Omononushi no Kami

Omononushi is one of the most ancient and complex deities in the Japanese pantheon. According to the Kojiki, after Sukunahikona departed to the Eternal Land, a luminous deity appeared from across the sea and announced himself as Okuninushi's 'spirit of fortune' (sakimitama / kushimitama), requesting to be enshrined on Mount Miwa. He is thus understood as either an aspect of Okuninushi or a distinct deity closely associated with him.

The Nihon Shoki preserves additional narratives: Omononushi appeared as a serpent to a young woman named Yamato Totohimomoso-hime, and his wrath was identified as the cause of a devastating plague that was only quelled by properly enshrining him. These snake-deity characteristics suggest connections to very ancient agricultural and fertility worship.

Omiwa Shrine (Omiwa Jinja) at the foot of Mount Miwa is one of Japan's oldest shrines and uniquely has no main hall (honden)—the mountain itself serves as the sacred body (shintai) of the deity. He is also revered as the patron of sake brewing.