Sarutahiko Ōkami
Deity in Shinto; leader of the earthly kami / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Saruta-hiko?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Sarutahiko Ōkami (Japanese: 猿田毘古大神, 猿田彦大神) is a deity of the Japanese religion of Shinto; he is the leader of the earthly kami. Norito also mentions him with the title Daimyōjin (大明神, great bright god, or greatly virtuous god) instead of Ōkami (大神, great god). Sarutahiko Ōkami was the head of the kunitsukami[1] and in the Jinnō Shōtōki is said to have been the ancestor of Otanomikoto.[2]
Sarutahiko Ōkami is seen as a symbol of Misogi, strength and guidance, which is why he is the patron of martial arts such as aikido.[3] He is enshrined at Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture; first among the 2000 shrines of Sarutahiko Ōkami, Sarutahiko Jinja in Ise, Mie; and Ōasahiko Shrine in Tokushima Prefecture, and Sarutahiko Shrine in Mie Prefecture. In the Nihon Shoki, he is the one who meets Ninigi-no-Mikoto, the grandson of Amaterasu, the Sun goddess, when he descends from Takama-ga-hara.[4] He is depicted as a towering man with a large beard, jeweled spear, ruddy face, and long nose. At first he is unwilling to let Ninigi pass until persuaded by Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, the kami of dance and the arts, whom he later marries.[5][6] Even Sarutahiko was regarded as the "god who illuminates the sky and the earth" in Ise, and was worshiped by local believers as the sun god (personification of sun) before Amaterasu.
He, Ame-no-Uzume and their children subsequently created the Sarume clan [ja] (猿女の君) clan along with an order of female court and religious dancers.[7][8][9] It was the origin of Kagura and Noh. Other descendants includes the Ujitoko clan from Ise province. According to Kojiki, he went in Ise where a giant clam trapped his hand on Isuzu river at Azaka, thus he drowned. But strangely, Sarutahiko was considered by Ueshiba Morihei as a kind of god of the cosmic life: the god of Aiki. According to O-Senseï, the practice of Aikidō was practice of Misogi purification itself ("and thus, like Sarutahiko standing of Ame-no-Ukibashi, standing between Heaven and Earth, being one with the Universe, and so achieving peace with the world, the next step being World Peace itself")[citation needed]