Ame-no-hohi

In the genealogical framework preserved in Shinto sources, Ame-no-hohi is presented as a son of the sun goddess Amaterasu, specifically identified in available references as her second son. The primary role attested for Ame-no-hohi in the cited materials is genealogical: he functions as an ancestral link between the central Amaterasu lineage of celestial kami and the human and institutional authorities of the Izumo region. Historical rulers styled Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko and the modern heads of Izumo-taisha and the affiliated Izumo-taishakyo trace descent from him, a relationship that underlies regional ritual authority and claims of legitimacy.

The provided sources do not record any physical description, iconography, or standard visual attributes for Ame-no-hohi. He is attested in surviving records and modern summaries primarily by name and genealogical position rather than by depiction; extant references emphasize lineage and descent claims rather than an identifiable material or sculptural form associated with the deity.

The available sources attribute no specific supernatural acts, powers, or mythic narratives to Ame-no-hohi beyond his genealogical status as a son of Amaterasu and as an ancestor of Izumo lineages. No distinct functions, miracles, or characteristic behaviors are described in the cited materials; his significance in those sources is chiefly as a progenitor within the Shinto divine genealogy and as a source of descent for particular human and institutional lineages.