Kōjin , also known as Sambō-Kōjin or Sanbō-Kōjin ( 三宝荒神 ) , is the Japanese kami ( god ) of fire , the hearth and the kitchen . He is sometimes called Kamado -gami ( 竃神 ), literally the god of the stove . He represents violent forces that are turned toward the betterment of humankind.
5-410: The name Sambō-Kōjin means three-way rough deity , and he is considered a deity of uncertain temper. Fire, which he represents, is a destructive force, as shown in the myth of Kagu-tsuchi , the original fire deity, whose birth caused his mother's death. However, Kōjin embodies fire controlled and turned toward a good purpose. He is said to destroy all impurity. He is also responsible for watching over
10-625: Is sometimes depicted as female. Traditionally, a representation of Kōjin is placed near the hearth. This representation might be a simple fuda ( memorial tablet ) in many homes, or it might be as elaborate as a statue, as is common in Buddhist temples. In his statues, Kōjin is depicted with flaming hair, fangs, and a contorted face, and he often wields a bow and arrows. He has two pairs of hands. Some representations of Kōjin present him as possessing three heads. The Kōjiki mentions an imperial script detailing instructions for worshipping Kōjin, in
15-486: The end of the creation of the world and marks the beginning of death. In the Engishiki , a source which contains the myth, Izanami, in her death throes, bears the water goddess Mizuhanome , 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. The name Kagutsuchi
20-847: The form of Kamado-gami. Kōjin is believed to have come from Shugendō worshippers from the late Heian or early Kamakura period. Kagu-tsuchi Kagutsuchi (カグツチ; Old Japanese : Kagututi ), also known as Hi-no-Kagutsuchi or Homusubi among other names, is the kami of fire in classical Japanese mythology . Kagutsuchi's birth burned his mother Izanami , causing her death. His father Izanagi , in his grief, beheaded Kagutsuchi with his sword, Ame no Ohabari (天之尾羽張), and cut his body into eight pieces, which became eight volcanoes . Kagutsuchi's corpse created numerous deities, which typically includes Watatsumi , Kuraokami , Takemikazuchi , Futsunushi , Amatsu-Mikaboshi , and Ōyamatsumi . Kagutsuchi's birth, in Japanese mythology , comes at
25-481: The household and reporting any misdeeds to the kami of the village or city. These reports are discussed, and the according rewards or punishments assigned, by an assembly of gods in Izumo province in the tenth month of the traditional lunar calendar . Kōjin is sometimes identified as an incarnation of Fudō Myō-Ō , who is likewise depicted as surrounded by flames and tasked with dealing with misdeeds. As Kamado-gami, he
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