Yato-no-kami

The Yato-no-kami (夜刀の神, "gods of the night-sword") are snake deities in Japanese folklore appearing in the Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki. They lived in Namegata county, in fields near the government office. As a snake, it was an araburu-kami (荒ぶる神, "malevolent-kami") which are a malignant kami who bring affliction to human beings.[1] Yato no kami were rumored to bring familial extermination on anyone who saw them.

It's told that Yato no kami were killed and enshrined by a man named Yahazu no uji no Matachi during the time when Emperor Keitai was in reign. The Yato no kami vanished later when a man named Mibunomuroji Maro drove them away from disturbing him and his workers who were building a moat there.[2]

  • Yato-no-kami appeared as a major villain in GeGeGe no Kitarō: Nippon Bakuretsu!! in 2008.
  • In the 2020 action role-playing game Nioh 2, Yato-no-Kami (named Yatsu-no-Kami in-game) makes an appearance as a boss enemy that protagonist has to fight in order to progress. In the game, it takes the form of a giant snake, with 2 smaller snakes protruding from its body.[3]
  • In June 2015's Fire Emblem Fates,[4] the protagonist wields the sword Yato, named after Yato-no-kami. It is their main weapon after Chapter 5 of the story.
  • In Noragami, Yato-no-kami appears briefly when their name is confused for that of the series protagonist, Yatogami.[5]

References
  1. "民俗ネオ神道 – minzoku NEO-shintô – araburu-kami". www.stonedragonpress.com.
  2. "Evolution of the Concept of Kami". www2.kokugakuin.ac.jp.
  3. "Yatsu-no-Kami - Nioh 2". Nioh 2 Wiki. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  4. "Yato". Fire Emblem Wiki. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  5. Adachitoka. The Ties That Bind. New York, NY: Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC, 2015. Print. Vol. 7 of Noragami: Stray God.


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