[ p. 98 ] [82]
¶ SECT. XXVI.—THE DEITIES THE AUGUST DESCENDANTS OF THE DEITY MASTER-OF-THE-GREAT-LAND.
So this Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land wedded Her Augustness Torrent-Mist-Princess, the Deity dwelling in the inner temple of Munakata. [^534] and begot children: the Deity Aji-shiki-taka-hiko-ne, [^535] next his younger sister Her Augustness High-Princess, [^536] another name for whom is Her Augustness Princess Under-Shining. [^537] This Deity Aji-shiki-taka-hiko-ne is he who is now called the Great August Deity of Kamo. [1] Again the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land wedded Her Augustness Princess Divine-House-Shield [2] and begot a child: the Deity Thing-Sign-Master. [3] Again he wedded the Deity Bird-Ears, [4] daughter of the Deity Eight-Island-Possessor, [5] and begot [ p. 99 ] a child: the Deity Bird-Growing-Ears. [6] This Deity wedded Hina-teri-nakata-bichi-wo-ikochini, [7] and begot a child: the Deity Land-Great-Wealth. [8] This Deity wedded the Deity Ashi-nadaka, [9] another name for whom is Princess-Eight-Rivers-and-Inlets, [10] and begot a child: the Deity Swift-Awful-Brave-Sahaya-Land-Ruler. [11] This Deity wedded Princess Luck-Spirit, [12] daughter of the [84] Deity Heavenly-Awful-Master, [13] and begot a child: the Deity Awful-Master-Prince. [14] This Deity wedded Princess Hina-rashi, [15] daughter of the Deity Okami, [16] and begot a child: the Deity Tahiri-kishi-marumi. [17] This Deity wedded the Deity Princess-Life-Spirit-Luck-Spirit, [18] daughter of the Deity Waiting-to-See-the-Flowers-of-the-Holly, [19] and begot a child: the Deity Mira-na-mi. [20] This Deity wedded Princess Awo-numa-oshi, [21] daughter of the Master-of-Shiki-yama, [22] and begot a child: the Deity Nunoshi-tomi-tori-naru-mi. [23] This Deity wedded the Young-Day-Female-Deity, [24] and begot a child: the Deity Heavenly-Hibara-Great-Long-Wind-Wealth. [25] This Deity wedded the Deity Toho-tsu-ma-chi-ne, [26] daughter of the Deity Heavenly-Pass Boundary, [27] and begot a child: the Deity Toho-tsu-yama-zaki-tarashi. [28]
From the above-mentioned Deity Eight-Island-Ruler down to the Deity Toho-tsu-yama-zaki-tarashi are called the Deities of seventeen generations. [29]
[ p. 100 ]
[ p. 101 ]
[ p. 102 ]
[ p. 103 ]
¶ SECT. XXVII.—THE LITTLE-PRINCE-THE-RENOWNED-DEITY.
So when the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land dwelt at the august cape of Miho [30] in Idzumo, there came riding on the crest [31] of the waves in a boat of heavenly Kagami [32] a Deity dressed in skins of geese [33] flayed with a complete [85] flaying, who, when asked his name, replied not; moreover the Deities who accompanied him, though asked, all said that they knew not. Then the toad [34] spoke, saying: “As for this, the Crumbling Prince [35] will surely know it.” Thereupon [the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land] summoned and asked the Crumbling-Prince, who replied. saying: “This is the Little-Prince-the-Renowned-Deity. [36] the august child of the Deity-Producing-Wondrous-Deity.” [37] So on their then respectfully informing [38] His Augustness the Deity-Producing-Wondrous-August-Ancestor, he replied, saying: “This is truly my child. He among my children is the child who dipped between the fork of my hand. [39] So do he and thou become [87] brethren, and make and consolidate this land.” [40] So from that time forward the two Deities the Great-Name-Possessor and the Little-Prince-the-Renowned-Deity made and consolidated this land conjointly. But afterwards the Little-Prince-the-Renowned-Deity crossed over to the Eternal Land. [41] So [the Deity here] called the Crumbling Prince, who revealed the Little-Prince-the-Renowned-Deity, is what is now [called] the scarecrow in the mountain fields. This Deity, though his legs do not walk, is a Deity who knows everything in the Empire. [42]
[ p. 104 ] p. 105
[ p. 106 ] [88]
¶ SECT. XXVIII.—THE AUGUST-LUCK-SPIRIT-THE-AUGUST-WONDROUS-SPIRIT. [43]
Thereupon the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land lamented himself, and said: “How shall I alone be able to make this land? [44] Together with what Deity can I make this land?” At this time there came a Deity illuminating the sea. This Deity said: “If thou wilt lay me to rest [45] well, I can make it together with thee. If not, the land cannot be made.” Then the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land said: “If that be so, what is the manner of reverently laying thee to rest?” He replied, saying: “Reverently worship me on Yamato’s green fence, the eastern mountain’s top.” [46] This is the Deity who dwells on the top of Mount Mimoro. [47]
[ p. 107 ]
¶ SECT. XXIX.—THE AUGUST CHILDREN OF THE GREAT-HARVEST-DEITY AND OF THE SWIFT-MOUNTAIN-DEITY.
