Emperor Keiko景行天皇

The emperor Otarashihiko Oshirowake (大足彦忍代別天皇) was the third son of the emperor Ikumeiribiko Isachi. His mother, the empress, was called Hibasuhime no Mikoto. She was the daughter of Taniwa no Michinushi no Miko. In the thirty-seventh year of the emperor Ikumeiribiko Isachi he was made crown prince. In the ninety-ninth year, in spring, the second month, the emperor Ikumeiribiko Isachi died.

In autumn, the seventh month, whose first day was gisa, on the day gimyo, the crown prince ascended the throne. Then he changed the era name.

In this year the year sign was sinmi.

In the second year, in spring, the third month, whose first day was byeongin, on the day mujin, he set up Inabi no Oiratsume of Harima as empress. The empress bore two sons. The first was called Prince Oousu. The second was called Ousu no Mikoto.

This Prince Oousu and Ousu no Mikoto were born as twins on the same day from the same womb. The emperor thought this strange, and he called out to a mortar. Therefore for this reason he named the two princes Oousu (大碓) and Ousu (小碓).

This Ousu no Mikoto was also named Yamato Oguna, and he is also called Yamato Takeru no Mikoto (日本武尊). As a boy he had a bold and daring spirit, and when he was grown his face and body were large and mighty. His height was one fathom, and he was strong enough to lift a cauldron.

In the third year, in spring, the second month, whose first day was gyeongin, he divined about going to the land of Kii to worship the many gods, and it was not lucky. So he stopped his journey. He sent Yanushioshiotakeogokoro no Mikoto to make the offerings.

So Yanushioshiotakeogokoro no Mikoto went, and he stayed at Kashiwara in Abi and worshipped the gods, and he lived there nine years. He took as his wife Kagehime, the daughter of Ujihiko, the distant ancestor of the Ki no Atai, and she bore Takeuchi no Sukune (武内宿禰).

In the fourth year, in spring, the second month, whose first day was gabin, on the day gapja, the emperor went to Mino. Those about him spoke to him and said, "There is a fair one in this land, and she is called Otohime. Her form is comely. She is the daughter of Prince Yasakairibiko."

The emperor wished to take her as a consort, and he went to the house of Otohime. Otohime heard that the carriage of the sovereign was coming, and she hid in a bamboo grove.

So the emperor made a plan to bring Otohime out, and he stayed at Kukurinomiya. He put carp into the pond, and he looked down at them morning and evening and made sport there. Then Otohime wished to see the carp at play, and she came in secret and looked down at the pond. The emperor held her there and took her.

Then Otohime thought this. 'The way of husband and wife is a law that holds in old times and now. But it is not easy for me.' So she made a request to the emperor.

"I am not of a nature that wishes for the way of union. Now I could not stand against the majesty of the sovereign's command, and I have entered the curtains for a while, but my heart is not glad, and my form is foul and mean, and I cannot bear to serve long in the palace. I have only an elder sister, and her name is Yasakairibime. Her form is beautiful, and her will is upright and pure. It is fitting that you take her into the inner palace."

The emperor granted this. Then he called Yasakairibime and made her his consort, and she bore seven sons and six daughters. The first was called the emperor Wakatarashihiko. The second was called Prince Iokiiribiko. The third was called Prince Oshinowake. The fourth was called Prince Wakayamatoneko. The fifth was called Prince Osuwake. The sixth was called Princess Nunoshi. The seventh was called Princess Nunaki. The eighth was called Princess Iokiiribime. The ninth was called Princess □yorihime. The tenth was called Prince Isakiiribiko.

The eleventh was called Prince Kibi no Ehiko. The twelfth was called Princess Takakiiribime. The thirteenth was called Princess Otohime.

Also the consort Mizuha no Iratsume, the sister of Iwakiwake of the Mio family, bore Princess Iono. The next consort, Ikawahime, bore Prince Kamukushi and Prince Inaseiribiko. The elder, Prince Kamukushi, is the first ancestor of the Sanuki no Kuni no Miyatsuko. The younger, Prince Inaseiribiko, is the first ancestor of the Harima no Wake.

The next consort, Takatahime, the daughter of Kogoto of the Abe family, bore Prince Takekunikoriwake. He is the first ancestor of the Mimura no Wake of the land of Iyo.

The next consort, Kaminaga Otane of Himuka, bore Prince Himuka no Sotsuhiko. He is the first ancestor of the Amu no Kimi.

The next consort, Sonotakehime, bore Prince Kunichiwake and Prince Kunisewake and Prince Toyotowake. The elder, Prince Kunichiwake, is the first ancestor of the Minuma no Wake. The younger, Prince Toyotowake, is the first ancestor of the Hinokuni no Wake.

In all the emperor had eighty sons and daughters, first and last. But apart from Yamato Takeru no Mikoto and the emperor Wakatarashihiko and Prince Iokiiribiko, the seventy and more children were all given lands and districts, and each was sent to his own land. Therefore those who are now called the Wake (別) of the several lands are the descendants of those princes who were given lands.

