Kunado-no-Kami (Japanese: 岐の神), alternately Kunato-no-Kami, Funado-no-Kami, Funato-no-Kami, or Chimata-no-Kami, are Japanese local gods connected chiefly with protection against disaster and malicious spirits.
The term "Kunado-no-Kami" and its variants are derived ultimately from Japanese: 来な処 ku-na-do, meaning a place that is not to be entered, a taboo or sacred space. These kami are regarded as protecting the boundaries of a village and forestalling entry by malicious or harmful spirits and influences, thereby preventing disasters. A common origin myth connects them with the fundoshi cast aside by Izanagi upon his return from the underworld as recorded in the Kojiki.
In some cases the protection of these kami extends to roads and paths, in which capacity the variant name Chimata-no-Kami is particularly likely to be applied.
See also
References
- 近藤直也, 徳島県下における岐神信仰に関する言説 (Remarks on the Worship of Kunado-no-Kami in Tokushima Prefecture). Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2013. Archived 2016-09-18 at the Wayback Machine
- 日本人名大辞典+Plus『来名戸之祖神』。
- 大辞泉『道祖神』。
- Illes, Judika (2009). Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses. Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 331–332. ISBN 978-0-06-135024-5.
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