Uke Mochi or Ukemochi (保食神, meaning "Goddess who Possesses food" or "Goddess who Protects/Preserves food") is a Japanese goddess of food written about in the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki, and is worshipped in the outer portion of Amaterasu's shrine, the Ise Shrine.[1][2] As food is crucial to survival, she is also considered a goddess who sustains life and provides abundance in general, and her domain often includes clothing and shelter.
She is also called Ōgetsu-hime (大宜都比売神) or Toyouke Ōkami (the deity of food, clothing, and housing), and she is frequently correlated with or seen as the same goddess as Inari Ōkami (稲荷大神).[3] In other legends she is the wife of Inari, rather than being Inari herself.
Myths & Legends[]
The Feast[]
Tsukuyomi visited the mortal realm, and to welcome him Uke Mochi held a feast for him. However, unlike a regular feast, her preparations were unusual, as all food items were created and expelled from her body. In a fit of disgust at this display, Tsukuyomi killed Uke Mochi with his sword.
Different foods were created by her taking them from different parts of her body as well as dependent on what she was facing:
- From her mouth she vomited fish while facing the ocean, hunting animals ("game") while facing the forest, and rice while facing a paddy field.
- Additional foods were pulled from her nose and rectum, but what foods these were is not generally agreed upon.
- Even dead her corpse continued to produce food; her head produced horses and oxen, from her eyebrows came silkworms, from her forehead came millet, from her belly came rice, and from her genitals came wheat and beans.[4]
Repercussions[]
Because Tsukuyomi killed this goddess, it angered Amaterasu and she decided to label him an evil spirit and separate from him, creating the division between day and night. She then sent down a messenger to see Uke Mochi's body, who found all the things that were produced and brought them back to heaven. Upon seeing the food and creatures, Amaterasu declared that it would allow mankind to live and prosper, thereby exonerating them and Uke Mochi.[5]
In some legends, after her death Tsukuyomi discovers that the food and creatures Uke Mochi produced could not be destroyed, and so he instead gives them new life and purpose. The responsibility and domain over these were given to Inari Okami.
Modern Depictions[]
Television[]
- TBA
Video Games[]
- She appears as an antagonist and a series of monsters in the RPG game "Food Fantasy"
Gallery[]
.png "FA-Uke Mochi (Enhanced).png (464 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ Article about the Ise Shrine and what is said to be held within it currently. "The Outer Shrine...is dedicated to Toyuke (Toyouke) Ōkami, the deity of food, clothing, and housing." - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ise-Shrine#ref1203708
- ↑ This Japanese news site holds more details about Uke Mochi as a goddess of abundance and her role in japanese cuisine - https://www.thenewslens.com/article/111189
- ↑ These are all "generally considered the same" diety and are enshrined in the same place - https://www.shiwa-oinarisan.jp/about/
- ↑ Specific details of what was produced and from where by Uke Mochi - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ukemochi-no-Kami
- ↑ Alternate retelling of the story - https://historyofjapan.co.uk/2019/09/06/when-day-became-night/
| Japanese mythology | |
|---|---|
| Mythic Texts | Kojiki • Nihon Shoki |
| Japanese Creation Myth | Kotoamatsukami • Kamiyonanayo • Kuniumi • Kamiumi • Izanagi-no-Mikoto • Izanami-no-Mikoto • Kagutsuchi • Watatsumi |
| Takamagahara Mythology | Amaterasu • Susanoo-no-Mikoto • Tsukuyomi • Ame-no-Uzume |
| Izumo Mythology | Yamato no Orochi • Hare of Inaba • Ōkuninushi |
| Hyuga Mythology | Tenson korin • Ninigi • Konohanasakuya-hime • Hoderi • Hoori • Toyotama-hime • Ugayafukiaezu |
| Human Age | Emperor Jimmu • Kesshi Hachidai |
| Mystical Locations | Ryugu-jo • Takamagahara • Amano-Iwato • Yomi • Ashihara no Nakatsukuni |
| Major Buddhist Figures | Amida Nyorai • Daruma • Five Wisdoms Buddhas • Akuma/Mara |
| Seven Lucky Deities | Benzaiten • Bishamonten • Daikokuten • Ebisu • Fukurokuju • Hotei • Jurojin • Kichijoten |