Emperor Nintoku仁徳天皇

Emperor Osazaki (大鷦鷯天皇) was the fourth son of Emperor Homuta. His mother was called Nakatsuhime no Mikoto, the granddaughter of Prince Iokiirihiko. The emperor was clear-minded and wise from his childhood, and his face and form were fair. When he was grown he was kind and generous, loving and open-handed.

In the forty-first year, in spring, the second month, Emperor Homuta died. At that time the crown prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko yielded the throne to Osazaki no Mikoto and had not yet ascended the throne. Then he spoke to Osazaki no Mikoto.

"He who is lord over all under heaven and rules the myriad people covers them as heaven covers and holds them as earth holds. When there is gladness above, the people are set to their work, and when the people are glad, all under heaven is at peace. Now I am the younger brother, and my letters and my learning are not enough. How should I dare to take up the succession and mount to the work of heaven?

Great king, your bearing and your form stand high, you are kind and dutiful, and your hearing reaches far. You are the elder in years as well, and you are enough to be the lord of all under heaven. When the former emperor set me up as crown prince, was it that I had ability? It was only that he loved me. To uphold the ancestral shrine and the altars of the land is a heavy thing. I am without ability, and not enough to be named for it.

That the elder is above and the younger below, that the lord is wise and the servant foolish, is the constant law of old times and of now. I pray you, king, do not doubt. You must ascend the throne. I shall be your servant and help you, and no more."

Osazaki no Mikoto answered. "The former emperor said, 'The throne may not stand empty for a single day.' Therefore he chose out bright virtue beforehand and set up the king as second to himself, gave him the blessing of the succession and gave him the people, and raised high the sign of his love so that it was heard in the land. Though I am not worthy, how should I cast away the command of the former emperor and lightly follow the wish of my younger brother the king?"

He refused firmly and would not take it, and each yielded to the other.

At this time Prince Nukata no Onakatsuhiko

was about to take charge of the crown fields (屯田) and the granaries of Yamato. He said to Ou no Sukune, the ancestor of the Izumo no Omi, who had charge of those fields. "These crown fields were from the first the land of the mountain wardens. Therefore I shall govern them now. You may not have charge of them."

Then Ou no Sukune reported it to the crown prince. The crown prince said to him. "Report it then to Osazaki no Mikoto."

So Ou no Sukune reported to Osazaki no Mikoto. "Prince Onakatsuhiko bars the crown fields I am charged with and does not let me govern them."

Osazaki no Mikoto asked Maro, the ancestor of the Yamato no Atai. "They say the crown fields of Yamato were from the first the land of the mountain wardens. How is this?"

He answered. "I do not know it. Only my younger brother Agoko knows."

Just at that time Agoko had been sent to the land of Han (韓國) and had not yet returned. Then Osazaki no Mikoto said to Ou. "Go yourself to the land of Han and call Agoko. Go in haste, by night and by day alike." Then eighty fishermen of Awaji were chosen to be the boatmen.

So Ou went to the land of Han and brought Agoko back with him. Then he asked about the crown fields of Yamato.

He answered. "I have heard it handed down. In the reign of the emperor who ruled all under heaven from the palace of Tamaki in Makimuku, the crown prince Otarashihiko no Mikoto was commanded to fix the crown fields of Yamato. The command said, 'The crown fields of Yamato are the crown fields of each emperor who rules all under heaven. Though a man be the son of an emperor, if he does not rule all under heaven he may not have charge of them.' To call them the land of the mountain wardens is a mistake."

Then Osazaki no Mikoto sent Agoko to Prince Nukata no Onakatsuhiko and let him know the matter. Prince Onakatsuhiko could do nothing further.

So he knew his fault and forgave him, and did not punish him.

After this Prince Oyamamori always bore it against the former emperor that he had been set aside and not made heir, and this grudge lay on him twice over, and he made a plan. "I shall kill the crown prince and ascend the throne at last."

Then Osazaki no Mikoto heard of the plan beforehand and secretly told the crown prince, and had him make soldiers ready and keep guard. At that time the crown prince set soldiers and waited.

Prince Oyamamori did not know that soldiers were ready, and he led several hundred soldiers by himself and set out at midnight. Toward daybreak he came to Uji and was about to cross the river.

