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the kojiki
Part 5 - The Champion of Japan
YAMATO-TAKE SLAYS HIS ELDER BROTHER
The Heavenly Sovereign said to His Augustness Wo-usu: "Why does
not thine elder brother come forth to the morning and evening great august
repasts? Be thou the one to take the trouble to teach him his duty." Thus he
commanded; but for five days after, still the prince came not forth. Then the
Heavenly Sovereign deigned to ask His Augustness Wo-usu, saying: "Why is thine
elder brother so long of coming? Hast thou perchance not yet taught him his
duty?" He replied, saying: "I have been at that trouble." Again the Heavenly
Sovereign said: "How didst thou take the trouble?" He replied, saying: " In the
early morning when he went into the privy, I grasped hold of him and crushed
him, and, pulling off his limbs, wrapped them in matting and flung them
away.
YAMATO-TAKE SLAYS THE KUMASO BRAVOES
Thereupon the Heavenly Sovereign, alarmed at the valor and
ferocity of his august child's disposition, commanded him, saying: " In the West
there are two Kumaso Bravoes - unsubmissive and disrespectful men. So take them
"-and with this command he sent him off. It happened that at this time his
august hair was bound at the brow. Then His Augustness Wo-usu was granted by his
aunt Her Augustness Yamato-himeo her august upper garment and august skirt; and,
with a saber hidden in his august bosom, he went forth. So, on reaching the
house of the Kumaso braves, he saw that near the house there was a threefold
belt of warriors, who had made a cave to dwell in. Hereupon they, noisily
discussing a rejoicing for the august cave, were getting food ready. So Prince
Wo-usu sauntered about the neighborhood, waiting for the day of the rejoicing.
Then when the day of the rejoicing came, having combed down after the manner of
girls his august hair which was bound up, and having put on his aunt's august
upper garment and august skirt, he looked quite like a young girl, and, standing
amidst the women, went inside the cave. Then the elder brother and the younger
brother, the two Kumaso bravoes, delighted at the sight of the maiden, set her
between them, and rejoiced exuberantly. So, when the feast was at its height,
His Augustness Wo-usu, drawing the saber from his bosom, and catching Kumaso by
the collar of his garment, thrust the saber through his chest, whereupon,
alarmed at the sight, the younger bravo ran out. But pursuing after and reaching
him at the bottom of the steps of the cave, and catching him by the back, Prince
Wo-usu thrust the saber through his buttock. Then the Kumaso bravo spoke,
saying: "Do not move the sword; I have something to say." Then His Augustness
Wo-usu, respited him for a moment, holding him down as he lay prostrate.
Hereupon the bravo said: " Who is Thine Augustness?" Then he said: " I am the
august child of Obo-tarashi-hiko-oshiro-wake, the Heavenly Sovereign who,
dwelling in the palace of Hishiro at Makimuku, rules the Land of the Eight Great
Islands; and my name is King Yamata-woguna. Hearing that you two fellows, the
Kumaso bravoes, were unsubmissive and disrespectful, the Heavenly Sovereign sent
me with the command to take and slay you." Then the Kumaso bravo said: " That
must be true. There are no persons in the West so brave and strong as we two.
Yet in the Land of Great Yamato there is a man braver than we two-tbere is.
Therefore will I offer thee an august name. From this time forward it is right
that thou be praised as the August Child Yamato-take." As soon as he had
finished saying this, the Prince ripped him up like a ripe melon, and slew him.
So thenceforward he was praised by being called by the august name of his
Augustness Yamato-take. When he returned up to the capital after doing this, he
subdued and pacified every one of the deities of the mountains and of the
deities of the rivers and likewise of the deities of Anado, and then went up to
the capital.
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 made the wood of an oak-tree into a false sword and augustly
girded it, he went with the bravo to bathe in the River Hi. Then, His Augustness
Yamato-take getting out of the river first, and taking and girding on the sword
that the Idzumo bravo bad taken off and laid down, said: " Let us exchange
swords! " So afterward 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 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 lclzumo 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!"
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.
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"; and when he
sent him off, joining to him Prince -Mi-suki-tomo-mimi-take, ancestor of the
Grandees of Kibi, he bestowed on him a holly-wood 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 worshiped the deity's court,
forthwith speaking to his aunt, Her Augustness Yamato-hine, saving: " It must
surely be that the Heavenly Sovereign thinks 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-hine bestowed on him the
"Herb-Quelling-Saber," and likewise bestowed on him an august bag, and said: "If
there should be an emergency, open the mouth of the bag."
YAMATO-TAKE SLAYS THE RULERS OF SAGAMU
So reaching the land of Wohari, he went into the house of
Princess Miyadzu, ancestress of the rulers of Wohari, 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, 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 deceived, he opened the
mouth of the bag which his aunt, Her Augustness Yamato-hine had bestowed on him,
and saw that inside of it there was a fire-striker. Hereupon he first mowed away
the herbage with his august sword, took the fire-striker and struck out fire,
and, kindling a counter-fire, burned the herbage and drove back the other fire
and returned forth, and killed and destroyed all the rulers of that land, and
forthwith set fire to and burned them. So that place is now called Yakidzu.
YAMATO-TAKE'S EMPRESS STILLS THE WAVES
When be thence penetrated on, and crossed the sea of
Hashiri-midzu, the deity of that crossing raised the waves, tossing the ship so
that it could not proceed across. Then Yamato-take's Empress, whose name was Her
Augustness Princess Oto-tachibana, said:" Iwill enter the sea instead of the
august child. The august child must complete the service 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, 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, saving:
"Ah I thou whom I inquired of, standing in the midst of the
flames of the fire burning on the little moor of Sagamu, where the true peak
pierces!"