In this month the emperor heard that the daughters of the Mino no Kuni no Miyatsuko, whose name was Kanhone, the elder called Etoko and the younger called Ototoko, were both beauties of the land. So he sent Oousu no Mikoto to look upon the form of those women. Then Oousu no Mikoto took them in secret and did not report back. For this reason the emperor hated Oousu no Mikoto.

In winter, the eleventh month, whose first day was gyeongjin, the carriage of the sovereign came back from Mino. Then he moved the capital again to Makimuku. This is called Hishironomiya (日代宮).

In the twelfth year, in autumn, the seventh month, the Kumaso rebelled and sent no tribute.

In the eighth month, whose first day was eulmi, on the day giyu, he went to Tsukushi.

In the ninth month, whose first day was gapja, on the day mujin, he came to Sama in Suo. Then the emperor looked to the south and gave a command to his great officers. "Much smoke rises in the south. There must surely be robbers there." So he stayed, and first he sent Takemoroki, the ancestor of the O no Omi, and Unate, the ancestor of the Kunisaki no Omi, and Natsuhana, the ancestor of the Mononobe no Kimi, to look into the matter.

Now there was a woman, and she was called Kamunatsusohime. Her followers were very many, and she was the chief of a whole land. She heard that the messengers of the emperor had come, and she pulled up a sacred tree of Mount Isotsu, and she hung a sword eight hands long on the upper branch, and hung the Yata mirror on the middle branch, and hung a jewel eight feet long on the lower branch. She also set a white banner at the prow of her ship, and she came forward and spoke.

"I pray you, do not send down soldiers. There is none among my people who will disobey, and now we would come back to your goodness. There are only the robbers who remain. The first is called Hanatari. He borrows names and titles as he pleases, and he has gathered a band until the hills and valleys ring, and he is encamped by the upper waters of the Usa river. The second is called Mimitari. He is cruel and greedy, and he has plundered the people many times, and he lives by the upper waters of the Mike river. The third is called Asahagi. He gathers his band in secret, and he lives by the upper waters of the Takaha river. The fourth is called Tsuchioriiori. He lives hidden by the upper waters of the Midorino river, and he trusts alone in the steepness of the hills and streams, and he plunders the people much. These four men hold places that are all strongholds, and each leads his own kindred and has become the chief of one place. All of them say they will not follow the sovereign's command. I pray you, strike them quickly and do not let them slip away."

So Takemoroki and the others first lured the band of Asahagi, and they gave them red garments and trousers and all kinds of rare things, and they had them □ the three men who would not submit. Then those men led their own followers and came, and all of them were taken and put to death.

The emperor went on at last to Tsukushi, and he came to the Nagao district in the land of Buzen and raised a temporary palace there and stayed. Therefore that place was named Miyako (京).

In winter, the tenth month, he came to the land of Okita. The shape of that land was wide and great and also fair. For this reason it was named Okita (碩田).

He came to the village of Hayami, and there was a woman called Hayatsuhime, and she was the chief of one place. She heard that the carriage of the emperor was coming, and she came out herself to meet him and spoke to him.

"There is a great stone cave in this hill, and it is called the stone cave of Nezumi. There are two Tsuchigumo (土蜘蛛) who live in that stone cave. The one is called Ao, and the second is called Shiro. There are also three Tsuchigumo at Negino in the Naori district. The one is called Uchisaru, the second is called Yata, and the third is called Kunimaro. These five men are all strong of body, and their followers are many. All of them say they will not follow the sovereign's command. If you call them by force, they will raise soldiers and stand against you."

The emperor was troubled at this and could not go forward, and he stayed in the village of Kutami and raised a palace there for a time and dwelt in it. Then he took counsel with his ministers and said, "If we now move many soldiers to strike the Tsuchigumo, and if they fear the strength of our army and hide in the hills and fields, this will surely be a grief to us afterward."

So he cut camellia trees and made clubs of them for weapons. Then he chose bold soldiers and gave them the clubs, and they broke through the hills and pushed the grass aside and fell upon the Tsuchigumo of the stone houses, and they crushed them by the upper waters of the Inaba river. They killed all of that band, and the blood flowed until it reached their ankles. Therefore the men of that time called the place where the camellia clubs were made Tsubakichi (海石榴市), and they called the place where the blood flowed Chita (血田).

Again he would strike Uchisaru, and he crossed over Mount Negi. Then the arrows of the robbers flew from the side of the hill and fell before the emperor's army like rain. The emperor turned back to Kihara and divined by the water. Then he drew up his soldiers and first struck Yata at Negino and crushed him.

Then Uchisaru saw that he could not win, and he asked to submit. But the emperor did not grant it. They all threw themselves into a ravine and died.

When the emperor first set out to strike the robbers, he stopped at the great plain of Kashiwao. There was a stone in that plain, six feet long, three feet wide, and one foot five inches thick. The emperor prayed and said, "If I am to destroy the Tsuchigumo, let this stone rise up like an oak leaf when I kick it." Then he kicked it, and it rose into the great void like an oak leaf. Therefore that stone was named Homishi (蹈石).

The gods he prayed to at this time were three gods, the god of Shiga and the Mononobe god of Naori and the Nakatomi god of Naori.

