In Japanese mythology, Ōkuninushi is linked to Izumo and the building of the Great Shrine.
Ōkuninushi is a major kami in the Izumo tradition and is associated with nation-building, relationships, medicine, and the unseen realm. The Kojiki presents him as the ruler who develops the terrestrial land before ceding authority to the heavenly descendants of Amaterasu.
The Izumo tradition says that Ōkuninushi transfers visible governance to the heavenly kami in exchange for the construction of a grand shrine. This myth is connected with Izumo-taisha, one of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines.
Ōkuninushi has several names and complex family relationships in the chronicles, so translations can vary. He is not simply another name for Susanoo, although the stories make Susanoo an important ancestor or relative in his mythic genealogy.