The God of Kazuragi, kaduragi no kami 葛城神 was an alternative name for the deity Hitokotonushi no kami 一言主神, the ‘Master of the Single Word’who famously manifested himself to Emperor Yūryaku on Mount Kazuragi.

The legend goes that the Emperor and his party, dressed in blue with scarlet cords were ascending the mountain when they spied a party dressed in identical colours approaching them. After Yūryaku challenged the interlopers and had his men set arrows to their bows, Hitokotonushi revealed who he was, whereupon the Emperor apologised for his ignorance in wearing the same colours as the deity, and made an offering of his and his party’s clothes to him. Hitokotonushi accepted the offering and graciously accompanied the Emperor to the foot of the mountain. Subsequently, however, he slandered the wizard En’nogyōja by accusing him of wanting to supplant the emperor. The wizard retaliated by binding him with a spell and commanding him to build the Bridge of Kumeji between Kazuragi and Kibusen.

In later years, Hitokotonushi was often invoked for divinatory or oracular purposes, his responses invariably being in the form of a single word which could determine an individual’s fate.