In the eleventh month he came to the land of Himuka, and he raised a temporary palace and stayed there. This is called Takayanomiya (高屋宮).

In the twelfth month, whose first day was gyesa, on the day jeongyu, he took counsel about striking the Kumaso. Then the emperor gave a command to his great officers.

"I have heard that in the land of So (襲國) there are Atsukaya and □kaya, and these two men are the chiefs of the Kumaso. Their followers are very many, and they are called the Kumasoyasotakeru. Their spearpoint cannot be met. If we raise few soldiers, they will not be enough to destroy the robbers, and if we move many soldiers, that is a harm to the people. Why should we not lay their land at peace while we sit, without borrowing the power of the sword?"

Then one minister came forward and said, "Kumasotakeru has two daughters. The elder is called Ichifukaya and the younger is called Ichikaya. Their faces are already comely, and their hearts are bold as well. It is fitting that you show them rich gifts and take them into your camp, and by this watch for word of the enemy and strike where they do not look for it. Then the swords will not be wet with blood, and the robbers will surely fall of themselves."

The emperor gave a command. "It is well."

So they showed them gifts and deceived the two daughters and took them into the camp. The emperor then took Ichifukaya and made a show of loving her.

Then Ichifukaya spoke to the emperor and said, "Do not grieve that the Kumaso will not submit. I have a good plan."

Then she took one or two soldiers to follow her and went back to her house, and she made ready much strong wine and gave it to her father to drink. When he was drunk and asleep, Ichifukaya cut her father's bowstring in secret. Then one of the soldiers who had followed her came forward and killed Kumasotakeru.

The emperor hated the greatness of her want of love for her father, and he put Ichifukaya to death. Then he gave the younger, Ichikaya, to the Hinokuni no Miyatsuko.

In the thirteenth year, in summer, the fifth month, he laid all the land of So at peace. For this reason he had now stayed six years at Takayanomiya. Now there was a fair one in that land, and she was called Mihakashihime, and he called her and made her his consort, and she bore Prince Toyokuniwake. He is the first ancestor of the Himuka no Kuni no Miyatsuko.

In the seventeenth year, in spring, the third month, whose first day was musul, on the day giyu, he went to the Koyu district and made sport at Nimonoono. Then he looked to the east and said to those about him, "This land faces straight toward the place where the sun rises." Therefore that land was named Himuka (日向).

On this day he climbed a great stone in the middle of the plain, and he thought of the capital and sang.

"Hashikiyoshi Wagihenokatayu Kumowitachikumo Yamatowa Kuninomahorama Tatanazuku Aokakiyama Komoreru Yamatoshi Uruhashi (波辭枳豫辭 和藝幣能伽多由 區毛位多知區暮 夜摩苔波 區珥能摩保邏摩 多多儺豆久 阿烏伽枳夜摩 許莽例屡 夜摩苔之 于屡破試) Inochinomasokemuhitowa Tatamikomo Hegurinoyamano Shirakashigaeo Uzunisase Konoko (異能知能摩會祁務比苔破 多多濔許莽 幣遇利能夜摩能 志邏伽之餓延塢 于受珥左勢 許能固)"

— This sets down sounds only, and is not turned into meaning. This is called the Kunishinobiuta (思邦歌), the song of longing for the homeland.

In the eighteenth year, in spring, the third month, the emperor would turn toward the capital, and he went about the land of Tsukushi. He came first to Hinamori. At this time people were gathered by the Iwase river. Then the emperor looked at them from afar and gave a command to those about him. "Who are those who are gathered there? Are they robbers?"

So he sent two men, Ehinamori and Otohinamori, to look. Then Otohinamori came back and told him, "Izumihime of the Morogata no Kimi would offer a great meal, and her kindred are gathered for it."

In summer, the fourth month, whose first day was imsul, on the day gapja, he came to the Kuma district. There was one there called Kumatsuhiko, and they were two brothers. The emperor first had the elder Kuma called, and he followed the messenger and came. Then he called the younger Kuma, but he did not come. Therefore he sent soldiers and put him to death.

On the day imsin he came by the sea road to a small island of Ashikita and took his meal. Then he called Ohidari, the ancestor of the Yamabe no Abiko, and had him bring cold water. It happened that there was no water on the island at this time, and they did not know what to do. Then he looked up and prayed to the gods of heaven and the gods of earth. All at once a cold spring gushed out from the side of the cliff. So they drew from it and offered it to him. Therefore that place was named Mizushima (水嶋). That spring is on the cliff of Mizushima to this day.

In the fifth month, whose first day was imjin, he set out by ship from Ashikita and came to the land of Hi. Then the sun set. The night was dark, and they did not know where to reach the shore. A firelight was seen far off. The emperor gave a command to the steersman. "Point straight toward the place of the fire." Then they steered toward the fire and went on, and they were able to reach the shore.

The emperor asked about the place where that firelight had been. "What village is this?" A man of that land answered, "This is the village of Toyo in the Yatsushiro district." He also sought out that fire and asked whose fire it was, but he could not find its owner. Then he knew that it was not the fire of a man. Therefore he named that land Hinokuni (火國).