So the Great-Harvest-Deity wedded the Princess [of?] Inu, [48] daughter of the Divine-Life-Producing-Wondrous-Deity, [49] and begot children: the Deity August-Spirit-of-the-Great-Land; [50] [89] next the Deity of Kara; [51] next the Deity Sohori; [52] next the Deity White-Sun; [53] next the Sage-Deity. [54] (Five Deities [55]). Again he wedded the Refulgent-Princess, [56] and begot children: the Deity Great-Refulgent-Mountain-Dwelling-Grandee, [57] next the August-Harvest-Deity. [58] Again he wedded Princess Ame-shiru-karu-midzu, [59] and begot children: the Deity Oki-tsu-hiko, [60] next Her Augustness Oki-tsu-hime, [61] another name for whom is [90] the Deity Great Furnace-Princess [62]—this is the Deity of the Furnace [63] held in reverence by all people—next the Deity Great-Mountain-Integrator, [64] another name for whom is the Deity-Great-Master-of-the-Mountain-End: [65] this Deity dwells on Mount Hiye [66] in the land of Chika-tsu-Afumi, [67] and is likewise the Deity dwelling at Matsu-no-wo [68] in Kadzunu, [69] who uses the whizzing barb. [70] Next the Deity-of-the-Fire-in-the-Yard; [71] next the Deity Asahi; [72] next the Deity Hahigi; [73] next the Deity Refulgent-Mountain-Dwelling-Grandee; [74] next the Deity [91] Swift-Mountain-Dwelling; [75] next the High Deity-of-the-Fire-in-the-Yard; [76] next the Great-Earth-Deity, [77] another name for whom is the Deity August-Ancestor-of-Earth. [78] (Nine Deities [79])
In the above paragraph the children of the Great-Harvest-Deity, from the Deity August-Spirit-of-the Great-Land down to the Great-Earth-Deity, are altogether sixteen Deities.
[ p. 108 ]
The Deity Swift-Mountain-Dwelling [80] wedded the Deity Princess-of-Great-Food, [81] and begot children: the Deity Young-Mountain-Integrator; [82] next the Young-Harvest-Deity; [83] next his younger sister the Young-Rice-Transplanting-Female-Deity; [84] next the Water-Sprinkling-Deity; [85] next the Deity-of-the-High-Sun-of-Summer, [86] another name for whom is the Female-Deity-of-Summer; [87] next the Autumn-Princess; [88] next the Deity Stem-Harvest; [89] next the Deity Lord-Stem-Tree-Young-House-Rope. [90]
In the above paragraph the children of the Deity Swift-Mountain-Dwelling, from the Deity Young-Mountain-Integrator down to the Deity Lord-Young-House-Rope, [91] are altogether eight Deities.
[ p. 109 ] p. 110 p. 111
[ p. 112 ] [93]
¶ SECT. XXX.—THE AUGUST DELIBERATION FOR PACIFYING THE LAND.
The Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity commanded, saying: “The Luxuriant-Reed-Plains-the-Land-of-Fresh-Rice-ears-of-a-Thousand-Autumns,—Of Long-Five-Hundred-Autumns [92] is the land which my august child His Augustness Truly-Conqueror-I-Conquer-Conquering-Swift-Heavenly-Great-Great-Ears [93] shall govern.” Having [thus] deigned to charge him, she sent him down from Heaven. [94] Hereupon His Augustness Heavenly-Great-Great-Ears, standing on the Floating Bridge of Heaven, [95] said: “The Luxuriant-Reed-Plains-the-Land-of-Fresh-Rice-ears-of-a-Thousand-Autumns,—of Long-Five-Hundred-Autumns is painfully uproarious,—it is.” [96] With this announcement, he immediately re-ascended, and informed the Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity. Then the High-August-Producing-Wondrous-Deity [97] and the Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity commanded the eight hundred myriad Deities to assemble in a divine assembly in the bed of the Tranquil River of Heaven, [98] and caused the Deity Thought-Includer [99] to think [of a plan], and said: [100] “This Central Land of Reed-Plains is the land with which we [ p. 113 ] have deigned to charge our august child as the land which he shall govern. So as he deems that violent and savage Earthly Deities [101] are numerous in this land, [69] which Deity shall we send to subdue them?” Then the Deity Thought-Includer and likewise the eight hundred myriad Deities took counsel and said: “The Deity Ame-no-ho-hi [102] is the one that should be sent.” So they sent the Deity Ame-no-ho-hi; but he at once curried favour with the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land, and for three years brought back no report.
¶ Footnotes
98:1 p. 99 See Sect. XIII, Note 15 and Sect. XIV. Note 2. ↩︎
98:2 Aji-shiki taka-hiko-ne no-kami. The meaning of the first two members of this compound name is altogether obscure. Taka-hiko-ne signifies “high-prince lord.” ↩︎
98:3 Taka-hime-no-mikoto. Taka-hime is supposed by Hirata to be a mutilated form of Taka-teru-hime, “High-Shining-Princess,” which would make the two names of this personage properly complementary. ↩︎
98:4 p. 100 Shita-teru-hime-no-mikoto. This goddess is popularly supposed to have been extremely beautiful, whence perhaps the name, which might be taken to imply that her beauty shone forth from under her garments as in the case of So-towori-hime (see Sect. CXXXVII, Note 9). ↩︎
98:5 Because there worshipped. The etymology of Kamo is not clear. ↩︎
98:6 Kamu-ya-tate-hime-no-mikoto. The translation here follows the Chinese characters. Another proposal of Motowori’s is to regard the syllables ya-tate as a corruption of iya-taka-teri, “more and more high shining,” which would give us for the whole name in English “Divine-More-and-More-High-Shining-Princess.” ↩︎
98:7 I.e., “the Deity who gave a sign of the thing he did.” The Japanese original is Koto-shire-nushi-no-kami. The translation of the name here given follows Motowori’s interpretation, which takes it to contain an allusion to the act by which its bearer symbolized his surrender of the sovereignty of the land to the descendant of the Sun-Goddess. Lengthened forms of the name are Ya-he-koto-shiro-nushi-no-kami (“the Deity Eight-Fold-Thing-Sign-Master”) and Tsumi-ba-ya-he-koto-shiro-nushi-no-kami, the first three syllables of which latter are obscure. Both of the lengthened forms are supposed to contain a reference to the manifold “green branches” mentioned in the legend referred to,—that. viz., which forms the subject-matter of Sect. XXXII. ↩︎
98:8 Tori-mimi-no-kami. Motowori suggests that tori, “bird,” may be but the name of a place in Yamato. ↩︎
98:9 Ya-shima-muji-no-kami. “Possessor” is the probable meaning of muji, regarded here and elsewhere as an alternative form of mochi. Motowori suggests that Yashima may be meant for the name of a district in Yamato, in which case both this god and his daughter would have been named from the places of their birth or residence, which are near each other in the same province. ↩︎