So seven days afterward the Empress's august comb drifted on to
the sea-beach - which comb was forthwith taken and placed in an august mausoleum
which was made.
YAMATO-TAKE SLAYS THE DEITY OF THE ASHIGARA PASS
When, having thence penetrated on and subdued all the savage
Yemisi [Ainu] 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, 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 and striking the deer with a scrap of wild chive, the deer was hit in
the eye and struck dead. So, mounting to the top of the pass, he sighed three
times and spoke, saying: " Adzuma ha ya!" [My Wife!] So that land is called by
the name of Adzuma.
YAMATO-TAKE WOOS PRINCESS MIYAZU
When, forthwith crossing over from that land out into Kahi, he
dwelt in the palace of Sakawori, he sang, saying:
"How many nights have I slept since passing Nihibari and
Tsukuha?"
Then the old man, who was the lighter of the august fire,
completed the august song, and sang, saying:
"Oh! having put the days in a row, there are of nights nine
nights, and of days ten days!"
Therefore Yamato-take praised the old man, and forthwith
bestowed on him the rulership of the Eastern lands.
Having crossed over from that land into the land of Shinanu and
subdued the deity of the Shinanu pass, he came back to the land of Wohari, and
went to dwell in the house of Princess Miyazu, to whom he had before plighted
his troth. Hereupon, when presenting to him the great august food, Princess
Miyazu lifted up a great liquor-cup and presented it to him.
After this, placing in Princess Miyazu's house his august sword
"the Grass-Quelling Saber," he went forth to take the deity of Mount Ibuki.
YAMATO-TAKE MEETS THE DEITY OF MOUNT IBUKI
Hereupon he said: "As for the deity of this mountain, I will
simply take him empty-handed"-- and was ascending the mountain, when there met
him on the mountainside a white boar whose size was like unto that of a bull.
Then he lifted up words, and said: "This creature that is transformed into a
white boar must be a messenger from the deity. Though I slay it not now, I will
slay it when I return"-- and so saying, ascended. Thereupon the deity caused
heavy ice-rain to fall, striking and perplexing His Augustness Yamato-take.
(This creature transformed into a white boar was not a messenger from the deity,
but the very deity in person. Owing to the lifting up of words, he appeared and
misled Yamato-take.) So when, on descending back, he reached the fresh spring of
Tamakura-be and rested there, his august heart awoke somewhat. So that fresh
spring is called by the name of the fresh spring of Wi-same.
YAMATO TAKE SICKENS AND DIES
When he departed thence and reached the moor of Tagi, he said:
" Whereas my heart always felt like flying through the sky, my legs are now
unable to walk. They have become rudder-shaped." So that place was called by the
name of Tagi. Owing to his being very weary with progressing a little farther
beyond that place, be leaned upon an august staff to walk a little. So that
place is called by the name of the Tsuwetsuki pass. On arriving at the single
pine-tree on Cape Wotsu, an august sword, which he had forgotten at that place
before when augustly eating, was still there, not lost. Then he augustly sang,
saying:
"O mine elder brother, the single pine-tree that art on Cape
Wotsu which directly faces Wohari! If thou, single pine-tree! wert a person, I
would gird my sword upon thee, I would clothe thee with my garments - O mine
elder brother, the single pine-tree!"
When he departed thence and reached the village of Mihe, he
again said: " My legs are like threefold crooks, and very weary." So that place
was called by the name of Mihe. When he departed thence and reached the moor of
Nobe, he regretting his native land, sang, saying:
"As for Yamato, the most secluded of land - Yamato, retired
behind Mount Awogaki encompassing it with its folds, is delightful."
Again he sang, saying:
"Let those whose life may be complete stick in their hair as a
headdress the leaves of the bear-oak from Mount Heguri -those children!"
This song is a land-regretting song. Again he sang, saying:
"How sweet! ah! from the direction of home clouds are rising
and coming!"
This is an incomplete song. At this time, his august sickness
very urgent. Then he sang augustly, saying:
The saber-sword which I placed at the maiden's bedside, alas!
that sword!"
As soon as he had finished singing, he died. Then a courier was
dispatched to the Heavenly Sovereign.
YAMATO-TAKE TURNS INTO A WHITE BIRD
Thereupon his Empresses and likewise his august children, who
dwelt in Yamato, all went down and built an august mausoleum, and, forthwith
crawling hither and thither in the rice fields encompassing the mausoleum,
sobbed out a song, saying:
The Dioscorea quinqueloba crawling hither and thither among the
among the rice-stubble in the rice-fields encompassing the Mausoleum.."
Thereupon the dead prince, turning into a white dotterel eight
fathoms long, and soaring up to Heaven, flew off toward the shore. Then the
Empress and likewise the august children, though they tore their feet treading
on the stubble of the bamboo-grass, forgot the pain, and pursued him with
lamentations. At that time they sang, saying:
"Our loins are impeded in the plain overgrown with short
bamboo-grass. We are not going through the sky, but oh! we are on foot."
Again when they entered the salt sea, and suffered as they
went, they sang, saying:
"As we go through the sea, our loins are impeded -tottering in
the sea like herbs growing in a great river-bed."
Again when the bird flew and perched on the seaside, they sang,
saying:
"The dotterel of the beach goes not on the beach, but follows
the seaside."
These four songs were all sung at Yamato-take's august
interment. So to the present day these songs are sung at the great interment of
a Heavenly Sovereign. So the bird flew off from that country, and stopped at
Shiki in the land of Kafuchi. So they made an august mausoleum there, and laid
Yamato-take to rest. Forthwith that august mausoleum was called by. the name of
the "August-Mausoleum of the White-Bird." Nevertheless the bird soared up thence
to heaven again and flew away.
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