In the sixth month, whose first day was sinyu, on the day gyehae, he crossed from the Takaku district to the village of Tamakina. Then he killed Tsutsura, the Tsuchigumo of that place.

On the day byeongja he came to the land of Aso. The plains of that land were wide and far, and no dwelling of men could be seen. The emperor said, "Are there men in this land?"

Then there were two gods, and they were called Asotsuhiko and Asotsuhime. All at once they changed into men and came forward at their ease and said, "We two are here. How can you say there are no men?" Therefore that land was named Aso (阿蘇).

In autumn, the seventh month, whose first day was sinmyo, on the day gabo, he came to Mike in the land of Chikushi no Michinoshiri and stayed at the temporary palace of Takata. There was a fallen tree there, nine hundred and seventy fathoms long. All the officers walked to and fro upon that tree. The men of that time sang.

"Asashimono Mikenosaobashi Mahetsugimi Iwatarasumo Mikenosaobashi (阿佐志毛能 瀰概能佐烏麼志 魔幣菟耆瀰 伊和■羅秀暮 瀰開能佐烏麼志)" — This sets down sounds only, and is not turned into meaning.

Then the emperor asked, "What tree is this?"

There was an old man, and he said, "This tree is a kunugi. Long ago, before it fell, it hid Mount Kishima when the morning sun shone, and it covered Mount Aso when the evening sun shone."

The emperor said, "This tree is a god tree. Therefore it is fitting to name this land Mikenokuni (御木國)."

On the day jeongyu he came to the Yame district. Then he crossed Mount Fuji and looked south to the cape of Awa, and he gave a command. "The peaks and ridges of that hill are folded one upon another, and its beauty is very great. Is there perhaps a god in that hill?"

Then Saruomi, the Minuma no Agatanushi, spoke and said, "There is a goddess, and her name is Yametsuhime, and she lives always in the hills." Therefore the name of the land of Yame arose from this.

In the eighth month he came to the village of Ikuha and took his meal. On this day the cooks forgot the cups. Therefore the men of that time named the place where they forgot the cups Ukiha (浮羽). Calling it Ikuha now is a corruption. In old times the people of Tsukushi called a cup ukiha.

In the nineteenth year, in autumn, the ninth month, whose first day was gapsin, on the day gyemyo, the emperor came back from Himuka.

In the twentieth year, in spring, the second month, whose first day was sinsa, on the day gapsin, he sent Princess Iono to worship Amaterasu Omikami.

In the twenty-fifth year, in autumn, the seventh month, whose first day was gyeongjin, on the day imo, he sent Takeuchi no Sukune to look into the shape of the land of the northern road and of the lands of the east, and into the state of the people as well.

In the twenty-seventh year, in spring, the second month, whose first day was sinchuk, on the day imja, Takeuchi no Sukune came back from the eastern lands and spoke. "Among the eastern barbarians there is the land of Hitakami (日高見國). The people of that land, men and women alike, tie their hair in mallet knots and mark their bodies with patterns, and they are bold and fierce by nature. These are all called Emishi (蝦夷). The land is also rich and wide. It may be taken by striking it."

In autumn, the eighth month, the Kumaso rebelled again, and they did not cease to raid the borders.

In winter, the tenth month, whose first day was jeongyu, on the day giyu, he sent Yamato Takeru no Mikoto to strike the Kumaso. He was then sixteen years old.

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto said, "I would have a good archer to go with me. Where is there a good archer?"

Someone told him, "There is a good archer in the land of Mino, and he is called Otohiko no Kimi."

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto sent Miyatohiko, a man of Kazuraki, to call Otohiko no Kimi. So Otohiko no Kimi came, leading Ishiura no Yokotachi and the Tago no Inaki of Owari and the Inaki of Chichika, and they followed Yamato Takeru no Mikoto and went with him.

In the twelfth month he came to the land of the Kumaso. Then he watched for word of them and for where the land was steep and where it was easy. At that time there was a chief among the Kumaso, and his name was Toroshikaya, and he was also called Kawakami no Takeru, and he had gathered all his kindred and would hold a feast.

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto loosed his hair and took the form of a girl, and he watched in secret for the time of Kawakami no Takeru's feast. Then he hid a sword in his clothes and went into the feasting room of Kawakami no Takeru, and he sat among the women.

Kawakami no Takeru was taken with the form of that girl, and he took her hand and set her at his side, and he raised a cup and made her drink and made sport with her. By this time the night was deep and the people were few, and Kawakami no Takeru too was drunk with wine.

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto drew the sword from his clothes and stabbed Kawakami no Takeru in the breast. Before he came to his death, Kawakami no Takeru bowed his head and said, "Wait a while. I have something to say."

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto held back the sword and waited.

Kawakami no Takeru said, "Who are you, my lord?"

He answered, "I am the son of the emperor Otarashihiko, and my name is Yamato Oguna."

Kawakami no Takeru spoke again. "I am the strongest man in this land. For this reason no man of these days could stand against my strength, and there was none who did not follow me. I have met many men of arms, but there has been none like the prince. Therefore I would offer a high name with the mean mouth of a lowly robber. Will you hear it?"