At that time the crown prince put on a hempen robe, took up the oar and the pole, and secretly mixed with the ferrymen. He took Prince Oyamamori aboard and crossed, and when they came to the middle of the river he had the ferryman tread on the boat and tip it over.

So Prince Oyamamori fell into the river and sank, and he rose again and floated down and sang.

"Chihayahito ujinowatarini saotorini hayakemuhitoshi wagamokonikomu (知破揶臂苔。于施能和多利珥。佐烏刀利珥。破揶鷄務臂苔辭。和餓毛胡珥虚務)"

But the soldiers lying hidden rose up in numbers, and he could not reach the bank. At last he sank and died.

He had the body sought for, and it came up at the ford of Kora. Then the crown prince looked upon the body and sang.

"Chihayahito ujinowatarini watarizeni tateru (智破揶臂等。于泥能和多利珥。和多利涅珥。多■屡) azusayumi mayumi ikiramuto kokorowamohedo itoramuto kokorowamohedo motohewa kimiomomohide suehewa imoomomohide iranakeku sokoniomohi kanashikeku kokoniomohi (阿豆瑳由瀰。摩由彌。伊枳羅牟苔。虚虚呂破望閇耐。伊斗羅牟苔。虚虚呂破望閇耐。望苔弊破。枳濔烏於望臂泥。須惠弊破。伊暮烏於望比泥。伊羅那鷄區。曾虚珥於望比。伽那志鷄區。虚虚珥於望臂)"

"ikirazusokuru azusayumi mayumi (伊枳羅儒層區屡。阿豆瑳由瀰。摩由彌)"

— the three songs above are all written for their sound, and they are not rendered by meaning.

So he was buried on Mount Nara.

After this the crown prince raised a palace at Uji and dwelt there. Still he yielded the throne to Osazaki no Mikoto, and for a long while he did not ascend the throne. So the throne stood empty, and three years had already passed.

At that time there was a fisherman who brought a bundle of fresh fish and offered it at the palace of Uji. The crown prince said to the fisherman. "I am not the emperor." So he sent him back and had it offered at Naniwa. Osazaki no Mikoto also sent him back and had it offered at Uji.

So the fisherman's bundle went bad in the going and the coming. He went back again and brought other fresh fish and offered it, but it was refused as it had been before. The fresh fish went bad again. The fisherman was worn out with going back and forth, and he threw the fish away and wept. Therefore the saying "there is a fisherman who weeps over his own goods" comes from this.

The crown prince said. "I know that I cannot take away my elder brother's will. How should I live long and trouble all under heaven?" So he took his own life.

Then Osazaki no Mikoto heard that the crown prince was dead and was astonished, and he hurried from Naniwa and came to the palace of Uji. By then three days had passed since the crown prince died.

Then Osazaki no Mikoto beat his breast and cried aloud, and did not know what to do. So he loosed his hair and sat astride the body and called three times. "My younger brother, my prince."

At that moment he came to life and rose up of himself and sat. Then Osazaki no Mikoto said to the crown prince. "How sad it is, how bitter. Why did you go of yourself? If the dead have knowledge, what will the former emperor say of me?"

Then the crown prince said to his elder brother the king. "It is the command of heaven. Who can hold it back? If I go to the place where the emperor is, I shall report it in full, that my elder brother the king is wise and that he yielded the throne.

Yet the wise king heard that I was dead and hurried over a long road. How should it have been without labor for you?"

Then he offered his younger sister by the same mother, Princess Yata, and said. "Though this is not enough for a gift made with the rites, let her fill out the number of the inner palace, poor as it is."

Then he lay down over the coffin again and died.

So Osazaki no Mikoto put on white mourning and showed his grief, and wept most bitterly. Then he buried him on the height of Mount Uji.

In the first year, in spring, the first month, the first day being a jeongchuk day, on the gimyo day, Osazaki no Mikoto ascended the throne. He raised the empress in honor and called her the empress dowager. He made his capital at Naniwa, and it is called the palace of Takatsu.

The walls and the rooms and the houses of the palace were not painted with white earth, the rafters and the beams and the pillars were not decked with figures, and the thatch of the roof was not cut even. This was so that the time for ploughing and for weaving should not be taken away for private ends.

When the emperor was born, an owl came into the birth chamber. The next morning Emperor Homuta called the great minister Takeuchi no Sukune and said to him. "What sign is this?"

