Rokkosan: Mukoyama and Mukatsuhime

The modern city of Kobe lies between the Rokkosan 六甲山 mountains and the sea. In a previous post, we wrote about the megaliths of Rokkosan. These mountains are the locale of a fascinating story with both historical and linguistic interest.

Hotsuma History.  During the times of Amateru Amakami in the Hotsuma Tsutae document, the mountains were known as Mukoyama, and the peak as Mukatsu-mine. The land of Muko was the domain of the Kanasaki family. When Isanami and Isanagi were unable to keep their first-born daughter Hiruko, they sent her to Kanasaki for fostering. There, Hiruko was lovingly raised and taught the art of waka poetry. Hiruko became so skilled with the kototama word power of waka that she became known as Wakahime. The area of Muko is called Hirota, perhaps because of her fostering. For his kindness, Kanasaki is known as Sumiyoshi Kami.

Wakahime was the elder sister of Amateru. Amateru led his people for many long years. When he felt his life’s end nearing, he sent his beloved wife Seoritsuhime to Hirota. There, she peacefully passed her remaining years in these mountains until “her spirit ascended.”

Linguistic Changes.  Seoritsuhime is Mukatsuhime. The latter name appears in several places. In the Takenouchi Documents, it is アマサカリ ヒニ ムカイツ ヒメ ノミヒカリ アマツ ヒツギ アメノ スメラミコトAmasakari hini mukaitsu hime no mihikari amatsu hitsugi ame no sumera mikoto. The principal deity of Hirota Jinja is the aramitama wrathful spirit of Amateru Ookami, named ツキサカキ イツノ ミタマ アマサカル ムカツヒメ ノ ミコトTsukisakaki-itsuno mitama amasakaru mukatsuhime no mikoto.

How did Mukoyama change its name to Rokkosan? Please keep in mind that Woshite, the language of Hotsuma, was syllabic when spoken and when written in Woshite moji characters. Much later, Woshite writing fell out of use and was replaced by the kanji imported from China. The name Mukoyama 六甲山 when written in kanji  can be read, Sino-wise, as Rokkosan.

Jinja Shrines.  These shrines all have Mukatsuhime as their enshrined kami.

Hirota Jinja 広田神社 is located in Nishinomiya adjacent to Kobe. While it enshrines the aramitama of Amateru-kami, Mukatsuhime, it also honors Sumiyoshi-kami whom we know as Kanasaki.

Rokkohime Jinja 六甲比命神社 = Mukatsuhime Jinja.  This shrine is on the mountain. Its deity is Benzaiten. [Wikipedia: Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: water, time, words, speech, eloquence, music and by extension, knowledge.]  Many believe that she is a later Buddhist version of Mukatsuhime.

Mukatsu Jinja (Ishi-no-houden) is a sessha sub-shrine of Hirota Jinja so that naturally, its gosaishin is Mukatsuhime.

Mukoyama Jinja 六甲山神社 is also a sessha with gosaishin Mukatsuhime.

Rokkohime Daizen Jinja 六甲比命大善神社 (ろっこうひめだいぜんじんじゃ) = Mukohime Jinja 六甲比女（むこひめ）神社. Benzaiten is worshipped there. There is a huge iwakura goshintai on which is carved the Buddhist Heart Sutra. Some say that Mukatsuhime’s tomb is here, and the Sutra is in her memory. This shrine is the okunoin of Tamonji Temple in Kobe which forms a line  between the temple and the shrine to the summer solstice setting sun.

Photos are from Japanese Wikipedia.

Sources include

http://mysteryspot.main.jp/mysteryspot/rotukou3/rotukou3.htm

*

Notes from Hotsuma Tsutae and Mikasafumi

HOTSUMA TSUTAE AYA 28

Subjects of aya 28 include:

Koyomi calendar, Isanagi-Isanami, Twelve wives plus one, Seoritsu is Okisaki, Governing Ohiyamato, Hatare, 3 sons, Hohodemi, Taga no miya. [Note: Aya 28 is not available on HT by JTC.]

Sarutahiko makes a tomb for Amateru at Manai near Asahimiya. Amateru says his kamuri headdress connected him to kami in heaven, his robes and sashes connected him to people and land.

