Who is KONOHANA-NO-SAKUYA-HIME?
A deity as beautiful as cherry blossoms in full bloom.
”HIME” means “princess” in Japanese.
She encountered a deity named NINIGI, also known as NINIGI-NO-MIKOTO.
Struck by her beauty, he fell in love at first sight and asked for her hand in marriage.
Though she hesitated for a moment, she eventually accepted, and the two were wed.
NINIGI(NINIGI-NO-MIKOTO) was no ordinary deity he was the grandson of the sun deity, AMATERASU-OMIKAMI.
He would later become the great-grandfather of Japan’s first emperor, Enperor JIMMU.
KONOHANA(KONOHANA-NO-SAKUYAHIME) had an older sister named IWANAGA-HIME.
When NINIGI(NINIGI-NO-MIKOTO) proposed to KONOHANA(KONOHANA-NO-SAKUYAHIME), their father, the mountain deity ŌYMAZUMI-NO-KAMI, asked him to marry both daughters.
However, NINIGI rejected IWANAGA-HIME because of her unattractive appearance, and chose to marry only KONOHANA(KONOHANA-NO-SAKUYA-HIME).
This decision enraged ŌYAMAZUMI-NO-KAMI, KONOHANA represented beauty and prosperity, like cherry blossoms in bloom. IWANAGA-HIME, on the other hand, symbolized permanence and immortality, like solid rock.
By refusing IWANAGA-HIME, NINIGI rejected the gift of eternal life.
From that moment on, it was said that even deities, emperors, and humans would become mortal and eventually die.
Some time later, KONOHANA became pregnant.
However, NINIGI suspected her of infidelity.
She totally lost it.
To prove her innocence, she took a drastic step.