The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home - Arin Murphy-Hiscock 2018

Kamado-no-Kami
Hearth and Home Deities

Kamado-no-Kami is the Japanese god of the cooking fire or stove and oven. Like Tsao Wang, Kamado-no-Kami exists in every home simultaneously. He, too, is a god of purification; however, as the fire itself is believed to be easily polluted, there are rites for purification of the fire or oven itself as well. Shrines to him are maintained in many kitchens to both help with the daily fire and restrain its dangerous nature.

Kamado is also the word for a cooking pot in some regions of Japan, and so this deity can also be associated with cauldrons. Kamado-no-Kami is one of the set of fire deities (hi-no-kame or hinokame), and his sphere of protection extends from the hearth fire to the whole household and the food prepared within it. Kami is the general term for “spirit,” and for this to be an official part of his name signifies how central Kamado-no-Kami is to the culture. Koujin-Sama is the syncretic Shinto-Buddhist deity of the kitchen and the cooking stove. His name is an analogue of Kamado-no-Kami.