Watatsumi no Kami

Watatsumi is the great sea deity whose undersea palace (Ryugu-jo) features prominently in the Umisachi-Yamasachi narrative. When the young prince Hoori descended to the ocean floor seeking his brother's lost fishhook, he was received at Watatsumi's magnificent palace, married the sea god's daughter Toyotamahime, and spent years in luxury before returning to the surface with magical tide-controlling jewels.

The Kojiki describes three sea deities corresponding to the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the sea, born during Izanagi's purification. Watatsumi's domain thus parallels the threefold structure of the Sumiyoshi deities. In later tradition, Watatsumi became associated with the Chinese dragon king concept, and his palace was reimagined as the Dragon Palace (Ryugu).

As an ancestor of the imperial line through his granddaughter Tamayorihime, Watatsumi occupies an important position in the divine genealogy. Watatsumi Shrine in Fukuoka is among the shrines dedicated to this oceanic deity.