Isawa no miya, Amateru’s palace, is inland from Ise Naigu. Now called Izougu. Ikeda’s book describes his visit. ‘Amateru decided that the new capital would be at Isawa (now the Isomiya Shrine in Isobe, Shiki-gun, Mie Prefecture)’ [aya 6, HT by JTC].

The very first wedding, that of Ubichini-Subichini, took place at Hi no Jinja in Fukui ken. It was 3 years after Ubichini planted a momo tree and it flowered. Momo no sekku is 3-3 girls day. Here is Hino Jinja 福井県越前市日野神社拝殿 [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hino_Takefu_City_Shrine_in_Japan.jpg]

MIKASAFUMI by Ikeda Mitsuru

Ikeda’s Jomon Book, Ch. 2 is about Mikasafumi ayas. Omotaru and Kashikone gave to Isanami-Isanagi  two kantakara treasures: To no woshite (constitution), hoko (police power), for governing people. Omotaru and Kashikone were the first rulers to go around the country of Yamato. Later, Isanami-Isanagi  went around the country (Hitakami, Kyushu, etc.) to make it better using waka and Awa no uta,

The first miki (sake). Subichini lived in Shiga before she married. I-no-kuchi omiya, an unknown place. In the bamboo forest, she saw a sparrow eating rice in water inside a bamboo stalk. It tasted sweet and good. It was called sasake, sasa bamboo and keji foodstuff. Now we call it sake.

The Eight ayas of Mikasafumi:

1   Kitsuyoji no aya;  2  Sakanori, making sake;  3  Koe, 12 wives;  4             Harumiya, Oshihomimi’s Koutaigu shrine, Harumi meaning East;  5             Takamanaru aya;   6  Namekoto nenchu gyoji almanac;   7   Hani (earth) matsuri no aya;   8  Toshi uchi ni nasu koto (matters to do before year’s end).

1^st aya Kitsuyoji.  Kitsu (east-west) yoji (4 threads). A teaching, using a weaving analogy, about Michi given by Amanokoyane (Lord Kasuga) at different places to nobles and people. Kitsu is blessing from sun and moon, coming and going. The country enjoys well-being when administrators and people follow the Michi.

Kunitokotachi’s era was beginning of moji. Then the 48 sounds.

Awa-no-uta was sung by Izanagi-Izanami. A-no-uta is Izanagi’s half, Wa-no-uta is Isanami’s half. They gave birth to the country and went around singing this song that clears up language.

Wakahime, Hiruko, Amateru’s sister, was born on Tsukubayama. It was yakudoshi for Isanagi and Isanami who were 42 and 33, respectively. She was fostered by Lord Kanasaki and his wife Oshinazu. Both were waka poets and they ruled Kinki from Nishinomiya. 廣田神社, 兵庫県西宮市   Hirota Shrine (Hirota-jinja was the original name for Nishinomiya) in Nishinomiya, Hyogo prefecture, Japan.

From http://www.hirotahonsya.or.jp/english.html:    Japan’s oldest national historical document “NIHONSYOKI” states that tha Hirota Shrine was established in the HIrota region in Muko country when Empress Jinguu came back from Korea in 201AD. Since then, many historical documents have mentioned the Hirota Shrine, saying that the great deity of Hirota protects its country, controls nature, and provides prosperity… The name Nishinomiya appeared in history as the shrine grew.  [NOTE:  This region of Hirota is in MUKO country. Muko is Mukatsuhime’s name.]

Oshinazu played awa, a child’s play with Hiruko. As we know Hiruko/Wakahime became a waka master. In her fifth winter she started studying akahanama, singing with instruments. She grew up healthy due to these vibrations.

Ikura, five houses of the soul. People are made up of the seen and unseen. We have ikura, five kura, in our kokoro. We receive 3 kura from heaven/universe, called the tama; 2 kura from our parents, called shi. We are connected to our tama by the tama-no-wo cord. When we die, the wo is undone and returns the tama to heaven and shi to earth. Baby receives tama in the 5^th month; it already has shi which becomes the organs.

Tama consists of Miyabi (compassion, empathy for other people), Kokoroba, and Tama.

Shi consists of Shi (ne, shizumaru, going down), and Ha (hiraku, widening).

Editor’s Note: The above information comes from various of the books by Ikeda Mitsuru, in Japanese.