Mishaguji

Multiple variants of the name 'Mishaguji' exist such as 'Mishaguchi', 'Misaguchi', 'Misaguji', 'Mishakuji', 'Misakuji(n)', or 'Omishaguji'. There are also various ways of rendering the name in kanji such as 御左口神, 御作神, 御社宮神, or 御社宮司, with 御左口神 being the commonly used form in medieval documents penned by the Suwa Shrine priesthood. Outside Suwa, deities thought to be related to the Mishaguji with names such as '(O)shaguji', '(O)shagoji', '(O)sangūji', 'Sa(n)goji', 'Saguji', 'Shagottsan', 'Shagottan', 'Jogu-san', 'Osangū-san', 'Oshamotsu-sama', or 'Oshamoji-sama' - with different ways of writing them in kanji - are found. The name's etymology is uncertain. During the early modern period when the Mishaguji were conflated with the divine children (mikogami) of Takeminakata, the god of the Upper Suwa Shrine, the name was explained as being derived from the term sakuchi (闢地, lit. 'to open up / develop the land'), which in turn was connected with legends that credit Takeminakata's offspring with forming and developing the land of Shinano. The name has also been interpreted as deriving from shakujin / ishigami (石神 'stone deity'), a term used for sacred stones or rocks that were worshiped as repositories (shintai) of kami (it has been observed that stones or stone items were employed as shintai in many Mishaguji-related shrines), or shakujin (尺神), due to another association with bamboo poles and measuring ropes used in land surveying and boundary marking. The term sakujin (作神 'harvest / crop deity') has also been suggested as a possible origin. Ōwa Iwao (1990) meanwhile theorized the name to be derived from (mi)sakuchi (honorific prefix 御 mi- + 作霊, 咲霊 sakuchi), a spirit (chi; cf. ikazu-chi, oro-chi, mizu-chi) that brings forth or opens up (saku, cf. 咲く 'to bloom', 裂く 'to tear open', 作 'to do/make/cultivate/grow'；cf. also the verb sakuru/shakuru 'to dig/scoop up') the latent life force present in the soil or the female womb. ==Extent of cult==

Research conducted by local amateur historian Nogiku Imai in the 1950s revealed a total of over 750 '(Mi)s(h)aguji' shrines within Nagano Prefecture, 109 of which are in the Suwa area (comprising the modern municipalities of Chino, Suwa, Okaya, Shimosuwa, Fujimi, and Hara). As noted above, worship of kami with names such as 'S(h)aguji' or 'S(h)agoji' are also attested in neighboring areas, being notably widespread throughout the Kantō and Chūbu regions of Japan. Shrines enshrining these gods are found in places such as Shizuoka (233 shrines), Aichi (229 shrines), Yamanashi (160 shrines), Mie (140 shrines) and Gifu (116 shrines). On the other hand, such shrines are conspicuously absent in the two prefectures of Niigata and Toyama, located to the north of Nagano. ==In Suwa Shrine's practice and belief==

, Nagano) Suwa Taisha consists of four main shrines grouped into two sites: the Upper Shrine (Kamisha), located southwest of Lake Suwa, and the Lower Shrine (Shimosha), located on the northwesern side of the lake. Historically, the Upper and the Lower Shrines were two separate entities, each with its own priestly hierarchy and religious ceremonies. The two shrines were each formerly headed by a priest known as the Ōhōri (大祝); the Upper Shrine's Ōhōri was unique in that he was regarded upon assuming office as a go-shintai, the physical embodiment of the shrine's deity (Takeminakata or Suwa Daimyōjin), and was thus worshiped as a living god (arahitogami). Second to the Upper Shrine's Ōhōri was the Kan-no-Osa / Jinchō (神長) or Jinchōkan (神長官), the main priest responsible for overseeing and conducting the Upper Shrine's religious ceremonies, including the investiture ceremony of the Ōhōri. It was the Jinchō who had the sole prerogative of summoning and dismissing the Mishaguji in rites that call for their presence. The relation between the Ōhōri and the Jinchō is explained in mythic terms by the story of Suwa Daimyōjin establishing his presence in Suwa by subjugating the local deity Moriya (also known as Moreya), who formerly controlled the region. After his defeat, Moriya became a subordinate to Suwa Daimyōjin. The Jinchō's clan, the Moriya, is said to be descendants of Moriya, while the Ōhōri's clan, the Suwa, is said to be descended from Suwa Daimyōjin. ==Function==

known as the 'Great Sekibō of Kitazawa' (北沢大石棒) after its place of discovery, the Kitazawa River (北沢川) in the town of Sakuho, Nagano. Mishaguji were thought to dwell in various objects (yorishiro), the sekibō being one of them. Mishaguji are believed to be spirits that dwell in rocks, trees, or bamboo leaves, as well as various man-made objects such as phallic stone rods (石棒 sekibō), grinding slabs (石皿 ishizara) or mortars (石臼 ishiusu). In addition to the above, Mishaguji are also thought to descend upon straw effigies as well as possess human beings, especially during religious rituals. Folk beliefs considered Mishaguji to be associated with fertility and the harvest, Mishaguji have been worshipped as tutelary deities of whole villages (産土神 ubusuna-gami) as well as specific kinship groups (祝神 iwai-gami). Further reflecting this relationship between Mishaguji and local communities is their being believed to preside over the act of founding villages == See also ==