Torinoiwakusufune no kami (鳥之石楠船神)
Torinoiwakusufune no kami was a god (Shinto religion) appearing in Japanese Mythology, and also the name of the ship that the gods rode. Another name was Amenotorifune.
Descriptions in mythology
He was born between Izanagi and Izanami in the chapter of kamiumi (bearing gods between Izanagi and Izanami). In the chapter of Ashihara no Nakatsukuniheitei in Kojiki (The Records of Ancient Matters), Amenotorifune was dispatched to Ashihara no nakatsukuni (another word for the country or the location of Japan) as Vice Commander of Takemikazuchi. In the same chapter in Nihonshoki (the Chronicle of Japan), he boarded Inashihagi on Kumano no Morotafune Boat, and under another name he was dispatched via Amenohato-bune Boat to hear from Kotoshiro nushi (a Japanese ancient god) (by Morotabune-shinji ritual of Miho-jinja Shrine).
Other than this, there was a description that he boarded Hiruko, who was born between Izanagi and Izanami, on Tori no Iwafusufune Boat and banished him in the chapter of kamiumi in Nihonshoki. In Sendai Kujihongi (Ancient Japanese History), there was a description that Nigihayahi rode Amenoiwa-fune Boat and descended from heaven.
Explanation
The god's name '鳥' (pronounced as tori, meaning bird) was said to be likened to the ship cruising like a flying bird or a water bird floating and cruising in the water. 石' (pronounced iwa, meaning stone) meant the ship was solid. 楠'(pronounced kusu, meaning camphor tree) was used since the ship was made from camphor trees that were resistant to rot.
The reason Takemikazuchi no kami descended from heaven with Amanotorifune was that Raijin (god of lightning) was considered to traverse Tenchi (the world) by riding the ship.
He is considered to be the god of ship, transportation and traffic by his Shinmyo, but there are only a few shrines where Torinoiwakusufune no kami is enshrined. The shrines where Torinoiwakusufune no kami is enshrined are Kozaki-jinja Shrine (Kanzaki-cho, Katori-gun, Chiba Prefecture), Sumidagawa-jinja Shrine (Sumida Ward, Tokyo Prefecture), and Kotohira-jinja Shrine and Otori-jinja Shrine (Minami Ward, Yokohama City).