Kagutsuchi, the Shinto Kami of fire and the forge. Born from the couple Izanami and Izanagi, Kagutsuchi was the younger brother to Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. Kagutsuchi’s fire was so immense and powerful it could blind all who gazed at him. Because of this, when he was born he accidentally killed his mother Izanami. Furious, Izanagi beheaded his newborn son and split his body eight ways and threw the pieces across the earth, creating eight volcanoes, the blood of Kagutsuchi that dripped from Izanagi’s blade gave birth to a multitude of of gods, such as Watatsumi and Takemikazuchi. Kagutsuchi’s essence was believed to reside in calamitous fires. Kagutsuchi was worshipped by smiths, who prayed to the god for help with their metal work.
Unlike most of the other important Shinto Kami, Kagutsuchi doesn’t seem to have developed from a respective Ainu Kamuy. Kagutsuchi goes by the titles of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi and Homusubi. The name Kagutsuchi comes from the old Japanese words “Kagu” meaning shining, and “chi” meaning force. Kagatsuchi was considered cognate with the Japanese Buddhist deity Atago Gongen who was the Japanese form of the mainland Buddhist bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha, who in Japan was called Jizo.
