Deity of shinbutsu shūgō (kami–buddha syncretism)
Niu Daimyōjin
丹生大明神
Niu Daimyōjin is a name tied to the kami that Niutsuhime Jinja enshrines as Niutsuhime no Ōkami. The shrine introduces her connection with "ni," the vermilion that wards off calamity, and her divine virtue of having taught farming and weaving to people. There is also the shrine's tradition that she is Wakahirume no Mikoto, the younger sister of Amaterasu Ōmikami.
This introduction is based on materials published by shrines, temples, and schools, starting with Shōhōin. It is summarized within the scope of the beliefs and traditions those materials convey, and does not present explanations or customs common to all schools, shrines, and temples.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Niutsuhime no Ōkami and Mount Kōya
Niu Daimyōjin is a name tied to the kami that Niutsuhime Jinja enshrines as Niutsuhime no Ōkami. The shrine introduces her connection with "ni," the vermilion that wards off calamity, and her divine virtue of having taught farming and weaving to people. There is also the shrine's tradition that she is Wakahirume no Mikoto, the younger sister of Amaterasu Ōmikami.
Source: 丹生都比売神社
The kami who granted Mount Kōya to Kūkai
The shrine's history relates that Niutsuhime no Ōkami granted Mount Kōya to Kūkai and that her child, Takano Miko no Ōkami, guided the way. It is explained that the kami of Kehi and Itsukushima were added in the Kamakura period to the two kami of Niu and Kōya, who had become the guardian kami of Mount Kōya, and that a group of four shrines was thus formed.
Source: 丹生都比売神社
Divine virtues that ward off calamity and support new steps
Niutsuhime Jinja introduces Niutsuhime no Ōkami as a goddess who wards off calamity and a goddess who leads to victory and success. With the shrine's history saying that she spread farming and weaving, and the tradition that she granted Mount Kōya to Kūkai, she is revered as a kami who supports both daily life and religious practice.
Source: 丹生都比売神社
Related shrines and temples
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：丹生大明神」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：目次」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 丹生都比売神社「ご祭神」（2026-10-15 確認）
- 丹生都比売神社「ご由緒」（2026-10-15 確認）