Kagu-tsuchi

Kagu-tsuchi or Kagutsuchi (カグツチ), also called Kagutsuchi no kami (迦具土神), Hinokagutsuchi (火之迦具土), or Ho musuhi (火産霊), is the "kami" (神 "god; deity") of fire in Japanese mythology.

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.Ashkenazy, Michael. "Handbook of Japanese Mythology". Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 186] 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.

ee 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

Media

*Kagutsuchi appears in the anime and manga of My-HiME as Mai Tokita'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 it's mouth; the usage of the sword varies with the medium.
*Kagu-tsuchi is central to the plot of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. The Kagutsuchi 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.
*Kagutsuchi appears as a Titan in the Scion role-playing game.

Notes

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).

External links

* [http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=85 Kagutsuchi] , Encyclopedia of Shinto
* [http://www.pantheon.org/articles/k/kagutsuchi.html Kagutsuchi] , Encyclopedia Mythica