Kagu-tsuchi or Kagutsuchi, referred to as Hinokagatsuchi in the Kojiki, and Kagutsuchi or Homusubi in the Nihon-Shoki, is the god of destructive fire in Japanese mythology.
Mythology
Kagu-tsuchi's birth burned his mother Izanami, causing her death. His father Izanagi, in his grief, beheaded Kagu-tsuchi with his sword, Ame no Ohabari, and cut his body into eight pieces, which became eight volcanoes. The blood that dripped off Izanagi's sword created a number of deities, including the sea god Watatsumi and rain god Kuraokami. Kagu-tsuchi's birth, in Japanese mythology, comes at the end of the creation of the world and marks the beginning of death. In the Engishiki, a source which contains the myth, Izanami, in her death throes, bears the water godMizuhame, instructing her to pacify Kagu-tsuchi if he should become violent. This story also contains references to traditional fire-fighting tools: gourds for carrying water and wet clay and water reeds for smothering fires.
Name
The name Kagutsuchi was originally a compound phrase, consisting ofkagu, an Old Japaneseroot verb meaning "to shine"; tsu, the Old Japanese possessive particle; and chi, an Old Japanese root meaning "force, power".
Worship
Kagutsuchi was the patron deity of blacksmiths and ceramic workers. He is worshipped in several shrines, one of which is Atago Shrine, near Kyoto.
Popular culture
In the manga and anime Fairy Tail, a character named Zancrow uses the Flame God Slayer Magic and has an attack named after Kagu-tsuchi.
In the manga Noragami, Kagu-tsuchi appears during the subjugation of Bishamon and is shown to be capable of blowing fire.
In the anime Mai-HiME, Mai's Child is based upon Kagu-tsuchi.
In the manga and anime ', one of the main characters, Sasuke Uchiha, is shown to have the ability to manipulate the black flames of Amaterasu into various weapons. This is referred to as Blaze release: Kagu-tsuchi, which refers to the fire god.
In the anime Ao No Exorcist, the hometown to several of the characters is Kyoto, where a powerful sword was made from long ago by, and had to do with Kagu-Tsuchi.
In the video game seriesBlazBlue, the main setting of the first two games is the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi.
In the video game series Brave Frontier, Kagatsuchi is a fire-based battle unit. He's in the form of a centaur, and is described as "a disastrous beast."
In the manga Rurouni Kenshin, the main antagonist of the Kyoto Arc, Shishio Makoto, uses a technique called "The Final Secret Sword: Kagutsuchi" as a last resort "trump card", bringing down a cyclone of flames that his sword can produce at his enemy.
In the video game Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Hino-Kagutsuchi is featured as a boss.
In Atlus' 2003 RPG, "", Kagu-tsuchi is the central divine force that must be defeated in order to usher in the rebirth of the world in accordance with the philosophy with which the main character has aligned himself.
In the video game ', a fire-elemental staff known as "Kagutsuchi's Blood" can be obtained on the Zombies map "Origins".
In the mobile phone gamePuzzle and Dragons, developed by Gung-ho, Hino Kagutsuchi is a collectible fire monster.
In the card game Yu-Gi-Oh!, alongside Susanoo, Amaterasu, and Tsukuyomi, Kagutsuchi is one of the 4 Xyz Monsters of Bujin.
In the mobile game Monster Strike, Kagutsuchi is a fire collectible, along with Susano'o, Amaterasu, Inari, Izanami, Izanagi and more.
