Watatsumi
Encyclopedia
was a legendary Japanese dragon
and tutelary water deity
. In Japanese mythology
, is another name for the sea deity Ryūjin
龍神; and the ruling the upper, middle, and lower seas were created through the divine progenitor Izanagi
's ceremonial purifications after returning from Yomi
"the underworld
".
diversely transcribe the sea kami
神 "god; deity; spirit" named Watatsumi. The ca. 712 CE Kojiki
(tr. William George Aston
1896) writes it semantically as 海神 lit. "sea god", and transcribes it phonetically with man'yōgana as Wata-tsu-mi 綿津見 lit. "cotton port see" in identifying Ōwatsumi kami and the Watatsumi Sanjin. The ca. 720 CE Nihongi (tr. Basil Hall Chamberlain
1919) also writes Watatsumi as 海神 "sea god", along with 海童 "sea child" and 少童命 "small child lords" for the Watatsumi Sanjin. In the modern Japanese writing system
, the name Watatsumi is usually written either in katakana
as ワタツミ or in kanji
phonetically 綿津見 or semantically 海神 "sea god".
Note that in addition to reading 海神 as watatsumi, wata no kami, or unagami in native Japanese kun'yomi pronunciation, it is also read kaijin or kaishin in Sino-Japanese
on'yomi (from Chinese
haishen 海神 "sea god"). Watatsumi has an alternate pronunciation of Wadatsumi. The original Watatsumi meaning "tutelary deity of the sea" is semantically extended as a synecdoche
or metaphor
meaning "the sea; the ocean; the main".
The etymology
of the sea god Watatsumi or Wadatsumi is uncertain. Marinus Willern de Visser (1913:137) notes consensus that wata is an Old Japanese
word for "sea; ocean" and tsu is a possessive particle, but disagreement whether mi means "snake" or "lord; god". "It is not impossible" he concludes, "that the old Japanese sea-gods were snakes or dragons." Compare the Japanese rain god Kuraokami
that was similarly described as a giant snake or a dragon. The comparative linguist Paul K. Benedict proposed (1990:236-7) that Japanese wata 海 "sea" derives from Proto-Austronesian
*wacal "sea; open sea".
version of the Japanese creation myth honorifically refers to Watatsumi 海神 with the name Ōwatsumi kami 大綿津見神 "Great Watatsumi god". Compare this sea god with mountain god named Ohoyamatsumi
大山積. The world-creating siblings Izanagi
and Izanami
first give birth to the Japanese islands and then to the gods.
Chamberlain (1919:30) explains mochi 持ち "having; taking; holding; grasping; owning" behind translating Ōwatsumi kami as "Deity Great-Ocean-Possessor", "The interpretation of mochi, "possessor," though not absolutely sure, has for it the weight both of authority and of likelihood."
A subsequent Kojiki passage describes Watatsumi's daughter Otohime and her human husband Hoori
living with the sea god. After Hoori lost his brother Hoderi
's fishhook, he went searching to the bottom of the sea, where he met and married the dragon goddess Otohime. They lived in the sea god's underwater palace Ryūgū-jō
for three years before Hoori became homesick.
Watatsumi instructs Hoori how to deal with Hoderi, and chooses another mythic Japanese dragon, a wani
"crocodile" or "shark", to transport his daughter and son in law back to land.
Two Nihongi contexts refer to Watatsumi in legends about Emperor Keikō
and Emperor Jimmu
. First, the army of Emperor Keikō encounters Hashirimizu 馳水 "running waters" crossing from Sagami Province
to Kazusa Province
. The calamity is attributed to the Watatsumi 海神 "sea god" and placated through human sacrifice
.
Second, the genealogy of Emperor Jimmu claims descent from the goddess Toyotama-hime
, the daughter of Hori and Otohime, who is identified as the daughter of Watatsumi 海童.
There is uncertainty whether Nihongi scribes wrote tsumi with dō 童 "child; boy" simply for pronunciation or for some semantic significance.
With the tsu 津 in these three dragon names being read as the genitive particle "of", they rule different water depths in the sea, soko 底 "bottom; underneath", naka 中 "middle; center", and uwa 上 "above; top" (Kojiki) or uwa 表 "surface; top" (Nihongi). Chamberlain (1919:48) notes, "There is the usual doubt as to the signification to be assigned to the syllable tsu in the second, fourth and last of these names. If it really means, not "elder" but "possessor," we should be obliged to translate by "the Bottom-Possessing-Male," etc."
