Konohanasakuya-hime in Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...

, is the blossom-princess and symbol of delicate earthly life. She is the daughter of the mountain god Ohoyamatsumi

Ohoyamatsumi

Ohoyamatsumi is in Japanese mythology an elder brother of Amaterasu, and an important god who rules mountain, sea, and war. He is also the father of Konohanasakuya-hime, the kami of Mount Fuji....

. She is often considered an avatar of Japanese life, especially since her symbol is the Sakura

Sakura

A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese . Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit...

, (Cherry Blossom.)

She is the wife of Ninigi. She met the god on the seashore and they fell in love; Ninigi asked Oho-Yama for her hand in marriage. Oho-Yama proposed his older daughter, Iwa-Naga, instead, but Ninigi had his heart set on Kono-hana. Oho-Yama reluctantly agreed and Ninigi and Ko-no-hana married. Because Ninigi refused Iwa-Naga, the rock-princess, human lives are said to be short and fleeting, like the sakura blossoms, instead of enduring and long lasting, like stones. She is the goddess of Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji

is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...

.

Kono-hana became pregnant in just one night, causing suspicion in Ninigi. He wondered if this was the child of another kami

Kami

is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...

. Kono-hana was enraged at Ninigi's accusation and entered a doorless hut where she then set fire to it. She vowed that the child would not be hurt if it were truly the offspring of the heavenly kami Ninigi. In the hut, Ko-no-hana had three sons, Hoderi

Hoderi

Hoderi-no-Mikoto, in Japanese mythology, was the eldest son of the god Ninigi-no-Mikoto and the blossom princess Konohanasakuya-hime. His name, Hoderi, means 'fire shine'. He was a fisherman, and the older brother of Hosuseri-no-Mikoto and Hoori-no-Mikoto....

, Hosuseri and Hoori

Hoori

, also known as Hikohohodemi no Mikoto, was, in Japanese mythology, the third and youngest son of the kami Ninigi-no-Mikoto and the blossom princess Konohanasakuya-hime. He is one of the ancestors of the Emperors of Japan. He is also called Hohodemi and is most frequently known as Yamasachihiko ,...

.

Shrines have been built, at Mount Fuji, for the goddess Konohana Sakuya Hime. It is believed that she will keep Mount Fuji from erupting, but shrines to her at Kirishima

Kirishima

Kirishima is a Japanese surname may refer to* Kirishima City, a city in Kagoshima prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan* Kirishima National Park, a Japanese national park in both Miyazaki and Kagoshima Prefectures on the island of Kyūshū...

 have been repeatedly destroyed by volcanic eruptions.