Ogetsuhime (オオゲツヒメ)
Ogetsuhime (Ohogetsuhime) is a deity who appears in the Japanese Mythology.
The 'O' and 'ge' in her name mean 'a lot of' and 'food' respectively, and she is a deity of grain and food.
Her name first appears in Kojiki (The Record of Ancient Matters) as the name of Awa Province in Iyononinashima (Shikoku) in connection with the story of kuniumi (the birth of Japan). According to the description in Kojiki concerning kamiumi (the birth of deities), she was born between Izanagi and Izanami.
Regarding the reason why the original name of Awa Province was Ogetsuhime, it is generally explained that it was merely a pun using Awa and the name of a grain 'awa (millet).'
On the other hand, some assert that this province was named Awa Province because Ogetsuhime, a deity of grain, was enshrined in this province.
Anecdotes
After being exiled from Takamanohara, Susano felt hungry and asked Ogetsuhime for food, and Ogetsuhime slowly gave Susano various kinds of food. Susano, who was suspicious of her behavior, watched how Ogetsuhime was preparing food and found that Ogetsuhime was pulling food out of her nose, mouth, and anus, and cooking it. Susano became angry for being fed such dirty food and killed Ogetsuhime with a sword. Then, silkworms were born from Ogetsuhime's head, rice plants were born from her eyes, millet from her ears, azuki beans from her nose, barley from her nether regions and beans from her rear end.
Explanation
While the Goddess Ogetsuhime was described in Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) as the origin of grain or silkworm breeding, a similar anecdote in which Tsukuyomi killed Ukemochi with a sword appears in Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan).
Furthermore, although Ogetsuhime must have been killed by Susano in this incident, the lineage of Otoshi no kami (the guardian deity of grain), which was compiled later, describes that she gave birth to eight deities as a wife of Hayamato.
While she has been worshipped as a deity of grain and silkworm breeding, she is also enshrined at Inari-sha shrines in place of Ukanomitama since she was confused in later years with Inari-shin (a deity of harvest), who is also a deity of grain.
Origins
Myths that domesticated plants, especially root vegetables, were born from the body of a murdered person are found in South-East Asia, Oceania, Middle and South America, and Africa. The background of these myths may be the fact that potatoes revive after being cut and buried in the ground. It is contemplated that the reason why grain was derived from Ogetsuhime was because grains were the principal cultivated plant in Japan.