Kunitsukami

Kunitsukami (国つ神, 国津神) are the kami of the land and live in tsuchi. They were contrasted from the Amatsukami, although modern Shinto no longer makes the distinction between Amatsukami and Kunitsukami. According to Yijiang Zhong the distinction was made by the writers of the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki to formulate a political discourse. Kunitsukami were often presented as tutelary deities. They were also associated with geographical areas along with their inhabitants. Non-royal families also viewed them as their ancestors. They also were considered personifications of the land. According to Ernest Mason Satow and Karl Florenz, kunitsukami might have been deified chiefs who migrated to Japan. Ogasawara Shozo proposed a system justifying Japanese Imperialism where Japanese people in the colonies were seen as Amatsukami and natives were seen as Kunitsukami, however he was later censored as his position was considered too supportive of the rights of colonized peoples. Many myths in the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki are about the conflict between the Kunitsukami and the Amatsukami.