next to the
Torii of Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine. In Japanese mythology, the Yatagarasu is said to have guided Emperor Jimmu to
Kashihara in Yamato, and is believed to be a
god of guidance. He is also believed to be an incarnation of the
sun. In the
Kojiki, he was sent by
Takamimusubi, and in the
Nihon Shoki, he was sent by
Amaterasu. In the
Kojiki, he was sent to ask the brothers Ukausi and Ukausi to return to Emperor Jinmu, but was turned away by the elder brother with a squeaky whistle. On the other hand, in the
Nihon Shoki (
Chronicles of Japan), Yatagarasu was sent to ask the brothers to return to the emperor. The younger brother, however, was afraid and said, "I hold the heavens against the gods, and I fear for my life. What a crow, you are singing." He offered food to the crow on eight leaf boards. There is a slight difference between the traditions in the two books; for example, the crow returned to Emperor Jimmu and reported to him that his brother Isoshiro was rebellious. After that, in
Nihon Shoki, the merit was worked, and the descendants of Yatagarasu became the lords of Katsuno (Kazuno no Tomori no Agatanushi), and the root was Katsuragi Kokuzo. In the
Nihon Shoki, the Kinshi ("golden
kite") saved Emperor Jimmu in his battle with Naganohiko during his eastern expedition. In addition, the
Kamo clan is also considered to be the same as the and
Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto. In the genealogy of the Kamo clan, another name for Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto is
Yatagarasu Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto, even though the Yatagarasu in the Chronicles is said to be Ikutama Anihiko no Mikoto, a contemporary of Emperor Jinmu. In the three Kumano mountains, crows are considered to be
Misaki deities (spirits of the dead that have been appeased;
Shinshi). In Kumano Sanzan, Yatagarasu is worshiped as a servant of the
Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the Great God of Kumano, and is also a symbol of Kumano. The crow is depicted on the Kumano Gyuuhoin, which was often used as an invocation before the
early modern period. An
ata is a unit of length, the length of the thumb and middle finger spread out (about 18 cm), and a
yata is 144 cm, but
yata here simply means "large".
Meaning of three legs There are many theories as to what it means for the Yatagarasu to have three legs. According to
Kumano Hongu Taisha, the three legs of the Yatagarasu represent heaven (Tenjin Jigion), earth (natural environment), and man, respectively, indicating that God, nature, and man are brothers born from the same sun. It is also said to represent the authority of the three Kumano clans (Enomoto, Ui, and Fujihaku Suzuki) that once held power in the Kumano region. There is a theory that the meaning of the three legs originates from the fact that the number representing the sun has been three since ancient times, and that it has the same meaning as the
Mitsunoe of the crest of shrines (Himekoso shrines) such as
Usa Jingu that worship the sun goddess Hime. However, neither
Kojiki nor
Nihon Shoki mentions that the Yatagarasu has three legs, and the earliest reference to the Yatagarasu as having three legs is
Wamyō Ruijushō, written in the middle of the
Heian period (around 930), and it is thought that at that time Yatagarasu became identified with the
three-legged crow, a mythical bird of
China and
Korea, and became three-legged. It is possible that the belief in the bird as a messenger of the gods, which originally existed in Japanese mythology, was fused with the Chinese belief in the spiritual bird of the sun.
Chinese "three-legged crow" In
Chinese mythology, the three-legged crow lives in the sun. Based on the theory of the five elements of
yin and yang, two is yin and three is yang, and three legs are more suitable to symbolize the sun than two legs. The legs represent the sunrise, daylight, and sunset. In China, the three-legged crows have appeared in books since the
Former Han period (3rd century BCE), and have been depicted on artifacts found in the tombs of kings. The
triskelion, an abstract design composed of three spirals, and its derivative, the three-legged crow, are widespread designs. == History ==