Mishaguji (ミシャグジ) are Japanese kami with a long history of worship; according to folklorist Kunio Yanagita, they originated as local protective gods (saikami (塞の神) or Kunado-No-Kami) prior to the arrival of the Yamato people. Their worship is considered by most scholars to have originated in the Suwa province before disseminating more widely.
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Names
Due to the antiquity of the worship of Mishaguji and sound changes in the Japanese language over time, a plethora of variant names are recorded, including Shaguji (シャグジ), Mishaguchi (ミシャグチ), and Mishagujin (ミシャグジン) among many others. Attested ateji for the name include 御社宮司 and 御左口.
Worship and Function
As saikami, the Mishaguji are kami of boundaries or barriers, protecting their associated locale and community from harm. The Suruga no Kuni no Fudoki (駿河国風土記), a Nara period source, records the presence of village boundary-marking bamboo poles that were believed to enshrine Mishaguji.
Historically, the Mishaguji were also held to aid in curing respiratory ailments such as pertussis and, like many kami, to aid in safe childbirth, although these traditions have gradually declined over time.
Within the Suwa region, syncretism with other myths has resulted in the representation of Mishaguji as snakes, as well as their connection with the story of Takeminakata-no-kami and Moreya-no-kami; Moreya-no-kami is said to represent the autochthonous worship of Mishaguji that syncretized with the worship of new gods represented by Takeminakata-no-kami.
Ontōsai (御頭祭), sacred hunts of deer culminating in the sacrifice of the animal's head to the Mishaguji, were formerly carried out at shrines such as Misayama Shrine in Suwa. In the modern era, these hunts have generally been replaced by a ceremony incorporating an artificial stuffed deer head.