A great wani carried Hoori from Ryūgū-jō back to the surface world after his three-year sojourn. The wani served as the boundary-crossing mount between the eternal sea realm and the mortal land, ferrying the divine prince home.
Inaba no Shirousagi tricked the wani into lining up across the strait by pretending to count them, hopping across their backs as a bridge — but when the hare boasted of the deception on the final step, the last wani seized it and tore away its skin.
When Toyotama-hime gave birth to Ugayafukiaezu, she forbade Hoori from watching. He looked anyway and saw her thrashing in her true form — a great wani — on the floor of the birth hut. Shamed by his gaze, she fled back to the sea and sealed the boundary between the worlds.
We use cookies to understand how you use our site and improve your experience. Learn more