天津麻羅

Japanese

Kanji in this term
天	津	麻	羅
あま Grade: 1	つ Grade: S	ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
kun'yomi		tōon	kan'on

Etymology

Phrase consisting of 天 (ama, “heaven”) +‎ つ (tsu, Old Japanese possessive particle) +‎ まら (mara). The 津 is ateji. The mara portion is of unknown origin, but theories include:

• Alteration from 目占 (meura, “eye divination”), suggesting one-eyed, from how a smith will visually check the temperature of the working metal by looking at it with one eye, or possibly from the way that many smiths lose an eye in the course of their work.
• From a Mongolian word mara meaning iron.
• From Sanskrit-derived Buddhist term 摩羅 (mara, “penis”), by metaphor for a smith's hammer.

The second theory is problematic, as there does not appear to be any Mongolian term with a pronunciation similar to mara that means iron, or even steel or metal or smith. The third theory is problematic as the Buddhist term came into Japanese later than the formative period for myths naming Amatsumara. Thus, if the first theory is accepted as the most likely, Amatsumara is likely the same god as 天目一個 (Amanomahitotsu, literally “heaven's one-eyed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a̠ma̠t͡sɨma̠ɾa̠]

Proper noun

天(あま)津(つ)麻(ま)羅(ら) or 天津麻羅(アマツマラ) • (Amatsumara) 

1. (Japanese mythology) Amatsumara, the Japanese god of the forge, metalcraft, and blacksmithing

Synonyms

• 天目一箇(あまのまひとつ) (Amanomahitotsu)
• 鍛冶神(かじしん) (Kajishin)