The great minister answered. "It is a lucky sign. And just yesterday, when your servant's wife gave birth, a wren came into the birth chamber. That too is out of the common."

Then the emperor said. "Now my son and the son of the great minister are born on the same day and both have a sign, and this is a token from heaven. Let us take the names of those birds and exchange them, each for the other's child, and make it a pledge for the ages to come."

So the name of the wren (鷦鷯) was taken for the crown prince, and he was called Prince Osazaki, and the name of the owl (木菟) was taken for the son of the great minister, and he was called Tsuku no Sukune. He is the first ancestor of the Heguri no Omi.

This year the year sign was gyeyu.

In the second year, in spring, the third month, the first day being a sinmi day, on the muin day, Iwanohime no Mikoto was set up as empress. The empress bore Emperor Oenoizahowake, Prince Suminoe no Nakatsu, Emperor Mizuhawake, and Emperor Oasazuma Wakugo no Sukune.

His consort Kaminagahime of Himuka bore Prince Okusaka and Princess Hatabi.

In the fourth year, in spring, the second month, the first day being a gimi day, on the gapja day, he gave a command to the many servants of the court.

"I climbed the high terrace and looked far out, and no smoke rises within the borders. I think the people are already poor and there is no one cooking in the houses. I have heard that in the reigns of the wise kings of old every man sang songs in praise of their virtue and every house had a song of peace. Now I have been over the multitude for three years, and no sound of praise is heard, and the smoke of cooking grows thinner and thinner. So I know it. The five grains have not ripened, and the people are in want. Within the borders of the capital there are still those who have not enough. How much more in the many lands beyond the borders?"

In the third month, the first day being a gichuk day, on the giyu day, he gave a command. "From this time on, for three years, let the taxes and the labor service all be taken away, so that the hardship of the people may rest."

From that day the emperor did not have his robes and his shoes made anew until they were worn out, and he did not change his warm rice and his hot soup until they had gone sour. He pared down his heart and bound his will, and followed the way of doing nothing.

So when the wall of the palace fell down it was not built again, and when the thatch of the roof broke it was not mended. Wind and rain came in through the gaps and wet his clothes and his bedding, and the light of the stars came in through the broken places and lay bare upon his bed.

After this the wind and the rain came in their season, and the five grains ripened in plenty. Within three years the people grew well off, the sound of praise for his virtue was already full, and the smoke of cooking was thick again.

In the seventh year, in summer, the fourth month, on the sinmi day that was the first of the month, the emperor was upon the terrace and looked far out, and much smoke was rising. That day he said to the empress. "I am rich already. What sorrow should there be?"

The empress answered. "What do you call rich?"

The emperor said. "The smoke fills the land. Is it not that the people have grown rich of themselves?"

The empress said again. "The wall of the palace is broken and cannot be mended, and the halls have fallen so that your clothes and your bedding lie open. How do you call this rich?"

The emperor said. "Heaven sets up a lord for the sake of the people. Therefore the lord takes the people for his root. For this reason the wise kings of old, if one man was hungry and cold, looked to it and blamed themselves. Now if the people are poor, then I am poor, and if the people are rich, then I am rich. It has never yet been that the people were rich and the lord poor.

In autumn, the eighth month, the first day being a gisa day, on the jeongchuk day, the Mibube were appointed for Prince Oenoizahowake, and the Kazurakibe were appointed for the empress.

In the ninth month the many lands all made a request. "Three years have already passed since the taxes and the labor service were both taken away. Because of this the palace halls have rotted and fallen, and the storehouses are empty. Now the people have enough, and they do not pick up what is dropped on the road. So there are no widowers and no widows in the villages, and the houses have something laid by. If at such a time we do not offer tribute and tax to repair the palace, we fear that we shall be held guilty before heaven."

Still he bore with it and did not listen.

In the tenth year, in winter, the tenth month, taxes and labor service were laid on for the first time and the palace was built. Then the people, though no one urged them, held up the old and led the young by the hand, carried timber and bore baskets on their backs, and asked nothing of day or night but spent all their strength and vied with one another in the building. So before long the palace was wholly finished. Therefore to this day he is called the wise emperor.

In the eleventh year, in summer, the fourth month, the first day being a muin day, on the gabo day, he gave a command to the many servants of the court.

