Tamayori-hime- Japanese GodDeity"The Spirit-Summoning Princess"
Also known as: Tamayori-bime-no-Mikoto, Tamayori-bime, 玉依毘売命, and 玉依姫命
Description
Sent from the sea to raise her sister's abandoned son, Tamayori-hime nursed the infant prince, married him when he came of age, and bore four sons. The youngest became Emperor Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan.
Mythology & Lore
Emissary from the Sea
Tamayori-hime was the younger daughter of Watatsumi, the dragon king of the sea. When her elder sister Toyotama-hime abandoned her newborn son Ugayafukiaezu and returned to the sea in shame, she sent Tamayori-hime to the surface as wet nurse and surrogate mother. Tamayori-hime raised the child.
Marriage and the Imperial Line
Ugayafukiaezu grew to adulthood, and aunt and nephew married. Tamayori-hime bore four sons. The youngest, Kamuyamato-Iwarebiko, became Emperor Jimmu, who led the eastward expedition from Hyūga in Kyūshū to the Yamato plain and founded the imperial dynasty.
The Red Arrow
Tamayori-hime is venerated at the Shimogamo Shrine (Kamo Mioya Jinja) in Kyōto. The shrine preserves its own legend. Tamayori-hime discovered a red-lacquered arrow floating down the Kamo River. She placed it beside her bed, became pregnant, and bore Kamo Wakeikazuchi, the thunder deity enshrined at the nearby Kamigamo Shrine.
Relationships
- Family
- Associated with