He said, "I will hear it."

Then he said, "From this day on, let the prince be called Prince Yamato Takeru (日本武皇子)."

When his words were ended, Yamato Takeru no Mikoto ran the sword through his breast and killed him. Therefore he is called Yamato Takeru no Mikoto to this day, and this is the reason for it.

After this he sent Otohiko and the others, and they cut down all of that band, and not one □ was left. Then he came back to Yamato by the sea road, and he reached Kibi and crossed the sea of Ana. There was an evil god there, and he killed it. Also, as he came near Naniwa, he killed the evil god of Kashiwa no Watari.

In the twenty-eighth year, in spring, the second month, whose first day was eulchuk, Yamato Takeru no Mikoto told how he had laid the Kumaso at peace.

"Your servant leaned upon the divine spirit of the emperor, and with one raising of soldiers he cut down the chief of the Kumaso at once and laid all that land at peace. For this reason the western region is quiet now, and the people are without trouble. There are only the god of Ana no Watari in Kibi and the god of Kashiwa no Watari in Naniwa, and both of them hold a mind to harm, and they send out poisonous breath and trouble those who pass on the road, and they have become a nest of calamity and harm. Therefore he killed all those evil gods, and he opened the ways by water and by land."

The emperor thought well of the deeds of Yamato Takeru at this, and he loved him beyond the others.

In the fortieth year, in summer, the sixth month, the eastern barbarians rebelled in great numbers, and the borders were in uproar.

In autumn, the seventh month, whose first day was gyemi, on the day musul, the emperor gave a command to his great officers. "Now the eastern lands are not at peace, and fierce gods have risen in numbers, and the Emishi have all rebelled and have plundered the people many times. Whom shall we send to lay that disorder at peace?"

None of the ministers knew whom to send.

Yamato Takeru no Mikoto spoke. "Your servant labored before this in the campaign to the west. This task is surely the work of Prince Oousu."

Then Prince Oousu was struck with fear, and he fled and hid in the grass. So a messenger was sent to call him and bring him.

Then the emperor rebuked him. "If you do not wish it, how should we send you by force? Why is your fear so great beforehand, when you have not yet met the enemy?" For this reason he was given Mino at last, and he went to the land that was given him. He is the first ancestor of the two families of the Muketsu no Kimi and the Mori no Kimi.

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto cried out boldly. "Not many years have passed since the Kumaso were laid at peace, and now the eastern barbarians rebel again. On what day shall we come to a great peace? Though your servant must labor, he will lay that disorder at peace at once."

Then the emperor took up an axe and gave it to Yamato Takeru no Mikoto and said this.

"I have heard that those eastern barbarians are fierce and hard in mind and nature, and they hold trampling and raiding to be first among all things. There is no elder in their villages and no head in their towns, and each covets his own border, and they steal and plunder from one another. There are evil gods in the hills as well, and wicked demons in the fields, and they block the crossways and bar the roads and trouble many people.

Among those eastern barbarians the Emishi are the strongest. Men and women live mingled together, and there is no difference between father and child. In winter they sleep in holes, and in summer they live in nests. They wear fur and drink blood, and brothers hold one another in doubt. They climb hills like flying birds and run through the grass like running beasts. They forget a kindness they have received, and they surely repay a wrong they see. For this reason they hide arrows in their hair knots and wear swords in their clothes. Sometimes they gather their bands and raid the borders,

or they watch for the season of the fields and the silkworms and plunder the people. When they are struck, they hide in the grass, and when they are pursued, they go into the hills. Therefore from old times until now they have not been touched by the sovereign's teaching.

Now I look upon you as a man, and your body is tall and great, and your face is comely, and your strength can lift a cauldron, and you are fierce as thunder and lightning, and nothing stands before you where you turn, and you surely win where you strike. Then I know it. In form you are my child, but in truth you are a god among men. This is indeed because heaven has pitied me for my want of wisdom, and has pitied the land for its want of peace, and would have you order the work of heaven and keep the ancestral shrine unbroken.

This realm under heaven is your realm as well, and this seat is your seat. I pray you, plan deeply and think far ahead, and watch for wickedness and look out for what may change, and show them your majesty and hold them with your goodness, so that you make them your servants of themselves without troubling arms and armor. Order the fierce gods with skillful words, and raise your warlike power and drive off the wicked demons."

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto received the axe, and he bowed twice and spoke.

"In the year when your servant struck the west, he leaned upon the majesty of the imperial ancestors, and he took up a sword three feet long and struck the land of the Kumaso, and before twelve days had passed the chief of the robbers lay down in his guilt. Now again he will lean upon the spirit of the gods and borrow the majesty of the emperor, and he will go and stand upon their borders and show them goodness and teaching. If they still do not submit, he will raise soldiers and strike them."

Then he bowed twice again.

The emperor then gave command to Kibi no Takehiko and Otomo no Takehi no Muraji to follow Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, and he also made Nanatsukahagi his cook.

In winter, the tenth month, whose first day was imja, on the day gyechuk, Yamato Takeru no Mikoto set out on the road.

