Amanoiwatowakenokami (天石門別神)

Amanoiwatowakenokami is a god (of Shinto) who appears in Japanese Mythology.

The god appears in the chapter about a myth called Tensonkorin no dan (the descent to earth of the grandson of the sun goddess) included in "Kojiki" (The Records of Ancient Matters). According to Kojiki, when Ninigi, the grandson of Amaterasu, was sent down to earth, Omoikane (the god of wisdom and talent), Ameno Tajikarao (the god of physical strength) and Amanoiwatowakenokami were added to his attendants along with three sacred imperial treasures given to him. Kojiki describes in the same chapter that Amanoiwatowakenokami, who was also called as Kushiiwamado no kami or Toyoiwamado no kami, was the god of Imperial Gates. Many of the gods appearing in the tensonkorin myth also appear in the myth preceding Tensonkorin, called Iwato-gakure (the hiding of Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess, in the heavenly rock cave), but Amanoiwatowakenokami does not appear in this myth.

Amanoiwatowakenokami was enshrined at the gates of the four directions in the imperial palace of the Emperors from ancient times. According to some records, he was a son of Futodama (the god of rituals).

Examples of shrines enshrining Amanoiwatowakenokami (Kushiiwamado no kami or Toyoiwamado no kami) include Amenoiwatowake-jinja Shrine (Mimasaka City, Okayama Prefecture), Kushiiwamado-jinja Shrine (Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture), Omatsuri Amenoiwatohiko-jinja Shrine (Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture), and Amenoiwatete-jinja Shrine (Nara City, Nara Prefecture).

[Original Japanese]