"Now I look upon this land, and the fields and the marshes are wide and far, but the ploughlands are few and poor. The river water also runs off to the side, and its end is not swift. When only a little of the long rain comes, the sea tide runs up against the stream, the villages go about by boat, and the roads turn to mud. Therefore let the many servants of the court look to it together, open the source that runs to the side and let it through to the sea, and hold back the water that runs against the stream, so that the fields and the houses may be kept whole.

In winter, the tenth month, the plain north of the palace was dug through and the water of the south was drawn in to enter the western sea. For this reason that water was named Horie (堀江).

They also built the embankment of Mamuta to hold back the northern river. At that time there were two places where the work fell down as soon as it was raised, and they were hard to close.

Then a god appeared in a dream to the emperor and taught him. "If you make offering to the earl of the river (河伯) with Kowakubi, a man of Musashi, and Mamuta no Muraji Koromonoko, a man of Kawachi, you will surely be able to close them."

So the two men were sought out and found, and prayer was made to the god of the river.

Then Kowakubi wept and grieved, and he sank in the water and died. So that embankment was finished.

Koromonoko alone took two whole gourds and came to the water that was hard to close. Then he threw the two gourds into the middle of the water and made this request.

"The god of the river has made himself a curse upon me and taken me for his offering. That is why he has made me come. If you must have me, sink these gourds and do not let them float. Then I shall know that you are a true god and go into the water myself. If you cannot sink the gourds, I shall know of myself that you are a false god. Why should I lose my body for nothing?"

Then a whirlwind rose up all at once and drew the gourds down into the water. But the gourds rolled up on the waves and did not sink. They floated up bobbing and flowed far away. So Koromonoko did not die, and yet that embankment too was finished.

Therefore the people of that time named those two places the breach of Kowakubi and the breach of Koromonoko.

In this year men of Silla came to court and brought tribute. They labored at this work.

In the twelfth year, in autumn, the seventh month, the first day being a sinmi day, on the gyeyu day, the land of Goryeo offered iron shields and iron targets.

In the eighth month, the first day being a gyeongja day, on the giyu day, the guests from Goryeo were entertained at the court. On that day the many servants of the court and all the officials were gathered, and they were made to shoot at the iron shields and the iron targets that Goryeo had offered. None of them could shoot through a target. Tatehito no Sukune, the ancestor of the Ikuha no Omi, alone shot the iron target and went through it.

Then the guests from Goryeo saw it, and they feared the skill of his shooting, and they rose up together and bowed before the court.

The next day Tatehito no Sukune was praised and given a name, and he was called Ikuha no Toda no Sukune. On the same day Sukune no Omi, the ancestor of the Ohatsuse no Miyatsuko, was given a name and called Sakashinokori no Omi.

In winter, the tenth month, a great ditch was dug in the district of Kurikuma in Yamashiro to water the fields. For this reason the people there had plenty year after year.

In the thirteenth year, in autumn, the ninth month, the granary of Mamuta was set up for the first time. For this reason the Tsukishinebe were appointed.

In winter, the tenth month, the pond of Wani was made.

In this month the embankment of Yokono was raised.

In the fourteenth year, in winter, the eleventh month, a bridge was laid at the ford of Ikai. That place was then named Obashi (小橋).

In this year a great road was made and laid through the capital. From the south gate it ran straight to the village of Tajihi.

A great ditch was also dug at Komuku, and the water of Ishikawa was drawn in to water the four plains of Kamisuzuka and Shimosuzuka, Kamitoyura and Shimotoyura. By this more than forty thousand furrows of field were opened up. Therefore the people of that place had enough and had no fear of a year of famine.

In the sixteenth year, in autumn, the seventh month, on the muin day that was the first of the month, the emperor showed Kuwata no Kugahime, a woman of the palace, to the toneri who waited close upon him, and said. "I would love this woman, but the jealousy of the empress is hard, and we have not come together, and many years have gone by. Why should I block the best of her years for nothing?"

Then he asked them in a song.

"Minasokofu ominootomeo dareyashinamu (瀰儺曾虚赴。於瀰能烏苔■烏。多例揶始儺播務)"

Then Hayamachi, the ancestor of the Harima no Kuni no Miyatsuko, came forward alone and sang.

