In the Kojiki narrative the sword first appears as Itsu-no-Ohabari, the blade Izanagi uses to kill his offspring Kagu-tsuchi. The violent act of slaying Kagu-tsuchi results in the birth of several kami, among them Takemikazuchi, who is described in the sources as the son of the sword. Later in the Kojiki corpus the same name appears as a kami—referred to as Itsu-no-Ohabari no kami or Ame-no-Ohabari no kami—and is nominated by Omoikane as one who might descend from Takamagahara to Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, although ultimately Takemikazuchi is sent instead. Later commentators differ on identity: Motoori Norinaga reads the kami as the spirit of the sword, while Basil Hall Chamberlain states there is nothing in the text warranting that identification.
The sources record Ame-no-Ohabari as a named sword (originally Itsu-no-Ohabari) but provide no physical description beyond its identity as a blade. The later kami-form is named in the text but likewise lacks descriptive detail in the cited materials.
As an instrument in the Kojiki, Itsu-no-Ohabari is wielded by Izanagi to slay Kagu-tsuchi; that slaying is the cosmological event from which several other kami, including Takemikazuchi, are born. The sources do not attribute additional active powers or a catalogue of abilities to the kami-form beyond its nomination to descend from the heavenly realm and the genealogical association with Takemikazuchi.
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- [1]Ame-no-ohabari — Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 'Ame-no-ohabari' entry (accessed at provided research notes).wiki
- [2]Ame no Ohabari — Wikidata Q10939046. Wikidata item Q10939046 (as cited in provided research notes).wiki
- [3]Kojiki translations and annotations (Motoori Norinaga; Basil Hall Chamberlain noted). Referenced interpretations: Motoori Norinaga's annotation identifying the kami as the sword's spirit, and Basil Hall Chamberlain's translation noting no textual warrant for that identification (both as cited in the provided research notes summarizing the Kojiki material).literary