Hoori (ホオリ)
Hoori (Hoori no Mikoto) is a god that appears in Japanese mythology. His alternate names are Amatsuhikohikohohodemi no Mikoto, Hikohohodemi no Mikoto and Soratsuhiko. He appears in the story of Yamasachihiko and Umisachihiko. In general, he is known as Yamasachihiko.
He is the grandfather of Emperor Jinmu.
Description in Kiki (the Kojiki (The Records of Ancient Matters) and Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan))
According to the "Kojiki," he was a child of Ninigi and Konohana no sakuya-bime. Ninigi suspected that he was a child of a Kunitsukami (god of the land). In order to disprove his suspicion Konohana no sakuya-bime gave birth to three gods in fire, and Hoori was the youngest of the three. He was named Hoori because he was born when the fire went out. Hoderi and Hosuseri were his older brothers. His wife was Toyotama-bime, who was a daughter of the sea god. Toyotama-bime gave birth to Ugayafukiaezu (the father of Kamuyamato iwarehiko (Emperor Jinmu)). He died after he spent 580 years in Takachiho-gu Shrine.
The site of his burial is 'to the west of Mt. Takachiho' according to the "Kojiki," and the 'Takayanoyamanoe no misasagi tomb in Himuka' according to "Nihonshoki."
Explanation
According to the mythology, 'ho' in the name implies fire, but 'ori' means to bend something until it almost breaks. In his alternate name, 'Amatsuhiko' means Amatsu Kami (god of heaven), 'hiko' means male (hiko), and 'hohotemi' can be considered to mean clusters of rice formed in the head of the rice plant. Furthermore, because he was born when the fire was going out, he is also associated with water, which is very important in agriculture. Incidentally, according to one section of Nihonshoki the name 'Hikohohodemi' is considered to be Emperor Jinmu's name.
The three generations of Ninigi, Hoori and Ugayafukiaezu are called 'the three generations of Himuka.'
Worship
He is worshipped as a god of rice plants and grains. He is enshrined in such places as Kagoshima-jingu Shrine (Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture) and Wakasahiko-jinja Kamisha Shrine (Obama City, Fukui Prefecture). He is often enshrined with his father, Ninigi, mother, Konohana no sakuya-bime and wife, Toyotama-bime.
His burial sites are said to exist in various locations in southern Kyushu. In 1874, the Meiji government designated the foot of Kirishima mountain range in Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture as Takayanoyamanoe no misasagi tomb. This designation was based on the description, 'to the west of Mt. Takachiho' in the Kojiki, assuming that 'Mt. Takachiho' to be the crest of Takachihonomine (Mt. Takachiho). According to alternate traditions, the tumulus in Takachiho-cho, Miyazaki Prefecture, Mt. Kunimi in Kimotsuki-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture, Mt. Noma-dake in Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture, and Takaya-jinja Shrine in Murasumi-cho, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture are also considered to be Hoori's tombs.
It has been passed down that Hoori-gawa River, which is a tributary of Gokase-gawa River in northern Miyazaki Prefecture, is the river in which Hoori was bathed at birth. It is said that sparrows are not found in the watershed of this river because Hoori is a god of rice fields and harvest.