also: いくさがみ · ぐんじん
noun
god of war; war deity
Refers to a deity associated with war, such as Mars or Hachiman. Used in mythological, historical, and figurative contexts.
古代ローマではマルスが軍神として崇められていた。
In ancient Rome, Mars was worshipped as the god of war.
noun
war hero; fallen war hero
Only with reading ぐんしん / ぐんじん
Specifically a soldier who died heroically in battle and is honored almost like a deity. Restricted to the readings ぐんしん and ぐんじん.
彼は戦死後、軍神として祀られた。
After dying in battle, he was enshrined as a war hero.
Obsolete reading; it is out-dated kana usage.
Also means 'god of war', but 軍神 is more common and can also refer to a deified war hero.
Compound of 軍 (gun, 'army, war') and 神 (shin, 'god, deity'). The reading いくさがみ uses the native Japanese readings of the same characters.