99:10 Tori-nara-mi-no-kami. The above interpretation, which is proposed by Motowori, seems more acceptable than “Bird-Sounding-Sea,” which the Chinese characters yield. Tori “bird,” if taken above to be the name of a place, must be likewise so considered here.—Motowori reasonably conjectures that a clause to the following effect is here omitted: “He wedded such and such a princess, daughter of such and such a Deity, and begot a child: the Deity Take-mina-gata” [i.e. probably Brave-August-Name-Firm] (See Sect. XXXII, Note 21). Hirata’s text in his “Exposition of the Ancient Histories” is
. ↩︎99:11 p. 101 The text is here evidently corrupt, and Motowori proposes to read either Hina-teri-nukata-bichi-wo-no-kami no musume Iko-chi-ni-no-kami which would give us in English “the Deity Ikochini, daughter of the male Deity Hina-teri-nukata-bichi,” or else to take the whole as the father’s name, and to suppose that the name of the daughter has been accidentally omitted. Hina-teri means “Rustic Illuminator,” and the name resembles that of a deity mentioned in Sect. XIV, Note 6. Nukata and Bichi (or Hiji, reversing the position of the nigori) are supposed to be names of places. Ikochini is altogether obscure. ↩︎
99:12 Kuni-oshi-tomi-no-kami, oshi, as in other instances, being considered a contraction of ohoshi, “great.” ↩︎
99:13 Ashi-nakada-no-kami. It is not clear whether this is a personal name or, as Motowori supposes, the name of the place where the goddess resided. He quotes places named Ashidaka and Ashida; but this hardly seems satisfactory. In any case the name remains obscure. ↩︎
99:14 Ya-kaha-ye-hime. The translation follows the meaning of the Chinese characters with which the name is written. It is, however, also open to us to consider Yaka-ha-ye as a corruption of iya-ko-haye, “more flourishing.” ↩︎
99:15 Haya-mika-no-take sahaya-ji-nu-mi-no-kami. The syllables sahaya are obscure, and Motowori’s proposal to consider them as the name of a place has only been followed in the translation for want of something more satisfactory. ↩︎
99:16 Saki-tama-bime. ↩︎
99:17 Ame-no-mika-a-nushi-no-kami. ↩︎
99:18 wika-nushi-hike-no-kami. ↩︎
99:19 Hina-rashi-bime. Motowori takes Hina to be the name of a place, and rashi, to be an apocopated form of tarashi or some such word. But this is mere guess-work. ↩︎
99:20 Okami-no-kami. See Sect. VIII, Note 9. ↩︎
99:21 Tahiri-kishi-marumi-no-kami. The meaning of this name is quite obscure. Motowori throws out the suggestion that Tahiri may stand for Tari-hiri and Kishi-marumi for Kizhima-tsu-mi,—Tarihi and Kizhiwa being names of places, and tsu-mi, as usual, being credited with the signification of “possessor.” ↩︎
99:22 Iku-tama-saki-tama-hime. ↩︎
99:23 Hihira-gi-no-sono-hana-madzu-mi-no-kami. The interpretation of the name here given is conjectural as far as the words “waiting to see” (taken on Tominobu’s authority to be the most likely meaning of madzu-mi) p. 102 are concerned. Motowori suggests that hihira-gi-no may be but a sort of Pillow-Word, and not part of the actual name at all, and the remaining characters corrupted. Hihira-gi rendered “holly,” is properly the Olea Aquifolia. ↩︎
99:24 Miro-nami-no-kami. Meaning obscure. Miro is supposed by Motowori to be the name of a place, and na and mi to be Honorific appellations. ↩︎
99:25 Awo-numa-nu-oshi-hime. Meaning obscure. ↩︎
99:26 Shiki-yama-nushi-no-kami. Shiki-yama is supposed to be the name of a place in Echizen. ↩︎
99:27 Nunoshi-tomi-tori-nara-mi-no-kami. Nunoshi is supposed to be the name of a place, and identical with Nunoshi, which forms part of the mother’s name. Motowori takes tomi to be an Honorific, and Tori (as previously in the case of the deities Tori-mimi and Tori-naru-mi (See Notes 8 and 10) to be the name of another place. The translator would prefer to take both words in their common signification, and (leaving nunoshi aside as incomprehensible) to render the rest of the name thus: “Wealth-Bird-Growing-Ears.” ↩︎
99:28 Waka-hiru-me-na-kami. ↩︎
99:29 Ame-no-hibara-oho-shi-na-domi-no-kami. Motowori supposes Hibara to be the name of a place, a view which the translator has adopted for want of a better. ↩︎
99:30 Toho-tsu-ma-chi-ne-no-kami. Motowori supposes Tohotsu to be the name of a place, and the remaining syllables to be Honorific. ↩︎
99:31 There is no footnote 31—JBH. ↩︎