The earlier Kojiki version of the "Three Watatsumi Gods" calls them Wakatsumikami 綿津見神 "Wakatsumi gods": Sokotsu Watatsumikami 底津, Nakatsu Watatsumikami 中津綿津見神, and Uwatsu Watatsumikami 上津綿津見神.
The later Nihongi version describes the "Three Watatsumi Gods" as Watatsumi Mikoto 少童命 "small child lords": Sokotsu Watatsumi Mikoto 底津少童命, Nakatsu Watatsumi Mikoto 中津少童命, and Uwatsu Watatsumi Mikoto 表津少童命. These Watatsumis are paired with three O Mikoto 男命 "male lords".
Aston notes translations of "Bottom-sea-of-body", "Middle-sea-god", and "upper".
There are numerous Shinto shrines dedicated to the sea god Watatsumi. Some examples include the Ōwatatsumi jinja or Daikai jinja 大海神社 in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka
(associated with the Sumiyoshi Taisha
shrine), the Watatsumi jinja 海神社 in Tarumi-ku, Kobe
, and the Watatsumi jinja 綿都美神社 in Kokura Minami-ku, Kitakyūshū
.
.
The bestseller
Kike Wadatsumi no Koe ("Listen to the Voices from the Sea") is a collection of writings by Japanese student soldiers who died during World War II. This frequently reprinted book was first published in 1949, revised three times, and translated into English (Yamanouchi and Quinn 2000). It was made into a 1950 movie "Kike Wadatsumi no Koe" by Hideo Sekikawa, and was remade in 1995 "Kike Wadatsumi no Koe" (English title: "Last Friends") by Masanobu Deme.
Higashi no Watatsumi, Nishi no Sōkai ("Sea God in the East, Vast Sea in the West") is one of Fuyumi Ono
's novels in The Twelve Kingdoms
series. Sakyo Komatsu
's disaster novel Japan Sinks
involves a submarine named Watatsumi. There are songs titled Watatsumi by Megumi Ogata
, Wadatsumi no Ki ("Sea God's Tree") by Chitose Hajime
, and Watatsumi Yamatsumi (Sea God Mountain God") by Soul Flower Union
. Watatsumiite is a variety of Neptunite
.
Japanese dragon
Japanese dragons are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and India. The style of the dragon was heavily influenced by the Chinese dragon...
and tutelary water deity
Water deity
A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important...
. 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 another name for the sea deity Ryūjin
Ryujin
, also known as Ōwatatsumi, was the tutelary deity of the sea in Japanese mythology. This Japanese dragon symbolized the power of the ocean, had a large mouth, and was able to transform into a human shape. Ryūjin lived in Ryūgū-jō, his palace under the sea built out of red and white coral, from...
龍神; and the ruling the upper, middle, and lower seas were created through the divine progenitor Izanagi
Izanagi
is a deity born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology and Shinto, and is also referred to in the roughly translated Kojiki as "male-who-invites" or Izanagi-no-mikoto. It is also pronounced Izanaki-no-Okami....
's ceremonial purifications after returning from Yomi
Yomi
, the Japanese word for the underworld in which horrible creatures guard the exits; according to Shinto mythology as related in Kojiki, this is where the dead go to dwell and apparently rot indefinitely. Once one has eaten at the hearth of Yomi it is impossible to return to the land of the living...
"the underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
".
Name
The earliest written sources of Old JapaneseOld Japanese
is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language.This stage in the development of Japanese is still actively studied and debated, and key Old Japanese texts, such as the Man'yōshū, remain obscure in places.-Dating:...
diversely transcribe the sea 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...
神 "god; deity; spirit" named Watatsumi. The ca. 712 CE Kojiki
Kojiki
is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...
(tr. William George Aston
William George Aston
William George Aston was a British diplomat, author and scholar-expert in the language and history of Japan and Korea.-Early life:...
1896) writes it semantically as 海神 lit. "sea god", and transcribes it phonetically with man'yōgana as Wata-tsu-mi 綿津見 lit. "cotton port see" in identifying Ōwatsumi kami and the Watatsumi Sanjin. The ca. 720 CE Nihongi (tr. Basil Hall Chamberlain
Basil Hall Chamberlain
Basil Hall Chamberlain was a professor of Tokyo Imperial University and one of the foremost British Japanologists active in Japan during the late 19th century. He also wrote some of the earliest translations of haiku into English...
