[ p. 258 ]
[SECT. LXXXI.—EMPEROR KEI-KŌ (PART VI.—YAMATO-TAKE SLAYS THE IDZUMO BRAVO).
Forthwith entering the Land of Idzumo, and wishing to slay the Idzumo bravo, he on arriving, forthwith bound [himself to him in] friendship. So, having secretly [209] made [the wood of] an oak [^1586]] into a false sword and augustly girded it, he went with the bravo to bathe the River Hi. [^1587] Then, His Augustness Yamato-take [ p. 259 ] getting out of the river first, and taking and girding on the sword that the Idzumo bravo had taken off and laid down, said: “Let us exchange swords!” So afterwards the Idzumo bravo, getting out of the river, girded on His Augustness Yamato-take’s false sword. Hereupon His Augustness Yamato-take, suggested, saying: “Come on! let us cross [^1588] swords.” Then on drawing his sword, the Idzumo bravo could not draw the false sword. Forthwith His Augustness Yamato-take drew his sword and slew the Idzumo bravo. Then he sang augustly, saying:
“Alas that the sword girded on the Idzumo bravo, and wound round with many a creeper, should have had no true blade!” [^1589]
So having thus extirpated the [bravoes] and made [the land] orderly, he went up [to the capital], and made his report [to the Heavenly Sovereign].
[ p. 260 ]
¶ SECT. LXXXII.—EMPEROR KEI-KŌ (PART VII.—YAMATO-TAKE IS SENT TO SUBDUE THE EAST, AND VISITS HIS AUNT AT ISE).
Then the Heavenly Sovereign again urged a command on His Augustness Yamato-take, saying: “Subdue and pacify the savage Deities and likewise the unsubmissive people of the twelve roads of the East;” [1] and when he sent him off, joining to him Prince Mi-suki-tomo-mimi-take, [2] ancestor of the Grandees of Kibi, [3] he bestowed on [210] him a holly-wood [4] spear eight fathoms [long]. So when he had received the [Imperial] command and started off, he went into the temple of the Great August Deity of Ise, and worshipped the Deity’s court, [5] forthwith speaking to his aunt, Her Augustness Yamato-hime, saying: “It must surely be that the Heavenly Sovereign thinks [6] I may die quickly; for after sending me to smite the wicked people of the West, I am no sooner come up again [to the capital] than, without bestowing on me an army, he now sends me off afresh to pacify the wicked people of the twelve circuits of the East. Consequently I think that he certainly thinks I shall die quickly.” When he departed with lamentations and tears, Her Augustness Yamato-hime bestowed on him the “Herb-Quelling-Sabre,” [7] and likewise bestowed on him an august bag, [8] and said: “If there should be an emergency, open the mouth of the bag.”
[ p. 261 ] [211]
¶ SECT. LXXXIII.—EMPEROR KEI-KŌ (PART VIII.—YAMATO-TAKE SLAYS THE RULERS OF SAGAMU.)
So reaching the Land of Wohari, he went into the house of Princess Miyadzu, [9] ancestress of the Rulers of Wohari, [10] and forthwith thought to wed her; but thinking again that he would wed her when he should return up [toward the capital], and having plighted his troth, he went [on] into the Eastern Lands, and subdued and pacified all the savage Deities and unsubmissive people of the mountains and rivers. So then, when he reached the Land of Sagamu, [11] the Ruler of the land lied, saying: “In the middle of this moor is a great lagoon, and the Deity that dwells in the middle of the lagoon is a very violent Deity.” Hereupon [Yamato-take] entered the moor to see the Deity. Then the Ruler of the land set fire to the moor. So, knowing that he had been [ p. 262 ] deceived, he opened the mouth of the bag which his aunt, Her Augustness Yamato-hime had bestowed on him, and saw that inside of it there was a fire-striker. [12] Hereupon he first mowed away the herbage with his august sword, took the fire-striker and struck out fire, and, kindling a counter-fire, burnt [the herbage] and drove back [the other fire], and returned forth, and killed and destroyed all the Rulers [13] of that Land, and forthwith set fire to and burnt them. So [that place] is now called Yakidzu. [14]
[ p. 263 ] [212]
¶ SECT. LXXXIV.—EMPEROR KEI-KŌ (PART IX.—YAMATO-TAKE’S EMPRESS STILLS THE WAVES.)