99:32 Toho-tsu-yama-zaki-tarashi-no-kami. Toho-tsu (lit. “distant”) and yamazaki (“mountain-cape”) are both considered by Motowori to be names of places. Tarashi signifies “perfect” or “perfection.” We might perhaps render the name thus: “Perfection-of-the-Distant-Mountain- Cape.” ↩︎
99:33 I.e. “seventeen generations of Deities.” But the construction is curious. Motowori points out that there is here an error in the computation, as the text enumerates but fifteen generations. The names of the gods and goddess mentioned in this section offer unusual difficulties Motowori says that it is with hesitation that he proposes many of his interpretations, and it is with still greater hesitation that the translator has accepted them. ↩︎
103:1 p. 103 Not to be confounded with the better known Miho in Suruga. Derivation of the name seems uncertain. ↩︎
103:2 p. 104 The character used is
, which properly denotes an ear of rice or other grain. ↩︎103:3 What plant the author intends by this name is not quite certain. The characters
and 
are variously used to write it in the native work of reference, where also we learn that it probably corresponds to the plant known in different provinces of modern Japan as chichi-gusa, tombo-no-chichi, kagarahi and gaga-imo. We may best understand the Ampelopsis serianæfolia to have been intended, as the plant is described as having a berry three or four inches long shaped like a towel-gourd, (hechima), so that, if scooped out, it would fairly resemble a boat in miniature. ↩︎103:4 All the authorities are agreed in considering the character
, “goose,” to be a copyist’s error; but there is no agreement as to the character which should be substituted for it. Hirata reads 
, “wren,” changing the phonetic. “Wren” also is the reading in “One account” of the “Chronicles,” and Moribe, commenting thereon in his “Idzu no Chi-Waki,” thinks that “wren” must have been the bird originally intended by the framers of the tradition. Motowori, following a suggestion of the editor of 1687, prefers to consider the radical for “bird” to have been put by mistake for the radical for “insect,” and reads 
which signifies “moth,” especially the “silkworm moth.” Motowori, however, proceeds to give to the character in question the Japanese reading of hi mushi (lit. “fire-insect,” i.e. “ephemera”), which is not warranted. The proper Japanese reading is hihiru. The best would seem to be to adopt the reading 
“moth.” ↩︎103:5 The original word is tani-guku. Its derivation and the name of the species which it denoted are alike unknown. Indeed we might equally well translate by “frog.” ↩︎
103:6 Kuye-biko. The interpretation of the name here adopted is Motowori’s. Tominobu takes Kuye to be the name of a place, and the parsonage in question to have been the inventor of scarecrows, whence the tradition connected with his name. ↩︎
103:7 Sukuna-biko-na-no-kami, or without the nigori, Sukuna-hiko-na-no-kami. The interpretation of the name here followed is that proposed by Motowori, but not followed by Hirata and Moribe, who prefer to consider it antithetical to that of Oho-na-muji, “the Great-name-Possess or.” ↩︎
103:8 First mentioned in Sect. I, Note 6. Immediately below, his name is given in the lengthened form. ↩︎
103:9 Motowori (who, strange to say, is followed by Hirata,—conf. Sect. XVIII, Note 18) interprets the two characters
(here in accordance p. 105 with general usage taken to signify “respectfully informed”) as “informed and took up,” thus making it appear that the diminutive deity was personally taken up to Heaven. Surely a recollection of the parallel passage in the “Chronicles,” which says that “a messenger was sent up to inform the Heavenly Deities,” should have preserved the commentators from thus offending against both grammar and common sense. ↩︎103:10 I.e., “slipped away between my fingers.” In the legend as given in the “Chronicles,” the father explains more particularly that the Little-Prince-the-Renowned-Deity had been a bad boy who ran away. ↩︎
103:11 For an explanation of this expression see Sect. XXIII. Note 26. ↩︎
103:12 Toko-yo-no-kuai (