1919) also writes Watatsumi as 海神 "sea god", along with 海童 "sea child" and 少童命 "small child lords" for the Watatsumi Sanjin. In the modern Japanese writing system
Japanese writing system
The modern Japanese writing system uses three main scripts:*Kanji, adopted Chinese characters*Kana, a pair of syllabaries , consisting of:...
, the name Watatsumi is usually written either in katakana
Katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
as ワタツミ or in kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
phonetically 綿津見 or semantically 海神 "sea god".
Note that in addition to reading 海神 as watatsumi, wata no kami, or unagami in native Japanese kun'yomi pronunciation, it is also read kaijin or kaishin in Sino-Japanese
Sino-Japanese
Sino-Japanese, or Kango in Japanese, refers to that portion of the Japanese vocabulary that originated in the Chinese language or has been created from elements borrowed from Chinese. Some grammatical or sentence patterns can also be identified with Sino-Japanese. Sino-Japanese vocabulary is...
on'yomi (from Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
haishen 海神 "sea god"). Watatsumi has an alternate pronunciation of Wadatsumi. The original Watatsumi meaning "tutelary deity of the sea" is semantically extended as a synecdoche
Synecdoche
Synecdoche , meaning "simultaneous understanding") is a figure of speech in which a term is used in one of the following ways:* Part of something is used to refer to the whole thing , or...
or metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
meaning "the sea; the ocean; the main".
The etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of the sea god Watatsumi or Wadatsumi is uncertain. Marinus Willern de Visser (1913:137) notes consensus that wata is an Old Japanese
Old Japanese
is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language.This stage in the development of Japanese is still actively studied and debated, and key Old Japanese texts, such as the Man'yōshū, remain obscure in places.-Dating:...
word for "sea; ocean" and tsu is a possessive particle, but disagreement whether mi means "snake" or "lord; god". "It is not impossible" he concludes, "that the old Japanese sea-gods were snakes or dragons." Compare the Japanese rain god Kuraokami
Kuraokami
, , or is a legendary Japanese dragon and Shinto deity of rain and snow. In Japanese mythology, the sibling progenitors Izanagi and Izanami gave birth to the islands and gods of Japan. After Izanami died from burns during the childbirth of the fire deity Kagutsuchi, Izanagi was enraged and killed...
that was similarly described as a giant snake or a dragon. The comparative linguist Paul K. Benedict proposed (1990:236-7) that Japanese wata 海 "sea" derives from Proto-Austronesian
Proto-Austronesian language
The Proto-Austronesian language is the reconstructed ancestor of the Austronesian languages, one of the world's major language families. However, Ross notes that what may be the most divergent languages, Tsou, Rukai, and Puyuma, are not addressed by the reconstructions, which therefore cannot...
*wacal "sea; open sea".
Ōwatsumi
The KojikiKojiki
is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...
version of the Japanese creation myth honorifically refers to Watatsumi 海神 with the name Ōwatsumi kami 大綿津見神 "Great Watatsumi god". Compare this sea god with mountain god named 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....
大山積. The world-creating siblings Izanagi
Izanagi
is a deity born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology and Shinto, and is also referred to in the roughly translated Kojiki as "male-who-invites" or Izanagi-no-mikoto. It is also pronounced Izanaki-no-Okami....
and Izanami
Izanami
In Japanese mythology, is a goddess of both creation and death, as well as the former wife of the god Izanagi-no-Mikoto. She is also referred to as Izanami-no-kami.-Goddess of Creation:...
first give birth to the Japanese islands and then to the gods.
When they had finished giving birth to countries, they began afresh giving birth to Deities. So the name of the Deity they gave birth to was the Deity Great-Male-of-the-Great-Thing; next they gave birth to the Deity Rock-Earth-Prince; next they gave birth to the Deity Rock-Nest-Princess; next they gave birth to the Deity Great-Door-Sun-Youth; next they gave birth to the Deity Heavenly-Blowing-Male; next they gave birth to the Deity Great-House-Prince; next they gave birth to the Deity Youth-of-the-Wind-Breath-the-Great-Male; next they gave birth to the Sea-Deity, whose name is the Deity Great-Ocean-Possessor; next they gave birth to the Deity of the Water-Gates, whose name is the Deity Prince-of-Swift-Autumn; next they gave birth to his younger sister the Deity Princess-of-Swift-Autumn. (tr. Chamberlain 1919:28)
Chamberlain (1919:30) explains mochi 持ち "having; taking; holding; grasping; owning" behind translating Ōwatsumi kami as "Deity Great-Ocean-Possessor", "The interpretation of mochi, "possessor," though not absolutely sure, has for it the weight both of authority and of likelihood."
