Deities
Yachimata-hiko
Japanese Deities
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Yachimata-hiko (literally the male deity of the eight-forked crossroads) is one of three road deities addressed together, with Yachimata-hime and Kunado, in the norito for the Michiae no Matsuri, the Festival of the Road Gods preserved in the Engishiki of 927 CE. The rite was recited twice yearly at the four corners of the roads leading into the old capital, and the three were called on jointly to ward off demons and epidemic spirits before they could enter the city.
Facts
Origins
Origin of the NameFrom Japanese yachimata, crossroads or forked way, marking their domain as guardians of crossroads and boundaries. 2 Attestation
Veneration TodayHistorically attested; no continuous cult 1 The Michiae no Matsuri itself, the rite that names this deity, fell out of use during the mid-Heian period as the newer Festival of the Four Directions took over its protective role; no source here traces a continuous line from this specific rite to any modern cult. HistoricityNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1 Function
Domain / FunctionProtection and guardianship 1 Attributions
Mythic AssociationInvoked together with Yachimata-hime and Kunado at the four corners of the roads into the old capital, warding off demons and epidemic spirits. 1 History
Historical NoteAddressed together with Yachimata-hime and Kunado in the norito for the Michiae no Matsuri, the Festival of the Road Gods preserved in the Engishiki of 927 CE. 1 Identity
GenderThe suffix -hiko marks a male deity name, paired with the -hime (female) suffix of Yachimata-hime. Belief
TheologyPolytheistic: many gods 2 Cult
Attributes and IconographyA crossroads guardian deity, paired with the goddess Yachimata-hime and often invoked alongside Sarutahiko as a protector of travelers at a road's forking point. 2 Correspondences & Relations
Cross-Tradition Connections
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