). Some kind of Paradise or Hades is meant, as is proved by innumerable references in the early literature of Japan: and we may suppose the idea to have been borrowed from the Chinese or through them from Buddhism, and to have been afterwards vaguely located in some distant country. In Sect. LXXIV we are told of the orange having been brought from the “Eternal Land” by Tajima-mori, who is said to have been of Korean extraction. Korea, which is to the west of Japan, and the Buddhist paradise in the west might well he confounded by tradition, though it is equally open to discussion whether Southern China or even the Loochoo Islands might not have been thus vaguely designated. In any case it was a distant place, imperfectly known, though specifically named. In the “Chronicles,” Tajima-mori is made to say that it is “the retreat of Gods and Fairies, and not to be reached by common men.”—Motowori’s immense note on this word (see Vol. XXI, pp. 10-13 of his Commentary) is a specimen of the specious arguments by which he endeavours to ward off from the Early Japanese the imputation of ever having borrowed any ideas from their neighbours. He would have us believe that Toko-yo is derived from soko yori, “thence” (!) and that the name simply denotes foreign countries in general. This is on a par with the opinion emitted by Arawi Hakuseki in his “Ko-shi Tsū,” to the effect that the “Eternal Land” was simply a place in the province of Hitachi. The latter good old commentator apparently founded himself on no better reasons than his general rejection of supernatural or otherwise perplexing details, and the fact that one of the characters with which the name of the province in question written is 
, which also forms part of the name of Toko-yo-no-kuni. ↩︎103:13 Literally “everything beneath Heaven.” “Beneath Heaven” (
), i.e. “all that is beneath the Heavens,” is a common Chinese phrase for the Chinese Empire, which was in ancient days not unnaturally p. 106 supposed by its inhabitants to form the whole civilized world. The expression was borrowed by the Japanese to designate their own country, But its use by them had not the same plea of ignorance of other civilized lands, as they were acquainted with China and Korea, and had hence obtained nearly all the arts of life. ↩︎106:1 p. 106 In the “Chronicles,” this is given as the designation of the Deity who came over the sea, and Motowori therefore adopts it as the heading of this Section. ↩︎
106:2 For an explanation of this expression see Sect. XXIII, Note 26. ↩︎
106:3 I.e. “if thou wilt build me a temple.” The original might also be rendered “if thou wilt worship before me,” or “at my shrine,” of “if thou wilt establish a temple to me.” ↩︎
106:4 I.e. on Mount Mimoro which stands as a protecting fence in the eastern part of the province of Yamato. Awo-kaki-yama, “green fence mountain,” became a proper name used alternatively for Mount Mimoro (or, according to the later pronunciation, Mimuro). In like manner Himukashi-yama (in the later language Higashi-yama) “eastern mountain,” has by some been considered to be a proper name. ↩︎
106:5 I.e. “august house;” so called probably from the temple of the deity. ↩︎
107:1 p. 108 Inu-hime. Motowori supposes Inu to be the name of a place. The word properly signifies “dog.” ↩︎
107:2 Kamu-iku-musu-bi-no-kami. ↩︎
107:3 Oho-kuni-mi-tama-no-kami. ↩︎
107:4 Kara-no-kami,
. Kara signifies Korea and China, and the Deity thus named appears in the “Chronicle” under the name of I-so-takeru (“Fifty-fold-Valiant”), of whom it is related that he was taken over to Korea by his father Susa-no-wo (the “Impetuous-Male”). ↩︎107:5 Sohori-no-kami. The etymology is not clear. Hirata derives the name from a Verb soru, “to ride,” “to go in a boat,” in connection with the story (mentioned in the preceding note) of I-so-takeru having been taken over to Korea. According to this view, Sohori, like Kara-no-kami, would be an alternative name of I-so-takeru. But the derivation is hazardous, to say the least. ↩︎
107:6 Shira-hi-no-kami. Motowori supposes shira hi (
) to be a copyist’s error for makahi ( 
). The latter, however, does not make satisfactory sense, and Tomonobu, proposes to invert the characters, thus: 
, which means “sun-confronting.” Motowori suggests that the word may, after all, be but the name of a place. ↩︎107:7 Hizhiri-no-kami, written with the characters
