Ame no Nuboko
Primordial Spear
天沼矛 · 아메노누보코
- Type
- hoko yari, mythological weapon
Ame-no-Nuboko (天沼矛 or 天之瓊矛 or 天瓊戈; "heavenly jewel-spear"), also known simply by the Kan-on reading Tenkei (天瓊; "heavenly jewel"), is the name given to the hoko (lance) used to raise the primordial land-mass, Onogoro Island, from the sea in Japanese religion. It is often represented as a naginata.
According to the Kojiki, the gods of creation Izanagi and Izanami were responsible for the kuniumi (creation of land). To achieve this, they received a spear decorated with magatama (curved gems) from the older heavenly gods. The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth, Ame-no-ukihashi, and churned the sea below with the spear. When drops of salty water fell from the tip, they formed into the first island, Onogoro. Izanagi and Izanami then descended from the bridge of heaven and made their home on the island.
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q3267488 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.