DOJO-HOSHI
A child endowed by the thunder deity with supernormal strength. One day, the story tells, a man was working his fields when the thunder kami fell to ground. The farmer, who had been leaning on his iron hoe (iron is considered a sovereign defense against snakes and thunder), wanted to strike the fallen (and presumably terrifying) apparition. The thunder kami then promised, in exchange for his life, a wondrous child.
The farmer returned home, and some time later his wife conceived and then gave birth to a boy. He was born with a snake around his head (the thunder deities are strongly associated with snakes; see, for example, the myth of Izanami in the underworld). The boy was troublesome, uprooting trees in his play, or drinking the village well dry. Eventually he became a novice to a temple, where he was a diligent student but also strong enough to save the temple in times of trouble. Many of his descendants, including women, were as strong as he was. It is said that among his descendants was Benkei’s mother.
There are a number of Japanese myths in which a strange boy appears to a man or a couple and grows up with the strength of many men, or sometimes other powers. The Dπjπ-hπshi myth is repeated in numerous variants across Japan. Many of these strong-men are described as giants, or as demigod heroes who formed the hills and rivers of the landscape. Some such heroes include the giants Sakata-no-kintoki and Musashibπ Benkei.
SEE ALSO:
REFERENCES:
- Ouwehand, Cornelius. 1964. Namazu-e and Their Themes: An Interpretative Approach to Some Aspects of Japanese Religion. Leiden, the Netherlands: E. J. Brill.
SOURCE:
Handbook of Japanese Mythology written by Michael Ashkenazi – Copyright © 2003 by Michael Ashkenazi
