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the kojiki
Part 2 - The Quarrel of Izanaga and Izanami
THE LAND OF HADES
Thereupon His Augustuess the Male-Who-Invites, wishing to meet
and see his younger sister Her Augustness the FemaleWho-Invites, followed after
her to the Land of Hades. So when from the palace she raised the door and came
out to meet him, His Augustness the Male-Who-Invites spoke, saying: "Thine
Augustness, my lovelv younger sister! the lands that I and thou made are not yet
finished making; so come back! " Then Her Augustness the Female-Who-Invites
answered, saying: " Lamentable indeed that thou camest not sooner! I have eaten
of the furnace of Hades. Nevertheless, as I reverence the entry here of Thine
Augustness, my lovely elder brother, I wish to return. Moreover, I will discuss
it particularly with the deities of Hades. Look not at me!" Having thus spoken,
she went back inside the palace; and as she tarried there very long, he could
not wait. So having taken and broken off one of the end-teeth of the
multitudinous and close-toothed comb stuck in the august left bunch of his hair,
he lit one light and went in and looked. Maggots were swarming, and she was
rotting, and in her head dwelt the Great-Thunder, in her breast dwelt the
Fire-Thunder, in her left hand dwelt the Young-Thunder, in her right hand dwelt
the Earth-Thunder, in her left foot dwelt the Rumbling-Thunder, in her right
foot dwelt the Couchant-Thunder -- altogether eight Thunder-deities had been
born and dwelt there. Hereupon His Augustness the Male-Who-Invites, overawed at
the sight, fled back, whereupon his younger sister, "Her Augustness the
Female-Who-Invites, said: "Thou hast put me to shame," and at once sent the
Ugly-Female-of-Hades to pursue him. So His Augustness the Male-Who-Invites took
his black august head-dress and cast it down, and it instantly turned into
grapes. While she picked them up and ate them, he fled on; but as she still
pursued him, he took and broke the multitudinous and close-toothed comb in the
right bunch of his hair and cast it down, and it instantly turned into
bamboo-sprouts. While she pulled them up and ate them, he fled on. Again, later,
his younger sister sent the eight Thunder-deities with a thousand and five
hundred warriors of Hades to pursue him. So he, drawing the ten-grasp saber that
was augustly girded on him, fled forward brandishing it in his back hand;" and
as they still pursued, he took, on reaching the base of the Even-Pass-of-Hades,
three peaches that were growing at its base, and waited and smote his pursuers
therewith, so that they all fled back. Then His Augustness the Male-Who-Invites
announced to the peaches: "Like as ye have helped me, so must ve help all living
people in the Central Land of Reed-Plains when they shall fall into troublous
circumstances and be harassed! "- and he gave to the peaches the designation of
Their Augustnesses Great-Divine-Fruit. Last of all, his younger sister, Her
Augustness the Princess-Who-Invites, came out herself in pursuit. So he drew a
thousand-draught rock, and with it blocked up the Even-Pass-of-Hades, and placed
the rock in the middle; and they stood opposite to one another and exchanged
leave-takings ; and Her Augustness the Female-Who-Invites said: "My lovely elder
brother, thine Augustness! If thou do like this, I will in one day strangle to
death a thousand of the folk of thy land." Then His Augustness the
Male-Who-Invites replied: "My lovely younger sister, Thine Augastness! If thou
do this, I will in one day set up a thousand and five hundred parturition-house.
In this manner each day a thousand people would surely be born." So Her
Augustness the Female-Who-Invites is called the Great-Deity-of-Hades. Again it
is said that, owing to her having pursued and reached her elder brother, she is
called the Road-Reaching-Great deity."' Again, the rock with which he blocked up
the Even-Pass-of-Hades is called the Great-Deity-of-the-Road-Turning-back, and
again it is called the Blocking-Great-Deity-of-the-Door-of-Hades. So what was
called the Even-Pass-of-Hades is now called the Ifuya-Pass in the Land of
Idzumo.
THE PURIFICATION OF THE AUGUST PERSON
Therefore the great deity the Male-Who-Invites said: "Nay!
hideous! I have come to a hideous and polluted land - I have! So I will perform
the purification of my august person." So he went out to a plain covered with
altagi, at a small river-mouth near Tachibana in Himuka in the island of
Tsukushi, and purified and cleansed himself. So the name of the deity that was
born from the august staff which he threw down was the deity
Thrust-Erect-Come-Not-Place. The name of the deity that was born from the august
girdle which he next threw down was the deity Road-Long-Space. The name of the
deity that was born from the august skirt which he next threw down was the deity
Loosen-Put. The name of the deity that was born from the august upper garment
which he next threw down was the deity Master-of-Trouble. The name of the deity
that was born from the august trousers which be next threw down was the
Road-Fork deity. The name of the deity that was born from the august hat which
he next threw down was the deity Master-of-the-Open-Mouth. The names of the
deities that were born from the bracelet of his august left hand which he next
threw down were the deity Offing-Distant, next, the deity
Wash-Prince-of-the-Offing; next, the deity Intermediate-Direction-of-the-offing.
The names of the deities that were born from the bracelet of his august right
hand which he next threw down were: the deity Shore-Distant; next, the deity
Wash-Prince-of-the-Shore; next, the deity
Intermediate-Direction-of-the-Shore.
The twelve deities mentioned in the foregoing list from the
deity Come-Not-Place down to the deity Intermediate-Direction-of-the-Shore are
deities that were born from his taking off the things that were on his
person.
Thereupon saying: "The water in the upper reach is too rapid;
the water in the lower reach is too sluggish," he went down and plunged in the
middle reach; and, as he washed, there was first born the
Wondrous-Deity-of-Eighty-Evils, and next the Wondrous-Deity-of-Great-Evils.
These two deities are the deities that were born from the filth he contracted
when he went to that polluted, hideous land. The names of the deities that were
next born to rectify those evils were: the Divine-Rectifying-Wondrous deity;
next, the Great-Rectictifying-Wondrous deity; next, the Female-Deity-Idzu. The
names of the deities that were next born as be bathed at the bottom of the water
were: the deity Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Bottom and, next, His Augustness
Elder-Male-of-the-Bottom. The names of the deities that were born as he bathed
in the middle of the water were: the deity Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Middle and,
next, His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Middle. The names of the deities that
were born as lie bathed at the top of the water were the deity
Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Surface and, next, His Augustness
Elder--Male-of-the-Surface. These three Ocean-Possessing deities are the deities
held in reverence as their ancestral-deities by the Chiefs of Adzumi. So the
Chiefs of Adzumi are the descendants of His Augustness Utsushi-hi-gana-saku, a
child of these Ocean-possessing deities. These three deities His Augustness
Elder-Male-of-the-Bottom, His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Middle, and His
Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Surface are the three great deities of the Inlet of
Sumi. The name of the deity that was born as he thereupon washed his left august
eye was the Heaven-Shining-Great-August deity. The name of the deity that was
next born as he washed his right august eye was His Augustness
Moon-Night-Possessor. The name of the deity that was next born as he washed his
august nose was His Brave-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness.
The fourteen deities in the foregoing list from the
Wondrous-Deity-of-Eighty-Evils down to His Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness are
deities born from the bathing of his august person.
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