"Mikashiho harimahayamachi ihakudasu kashikokutomo areyashinamu (瀰箇始報。破利摩波揶摩智。以播區娜輸。伽之古倶等望。阿例揶始儺破務)"

— the two songs are written for their sound, and they are not rendered by meaning.

That same day Kugahime was given to Hayamachi. On the evening of the next day Hayamachi went to the house of Kugahime, but Kugahime would not have him. Then he came inside the curtain by force.

At that time Kugahime said. "I mean to end my years a widow. How could I be your wife?"

Then the emperor heard of it, and wishing to give Hayamachi his will, he sent Kugahime away to Kuwata in Hayamachi's company. Then Kugahime fell sick and died on the road. Therefore the grave of Kugahime is there to this day.

In the seventeenth year Silla did not come to court and brought no tribute.

In autumn, the ninth month, Toda no Sukune, the ancestor of the Ikuha no Omi, and Sakashinokori no Omi, the ancestor of the Ohatsuse no Miyatsuko, were sent to ask about the tribute that had been left undone.

Then the men of Silla were afraid, and they offered as the jo (調) one thousand four hundred and sixty bolts of silk and all manner of other goods, loaded together in eighty ships.

In the twenty-second year, in spring, the first month, the emperor said to the empress. "I would bring in Princess Yata and make her my consort." At that time the empress would not hear of it.

Then the emperor begged the empress in a song.

"Umahitono tatsurukototate usayuzuru taebatsugamuni narabetemogamo (于磨臂苔能。多菟屡虚等太■。于磋由豆流。多曳麼菟餓務珥。奈羅陪■毛餓望)"

The empress answered with a song.

"Koromokoso futahemoyoki sayodokoo narabemukimiwa kashikokirokamo (虚呂望虚曾。赴多弊茂豫耆。瑳用廼虚烏。那羅陪務耆瀰破。箇辭古耆呂箇茂)"

The emperor sang again.

"Oshiteru naniwanosakino narabihama narabemutokoso sonokowaarikeme (於辭■屡。那珥破能瑳耆能。那羅弭破莽。那羅陪務苔虚層。曾能古破阿利鷄梅)"

The empress answered with a song.

"Natsumushino himushinokoromo futahekite kakumiyariwa aniyokumoarazu (那菟務始能。譬務始能虚呂望。赴多弊耆■。箇區瀰夜利破。阿珥豫區望阿羅儒)"

The emperor sang again.

"Asazumano hikanoosakao katanakini michiyukumonomo taguhitezoyoki (阿佐豆磨能。避箇能烏瑳箇烏。箇多那耆珥。瀰致喩區茂能茂。多遇譬■序豫枳)"

— the five songs are written for their sound, and they are not rendered by meaning.

At last the empress said that she would not hear of it. So he kept silence and did not answer her either.

In the thirtieth year, in autumn, the ninth month, the first day being an eulmyo day, on the eulchuk day, the empress went out to the land of Kii and came to the cape of Kumano. She took the mitsunagashiwa leaves of that place and came back.

Then the emperor watched for the time when the empress was away, and took Princess Yata to wife and brought her into the palace.

At that time the empress came to the ford of Naniwa and heard that the emperor had joined with Princess Yata, and she bore it bitterly. She threw the mitsunagashiwa leaves she had gathered into the sea and did not come to the bank. Therefore the people of that time named the sea where the leaves were scattered Hanowatari (葉濟).

The emperor did not know that the empress was angry and would not come to the bank, and he went himself to Otsu and waited for the empress's ship and sang.

"Naniwahito suzufunetorase koshinazumi sonofunetorase ohomifunetore (那珥波譬苔。須儒赴泥苔羅齊。許辭那豆瀰。曾能赴尼苔羅齊。於朋瀰赴泥苔禮)"

At that time the empress did not put in at Otsu, but drew her ship up the river again, and turned from Yamashiro toward Yamato.

The next day the emperor sent the toneri Toriyama to bring the empress back, and he sang.

"Yamashironi ishiketoriyama ishikeishike agamofutsumani ishikiahamukamo (夜莽之呂珥。伊辭鷄苔利夜莽。伊辭鷄之鷄。阿餓茂赴菟摩珥。伊辭枳阿波牟伽茂)"

The empress did not come back but went on still, and when she came to the river of Yamashiro she sang.

