Ainu goddess of the hunt

Hasinaw-uk-kamuy

Hasinaw-uk-kamuy is the goddess of the hunt in Ainu mythology, the Indigenous people of Japan and northern Hokkaido. She matters because hunting, fishing and gathering sustained much of this society's life.

The myth

According to tradition, she was born from the fire-making drill. Some accounts make her a sister of Kamuy-huci, the hearth goddess, while others make her a sister of Shiramba Kamuy, god of vegetation, so the sources do not agree on her parentage.

She is shown as a long-haired woman who carries a bow and arrows, often with a child on her back. A small bird accompanies her, showing hunters where the game is, and she sometimes takes that form herself. She is also linked to the aconite plant, which hunters used to poison their arrows.

Worship and religion

Hunters worshipped her to ensure a successful hunt, and fishermen to ensure a full catch. She was also invoked to aid in childbearing.