A subsequent Kojiki passage describes Watatsumi's daughter Otohime and her human husband 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 ,...
living with the sea god. After Hoori lost his brother 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....
's fishhook, he went searching to the bottom of the sea, where he met and married the dragon goddess Otohime. They lived in the sea god's underwater palace Ryūgū-jō
Ryugu-jo
In Japanese mythology, Ryūgū-jō is the undersea palace of Ryūjin, the dragon god of the sea. Depending on the version of the legend, it is built from red and white coral, or from solid crystal. The inhabitants of the palace were Ryūjin's servants, which were various denizens of the sea...
for three years before Hoori became homesick.
So he dwelt in that land for three years. Hereupon His Augustness Fire-Subside thought of what had gone before, and heaved one deep sigh. So Her Augustness Luxuriant-Jewel-Princess, hearing the sigh, informed her father, saying: "Though he has dwelt three years [with us], he had never sighed; but this night he heaved one deep sigh. What may be the cause of it?" The Great Deity her father asked his son-in-law saying: "This morning I heard my daughter speak, saying: 'Though he has dwelt three years [with us], he had never sighed; but this night he heaved one deep sigh.' What may the cause be? Moreover what was the cause of thy coming here?" Then [His Augustness Fire-Subside] told the Great Deity exactly how his elder brother had pressed him for the lost fish-hook. Thereupon the Sea-Deity summoned together all the fishes of the sea, great and small, and asked them, saying: "Is there perchance any fish that has taken this fish-hook?" So all the fishes replied: "Lately the tahi has complained of something sticking in its throat preventing it from eating; so it doubtless has taken [the hook]." On the throat of the tahi being thereupon examined, there was the fish-hook [in it]. Being forthwith taken, it was washed and respectfully presented to His Augustness Fire-Subside, whom the Deity Great-Ocean-Possessor then instructed. (tr. Chamberlain 1919:149)
Watatsumi instructs Hoori how to deal with Hoderi, and chooses another mythic Japanese dragon, a wani
Wani (dragon)
was a dragon or sea monster in Japanese mythology. Since it is written using the kanji 鰐 wani is translated as "crocodile", or sometimes "shark" ....
"crocodile" or "shark", to transport his daughter and son in law back to land.
Two Nihongi contexts refer to Watatsumi in legends about Emperor Keikō
Emperor Keiko
; also known as Ootarashihikooshirowake no Sumeramikoto, was the 12th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 71–130.-Legendary narrative:Keikō is...
and Emperor Jimmu
Emperor Jimmu
was the first Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He is also known as Kamuyamato Iwarebiko and personally as Wakamikenu no Mikoto or Sano no Mikoto....
. First, the army of Emperor Keikō encounters Hashirimizu 馳水 "running waters" crossing from Sagami Province
Sagami Province
was an old province in the area that is today the central and western Kanagawa prefecture. It was sometimes called . Sagami bordered on Izu, Musashi, Suruga provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay...
to Kazusa Province
Kazusa Province
was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Kazusa is classified as one of the...
. The calamity is attributed to the Watatsumi 海神 "sea god" and placated through human sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
.
Next he marched on to Sagami, whence he desired to proceed to Kadzusa. Looking over the sea, he spake with a loud voice, and said: "This is but a little sea: one might even jump over it." But, when he came to the middle of the sea a storm suddenly arose, and the Prince's ship was tossed about, so that he could not cross over. At this time there was a concubine in the Prince's suite, named Oto-tachibana-hime. She was the daughter of Oshiyama no Sukune of the Hodzumi House. She addressed the Prince, saying: "This present uprising of the winds and rushing of the waves, so that the Prince's ship is like to sink, must be due to the wishes of the God of the Sea. I pray thee let me go into the sea, and so let the person of thy mean handmaiden be given to redeem the life of the Prince's Augustness." Having finished speaking, she plunged into the billows. The storm forthwith ceased, and the ship was enabled to reach the shore. Therefore the people of that time called that sea Hashiri-midzu. (tr. Aston 1896:206)
Second, the genealogy of Emperor Jimmu claims descent from the goddess Toyotama-hime
Toyotama-hime
, better known as , is a goddess in Japanese mythology, and is featured in the Kojiki as well as Nihon Shoki. She is the beautiful daughter of Ryūjin, the god of the sea. She married the hunter Hoori and gave birth to a son, who in turn produced Emperor Jimmu, the first Emperor of Japan...
