Renowned-little-prince kami. According to the myths, the helper of O-kuni-nushi in his 'animating' of the land. He is worshipped as the deity of medicine and curative springs and identified as Yakushi-bosatsu-myojin (Yakushi is the healing Buddha). As a kami who helped O-kuni-nushi 'make' the land and who also protects maritime and other trade he was installed as a main kami in shrines built in several areas conquered by the Japanese before 1945 such as Hokkaido, Sakhalin and Taiwan.
A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. Brian Bocking.