noun
sacred mountain or forest where a deity resides
A Shinto term for a mountain or forest believed to be inhabited by a kami. Often appears in classical poetry and shrine contexts. The reading かんなび is most common; かむなび and かみなび are older or poetic variants.
神奈備の山には古い神社が鎮座している。
An old shrine sits quietly on the sacred mountain.
万葉集には神奈備を詠んだ歌が多く見られる。
Many poems in the Man'yōshū sing of sacred mountains.
Variant kanji spelling; less common than 神奈備.
The exact derivation is uncertain. The reading かんなび may be a contraction of かむなび, itself possibly from 神 (kami) + なび (an old word for 'to hide' or 'to dwell'). The kanji 神奈備 and 神南備 are ateji.