Isotakeru-no-kami

Isotakeru-no-kami (五十猛神), also called Itakeru-no-mikoto^[1], is a god (kami) in Japanese mythology. He is the son of Susanoo. He is the god of forests and trees. People worship him at Itakiso shrine^[2][1] and at Takase Shrine^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

He is only called Isotakeru in the book Nihon Shoki. In the book Kojiki, he is called Oyabiko.^[7][1]

The Nihon Shoki says that Susanoo and Isotakeru were sent away from the land of Takamagahara. They went to the land of Silla.^[8] They did not like it there and said it was not a good land. They went by boat to Izumo.^[1][7][8] Susanoo gave his son tree seeds from Takamagahara and told him to plant the seeds all over Japan.^[8]

Isotakeru and his sisters, Oyatsuhime and Tsumatsuhime, planted the seeds. They planted trees across Japan. The country became covered in forests. In the end they came to Kii Province, which was called the “country of trees.”^[8]

Another story says something different. In this story, Susanoo was jealous of the rich land of Han. He pulled out many hairs from his body. Each hair became a kind of tree. His children, Isotakeru, Oyatsuhime, and Tsumatsuhime, then spread the seeds across Japan. At last, they settled in Kii.^[3]

Different types of trees come from hair in different parts of his body.^[4] For example hair from his beard became cryptomeria and hair from his eybrows became camphors.^[4]

Later in the Kojiki, during the story of the Hare of Inaba, Isotakeru helped Onamuchi when his eighty brothers tried to attack him.^[7][9][10]

Itakiso Shrine was first built on the land of today’s Hinokuma Shrine. During the time of Emperor Suinin, it was moved to a place called “Anomori.” In the year 713, it was moved again to its place today.^[8]