, the daughter of Hori and Otohime, who is identified as the daughter of Watatsumi 海童.
The Emperor Kami Yamato Ihare-biko's personal name was Hiko-hoho-demi. He was the fourth child of Hiko-nagisa-takeu-gaya-fuki-ahezu no Mikoto. His mother's name was Tamayori-hime, daughter of the Sea-God. From his birth, this Emperor was of clear intelligence and resolute will. (tr. Aston 1896:109-110)
There is uncertainty whether Nihongi scribes wrote tsumi with dō 童 "child; boy" simply for pronunciation or for some semantic significance.
Watatsumi Sanjin
When Izanagi's sister-wife dies giving birth to the fire god Kagutsuchi, his destroying it creates various deities, including the water dragon Kuraokami. After Izanagi goes to the underworld in a futile attempt to bring Izanami back to life, he returns to the world and undergoes ritual purifications to cleanse himself of hellish filth. He creates 12 deities from his garments and belongings and 14 (including the 3 Watatsumis) from bathing himself.With the tsu 津 in these three dragon names being read as the genitive particle "of", they rule different water depths in the sea, soko 底 "bottom; underneath", naka 中 "middle; center", and uwa 上 "above; top" (Kojiki) or uwa 表 "surface; top" (Nihongi). Chamberlain (1919:48) notes, "There is the usual doubt as to the signification to be assigned to the syllable tsu in the second, fourth and last of these names. If it really means, not "elder" but "possessor," we should be obliged to translate by "the Bottom-Possessing-Male," etc."
The earlier Kojiki version of the "Three Watatsumi Gods" calls them Wakatsumikami 綿津見神 "Wakatsumi gods": Sokotsu Watatsumikami 底津, Nakatsu Watatsumikami 中津綿津見神, and Uwatsu Watatsumikami 上津綿津見神.
Thereupon saying: "The water in the upper reach is [too] rapid; the water in the lower reach is [too] sluggish," he went down and plunged in the middle reach; and, as he washed, there was first born the Wondrous-Deity-of-Eighty-Evils, and next the Wondrous-Deity-of-Great-Evils. These two Deities are the Deities that were born from the filth [he contracted] when he went to that polluted, hideous land. The names of the Deities that were next born to rectify those evils were: the Divine-Rectifying-Wondrous Deity, next the Great-Rectifying-Wondrous-Deity, next the Female-Deity-Idzu. The names of the Deities that were next born, as he bathed at the bottom of the water, were: the Deity Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Bottom, and next His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Bottom. The names of the Deities that were born as he bathed in the middle [of the water] were: the Deity Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Middle, and next His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Middle. The names of the Deities that were born as he bathed at the top of the water were the Deity Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Surface, and next His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Surface. These three Ocean-Possessing Deities are the Deities held in reverence as their ancestral Deities by the Chiefs of Adzumi. So the Chiefs of Adzumi are the descendants of His Augustness Utsushi-hi-gana-saku, a child of these Ocean-Possessing Deities. These three Deities His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Bottom, His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Middle, and His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Surface are the three Great Deities of the Inlet of Sumi. (tr. Chamberlain 1919:45-46)
The later Nihongi version describes the "Three Watatsumi Gods" as Watatsumi Mikoto 少童命 "small child lords": Sokotsu Watatsumi Mikoto 底津少童命, Nakatsu Watatsumi Mikoto 中津少童命, and Uwatsu Watatsumi Mikoto 表津少童命. These Watatsumis are paired with three O Mikoto 男命 "male lords".
Moreover, the Deities which were produced by his plunging down and washing in the bottom of the sea were called Soko-tsu-wata-tsu-mi no Mikoto and Sokotsutsu-wo no Mikoto. Moreover, when he plunged and washed in the mid-tide, there were Gods produced who were called Naka I tsu wata-dzu-mi no Mikoto, and next Naka-tsutsu-wo no Mikoto. Moreover, when he washed floating on the surface of the water, Gods were produced, who were called Uha-tsu-wata-dzu-mi no Mikoto and next Uhai-tsutsu-wo no Mikoto. There were in all nine Gods. The Gods Soko-tsutsu-wo no Mikoto, Naka-tsutsu-wo no Mikoto, and Soko-tsutsu-wo no Mikoto are the three great Gods of Suminoye. The Gods Soko-tsu-wata-dzu-mi no Mikoto, Naka-tsu-wata-dzu-mi no Mikoto, and Uha-tsu-wata-dzu-mi no Mikoto are the Gods worshipped by the Muraji of Adzumi. (tr. Aston 1896:27)
Aston notes translations of "Bottom-sea-of-body", "Middle-sea-god", and "upper".
