Amenotokotachi no Kami (天之常立神)

Amenotokotachi no Kami is a god (Shinto) appearing in the Japanese mythology.

At the creation of heaven and earth (the Japanese mythology), Amenotokotachi no Kami was the last one to come into being as the five Kotoamatsu Kami (separate heavenly deities). He was regarded as Hitorigami (god without gender), and hid himself away just after coming into being. He does not appear in the main text of Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan), but appears in only Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and Arufumi (supplement volumes of explanatory notes in Nihonshoki) of Nihonshoki. Nihonshoki describes him as 天常立尊 (Amenotokotachi no Mikoto).

Heaven or Takamanohara (plain of high heaven) itself is deified as this deity symbolizes Heaven's eternity. In Sendai Kujihongi (Ancient Japanese History), he is identical to Amenominakanushi no Kami.

As Kunitokotachi no Kami, who came into being after him, has been worshiped longer than he, he is probably created to form a pair with Kunitokotachi no Kami. Few shrines are dedicated to him because he is a metaphysical deity, and no description about his achievements can be found in mythology. He is enshrined in the Izumo Taisha Shrine (Izumo City) as a guest deity; he is also enshrined in the Komagata-jinja Shrine (Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture), Kanemochi-jinja Shrine (Hino-cho, Hino-gun, Tottori Prefecture), etc.

[Original Japanese]