. The first of these is defined as signifying him who is intuitively wise and good, i.e. p. 109 the perfect sage. But perhaps we should in Archaic Japanese take the term hizhiri in what is its probable native etymological sense, viz. “sun-governing” (hizhiri, 
), a title properly applied to the Japanese Emperors as descendants of the Sun-God, and of which the character 
, which is used of the Chinese Monarchs, is only an equivalent in so far as it, too, is employed as an Honorific title. ↩︎107:8 Viz. from the August-Spirit-of-the-Great-Land to the Sage-Deity inclusive. ↩︎
107:9 Kagaya-hime. ↩︎
107:10 Oho-kaga-yama-to-omi-no-kami. The translation follows Hirata’s interpretation, which nearly agrees with that proposed by Mabuchi. ↩︎
107:11 Mi-toshi-no-kami. For the meaning of “harvest” attributed to the word toshi see Sect. XX, Note 3. ↩︎
107:12 Ame-shiru-karu-midzu-hime. The name might tentatively be translated thus: Heaven-Governing-Fresh-Princess-of Karu. Motowori suggests that amerishiru may be but a sort of Pillow-Word for the rest of the name. Ama-tobu is, however, the only Pillow-word for Karu found in the poems. After all, Karu may not here be the name of a place at all. ↩︎
107:13 Oki-tsu-hiko-no-kami. The translator ventures to think that the names of this deity and the next might simply be rendered (in accordance with the first character,
entering into their composing) “Inner Prince” and “Inner Princess” or “Prince of the Interior” and “Princess of the Interior.” Motowori however suggests that Okitsu may be the name of a place, while Hirata derives the names from oki-tsuchi, “laid earth,” finding therein a reference to the furnace (made of clay) mentioned immediately below. ↩︎107:14 Oki-tsu-hime-no-mikoto. ↩︎
107:15 Oho-be-hime-no-kami. ↩︎
107:16 Kama-no-kami (
). The “furnace” means the “kitchen.” Neither Motowori nor Hirata informs us that the immense popularity of this Goddess, as well as her name, can clearly be traced to China. ↩︎107:17 Oho-yama-kuni-no-kami. The meaning of kuhi, here (as in the case of Tsumu-guhi and Iku-guhi (see Sect. II, Note 4) rendered by the word “interior,” is open to doubt. ↩︎
107:18 Yama-suwe-no-oko-mushi-no-kami. Motowori supposes the word suwe, “end,” to have the signification of “top.” ↩︎
107:19 As it stands, the etymology of this name is not clear. In later times the mountain was called Hiyei (
). But whether the, to outward appearance, native Hiye is but a corruption of this Chinese one, or p. 110 whether it be true that the latter (on this hypothesis bestowed on account of its likeness in sound to the native designation) was not used till the end of the eighth or beginning of the ninth century. as is commonly stated, is difficult to decide. ↩︎107:20 I.e. “Close-Fresh-Sea.” Afumi (modern pron. Omi, for aha-umi) alone signifies “fresh sea,” i e. “lake.” This province contains the large take commonly known as Lake Biha, (Biwa), but anciently simply called “the Fresh Sea,” as being the lake par excellence of Japan. When one of the eastern provinces received, on account of a large lagoon or inlet which it contains, the name of Toho-tsu-Afumi (in modern pronunciation Tō-tōmi), i.e. “Distant-Fresh-Sea,” the epithet Close was prefixed to the name of the province nearer to the ancient centre of government. ↩︎
107:21 I.e. Pine-tree-Declivity. ↩︎
107:22 I.e. Pueraria-Moor. ↩︎
107:23 This passage (
) must be corrupt. Mabuchi proposes to insert the character 
before 
, and to understand the author to have meant to tell us that the deity was worshipped with arrows, that is to say, that arrows were offered at his shrine. Motowori’s proposal to consider 
as an error for 
or 
, and to interpret the clause thus: “the Deity who was changed into an arrow” is also worthy of notice. But a further suggestion of his to read 
for 
and to interpret thus: “the Deity of the Red Arrow,” seems best of all when taken in connection with the tradition, which he quotes from the “Topography of Yamashiro,” to the effect that this god took the shape of a red arrow to gain access to his mistress Tama-yori-hime, such a transformation being one of the common-places of Japanese myth. ↩︎107:24 Niha-tsu-hi-no-kami. The interpretation of this name here adopted is not Motowori’s, who takes hi in the sense of “wondrous,” but Hirata’s. The latter-author makes it clear that this deity (for whom Niha-taka-tsu-hi-no-kami, i.e. “The High-Deity-of-the-Fire-in-the-Yard,” is but a slightly amplified designation) was none other than the above-mentioned Deity of the Kitchen, and his name an inclusive one for the pair of deities Oki-tsu-hiko and Oki-tsu-hime. ↩︎
