For much more on Ugajin, please see the Kokugakuin University database. Confused yet? Lump them all together, and you have the composite Buddhist/Shinto deity called Uga Benzaiten. This Shinto pair are further identified with Inari (this page), the god/goddess of rice and agriculture. Uga no Mitama is also commonly identified with a male counterpart named Uka no Mitama, the deity of grains. Most sources believe Ugajin is none other than Uga no Mitama, the Shinto goddess of foodstuffs mentioned above. Hiei merged the Hindu-Buddhist female deity Benzaiten 弁財天 with an obscure local kami (spirit) named Ugajin to create the syncretic deity known as Uga Benzaiten 宇賀弁財天, a deity of good fortune and wealth. During Japan’s Heian era, the powerful Tendai sect on Mt. Yet another deity, Uga Benzaiten, incorporates both Shinto and Buddhist attributes and fulfills many of the same roles as Inari. Pre-modern artwork depicts Inari as a bearded man standing on a sack of rice with two fox flanking his sides, or as a long-haired woman carrying sheaves of rice or riding a white fox (see next two photos below Jp. ![]() The situation gets more confusing, for depictions of Inari vary greatly. When she was killed by the moon god Tsuki-yomi, Inari stepped in to replace her as protector of the rice crop. One tradition says that Inari was married to Ukemochi / Ogetsu. Despite their different names, the two share common attributes and are probably manifestations of the same deity. ![]() Ukemochi and Ogetsu appear in the literature of the early 8th century. Inari is also associated with the food goddess Ukemochi no Kami (aka Ogetsu hime no kami). In early records, Inari is identified with Uga no Mitama no Kami, the Shinto goddess of agriculture, and also with a male counterpart named Uka no Mitama no Mikoto (the deity of grains, who was perhaps fathered by Susano-o?). Inari lore is quite complex and confusing. NOTE: In some Buddhist-Taoist sects in Japan, the role of warding off evil kimon is played by the monkey, as the Japanese term for monkey ( 猿, pronounced saru) is a homonym for the Japanese word "expel" ( 去る, also pronounced saru). Fox statues are often placed in northeast locations to stand guard over demonic influence, and two foxes typically guard the entrance to Inari Shrines, one to the left and one to the right of the gate. In Japan, the fox is considered a powerful ally in warding off evil Kimon influences. Kimon generally means ominous direction, or taboo direction. It is the place where "demons gather and enter." This belief was imported by the Japanese and is referred to as Kimon. In Chinese thought, the northeast quarter is considered particularly inauspicious. Second, the fox is associated with the concept of Kimon 鬼門, literally “demon gate,” a Japanese term stemming from Chinese geomancy (Ch: feng shui). Inari and Inari’s foxes must therefore be placated - otherwise it would be disastrous to the livelihood of the nation’s farmers and people. First, rice is sacred in Japan, closely associated with fertility (the pregnant earth) and with sustaining life. But in modern times, images of Inari have all but disappeared, replaced instead by images of Oinari’s messenger, the magical shape-shifting fox (kitsune 狐). ![]() In traditional artwork, a pair of foxes typically flank Inari’s image. The Fox is Oinari’s messenger (tsukai 使い)įox Guardians near Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura Daikoku imagery in Japan is also identified with the mythic Shinto figure Ō-kuninushi-no-Mikoto (or Okuninushi-no-Kami, 大国主命, translated as “Prince Plenty” or “Prince Ruddy Plenty”), another Shinto deity of rice. In Japan, Daikoku-ten is one of Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods and venerated as the luck-bringing protector of the earth, farming and farmers, commerce, and overall good fortune. = Mahakala), the latter considered the Hindu god of Five Cereals. ![]() Inari is generally associated with various manifestations of the Hindu goddess Dakini or Dakiniten 荼枳尼天, who in turn is associated with Daikoku-ten 大黒天 (Skt. Inari not only protects the rice harvest - s/he is also the patron of prosperity for farmers and merchants, especially those involved in rice production, foodstuffs and fisheries. Closely associated with various Shinto deities of food, Inari can be depicted in either male or female form. The deity of rice and a major Shinto kami. Origin: Hindu, Chinese, and Japanese Mythology
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