On the day muo he turned aside from the road and did worship at the great shrine of Ise. Then he took his leave of Yamatohime no Mikoto and said, "Now I have received the command of the emperor, and I go to strike the east and cut down all who have rebelled. Therefore I take my leave."

Then Yamatohime no Mikoto took the Kusanagi sword (草薙釼) and gave it to Yamato Takeru no Mikoto and said, "Be careful, and do not be slack."

In this year Yamato Takeru no Mikoto came first to Suruga. The robbers there made a show of following him, and they deceived him and said, "There are very many deer in this plain. Their breath is like the morning mist, and their legs are like a thick wood. It is fitting that you go and hunt there."

Yamato Takeru no Mikoto believed their words, and he went into the middle of the plain and sought the beasts. The robbers held a mind to kill the prince, and they set fire to that plain and burned it. The prince knew that he had been deceived, and he struck fire with a flint and burned the grass toward them, and so he was able to escape.

The prince said, "I was very near being deceived." Then he burned all that band of robbers and destroyed them. Therefore that place was named Yakizu (燒津).

He went on to Sagamu and would go to Kazusa. He looked at the sea and said in a loud voice, "This is only a small sea. A man could leap across it."

Then, when he came out into the middle of the sea, a fierce wind rose all at once, and the prince's ship was tossed about and could not cross. Then there was a concubine who followed the prince, and she was called Ototachibanahime, and she was the daughter of Oshiyama no Sukune of the Hozumi family. She spoke to the prince and said, "Now the wind has risen and the waves are fierce, and the prince's ship is about to sink. This is surely the mind of the god of the sea. I pray that I may go into the sea with my own body in place of the prince's life."

When her words were ended, she parted the waves and went in. The fierce wind ceased at once, and the ship was able to reach the shore. Therefore the men of that time named that sea Hashirimizu (馳水).

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto turned from Kazusa and went into the land of Mutsu. At this time a great mirror was hung on the prince's ship, and he went by the sea road around Ashiura and crossed over Tamanoura and came to the border of the Emishi. The chiefs of the Emishi robbers, Shimatsukami and Kunitsukami and the others,

were encamped at Take no Minato and would stand against him. But they saw the prince's ship from afar, and they feared his power beforehand, and in their hearts they knew that they could not win. They threw away all their bows and arrows, and they looked up and bowed and said, "We look up at our lord's form, and it is above the kind of men. Are you perhaps a god? We would know your family and your name."

The prince answered them, "I am the son of a god who walks as a man (現人神)."

Then all the Emishi trembled. They □ their skirts and parted the waves, and they took hold of the prince's ship themselves and brought it to the shore. Then they bound their own faces and submitted to their guilt. Therefore he forgave them their guilt. For this reason he took their chief captive and made him follow his person.

When the Emishi had been laid at peace, he came back from the land of Hitakami. He passed through Hitachi to the southwest and came to the land of Kai, and he stayed at Sakaorinomiya. Then a light was raised and his meal was brought. On this night he asked those who served him with a song.

"Nihibari Tsukubaosugite Ikuyokanetsuru (珥比麼利 菟玖波■須擬■ 異玖用加禰菟流)"

None of those who served him could answer. Then there was one who held the light, and he carried on the end of the prince's song and sang.

"Kaganabete Yoniwakokonoyo Hiniwatokao (伽餓奈倍■ 用珥波虚虚能用 比珥波苔■伽■)"

— This sets down sounds only, and is not turned into meaning.

Then he thought well of the quick wit of the one who held the light and rewarded him richly. He stayed in this palace, and he gave the Yukibe (靭部) to Takehi, the distant ancestor of the Otomo no Muraji.

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto said, "The evil chiefs of the Emishi have all lain down in their guilt. Only the land of Shinano and the land of Koshi have not yet followed the teaching."

Then he turned north from Kai and passed through Musashi and Kozuke and came west to the Usuhi pass. At this time Yamato Takeru no Mikoto always had a mind that turned back to Ototachibanahime. Therefore he climbed the ridge of Usuhi and looked to the southeast, and he sighed three times and said, "Azumawaya." Therefore for this reason the several lands east of the hills were

named Azuma (吾嬬國).

Then he divided his road and sent Kibi no Takehiko to the land of Koshi to look into the shape of that land, where it was steep and where it was easy, and whether the people were obedient or not.

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto went into Shinano. In this land the hills are high and the valleys deep, and the green ridges lie ten thousand deep, so that a man can hardly climb them even leaning on a staff. The rocks are steep and the stone paths wind about, and the long peaks are some thousands, so that a horse takes the bit and cannot go on.

But Yamato Takeru no Mikoto parted the smoke and braved the mist and passed far over the great hills. When he had □ the peak and grew hungry, he took his meal in the hills.

The god of the hill would trouble the prince, and he changed into a white deer and stood before the prince. The prince thought this strange, and he struck the white deer with a single clove of garlic. It hit the deer in the eye and killed it.

