Shiinetsuhiko (椎根津彦)

Shiinetsuhiko or Saonetsuhiko is the name for a kami of the land who appears in the "Nihonshoki" (Chronicles of Japan; the kami is referred to as 'Shiinetsuhiko') and the "Kojiki" (Records of Ancient Matters; the kami is referred to as 'Saonetsuhiko'). The kami appears in the context of the narrative of the eastern expedition of the Emperor Jinmu. The kami is said to be the ancestor of Yamato no atahira (Yamato no kuni no miyatsuko: the provincial governor of the central part of Yamato Province).

The kami is an earthly diety whom Emperor Jinmu met during his expedition to the east when he reaches the Hayasui no to (Hoyo strait: the strait between Oita Prefecture and Ehime Prefecture), and the kami guides the Emperor across the strait. At this time, according to the acount in the "Nihonshoki," the Emperor orders the kami, who is called Uzuhiko, to take his chinquapin pole, whereupon he becomes renamed as Shiinetsuhiko; according to the account found in the "Kojiki," the kami is said to have been riding on a tortoise and by using a pole he was drawn to the Emperor's ferry, whereupon he was named Saonetsuhiko.

Then a suggestion is made to Emperor Jinmu that he attack Eshiki by means of a pincer maneuver.

[Original Japanese]