When he thence penetrated on, and crossed the sea of Hashiri-midzu, [15] the Deity of that crossing raised the waves, tossing the ship so that it could not proceed across. Then [Yamato-take’s] Empress, [16] whose name was Her Augustness Princess Oto-tachibana [17] said: “I [18] will enter the sea instead of the august child. [19] The august child must complete the service [20] on which he has been sent, and take back a report [to the Heavenly Sovereign].” When she was about to enter the sea, she spread eight thicknesses of sedge rugs, [21] eight thicknesses of skin rugs and eight thicknesses of silk rugs on the top of the waves, and sat down on the top [of them] Thereupon the violent waves at once went down, and the august ship was able to proceed. Then the. Empress sang, saying:
“Ah! thou [whom I] enquired of, standing in the midst of the flames of the fire burning on the little moor of Sagamu, where the true peak pierces!” [22]
So seven days afterwards the Empress’s august comb [213] drifted onto the sea-beach,—Which comb was forthwith taken and placed in an august mausoleum which was made.
[ p. 264 ]
¶ SECT. LXXXV.—EMPEROR KEI-KŌ (PART X.—YAMATO-TAKE SLAYS THE DEITY OF THE ASHIGARA PASS.)
When, having thence penetrated on and subdued all the savage Yemishi [23] and likewise pacified all the savage Deities of the mountains and rivers, he was returning up [to the capital], he, on reaching the foot of the Ashigara Pass, [24] was eating his august provisions, when the Deity of the pass, transformed into a white deer, came and stood [before him]. Then forthwith, on his waiting [25] and striking [the deer] with a scrap of wild chive, [26] [the deer] was hit in the eye and struck dead. So, mounting to [ p. 265 ] the top of the pass, he sighed three times and spoke, saying: “Adzuma ha ya!” [27] So that land is called by the name of Adzuma.
¶ Footnotes
258:1 The species mentioned (ichihi) is the Quercus gilva. ↩︎
258:2 See Sect. XVIII, Note 2. ↩︎
259:3 Lit., “let us join swords.” The word “suggested” (
) in this sentence is an emendation of Motowori’s, the text having 
, “slandered.” The older printed editions, while retaining the character 
, read it azamukite, “deceived.” ↩︎259:4 In its position in the present text, this Song must be taken as an ironical lament of the Prince for the dead bravo. In the “Chronicle” the time and the heroes of the episode, and the singers of the Song are all different, and in that context the lament sounds like a genuine one. The reader will remember what was said in the Introduction as to the use of creepers for string. That mentioned in the text is supposed to be the Cocculus thunbergi. ↩︎
260:1 p. 260 See Sect. LXVI. Note 2. ↩︎
260:2 Mi-suki-tomo-mini-take-hiko. Mi is an Honorific, mimi probably signifies “ears,” and take means “bravo.” The words suki and tomo are obscure. ↩︎
260:3 Kibi na omi. ↩︎
260:4 Properly the Olea aquifolium, which resembles holly. Motowori p. 261 supposes that an entirely wooden spear or stick is here meant to be spoken of, and not the weapon with a metal point which is commonly understood by the word “spear” (hoko). ↩︎
260:5 Perhaps we should write “august court,” for the characters
in the text are evidently intended for the homonymous 
. The court in front of the Deity’s temple is what is here alluded to, and it would perhaps be a not unpardonable departure from the text to insert the Preposition “at,” or “in,” and translate thus: “worshipped in the Deity’s court.” ↩︎260:6 Here and below, the word “thinks,” may be understood to mean “wishes.” ↩︎
260:7 Kusa-nagi no tsurugi. The discovery of this sword by the deity Susa-no wo (“Impetuous Male”) inside one of the tails of the eight-headed serpent which he had slain, is narrated at the end of Sect. XVIII. ↩︎
260:8 The use of the contents of this bag will be seen in the next Section. ↩︎
261:1 p. 262 Miyazu-hime (in the “Chronicles ”and in the printed editions of these “Records ”previous to Motowori’s written Miyasu-hime without the nigori). Neither Motowori nor Tanigaha Shisei makes any suggestion as to the signification of this name. ↩︎
261:2 Wohari no miyatsuko. ↩︎