"Tsuginefu yamashirogawao kawanobori waganoboreba kawakumani tachisakayuru momotarazu yasobanokiwa ohokimirokamo (菟藝泥赴。揶莽之呂餓波烏。箇破能朋利。餓能朋例麼。箇波區莽珥。多知瑳箇踰屡。毛毛多羅儒。揶素麼能紀破。於朋耆瀰呂箇茂)"

Then she crossed Mount Nara, and looking toward Kazuraki she sang.

"Tsuginefu yamashirogawao miyanobori waganoboreba aoniyoshi naraosugi odate yamatoosugi wagamigahoshikuniwa kazurakitakamiya wagihenoatari (菟藝泥赴。揶莽之呂餓波烏。濔揶能朋利。和餓能朋例麼。阿烏珥豫辭。儺羅烏輸疑。烏陀■。夜莽苔烏輸疑。和餓瀰餓朋辭區珥波。箇豆羅紀多伽瀰揶。和藝弊能阿多利)"

— the four songs are written for their sound, and they are not rendered by meaning.

She turned back to Yamashiro again, and raised a palace south of the hill of Tsutsuki and dwelt there.

In winter, the tenth month, on the gapsin day that was the first of the month, Kuchimochi no Omi, the ancestor of the Ikuha no Omi, was sent to call the empress.

So Kuchimochi no Omi came to the palace of Tsutsuki, and though he asked to see the empress she kept silence and did not answer. Then Kuchimochi no Omi was wet with the snow and the rain, and day and night went by while he lay before the hall of the empress and would not go aside.

Now the younger sister of Kuchimochi no Omi, Kuniyorihime, served the empress. Just at this time she was waiting at the empress's side, and she saw her elder brother wet with the rain and shed tears and sang.

"Yamashirono tsutsukinomiyani monomaosu wagaseomireba namidagumashimo (揶莽辭呂能。菟菟紀能瀰揶珥。茂能莽烏輸。和餓齊烏瀰例麼。那瀰多遇摩辭茂)"

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

Then the empress said to Kuniyorihime. "Why do you weep?"

She answered. "The one who lies in the court now and asks to be seen is my elder brother. He is wet with the rain and will not go aside, but lies there still and would see you. That is why I weep and grieve."

Then the empress said. "Tell your elder brother to go back quickly. I shall not return in the end."

So Kuchimochi went back and reported to the emperor again.

In the eleventh month, the first day being a gabin day, on the gyeongsin day, the emperor put out his ship and went to Yamashiro. At that time a mulberry branch came floating down the water. The emperor looked at the mulberry branch and sang.

"Tsunusahafu ihanohimega ohorokani kikosanu uraguhanoki yorumashiki kawanokumakuma yorobohiyukukamo uraguhanoki (菟怒瑳破赴以破能臂謎餓。飫朋呂伽珥枳許瑳。怒。于羅愚破能紀。豫屡麻志枳。箇波能區莽愚莽。豫呂朋譬喩玖伽茂。于羅愚破能紀)"

The next day the imperial carriage came to the palace of Tsutsuki and called the empress. The empress would not come out and see him.

Then the emperor sang.

"Tsuginefu yamashiromeno kokuwamochi uchishiohone sawasawani nagaihesekoso uchiwatasu yagahaenasu kiirimawikure (菟藝泥赴。揶摩之呂謎能。許久破茂知。于智辭於朋泥。佐和佐和珥。儺餓伊弊劑虚曾。于知和多須。椰餓波曳儺須。企以利摩韋區例)"

He sang again.

"Tsuginefu yamashiromeno kokuwamochi uchishiohone nejiroshirotadamuki makazukebakoso shirazutomoihame (菟藝泥赴。夜莽之呂謎能。許玖破茂知。于智辭於朋泥。泥士漏辭漏多娜武枳。摩箇儒鷄麼虚曾。辭羅儒等茂伊波梅)"

— the three songs are written for their sound, and they are not rendered by meaning.

Then the empress had this word offered to him. "Your majesty has brought in Princess Yata and made her your consort. I do not wish to be empress side by side with that princess." In the end she did not see him.

So the imperial carriage went back to the palace. The emperor bore it bitterly against the empress and was greatly angered, and yet his heart still longed for her.