Shrines
Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is located on the southern part of the Uemachi Plateau, in the southern most part of Osaka City, and is separated from Sakai City's Sakai-ku and Kita-ku by the Yamato River...
(associated with the Sumiyoshi Taisha
Sumiyoshi Taisha
, also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Sumiyoshi ward in the city of Osaka, Japan. It is the main shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan...
shrine), the Watatsumi jinja 海神社 in Tarumi-ku, Kobe
Tarumi-ku, Kobe
is one of nine wards of Kobe City in Japan. It has an area of 26.89 km², and a population of 219,958 .Tarumi-ku is a western suburban area of Kobe, providing fine, quiet residential towns for commuters to downtown Kobe and even Osaka...
, and the Watatsumi jinja 綿都美神社 in Kokura Minami-ku, Kitakyūshū
Kokura Minami-ku, Kitakyushu
is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan. It is the southern part of what used to be Kokura City, which was merged into Kitakyūshū city when the latter was created out of the merger of five cities in 1963. At this time Kokura was divided into North and South wards.Kokuraminami ward is mainly rural...
.
Popular culture
Watatsumi or Wadatsumi has transferred from Japanese mythology into Japanese popular cultureJapanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, manga, and music all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation...
.
The bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
Kike Wadatsumi no Koe ("Listen to the Voices from the Sea") is a collection of writings by Japanese student soldiers who died during World War II. This frequently reprinted book was first published in 1949, revised three times, and translated into English (Yamanouchi and Quinn 2000). It was made into a 1950 movie "Kike Wadatsumi no Koe" by Hideo Sekikawa, and was remade in 1995 "Kike Wadatsumi no Koe" (English title: "Last Friends") by Masanobu Deme.
Higashi no Watatsumi, Nishi no Sōkai ("Sea God in the East, Vast Sea in the West") is one of Fuyumi Ono
Fuyumi Ono
is a Japanese novelist who is best known for writing series, on which a popular anime is based. Her name after marriage is , but she writes under her maiden name.- Biography :...
's novels in The Twelve Kingdoms
The Twelve Kingdoms
is a series of light novels by Fuyumi Ono. The first entry in the series was published in Japan in 1991; the last volume was released in 2001. The series was published by Kodansha and contains illustrations by Akihiro Yamada.The Chinese mythology-influenced books were adapted into an animated...
series. Sakyo Komatsu
Sakyo Komatsu
was a Japanese science fiction writer and screenwriter. He was one of the most well known and highly regarded science fiction writers in Japan.-Early life:...
's disaster novel Japan Sinks
Japan Sinks
is a 2006 Tokusatsu film directed by Shinji Higuchi, and a remake of the 1973 screenplay based on the Komatsu novel. It stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kou Shibasaki, Etsushi Toyokawa, and Mao Daichi, and was released on July 15, 2006....
involves a submarine named Watatsumi. There are songs titled Watatsumi by Megumi Ogata
Megumi Ogata
is a female seiyū and singer from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. As a singer, she goes by the name em:óu. She attended Tōkai University, but left due to lack of interest. She is also best known for voicing Sailor Uranus, Kurama and Shinji Ikari....
, Wadatsumi no Ki ("Sea God's Tree") by Chitose Hajime
Chitose Hajime
is a singer from Japan. She is from Amami Ōshima and sings in a style particular to that region, with distinctive falsetto effects.-Early life:Chitose Hajime began learning shamisen under her mother's encouragement from a young age...
, and Watatsumi Yamatsumi (Sea God Mountain God") by Soul Flower Union
Soul Flower Union
Soul Flower Union, also known as SFU, is a Japanese musical group that incorporates Asian styles and world music styles into a rock and roll band. They are known for their blend of psychedelic, rock, Okinawan music, Celtic music, chindon , swing jazz, as well as Japanese, Chinese and Korean folk...
. Watatsumiite is a variety of Neptunite
Neptunite
Neptunite is a silicate mineral with the formula KNa2Li2Ti2Si8O24. With increasing manganese it forms a series with mangan-neptunite. Watatsumiite is the variety with vanadium replacing the titanium in the formula....
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External links
- Watatsumi, Encyclopedia of Shinto
- Listen to the Voices from the Sea, Bill Gordon