Takeminakata no Kami

Takeminakata is principally known through the Kuniyuzuri narrative in the Kojiki. When the heavenly emissary Takemikazuchi came to demand the cession of the terrestrial realm, Okuninushi's son Kotoshironushi agreed, but Takeminakata challenged the thunder god to a contest of strength. He seized Takemikazuchi's arm, which transformed into a pillar of ice and then a sword blade, and was decisively defeated. Fleeing to Lake Suwa in Shinano Province, Takeminakata was cornered and promised never to leave the region.

Notably, the Nihon Shoki omits Takeminakata entirely from the Kuniyuzuri account, leading scholars to view this narrative as possibly reflecting the political subjugation of the Suwa region by the Yamato court. The deity's association with Lake Suwa—one of the most sacred sites in central Japan—runs deep, and the Suwa faith preserves unique ritual practices including the Onbashira festival.

As the tutelary deity of the Suwa domain, Takeminakata was also adopted as a god of war by the Takeda clan and other Shinano warriors, and Suwa shrines number over 5,000 nationwide.