An abbreviation for sayaniwa, saniwa is commonly regarded as having originally referred to a purified site called saniwa (沙庭) where a deity was worshipped and its "divine message" (takusen) was revealed. As a result, saniwa later came to signify "a person who receives a divine revelation at a saniwa (沙庭)" (saniwabito), that is, someone who receives and interprets a divine revelation or who plays the koto at a purified ceremonial site. In an account of Emperor Chūai in Kojiki, the emperor played the "seven-stringed koto" (mikoto, also called wagon) and Takeshiuchi no Sukune prayed at the saniwa for a divine proclamation. In Book IX of Nihon shoki, Empress Jingū (Jingū kōgō) assumed the role of officiating priest, ordered Takeshiuchi no Sukune to play the koto, and summoned Nakatomo no Ikatsu Omi to serve as saniwa(審神者). Consequently, a person who played the wagon for a kagura performance was also called saniwa.