Then the prince suddenly lost his road and did not know where to go out. Then a white dog came of itself, and it had the look of one leading the prince. He followed the dog and went on, and he was able to come out at Mino. Kibi no Takehiko came out from Koshi and met him.

Before this, those who crossed the pass of Shinano often took the breath of the god and fell sick and lay down. But from the time the white deer was killed, those who crossed this hill chewed garlic and rubbed it on themselves and on their oxen and horses, and the breath of the god did not touch them.

Yamato Takeru no Mikoto went back again to Owari, and he took as his wife Miyazuhime, the daughter of the Owari family, and he stayed there more than a month.

Then he heard that there was a fierce god on Mount Ibuki in Omi, and he loosed his sword and left it at the house of Miyazuhime and went on foot. When he came to Mount Ibuki, the god of the hill changed into a great snake and blocked the road.

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto did not know that the chief god had changed into the snake, and he said, "This great snake must surely be the messenger of the fierce god. If the chief god himself can be killed, why should I seek out his messenger?" For this reason he strode over the snake and went on.

Then the god of the hill raised up clouds and sent down hail, and

the mist lay on the peaks and the valleys were □, and there was no road he could go by again. Then he was at a loss and did not know where to make his way. But he braved the mist and forced his way on, and at last he barely came out.

Still he was out of his senses, like a man who is drunk. For this reason he stayed by a spring at the foot of the hill, and he drank of its water and came to himself. Therefore that spring was named Isamegai (居醒泉).

It was then that Yamato Takeru no Mikoto first began to be sick in body. But he rose up with difficulty and went back to Owari. He did not enter the house of Miyazuhime, and he moved on to Ise and came to Otsu.

Long ago, in the year when Yamato Takeru no Mikoto went toward the east, he stopped on the shore of Otsu and took his meal. At that time he loosed one sword and left it under a pine, and at last he forgot it and went away. Now that he came here, this sword was still there. Therefore he sang.

"Owarini Tadanimukaheru Hitotsumatsu Awarehitotsumatsu Hitoniariseba Kinukisemashio Tachihakemashio (烏波利珥 多陀珥霧伽幣流 比苔菟麻菟 阿波例比等菟麻菟 比苔珥阿利勢麼 岐農岐勢摩之■ 多知波開摩之■)" — This sets down sounds only, and is not turned into meaning.

When he came to Nobono his pain grew heavy. Then he offered the Emishi whom he had taken captive to the great shrine. He sent Kibi no Takehiko to speak to the emperor.

"Your servant received his command at the court and went far to strike the eastern barbarians. Then he was covered by the kindness of the gods, and he leaned upon the majesty of the sovereign, and those who had rebelled lay down in their guilt, and the fierce gods were ordered of themselves. For this reason he rolled up his armor and □ his spear, and he would have gone back □. His hope was to report his command at the court again on some day, at some hour.

But the command of heaven has come all at once, and the four horses that pass a chink are hard to stop. For this reason he lies alone in an empty field, and there is none to speak with him. How should he grudge the death of his body? He grieves only that he cannot see your face."

Soon after this he died at Nobono. He was then thirty years old.

The emperor heard this, and his sleeping place was not restful, and his food had no sweet taste, and day and night his throat was choked, and he wept and grieved and beat his breast.

For this reason the emperor sighed greatly and said, "My son Ousu no Miko had not yet come to the age of a boy's bound hair in the days when the Kumaso rebelled long ago, and he labored long in the campaigns. Then he was always at my side and made up for what I could not do. But when the eastern barbarians were in uproar and there was none to strike them, I bore with my love and sent him into the borders of the robbers. There was not a day when I did not think of him. For this reason I went out and came in, morning and evening, and stood waiting for the day of his return. What calamity is this? What guilt is this? In a moment I did not look for, my son is suddenly lost. From this day on, with whom shall I order this great work?"

Then he gave command to his great officers and orders to all the officials, and he buried him in the tomb at Nobono in the land of Ise.

Then Yamato Takeru no Mikoto changed into a white bird and came out of the tomb, and he flew off toward the land of Yamato. For this reason the ministers opened his coffin and looked into it, and the empty clothes were left there, and there was no body and no bone.

Then messengers were sent to follow after the white bird, and it came to rest at Kotobikihara in Yamato. So a tomb was made in that place. The white bird flew on to Kawachi and came to rest in the village of Furuichi. A tomb was made in that place as well. Therefore the men of that time named these three tombs the Shiratori no Misasagi (白鳥陵).

But at last it flew high and rose into the sky, and only his clothes and cap were buried. For this reason, wishing to set down his deeds and his name, he appointed the Takerube (武部).

This year was the forty-third year since the emperor ascended the throne.

In the fifty-first year, in spring, the first month, whose first day was imo, on the day muja, he called his great officers and feasted with them for some days. At that time the prince Wakatarashihiko no Mikoto and Takeuchi no Sukune did not come to the feasting ground.

The emperor called them and asked the reason, and they spoke to him. "On the days of feasting and pleasure, the great officers and all the officials surely have their minds on sport and do not think of the state. There might be some madman who watches for a gap in the wall and the gate. Therefore we served below the gate and made ready against what might come."

