He appears in the scene of "tensonkorin" (the descent to earth of the grandson of the sun goddess) in "Kojiki" (The Records of Ancient Matters) and (the Book I of the first volume of) "Nihonshoki" (Chronicles of Japan) while he is called 'Sarutahiko-gami,' 'Sarutahiko-daijin,' or 'Sarutahiko no onogami' in Kojiki and 'Sarutahiko no mikoto' in Nihonshoki.
古事記および日本書紀の天孫降臨の段に登場し（日本書紀は第一の一書）、古事記では猿田毘古神・猿田毘古大神・猿田毘古之男神、日本書紀では猿田彦命と表記する。