass, and material composition, are specified by Law 2 of the Laws of the Game maintained by the International Fo ...

object in the shrine grounds,

Footnotes

References

Sources

* *

External links

* {{Commonscat-inline
日本サッカー協会組織
– There is a description about Yatagarasu in the "Symbol Mark" section at the bottom of the site.
八咫烏神社（奈良県宇陀市）
Mythological corvids Japanese gods Japanese legendary creatures Pages with unreviewed translations Mythological and legendary Japanese birds