Kushinadahime

Kushinadahime, also read as Kushinada-hime, is a Shinto goddess of rice and agriculture. In the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, she is described as the daughter of the Izumo deity Ashinazuchi. She is rescued and married by the storm god Susanoo no Mikoto after he slays Yamata no Orochi, and through this union she becomes associated with the fertility of the land and the blessing of the harvest.

In the Izumo tradition, Kushinadahime is regarded as the wife of Okuninushi, the great deity of the region, and is sometimes described as the mother of several important Izumo deities. Her cult in western Japan emphasizes agricultural prosperity and the cycles of planting and harvest, reflecting the renewal of the farming year.

Worship and symbolism: Kushinadahime is a prominent guardian of crops and is invoked by farmers seeking bountiful harvests. She is referenced in religious literature and is honored at Shinto shrines, particularly in Izumo, where she occupies an important role in the region’s mythic lineage. As a consort of major Izumo deities, Kushinadahime embodies the fertility of the land and the renewal associated with the agricultural seasons.