Takeminakata no Kami is a deity in Japanese mythology, best known from the Kojiki account of his contest of strength with Takemikazuchi, a struggle often cited as an early precedent for sumo, during the negotiations over the transfer of land at Izumo. He is traditionally venerated as the chief deity of Suwa Taisha in Nagano, associated with the wind, water, and agriculture of that region as well as with martial valor. Because of the legendary strength contest linked to his story, he is popularly honored by some practitioners of sumo and other contests of physical skill, though this connection rests on tradition rather than doctrinal claims of guaranteed victory.