神功皇后전승에 관한 고찰 - 豊玉毗売전승과 관련하여 -

Abstract

In this article, I analyze the oral traditions about Empress Jingu, especially “worship to the goddess residing in the women’s bodies,” where Empress Jingu came back after conquering Shilla and brought her child into the world at a seashore in Tsukushi. The work is also compared with the oral traditions about Toyotamabime. They depict the story where Toyotamabime, the goddess of sea, married Horinomikoto, entered into the real world, brought Ugayanofukiahezu into the world, and then left the world. The stories about Empress Jingu and Toyotamabime are said to depict the marriage between the goddess of the sea and the heavenly god. Moreover, I also confirm that the two magical items (Shiomitsuni/Shiohiruni) which Horinomikoto received from the goddess of the sea appeared in different forms in the fables of Kanja Manja in the medieval literature. The hypothesis that Toyohime was a younger sister of Empress Jingu is not found in the genealogy, Kojiki and Nihonshoki, but it was fostered in the oral traditions. After the medieval era, Toyohime has sometimes been confused with Toyotamabime, and up until today, further confusions have occurred concerning the names of god such as “Yotahime”, “Yotohime”, “Yodohime”, and so forth.