107:25 Asuha-ho-kami. The signification of this name is obscure, and Motowori’s proposal to derive it from ashi-niha, “foot-place,” because the god in question may be supposed to protect the place on which people stand, is not altogether convincing. In fact he himself only advances it with hesitation. It should be added, however, that Hirata stamps it with his special approval, as he does also Motowori’s derivation of the following name, Hahigi. ↩︎
107:26 p. 111 Hahi-gino-kami. Obscure, but ingeniously derived by Motowori from hachi-iri-gimi, i.e. “entering prince,” the deity in question being supposed to have been the special protector of the entrances to houses, and to have thence received his name. Mr. Satow has translated it in the Rituals as “Entrance Limit.” ↩︎
107:27 Kaga-yama-to-omi-no-kami. The name is almost identical with that in Note 10. ↩︎
107:28 Ha-yama-to-no-kami. The interpretation of the name is that proposed by Motowori, and which seems tolerably satisfactory. ↩︎
107:29 Niha-taka-tsu-hi-no-kami. See note 24. ↩︎
107:30 Oho-tsuchi-no-kami. ↩︎
107:31 Tsuchi-no-mi-oya-kami. ↩︎
107:32 This number is obtained if (as is perhaps permissible from a Japanese point of view) we consider Oki-tsu-hiko and Oki-tsu-hime as forming a single deity. Otherwise there are ten. A similar remark applies to the number sixteen mentioned immediately below. ↩︎
108:33 See Note 28. ↩︎
108:34 See Sect. V, Note 8. The fact that this goddess is related to have been previously killed (see Sect. XVII) causes Motowori some embarrassment. ↩︎
108:35 Waka-yama-kuhi-no-kami. ↩︎
108:36 Waka-toshi-no-kami. Motowori proposes (considering this name in connection with the four that follow) to take waka-toshi in this place in the signification of the “the first sprouting” of the young rice. The five deities whose birth is here mentioned seem collectively to represent the natural succession of agricultural operations throughout the year. ↩︎
108:37 Waka-sa-name-no-kami. ↩︎
108:38 Midzu-maki-no-kami. ↩︎
108:39 Natsu-taka-tsu-hi-no-kami. Motowori’s interpretation of hi as “wondrous” is perhaps as good as that here adopted, according to which it signifies “sun.” His view would give us in English “the Summer-High-Wondrous-Deity.” ↩︎
108:40 Natsu-no-me-no-kami. ↩︎
108:41 Aki-bime no-kami. ↩︎
108:42 Kuku-toshi-no-kami. The word kuku, “stem,” seems to allude to the length of the well-grown rice. ↩︎
108:43 p. 112 Kuku-ki-waka-muro-tsunane-no-kami. Motowori supposes this god to have been the protector of houses, and interprets the name to denote the beams, and the ropes with which the beams were bound together. The word here read tsuna, “rope;” is written with the character, and might perhaps be rendered “pueraria.” But as in early times the tendrils of such creeping plants formed the only substitute for rope, the two renderings come to have very nearly the same signification. ↩︎
108:44 The name is here abbreviated in the original to Waka-muro-tsuna-ne-no-kami. ↩︎
112:1 p. 113 Toyo-ashi-hara-no-chi-aki-no-naga-i-ho-aki-no-midzu-ho-izo-kuni, i.e., freely rendered, “ever fruitful Japan with its reed-covered plains and its luxuriant rice-fields.” ↩︎
112:2 See Sect. XIII, Note 18. Henceforward this tremendous name is mostly abbreviated to Ame-no-oshi-ho-mimi (probably signifying “Heavenly-Great-Great-Ears.”) ↩︎
112:3 So in the original. The sense, however, is rather “told him to descend from Heaven;” for he did not actually go further than the top of the “Floating Bridge,” and never came down to earth. ↩︎
112:4 See Sect. III, Note 3. ↩︎
112:5 The words “it is” stand for ari keri in the original. Conf. Sect. X, Note 1. ↩︎
112:6 Taka-mi-musu-bi-no-kami, first mentioned at the very commencement of the work. In this legend this god’s name is constantly coupled with that of the Sun-Goddess, who alone, up to this point, had appeared as the ruler of Heaven. ↩︎
112:7 See Sect. XIII, Note 12. ↩︎