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Origin[]
Princess Tatsuta is the personification of Mount Tatsuta, which is located to the west of Nara. As the western direction is associated with the season autumn, Princess Tatsuta is considered the goddess of autumn, and her name is one of the season words for autumn in certain forms of Japanese poetry such as renga, haikai, and haiku. She comes as a pair with Princess Saho, the goddess of spring.
Due to a homophonous linkage between the word "tatsu" 竜 in her name (meaning "dragon") and the verb "tatsu" 裁つ meaning "to cut (cloth)," Princess Tatsuta is also revered as the goddess of sewing. Furthermore, as Mount Tatsuta is famous for its vibrant autumn leaves, Princess Tatsuta is also regarded as the goddess of dyeing (and the colored leaves are taken to be the products of her work).