Gods and Traditions Dwelling in Japan's Waters

Japan is a "land of water."
It is an island nation surrounded by the sea on all four sides, with short, steep rivers, and rain brought by the rainy season and typhoons that is abundant and sometimes fierce. Because of this, water has been both the "source of life" and a "force to be feared" since ancient times. The water gods appearing in Japanese mythology and folklore possess a strong duality, being both merciful and terrifying, masculine and feminine.

1. The Great Gods Ruling the Land of Roots in the Sea: The Watatsumi Three Gods
The supreme gods of the sea appearing in the "Kojiki" and "Nihon Shoki."
- Uwatatsuo
- Nakatsutsuo
- Sokotsutsuo

These three pillars govern the surface, middle, and bottom layers of the sea, ruling over the Ryugu (Dragon Palace), the utopia at the bottom of the ocean.
In the legend of Yamasachi-hiko and Umisachi-hiko, Hoori-no-mikoto (Yamasachi-hiko), who took the sea god's daughter Toyotama-hime as his wife, became a descendant carrying the blood of the Watatsumi gods, which connects to the first Emperor, Jimmu. In other words, the distant ancestors of the Japanese Imperial Family are of "sea god blood."

2. Symbol of Dragon Gods and Water Gods: Benzaiten = Ichikishimahime-no-mikoto
Ichikishimahime, syncretized as the eight-armed Benzaiten as the only goddess, is one of the Munakata Three Goddesses.
The three great Benzaiten shrines of Japan—Itsukushima Shrine (Hiroshima), Enoshima Shrine (Kanagawa), and Hogon-ji Temple on Chikubu Island (Shiga)—are all located by the water or on islands. The goddess who governs water is also the goddess of music, performing arts, and wealth. The idea is that "flow" creates wealth and sound.

3. Goddesses of Rivers and Water: The Women of Waterfall Gods and Water Gods
- Niutsuhime ── Niukawakami Shrine in Nara, Tsurugi Mountain range in Shikoku
- Mizuhanome-no-kami ── The enshrined deity of Kifune Shrine (Kyoto). A terrifying yet beautiful water god who brings and stops the rain
- Seoritsuhime ── The head of the four gods of purification. The "Goddess of Great Purification" who washes away impurities from rivers to the sea
- Symbolizing the "purifying power" of water.

4. Dragons and Snakes ── Existence as Incarnations of Water
It is said that "Dragon Gods" dwell in almost every spring, pond, and waterfall throughout Japan.
- Kuzuryu (Nine-Headed Dragon) Hakone Shrine
- Blue Dragon/White Dragon Tokyo Kanda Myojin Shrine well
- Great Serpent (Orochi) The Yamata-no-Orochi of Izumo is said to have originally been a symbol of a raging river. Kushinadahime, whom Susanoo married after defeating the serpent, transforms into the incarnation of gentle water that moistens the rice fields.

5. The Relationship Between Demons (Oni) and Water
Iwate (meaning "demon's hand"), the Namahage of the Oga Peninsula in Akita, and the deep valleys of the Ou Mountains where demons are said to live. Demons are originally symbols of "otherworldly power" and appear at the boundary between mountains and water. The reason there are many demon legends in water-rich places is that water creates "boundaries." The opposite bank of a river is the other world, the depths of a waterfall are the Dragon Palace, and the bottom of a well is the Land of Roots.

6. Shugendo and Water Asceticism
The "waterfall asceticism" where mountain ascetics are struck by waterfalls is a ritual to directly touch the divine spirit of water.
Tateyama, Kumano, Omine, Togakushi, Mt. Hiko... sacred sites of asceticism are always rich in water.
Water is also a symbol of "death and rebirth." By being struck by a waterfall, one "dies" once and is reborn.

7. Water Beliefs That Live On in Modern Times
- The habit of drinking water every morning as "life water" or "sacred water"
- The sensibility of muttering "how grateful" while in the bath
- People writing "thank you" on plastic water bottles
- Carrying a water bottle as a substitute for an amulet

These are all remnants of the fundamental Japanese sense that "water = god = love = life," which has continued uninterrupted since ancient times.
Water remembers. Water purifies. Water circulates.
Our bodies are also 70% water.
The tears we shed and the feelings of longing all return to the earth as water, eventually falling as rain once again. Perhaps in the glass of water we drink today, the princess of the Dragon Palace, the goddess of Kifune, and the tears of distant ancestors all quietly dwell. Living on a water planet, we are always within the grand trine of water.