Nunakawahime- Japanese GodDeity"Princess of Nunakawa"
Also known as: 沼河比売, 奴奈川姫, Nunakawa-hime, and Nunakawahime-no-Mikoto
Description
Ōkuninushi heard of her beauty in distant Izumo and crossed the mountains to Koshi to court her. Standing outside her door at nightfall, he sang a poem of desire; she answered from within, telling him to wait until morning. But the Kojiki records they were united that very night, arms intertwined like water plants.
Mythology & Lore
The Courtship at Koshi
Ōkuninushi, the great deity of Izumo, heard of a goddess in Koshi, the province along the Sea of Japan coast where jade was quarried and traded across the ancient world. He crossed the mountains to court her. Nunakawahime was the divine spirit of that land, her name drawn from the Nunakawa river.
As evening fell, Ōkuninushi stood outside her dwelling and sang a courtship poem, calling her to open her door. Nunakawahime answered from within. Not with acceptance. She sang back, acknowledging his desire but deferring their union to the following night. Let the night pass, let the morning come. Both poems are preserved in full in the Kojiki: call and response through a closed door.
Despite her words, the two were united that very night. The Kojiki records that they slept with their arms intertwined like the tangled stems of water plants.
Mother of Takeminakata
The Kojiki names Nunakawahime as the mother of Takeminakata, the god who would later challenge heaven's envoy to a wrestling match at Izumo and lose, fleeing to Lake Suwa where he remains.