Then the emperor said to them, "That is clear." So he loved them beyond the others.

In autumn, the eighth month, whose first day was giyu, on the day imja, he set up Wakatarashihiko no Mikoto as crown prince. On this day he gave command to Takeuchi no Sukune and made him the minister who is ridgepole and beam.

The great Kusanagi sword that Yamato Takeru no Mikoto wore at the first is now in the shrine of Atsuta in the Ayuchi district of the land of Owari.

Now the Emishi who had been offered to the great shrine made an uproar day and night, and they had no manners in going in and out. Then Yamatohime no Mikoto said, "These Emishi must not be kept near the great shrine." So they were sent up to the court. Then they were placed beside Mount Mimoro.

Not much time had passed before they cut down all the trees of the sacred hill and shouted at the neighboring villages and threatened the people. The emperor heard this and gave a command to his great officers. "Those Emishi who were placed beside the sacred hill have the hearts of beasts from the first, and they can hardly live within the land. Therefore let them be settled apart, outside the borders of the home lands, as their own wish would have it." These are the ancestors of the Saekibe of the five lands of Harima and Sanuki and Iyo and Aki and Awa as they are now.

At the first Yamato Takeru no Mikoto took Princess Futajinoiribime as his consort, and she bore Inayoriwake no Miko, and next the emperor Tarashinakatsuhiko, and next Nunoshiiribime no Mikoto, and next Wakatake no Miko. The elder, Inayoriwake no Miko, is the first ancestor of the two families of the Inukami no Kimi and the Takebe no Kimi.

Also the consort Kibi no Anato no Takehime, the daughter of Kibi no Takehiko, bore Takekaiko no Miko and Tokiwake no Miko. The elder, Takekaiko no Miko, is the first ancestor of the Aya no Kimi of Sanuki. The younger, Tokiwake no Miko, is the first ancestor of the Iyo no Wake no Kimi.

The next consort, Ototachibanahime, the daughter of Oshiyama no Sukune of the Hozumi family, bore Wakatakehiko no Miko.

In the fifty-second year, in summer, the fifth month, whose first day was gapjin, on the day jeongmi, the empress Oiratsume of Harima died.

In autumn, the seventh month, whose first day was gyemyo, on the day giyu, he set up Yasakairibime no Mikoto as empress.

In the fifty-third year, in autumn, the eighth month, whose first day was jeongmyo, the emperor gave a command to his ministers. "When shall my longing for my beloved son come to an end? I would go about the lands that Ousu no Miko laid at peace."

In this month the carriage of the sovereign went to Ise, and it turned and went into the eastern sea.

In winter, the tenth month, he came to the land of Kazusa and crossed Awa no Minato by the sea road. At this time he heard the cry of the bird called kakuga, and he wished to see the form of that bird, and he sought it and went out into the sea. Then he got white clams.

Then one who was the distant ancestor of the Kashiwade no Omi, whose name was Iwakamutsukari, made a shoulder cord of rushes and made a raw dish of the white clams and offered it. Therefore the emperor thought well of the deed of Mutsukari no Omi, and he gave him the Kashiwade no Otomobe.

In the twelfth month he came back from the eastern lands and stayed in Ise. This is called Kanihatanomiya.

In the fifty-fourth year, in autumn, the ninth month, whose first day was sinmyo, on the day giyu, he came back from Ise to Yamato and stayed at Makimukunomiya.

In the fifty-fifth year, in spring, the second month, whose first day was muja, on the day imjin, he made Hikosashima no Miko the governor of the fifteen lands of the Tosando. He was the grandson of Toyoki no Mikoto.

But he came to the village of Anakui in Kasuga and fell sick and died. At this time the people of the eastern lands grieved that their prince had not come, and they stole his body in secret and buried it in the land of Kozuke.

In the fifty-sixth year, in autumn, the eighth month, he gave a command to Mimorowake no Miko. "Your father Hikosashima no Miko could not go to the place given him, and he died early. Therefore you shall govern the eastern lands alone."

So Mimorowake no Miko received the emperor's command, and he wished also to finish his father's work, and he went and governed and soon had a good rule.

Then the Emishi rose in uproar, and he raised soldiers at once and struck them. Then the chiefs of the Emishi, Ashifuribe and Ohafuribe and Totsukuraobe and the others, bowed their heads and came, and they put their foreheads to the ground and took their guilt, and they gave up all their land. For this reason he set free those who submitted and put to death those who did not. For this reason the east was long without trouble. Because of this his descendants are in the eastern lands even now.

In the fifty-seventh year, in autumn, the ninth month, the Sakate pond (坂手池) was made. Then bamboo was planted on its bank.

In winter, the tenth month, he gave command to the several lands to set up the Tabe (田部) and the Miyake (屯倉).

In the fifty-eighth year, in spring, the second month, whose first day was sinchuk, on the day sinhae, he went to the land of Omi and stayed three years at Shiga. This is called Takaanahonomiya (高穴穗宮).

In the sixtieth year, in winter, the eleventh month, whose first day was eulyu, on the day sinmyo, the emperor died at Takaanahonomiya. He was then a hundred and six years old.