[Learning the Kojiki with Parents 365 | December 4, 2025] Oyamakui / A Small Story of Lucky Days and Seasons

[Learning the Kojiki with Parents 365 | December 4, 2025]

Oyamakui

/ A Small Story of Lucky Days and Seasons

Good morning. This is Otoha Koto🌿
The season has arrived where the morning winter light gently outlines the trees outside the window.
《Kojiki 365》 is a slow journey where parents and children can enjoy the "Kojiki" and the scenery of the seasons together.
Today, I am delivering the record for December 4, 2025.

⸻

☀️ Today's Calendar and How to Spend the Day
Here is today's calendar!

・Shakko (Red Mouth)
Rokuyo (Unlucky Day) An unlucky day that means "everything perishes." It is only lucky at noon (11:00 AM - 1:00 PM).
Be careful with fire and blades. From Rokuyo guidebooks, etc.

・Daiminichi
Lucky Day "A day when heaven and earth open and the sunlight is clear." Good for moving, traveling, construction, and opening a business.
Kamiyoshi-nichi Lucky Day Compatible with Shinto rituals; a good day for worship, prayers, and festivals. From books on lucky days

・Ten-ichi Tenjo
Period of Lucky Directions Because the god who governs directions returns to heaven,
the taboos regarding directions disappear.
It is considered a day when luck opens up, and it is also auspicious for buying lottery tickets.
・Fujoju-bi Unlucky Day


⸻
Lucky and unlucky signs are mixed, aren't they?👀
If you believe in the positive flow that outweighs the unlucky Shakko day, it seems likely that things will go that way✨
⸻

🌿 Today's Kojiki: Oyamakui

From here on, it is the story of the deity who is the protagonist of today.

Today's Kojiki starts here👇✨

Next is the deity Oyamakui, also known as Yamasue no Onushi no Kami.
This deity resides on Mt. Hie (Mt. Hiei) in the land of Chika-no-Awami (present-day Omi Province = Shiga Prefecture), and also resides in Kazuno (present-day Matsuo-yama, Kyoto),
and is a deity who uses a narikabura (whistling arrow).


◆Original Text (Classical Chinese)

次大山 上 咋神、亦名、山末之大主神、此神者、坐近淡海國之日枝山、亦坐葛野之松尾、用鳴鏑神者也

■ What kind of deity is Oyamakui no Kami?

In short, Oyamakui no Kami is
said to be "a deity who protects mountains and the land"!

He has been especially cherished and worshipped at the following two mountains.
• Mt. Hiei (Hiyoshi Taisha) … A large mountain in Shiga
• Mt. Matsuo (Matsuo Taisha) … A mountain in Kyoto. Protected by ancient people called the Hata clan

It seems that both are believed to be the "original deity of the land = the local deity" of those areas👀

⸻

■ What is the meaning of the name?

The character "kui" is considered to be close in meaning to "stake" (kui).

In ancient times,
people used to drive sacred stakes to mark the boundaries of mountains (the mountain's territory)! I think I have seen them in the mountains before👀
It is said that Oyamakui no Kami is considered to be the deification of the power of those stakes📝

In other words,
a deity who protects the boundaries of mountains = a guardian deity of mountains
is the image.📝

⸻

■ What is the deity's role?

● Protecting mountains and land
● Purifying boundaries (using an arrow called a narikabura)
● Watching over agriculture and the safety of daily life

He is also recorded as a deity who uses the "narikabura" (whistling arrow) to indicate boundaries,
and is also said to be "a deity with strong power to protect the borders of the land"

⸻

■ Simple Summary
• A deity who protects mountains
• The "local deity" of Mt. Hiei and Mt. Matsuo
• The "kui" in the name means "stake" = a deity who protects boundaries
• Uses a ritual tool called a narikabura (whistling arrow)
• Involved in agriculture and the peace of the land
• Appears in the Kojiki as the child of Otonoshi no Kami

⸻

🌿 A story of the "Mountain Deity" to enjoy with parents and children

Entering winter, this is the season when the mountains quietly hold their breath.
The figure of Oyamakui no Kami, who protects the mountains and illuminates the boundaries, is like nature itself preparing to survive the winter.

While taking an evening walk with your children,

"What kind of face do you think the deity who watches over the mountains has?"
"Did he decide to protect from here by driving a stake into the top of the mountain?"

If you talk about things like this, the children's imagination will expand, and nature itself will likely turn into a stage for mythology✨

⸻
✨Seasonal Small Story: Koto-yoka 🍵

Entering December, the season has arrived where New Year's decorations are lined up on street corners.
Have you all prepared yours yet?
Today, I will talk about "Koto-yoka," a slightly mysterious and important day that has been passed down in Japan since ancient times😊

⸻

✨A special day that happens twice a year

Koto-yoka occurs twice a year, on February 8th and December 8th.

"Koto" is a word that referred to festivals and events for the gods in ancient Japan.
In other words, this day is for celebrating special and sacred "events"!
Records from the Edo period also mention this day, so it seems it has been cherished since long ago📕

⸻

◆Different names depending on the region?

Interestingly, it seems that what December 8th is called differs by region👀

What December 8th is called differed depending on the region.

• Koto-hajime: The beginning of preparations to welcome the gods
• Koto-osame: The end of the year's work
This is the difference between whether one marks the same day as daily life (ke) or is conscious of it as a special, sacred time (hare).

In other words, it is a very interesting day that can be understood as both "a break in daily life" and "the beginning of a special time for the gods" depending on the angle from which you view it📝

⸻
Important feelings passed down to the present

Although such customs have decreased in modern times, the heart that cherishes the milestones of the year

remains, changing with the times.

Things we can learn from Koto-yoka:
• The importance of stopping and looking back on the year

• The mindset for preparing to welcome a new season or year
• The feeling of cherishing customs passed down in the region or family
On December 8th or February 8th, why not stop for a moment and think, "What kind of year was this year?" or "What should I prepare?"
Well then, I will see you again tomorrow😊

I hope you all have a wonderful day✨

#December4 #Shiwasu #Kotoyoka #KotoYoka #Omotojiru #SeasonalSmallStory #JapaneseCalendar #Rokuyo #LuckyDay #Shakko #Daiminichi #KamiyoshiNichi #TenichiTenjo #KoyomiSeikatsu #LearningSeasonsWithParents

#OyamakuiNoKami #OyamakuiNoKami #YamasueNoOnushiNoKami #DeityOfMtHiei #MatsuoShrine #NarikaburaDeity #KojikiDeities #JapaneseMythology #LifeWithTheGods #ShrineVisiting

#mumuwawa
#kotootoha
#OtohaKoto
#muwasatoshi
#SatoshiMuwa