also: うっがん
patron god; deified ancestor
Shinto term used in Kyushu dialect for a protective deity or an ancestor worshipped as a kami. Not widely used in standard Japanese.
九州の一部では、家を守る内神を祀る習慣がある。
In parts of Kyushu, there is a custom of enshrining a patron god (uchigami) that protects the household.
その集落では、先祖を内神として祭っている。
In that village, they worship their ancestors as deified kami (uchigami).
Standard kanji spelling for the reading うちがみ.
Rare reading, possibly dialectal or historical; うちがみ is the usual reading.
Compound of 内 (uchi, 'inside, home') and 神 (kami, 'god, deity'). The reading うっがん is a dialectal contraction of うちがみ.