Tamayorihime no Mikoto

Tamayorihime plays a quiet but genealogically crucial role in the imperial myth. She is the younger sister of Toyotamahime who was sent to the surface world to nurse the child Ugayafukiaezu after Toyotamahime returned to the sea in shame. Tamayorihime raised the boy, eventually married him, and bore Emperor Jimmu.

Her name means 'the princess upon whom the spirit settles' (tama-yori), suggesting a shamanistic quality—a woman who serves as a vessel for divine spirits. This interpretation aligns with the broader role of women as spirit-mediums (miko) in ancient Japanese religion.

Note that the Kamo tradition features a distinct Tamayorihime who found the red arrow and bore Wake-ikazuchi. Whether these are the same figure or separate deities with the same name is debated. The shared name may reflect a common archetype of the woman who receives divine spirit and produces a sacred child.