In the thirty-first year, in spring, the first month, the first day being a gyechuk day, on the jeongmyo day, Oenoizahowake no Mikoto was set up as crown prince.

In the thirty-fifth year, in summer, the sixth month, the empress Iwanohime no Mikoto died at the palace of Tsutsuki.

In the thirty-seventh year, in winter, the eleventh month, the first day being a gapsul day, on the eulyu day, the empress was buried on Mount Nara.

In the thirty-eighth year, in spring, the first month, the first day being a gyeyu day, on the muin day, Princess Yata was set up as empress.

In autumn, the seventh month, the emperor and the empress were upon the high terrace to escape the heat. At that time, night after night, the cry of a deer was heard from Togano. The sound was clear and far off and sorrowful, and it stirred a tenderness in them both.

Then the month came to an end and the cry of the deer was not heard. So the emperor said to the empress. "This evening the deer does not cry. What is the reason?"

The next day the Sahekibe of the district of Ina offered a bundle of food. The emperor had the man in charge of the food ask them. "What is in that bundle?"

They answered. "It is a stag."

He asked. "A deer from where?"

They said. "From Togano."

Then the emperor thought to himself. "This bundle must be that deer that cried."

So he said to the empress. "Of late I have had something on my heart, and I was comforted by the sound of the deer. Now, reckoning the day and the night and the hills and the plain where the Sahekibe took the deer, it must be that deer that cried. Though the man did not know that I loved it and took it only because he happened upon it, still I cannot help but bear it against him. Therefore I do not wish to have the Sahekibe near the imperial dwelling."

So he commanded the office in charge to move their village to Nuta in Aki. These are the ancestors of the Sahekibe of Nuta today.

It is said among the people that once a man went to Toga and stayed the night out on the plain. At that time two deer lay beside him. Toward cockcrow the doe said to the stag. "I dreamt a dream tonight. White frost fell thick and covered my body. What sign is this?"

The stag answered. "If you go out and about, you will surely be shot by a man and die. The white salt that is rubbed on the body is what the whiteness like frost answers to."

Then the man who was staying there thought it strange in his heart. Before the day had dawned a hunter shot the stag and killed it. For this reason the people of that time had a saying. "The stag that cries, it is as the dream told.

In the fortieth year, in spring, the second month, he wished to bring in Princess Metori and make her his consort, and he made Prince Hayabusawake the go-between. At that time Prince Hayabusawake secretly took her to wife himself, and for a long while he did not report back.

So the emperor did not know that she had a husband, and he went himself to the hall of Princess Metori. At that time the women who were weaving cloth for the princess sang.

"Hisakatano amekanahata medoriga orukanahata hayabusawakeno miosuhigane (比佐箇多能。阿梅箇儺麼多。謎迺利餓。於瑠箇儺麼多。波揶歩佐和氣能。瀰於須譬鵝泥)"

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

So the emperor knew that Prince Hayabusawake had married her in secret, and he bore it against him. But he held the word of the empress heavy and kept the bond between brothers warm, and he bore with it and did not punish him.

Before long Prince Hayabusawake lay with his head on the knees of the princess and said to her. "Which is the swifter, the wren or the falcon?"

She said. "The falcon is the swifter."

Then the prince said. "That is to say that I come first."

The emperor heard these words, and again his bitterness rose. At that time the toneri of Prince Hayabusawake sang.

"Hayabusawa ameninobori tobikakeri itsukigauheno sazakitorasane (破夜歩佐波。阿梅珥能朋利。等弭箇慨梨。伊菟岐餓宇倍能。娑弉岐等羅佐泥)"

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

The emperor heard this song and flew into a great rage and said. "I bore with it because I did not wish to lose one close to me over a private grudge. How should a private matter reach to the altars of the land?"

Then he was about to kill Prince Hayabusawake. At that time the prince took Princess Metori with him and fled, meaning to bring her into the shrine of Ise.

So the emperor heard that Prince Hayabusawake had run away, and he sent Kibi no Homujibe no Ohari and Harima no Saheki no Atai Aganoko and said. "Follow him, and kill him as soon as you come up with him.

Then the empress spoke. "Princess Metori has truly earned a heavy punishment. But on the day she is killed, I do not wish the body of the princess to be laid bare."

