Kagu-tsuchi
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Kagu-tsuchi or Kagutsuchi (カグツチ), also called Kagutsuchi no kami (迦具土の神), Hinokagutsuchi (火之迦具土), or Ho musuhi (火産霊), is the kami (神 "god; deity") of fire in Japanese mythology.
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[edit] Mythology
Kagu-tsuchi's birth burned his mother Izanami, causing her death. His father Izanagi, in his grief, beheaded Kagu-tsuchi and cut his body into eight pieces, which became eight volcanoes. The blood that dripped off Izanagi's sword created a number of deities, including the sea god Watatsumi and rain god Kuraokami.
Kagu-tsuchi's birth, in Japanese mythology, comes at the end of the creation of the world and marks the beginning of death.[1] In the Engishiki, a source which contains the myth, Izanami, in her death throes, bears the water god Mizuhame, instructing her to pacify Kagu-tsuchi if he should become violent. This story also contains references to traditional fire-fighting tools: gourds for carrying water and wet clay and water reeds for smothering fires.[1]
[edit] See also
During World War Two, an American B-29 bomber group, "The 40th Bombardment Group", was nicknamed the "Kagu-Tsuchi Group". They participated in the fire-bombings of Tokyo.
- Kojin, kami of fire, the hearth, and the kitchen
[edit] Media
- Kagu-tsuchi appears in the anime and manga of My-HiME as Mai Tokiha's "Child," a summoned creature that HiMEs use to fight their enemies, the Orphans, and inevitably each other. In both series, it is depicted as being a dragon/bird/whale hybrid with a sword stuck through its mouth; the usage of the sword varies with the medium.
- Kagu-tsuchi is central to the plot of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. The Kagu-tsuchi sustains an embryonic world till its power can be drained to fuel a new creation; Izanami and Izanagi also appear.
- Kagu-tsuchi is featured as a trading card (named Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi and labeled a Spirit Monster Card) in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. It seems to have a rivalry with the Yamata Dragon, as referenced in the Trap card Last Turn.
- Kagu-tsuchi is the name of the final attack of Shishio Makoto from the anime and manga of Rurouni Kenshin
- Kagu-tsuchi appears as a Titan in the Scion role-playing game.
- Kagu-tsuchi makes an appearance in the Lucifer comic book series, along with other Japanese gods.
- Kagu-tsuchi is the name of the location that BlazBlue takes place in. According to the game, there is no hyphen in the name, making it just "Kagutsuchi".
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Ashkenazy, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 186
[edit] References
- Ashkenazy, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003.
- Bock, Felicia G., trans. Engi-shiki: Procedures of the Engi Era. ASU Center for Asian Studies (Occasional Paper #17).
[edit] External links
- Kagutsuchi, Encyclopedia of Shinto
- Kagutsuchi, Encyclopedia Mythica
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