261:3 In the present time Sagami. No authority great or small has given a satisfactory etymology of this name, though numerous and elaborate attempts have been made to explain it. ↩︎
262:4 In the original hi-uchi (
). Mr. Satow, who has given a translation of this passage in a note to his third paper on the “Rituals ”to be found in Vol. IX, Pt. II. p. 202 of these “Transaction,” renders this word by “steel.” The present writer prefers not to prejudge the question as to whether the fire-striker “intended by the author was a steel, or a wooden fire-drill. Motowori would seem to have held the latter view, as in his gloss on this passage he refers to the previous passage near the end of Sect. XXXII, where the fire-drill is explicitly mentioned. He also quotes an ancient one in which ”a fire-striker of metal "is specially referred to, so that it would seem that all fire-strikers were not of that material. ↩︎262:5 Remember that this word “Ruler” (Miyatsuko) had the acceptation of a “gentile name ”as well as of the name of an office, so that we may understand the author to mean that Yamato-take destroyed the whole Ruling Family of Sagami. Parallel passage of the “Chronicles’’ has ”he burnt all that rebel band, and destroyed them.” ↩︎
262:6 The words rendered “that place” are supplied by Motowori, their omission being evidently a copyist’s error. Yaki-dzu signifies “the port of burning.” ↩︎
263:1 p. 263 I.e., “running water.” ↩︎
263:2 I.e., his consort. Conf. Sect. ???, Note 5. ↩︎
263:3 Oto-tachibana-hime no mikoto. (See Sect. XCII, Note 3.) ↩︎
263:4 Written with the humble character
, literally “concubine.” ↩︎263:5 I.e., instead of thee, the Prince.” ↩︎
263:6 More literally, “finish the government.” ↩︎
263:7 Or “mats.” But the same word is used as that which must be translated “rugs” immediately below. ↩︎
263:8 p. 264 This Song gives much trouble to the commentators, whose remarks (to be found in Motowori’s “Commentary.” Vol. XXVII, pp. 67-9, and Moribe’s “Idzu no Koto-Waki” Vol. III, pp, 6-9,) should be consulted by the student desirous of forming an opinion of his own. The general purport of the poem is of course to allude to Yamato-take’s adventure on the burning moor, and at the same time to the love which bound him and his consort together; almost each individual line offers matter for doubt. Thus it is not certain whether the Verb tohishi, here rendered “enquired of” (i.e., attended upon by the Empress). should not rather be given the word “thou” as subject, in which case the signification would be “thou who enquiredst of [i.e., wooedst].” The word used for “thou;” is the Honorific equivalent of that Pronoun signifying literally “prince.” Moribe disputes the propriety of considering Sagamu in this place as the name of a province, and the word sanesashi, here translated “where the true peak pierces” (Mt. Fuji being by some supposed to be thus alluded to) is of very doubtful interpretation. Motowori tells us that the final Particles ha mo, rendered by the initial Interjection “Oh,” should here be understood as an exclamation more forcible than that which usually belongs to him. Finally Moribe points out that the Song does not suit the context in which it is found, and has probably been erroneously inserted here instead of in an earlier portion of the text. ↩︎
264:1 This is the traditional ancient reading of what is according to the modern pronunciation Yezo, while the Chinese characters
, with which the name is written, signify “Prawn Barbarians,” in allusion (if Motowori may be trusted) to the long beards which make their fades resemble a prawn’s head. The hairy barbarians known to English readers as Ainos, and whose name of Yezo is applied by the Japanese to the northernmost large island of the Japanese Archipelago, which is still chiefly tenanted by them, are almost certainly here referred to. In ancient times they inhabited a great part of the Main Island of Japan. The translator may add that the genuiness of the so-called ancient reading “Yemishi” appears to him doubtful. The name known to the people themselves, and which apparently can be traced as far as Kamschatka, is Yezo. ↩︎