The Role of Ubusuna-gami in Hirata Atsutane's Thought

Abstract

This paper examines the existence of Ubusuna-gami in the philosophy of Hirata Atsutane (1776-1843) and reconsiders its role, dissecting the deviations that Atsutane identified in the acceptance of Ubusuna-gami in the Edo society. My analysis clarifies the position and role of Ubusuna-gami in the cosmology that Atsutane created based on his interpretation of mythology. Atsutane believed that Ōkuninushi took charge of human beings' afterlife based on the will of the Musubi-gods, the root gods of world creation, and delegated this role to Ubusuna-gami. Atsutane was able to connect the life and death of each individual to the cosmology he created in his Koshiden through the medium of Ubusuna-gami, which was a deity familiar to the daily lives of the Edo people.