The princess saved from the serpent
Kushinada-hime 稲田姫命
Also known as: Kushinada-hime, Inada-hime, 奇稲田姫命
Element: Wood (木)
The myth
Kushinada-hime was the youngest of eight daughters in Izumo. Year after year the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi had taken her sisters, and she was next.
Susanoo offered to slay the serpent if he could marry her. He turned her into a comb and kept her safe in his hair through the fight, and afterwards the two settled in Izumo as husband and wife.
Her name is usually read as "wondrous rice-field princess", linking her to the rice harvest.
What people pray to Kushinada-hime for
- Love and matchmaking
- Family harmony
- Children and safe childbirth
Why: Saved from her fate and married to her rescuer, she is one of the best-known brides in Japanese myth, so people visit her for matchmaking and a good marriage.
Where to meet Kushinada-hime
The element shown is the one used by Kamimap's fun guardian-kami quiz, based on traditional five-element associations. It is not a religious teaching.