Amenominakanushi is, according to the ShintoKojiki, the first kami and the source of the universe. In Japanese mythology, Amenominakanushi is described as a "god who came into being alone", the first of the zōka sanshin, and one of the five kotoamatsukami.
Origin
Amenominakanushi had been considered a concept developed under the influence of Chinese thought, but now most scholars believe otherwise. With the flourishing of kokugaku the concept was studied by scholars. The theologian Hirata Atsutane identified Amenominakanushi as the spirit of the North Star, master of the sevenstars of the Big Dipper. The god was emphasized by the Daikyōin in the Meiji period, and worshipped by some Shinto sects. There are also scholars who believe that the Amenominakanushi concept was introduced in Japan sometime in the 7th or 8th century by the Nestorian or the Keikyo believers, underpinning its Christian origin.
''Kami concept''
The god manifests in a duality, a male and a female function, respectively Takamimusubi and Kamimusubi. In other mythical accounts the originating kami is called Umashiashikabihikoji or Kuninotokotachi, the latter used in the Nihon Shoki. Some sources identify these deities as the three Kamis called in Yamakage Shinto. These three gods, identified as a third of the three versions of the cosmogonic myths involving the kami, appeared in Takamanohara or the "domain of heaven" during the birth of the cosmos. According to The Ancient Shinto Deity Ame-no-minaka-nushi-no-kami Seen in the Light of To-day, by ProfessorKatō Genchi, no authenticshrinesdating from antiquity were dedicated to this deity, though two "recent" shrines, Wada-jinja and Okada-jinja, are allegedly dedicated to this god. Shinsen Shōjiroku mentioned only two families as descendant of Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Kami: Hattori-no-muraji and Miteshiro-no-Obito. With the shinbutsu bunri, the deity of Buddhist origin Myōken, the "North Star", which was worshiped at many shrines, was changed to Amenominakanushi.
