Kushinadahime
Kushinada hime
A divine princess of Japanese Shinto mythology, Kushinadahime is known through the Kojiki (712 AD) and the Nihon Shoki (720 AD), two imperial Japanese chronicles recording oral traditions that are far older. According to these sacred texts, she was rescued from the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi by the god Susanoo, who then took her as his wife.
Key Facts
- Kushinadahime appears in the Kojiki (712 AD) and the Nihon Shoki (720 AD), the first written Japanese chronicles, which compiled ancient oral traditions
- According to Shinto tradition, she was the daughter of the gods Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi, and the sole survivor among their eight daughters who were threatened by the serpent Yamata no Orochi
- Susanoo, god of storms and brother of Amaterasu, temporarily transformed her into a comb (kushi) to keep her safe during his battle against the serpent
- Her name literally means "goddess of the wondrous rice-paddy comb" in Old Japanese, linking her figure to fertility and rice cultivation
- She is venerated at several Shinto shrines in Japan, most notably Yasaka-jinja in Kyoto and Susa-jinja in Shimane Prefecture
Works & Achievements
A founding narrative of the Kojiki in which Kushinadahime plays a central role: her rescue from the eight-headed serpent by Susanoo is one of the great Japanese mythological epics, combining heroic tale with agricultural fertility myth.
The thirty-one-syllable poem composed by Susanoo to celebrate his union with Kushinadahime is considered the first waka in Japanese literary history. It inaugurated a poetic tradition spanning several millennia.
The shrine founded in honor of Kushinadahime in Matsue preserves her veneration as goddess of love and marriage. Its 14th-century wall paintings rank among the oldest known depictions of Shinto deities.
A ritual performance of song and dance still practiced at shrines in Izumo, reenacting the rescue of Kushinadahime and the battle against the serpent. These performances are listed as part of Japan's intangible cultural heritage.
Kushinadahime and Susanoo are presented as common ancestors of several divine and aristocratic lineages of Izumo, making her a tutelary figure of the regional nobility and a link in the imperial genealogical chain.
Anecdotes
According to the Kojiki, Kushinadahime's parents were weeping because the serpent Yamata no Orochi had already devoured seven of their eight daughters. Susanoo, banished from heaven, happened to encounter them near the Hi River and offered to save their last child in exchange for her hand in marriage.
To protect her during the battle against Yamata no Orochi, Susanoo transformed Kushinadahime into a comb, which he placed in his hair. This symbolic gesture is interpreted by Shinto scholars as a mystical union anticipating their marriage: she was literally carried by the god throughout the entire ordeal.
The trap set for Yamata no Orochi relied on a clever ruse: Susanoo had eight barrels of highly concentrated sake prepared, placed behind eight fences. The serpent, drawn in by the smell, plunged its eight heads into the barrels and became drunk, allowing Susanoo to decapitate it with his sword.
After the victory, Susanoo composed what is considered the first Japanese poem (waka) to celebrate their marriage: 'Yakumo tatsu / Izumo yaegaki / Tsuma-gomi ni / Yaegaki tsukuru / Sono yaegaki wo' — evoking clouds rising like layered fences to enclose his beloved bride. This foundational poem is directly associated with Kushinadahime.
Kushinadahime is honored today at the Yaegaki Shrine (Matsue, Shimane Prefecture), renowned for promoting love and marriage. A divination ritual involves placing a leaf on the shrine's sacred pond: the speed and direction in which the leaf drifts are said to foretell how long it will be before one finds their soulmate.
Primary Sources
Susanoo came upon an old man and an old woman who were weeping, holding a young girl between them. He asked who they were. The old man answered: 'I am an earthly deity, son of Ōyatsuhiko. My name is Ashinazuchi, and my wife is called Tenazuchi. This young girl is our daughter, Kushinadahime.'
Susanoo then said: 'If you give me your daughter in marriage, I will slay this serpent.' Ashinazuchi agreed. Susanoo immediately transformed the young girl into a fine-toothed comb, which he placed in his topknot, then ordered the two elders to prepare eight vats of rice sake brewed eight times over.
The text mentions the sacred sites associated with Susanoo and his divine consort in Izumo Province, including the village of Suga where the first conjugal palace was built following the victory over the serpent, and where the first sacred pine tree grew.
Before being written down in the 8th century, the stories of Kushinadahime were transmitted orally during kagura rituals — sung and danced performances held at the shrines of Izumo. These chants told of the night of the divine wedding and the founding of the first household.
Key Places
It was on the banks of this river that Susanoo encountered Kushinadahime and her parents, and where the battle against Yamata no Orochi took place. The Hi River, whose waters turned red according to the myth, is identified with the present-day Hii River in Shimane Prefecture.
The place where Susanoo and Kushinadahime built their first marital palace after the victory over the serpent. It is here that Susanoo composed the first Japanese waka poem. The Suga Jinja shrine keeps this memory alive.
The main shrine dedicated to Kushinadahime, whose name echoes the 'eightfold fence' of Susanoo's poem. A pilgrimage site for young people seeking love, it houses a divination pond and 14th-century murals depicting Susanoo and Kushinadahime.
A grand Shinto shrine dedicated to Ōkuninushi, a descendant of Susanoo and Kushinadahime. One of the oldest and most venerated sites in Japan, it embodies the divine dynastic lineage that traces back to the mythological couple.
According to the Kojiki, Susanoo descended from the heavens onto this mountain before meeting Kushinadahime. This peak in the Izumo region is considered the point of connection between the celestial realm (Takamagahara) and the earth.