Uke Mochi
Encyclopedia
is a goddess
of food
in the Shinto
religion
of Japan
. When Uke Mochi was visited by Tsukuyomi she prepared a feast by facing the ocean
and spitting out a fish, then she faced the forest
and bountiful game spewed out of her anus, finally turning to a rice paddy she coughed up a bowl of rice
. Tsukuyomi was so disgusted he killed her. Even her dead body produced food: millet
, rice, and beans sprang forth. Her eyebrows even became silkworms.
The goddess is sometimes also called .
Uke Mochi is also the Wife of Inari
in some legends and in others is herself Inari.
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
of food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
in the Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. When Uke Mochi was visited by Tsukuyomi she prepared a feast by facing the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
and spitting out a fish, then she faced the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
and bountiful game spewed out of her anus, finally turning to a rice paddy she coughed up a bowl of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
. Tsukuyomi was so disgusted he killed her. Even her dead body produced food: millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, rice, and beans sprang forth. Her eyebrows even became silkworms.
The goddess is sometimes also called .
Uke Mochi is also the Wife of Inari
Inari (mythology)
is the Japanese kami of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry and worldly success and one of the principal kami of Shinto. Represented as male, female, or androgynous, Inari is sometimes seen as a collective of three or five individual kami...
in some legends and in others is herself Inari.