The origin of Gokoku

The origin of Gokoku

Susanō-no-mikoto, expelled from Takamagahara causing the Iwato-gakure, was hungry and asked Ōgetsuhime-no-kami for food. Ōgetsuhime-no-kami served Susanō-no-mikoto some delicious dishes.

However, Susanō-no-mikoto begun to grow suspicious, and peeped how Ōgetsuhime-no-kami was cooking. He saw Seeing Ōgetsuhime-no-kami pulling various foods from within her nose, mouth and anus, Susanō-no-mikoto thought that Ōgetsuhime-no-kami was dirtying the food and killed her in anger.

The dead Ōgetsuhime-no-kami turned into grains. Her head turned into silkworm, her eyes turned into rice, her ears turned into millet, her nose turned into adzuki bean, her genitals turned into wheat and barley, her anus turned into soybean. Kamumusubi-no-kami collected these grains, and it is said that this is the origin of gokoku and sericulture.

Gods

Susanō-no-mikoto (須佐之男命)

A savage god. Expelled from Takamagahara.

Ōgetsuhime-no-kami (大気津比売神)

The god of food, or grain. Some times, seen as the same as the Inari-no-kami.

Kamumusubi-no-kami (神産巣日神)

One of the Zōka-sanshin those emerged at the beginning of Tenchi-kaibyaku. The god of creation.

Places

Takamagahara (高天原)

The heavens, where the gods are.

Other terms

Gokoku (五穀)

The five important grain crops. Here, it is a generic name for rice, wheat and barley, millet, adzuki bean and soy bean, but the five crops varies throughout history.

Iwato-gakure (岩戸隠れ)

Amaterasu-ōmikami hiding in the Ama-no-iwato, causing the world to fall into darkness.

The origin of Gokoku in Nihon shoki

This story of Susanō-no-mikoto and Ōgetsuhime-no-kami is not written in the Nihon shoki, but there is a similar story of Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto and Ukemochi-no-kami in the Nihon shoki.

Story

Amaterasu-ōmikami told Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto to go to Ashiharanakatsu-no-kuni and see Ukemochi-no-kami.

Ukemochi-no-kami turned to the direction of the inland, and spewed rice out of her mouth. Then she turned to the direction of the sea to spew fish out of her mouth, and turned to the direction of the mountains to spew wild game out of her mouth, and prepared a feast.

However, Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto was disgusted with this, and cut her down. Amaterasu-ōmikami, who came to know this, flew into a fury and said that she didn't even want to see his face. Since then, the sun and the moon rises separately, day and night.

Amaterasu-ōmikami then sent Amenokumahito. Amenokumahito found Ukemochi-no-kami dead, but her body turned into some grains. Her head turned into horses and cows, her forehead turned into foxtail millet, her eyebrow turned into silkworm, her eyes turned into japanese millet, her abdomen turned into rice plant and her genitals turned into wheat and barley, adzuki bean and soy bean. Amenokumahito collected these and took them back. Amaterasu-ōmikami was very pleased, said that these could be food for the utsushiki-aohitokusa, and planted these seads.

Vocabulary

Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto (月読尊)

One of the Mihashira-no-uzu-no-miko. The god of the moon.

Ukemochi-no-kami (保食神)

The god of food, or grain. Some times, seen as the same as the Inari-no-kami.

Amenokumahito (天熊人)

The second messenger to Ukemochi-no-kami. No details written.

Ashiharanakatsu-no-kuni (葦原中国)

The world between the Takamagahara and Yomi, on the ground surface.

Utsushiki-aohitokusa (顯見蒼生)

The people of the earthly world.