Amenonuhoko
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| Part of the series on Japanese mythology |
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| Religions · Divinities | |
| Creatures & Spirits | |
| Stories and Myths | |
|---|---|
| Kojiki · Kwaidan | |
| Nihon Shoki · Otogizōshi | |
| Yotsuya Kaidan | |
| Legendary Figures | |
| Abe no Seimei · Hidari Jingorō | |
| Kintarō · Kuzunoha · Momotarō | |
| Nezumi Kozō · Tamamo-no-Mae | |
| Tomoe Gozen · Urashima Tarō | |
| Sacred Objects | |
| Amenonuhoko · Kusanagi | |
| Sesshō-seki · Tonbogiri | |
| Three Sacred Treasures | |
| Mythical & Sacred Locations | |
| Hōrai · Mount Hiei | |
| Mt. Fuji · Rashōmon | |
| Ryūgū-jō · Suzakumon | |
| Takamagahara · Yomi | |
| Japanese Mythology | |
Ame-no-nuhoko (天沼矛 "heavenly jewelled spear"?) is the name given to the naginata in Japanese mythology used to raise the primordial land-mass, Onōgoro-shima, from the sea. According to the Kojiki, the gods Izanagi and Izanami were responsible for creating the first land. To help them do this, they were given a naginata decorated with jewels, named Ame-no-nuboko. The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth, Ame-no-ukihashi ("floating bridge of heaven"), and churned the sea below with the naginata. When drops of salty water fell from the tip, they formed into the first island, Onōgoro-shima. Izanagi and Izanami then descended from the bridge of heaven and made their home on the island.
The kanji used in Ame-no-nuboko properly spell ame-(no)-numa-hoko, with numa meaning "swamp, marsh, or bog" (in Chinese, zhǎo, "(natural) pond"). This would translate as "heavenly swamp spear".
The film The Last Samurai incorrectly identifies that it was a sword which was used to form Onōgoro-shima. However, it is more likely that the film used the word sword as a means of linkage with the storyline itself.
