Sukunahikona no Kami

Sukunahikona is a tiny deity, so small he could fit on one's palm, who arrived across the sea in a boat made of bark. Despite his diminutive size, he proved indispensable as Okuninushi's partner in the project of nation-building. Together they established agriculture, developed medicinal knowledge, and devised methods to ward off pestilence and wild creatures.

His origin is unusual: the Kojiki states he was a child of Kamimusubi who slipped through his parent's fingers and fell to earth, while the Nihon Shoki provides variant accounts. This liminal quality—small, otherworldly, arriving from across the sea—has led scholars to connect him with shamanic and healing traditions from the Asian continent.

After completing his work, Sukunahikona departed to the 'Eternal Land' (Tokoyo no Kuni), leaving Okuninushi to continue alone. He is widely venerated at shrines associated with healing, hot springs, and sake brewing, reflecting his mythological role as the bringer of medicinal and agricultural knowledge.