Kunado-no-Kami

Kunado-no-Kami (Japanese: 岐の神), alternately Kunato-no-Kami, Funado-no-Kami, Funato-no-Kami, or Chimata-no-Kami, are Japanese local gods connected chiefly with protection against disaster and malicious spirits.

[1] The term "Kunado-no-Kami" and its variants are derived ultimately from Japanese: 来な処 ku-na-do, meaning a place that is not to be entered, a taboo or sacred space.

[2] These kami are regarded as protecting the boundaries of a village and forestalling entry by malicious or harmful spirits and influences, thereby preventing disasters.

A common origin myth connects them with the fundoshi cast aside by Izanagi upon his return from the underworld as recorded in the Kojiki.

[3] In some cases the protection of these kami extends to roads and paths, in which capacity the variant name Chimata-no-Kami is particularly likely to be applied.