Amatsumara

ORIGIN:

Japan

CLASSIFICATION:

Kami

Uzume didn’t lure Amaterasu out of her cave alone; she had help. The mirror used to entrance Amaterasu didn’t appear out of thin air, nor was it an ordinary mirror.

It was crafted by celestial kami smiths, including Amatsumara. Without him, the world might still be in darkness.

Amatsumara means “eye divination,” an indication of the sacred function traditionally played by mirrors. His other, longer name, Amenomahitotsu no kami, literally means “the one-eyed celestial iron-working kami,” reminiscent of those other smith spirits, the Cyclopes.

Amatsumara, an iron-working smith kami, refined the iron used for making mirrors. Together with kami Ishikoridome, he forged the sacred mirror that lured Amaterasu from her cave. They are ancestral kami of smith and mirror-working clans.

FAVOURED PEOPLE:

Iron workers, metal smiths, mirror makers, and diviners

SEE ALSO:

Amaterasu; Kajishin; Kami; Uzume

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses– Written by Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.