The white hare of Inaba稻羽之素菟

The god born when he lay with that Kushinadahime is named Yashimajinumi no Kami (八嶋士奴美神).

He also took to wife Kamuōichihime (神大市比賣), the daughter of Ohoyamatsumi no Kami, and the children born were Ohotoshi no Kami (大年神) and next Uka no Mitama no Kami (宇迦之御魂神).

The elder, Yashimajinumi no Kami, took to wife Konohanachiruhime (木花知流比賣), the daughter of Ohoyamatsumi no Kami, and the child born was Fuhanomojikunusunu no Kami (布波能母遲久奴須奴神).

This god took to wife Hikawahime (日河比賣), the daughter of Okami no Kami (淤迦美神), and the child born was Fukabuchi no Mizuyarehana no Kami (深淵之水夜礼花神).

This god took to wife Ame no Tsudohechine no Kami (天之都度閇知泥神), and the child born was Omizunu no Kami (淤美豆奴神).

This god took to wife Futemimi no Kami (布帝耳神), the daughter of Funozuno no Kami (布怒豆怒神), and the child born was Ame no Fuyukinu no Kami (天之冬衣神).

This god took to wife Sashikuniwakahime (刺國若比賣), the daughter of Sashikuni Ohokami (刺國大神), and the child born was Ohokuninushi no Kami (大國主神). His other name is Ohoanamuji no Kami (大穴牟遲神), and another name is Ashiharashikoo no Kami (葦原色許男神), and another name is Yachihoko no Kami (八千矛神), and another name is Utsushikunitama no Kami (宇都志國玉神) — five names in all.

This Ohokuninushi no Kami had eighty brother gods. Yet they all gave up the land to Ohokuninushi no Kami. The reason they gave it up was this.

Each of those eighty gods had a mind to woo Yagamihime (八上比賣) of Inaba (稻羽), and when they went together to Inaba they made Ohoanamuji no Kami carry the bag and took him along as a servant.

When they came to the cape of Keta (氣多), a naked hare was lying there. The eighty gods said to the hare, "Do this. Bathe in this seawater, and lie on the top of a high mountain where the wind blows on you."

The hare lay down as the eighty gods had taught it, and as the salt dried, the skin of its whole body split in the wind. It lay weeping in pain, and Ohoanamuji no Kami, who came last of all, saw the hare and said, "Why do you lie there weeping?"

The hare answered, "I was on the island of Oki (淤岐嶋), and though I wished to cross over to this land, I had no way to cross. So I deceived the crocodiles of the sea and said, 'Let us match ourselves, you and I, and count which kin are the more. Bring all your kin out and lie in a row from this island to the cape of Keta. I will tread over you and run across, counting as I go. Then we shall know which are the more, mine or yours.'

"When I said this they were deceived and lay in a row, and I trod over them and came across, counting as I went. Just as I was about to step down onto the land I said, 'You have been tricked by me!' As soon as I had spoken, the crocodile lying at the very end seized me and stripped off all my clothing.

"While I was weeping in distress at this, the eighty gods who had passed by before told me, 'Bathe in the seawater and lie in the wind.' I did as they taught me, and my whole body was hurt."

Then Ohoanamuji no Kami taught the hare, "Go at once to that river mouth, wash your body in the fresh water, and take the pollen of the cattails at that river mouth, spread it about and roll on it. Then your body will surely heal and be as your own skin was before."

It did as it was taught, and its body was as it had been. This is the white hare of Inaba (稻羽之素菟). It is now called the hare god (菟神).

The hare said to Ohoanamuji no Kami, "These eighty gods will never win Yagamihime. Though you carry the bag, it is you who will win her."

Then Yagamihime answered the eighty gods, "I will not listen to your words. I will marry Ohoanamuji no Kami."

At this the eighty gods were angry and wished to kill Ohoanamuji no Kami. They took counsel together, and when they came to the foot of Mount Tema (手間山) in the land of Hahaki (伯岐國) they said, "There is a red boar on this mountain. We will drive it down together, and you shall wait and catch it. If you do not wait and catch it, we will surely kill you."

Then they heated a great stone shaped like a boar in the fire and rolled it down. When he went to catch what was being driven down, he was burned by that stone and stuck fast to it and died.

His mother wept in distress and went up to heaven and begged Kamumusuhi no Mikoto, who sent Kisagaihime (𧏛貝比賣) and Umugihime (蛤貝比賣) to bring him back to life. Kisagaihime scraped and gathered the shell — "kisage" — and Umugihime took it and smeared it on him like a mother's milk, and he became a fair young man and came out and went about.

The eighty gods saw this and deceived him again. They took him into the mountains, felled a great tree, drove a wedge into it and set the tree up, made him go inside the cleft, then knocked the wedge out and crushed him to death.

This time too his mother wept and searched for him, and when she found him she split the tree open at once, took him out and brought him back to life, and said to her son, "If you stay here you will be killed by the eighty gods in the end."

Then she sent him in haste to the place of Ohoyabiko no Kami (大屋毗古神) in the land of Ki (木國). When the eighty gods followed and came up and drew their bows and demanded him, Ohoyabiko no Kami let him slip away through the fork of a tree and said, "Go to Nenokatasukuni (根堅州國), where Susanoo no Mikoto is. That great god will surely think out a plan for you."