So a command was given to Ohari and the others. "Do not take the foot jewels and the hand jewels that the princess wears."

Ohari and the others followed after them and came to Uda, and pressed them hard at Mount Soni. At that time the two hid in the grass and barely got away, and they ran in haste and crossed the mountain.

Then the prince sang.

"Hashitateno sagashikiyamamo wagimokoto futarikoyureba yasumushirokamo (破始多■能。佐餓始枳揶摩茂。和藝毛古等。赴駄利古喩例麼。揶須武志呂箇茂)"

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

Then Ohari and the others knew that they had got away, and they followed in haste and came up with them at the plain of Komoshiro in Ise and killed them. At that time Ohari and the others searched for the jewels of the princess and found them in her skirt. Then they buried the bodies of the two royal ones on the bank of the river Ioki and reported back.

The empress had Ohari and the others asked. "Did you see the jewels of the princess?"

They answered. "We did not see them.

In this year, in the month of the offering of the new grain, wine was given on the day of the feast to the ladies of rank within and without. Then good jewels were seen wound about the hands of two women, the wife of Yamanokimi Wakamoriyama of Omi and the uneme Iwasakahime.

The empress looked at those jewels, and they were like the jewels of Princess Metori. So she had her doubts and commanded the office in charge to search out and ask how those jewels had been come by.

They answered. "They are the jewels of the wife of Saheki no Atai Aganoko."

Then Aganoko was pressed and questioned, and he answered. "On the day the princess was put to death I searched and took them."

Then they were about to kill Aganoko. So Aganoko offered his own private land and begged to be spared from death. Therefore his land was taken and the death penalty was remitted. For this reason that land was named Tamate (玉代).

In the forty-first year, in spring, the third month, Ki no Tsuno no Sukune was sent to Baekje, and the bounds of the lands and the districts were divided for the first time, and what each region brought forth was written down in full.

At this time Sakenokimi (酒君), of the royal kindred of Baekje, was without courtesy. For this Ki no Tsuno no Sukune rebuked the king of Baekje. Then the king of Baekje was afraid, and he bound Sakenokimi with an iron chain and sent him up in the charge of Sotsuhiko.

So Sakenokimi came, and he hid himself quickly in the house of Nishigori no Obito Koroshi of Ishikawa. Then he lied and said. "The emperor has already remitted my guilt. Therefore I stay with you and live."

After a long while the emperor remitted his guilt at last.

In the forty-third year, in autumn, the ninth month, on the gyeongja day that was the first of the month, Abiko of the granary of Yosami caught a strange bird and offered it to the emperor and said. "Your servant has always spread nets and caught birds, but never yet has he taken a bird of this kind. So I thought it strange and offer it."

The emperor called Sakenokimi and showed him the bird and said. "What bird is this?"

Sakenokimi answered. "There are many birds of this kind in Baekje. When they are tamed they follow a man well, and they fly swiftly and snatch other birds. In the speech of Baekje this bird is called kuchi (倶知)."

So it was given to Sakenokimi to feed and tame. Before long he was able to tame it. Then Sakenokimi tied a leather thong to its foot and hung a little bell on its tail, and he set it on his arm and offered it to the emperor.

That day he went out to the plain of Mozu and made sport and hunted. At that time many hen pheasants rose up. So the hawk was loosed and set to take them, and in a moment several tens of pheasants were taken.

In this month the Takakaibe were appointed for the first time. Therefore the people of that time named the place where the hawks were kept the village of Takakai.

In the fiftieth year, in spring, the third month, the first day being an imjin day, on the byeongsin day, a man of Kawachi reported. "A wild goose has laid an egg on the embankment of Mamuta."

That same day a messenger was sent to look, and he said. "It is indeed so."

Then the emperor asked Takeuchi no Sukune in a song.

"Tamakiharu uchinoaso nakosowa yonotohohito nakosowa kuninonagahito akizushima yamatonokunini karigomuto nawakikasuya (多莽耆破屡。宇知能阿曾。儺虚曾破。豫能等保臂等。儺虚曾波。區珥能那餓臂等。阿耆豆辭莽。揶莽等能區珥珥。箇利古武等。儺波企箇輸揶)"

Takeuchi no Sukune answered with a song.

"Yasumishishi wagaohokimiwa ubenaubena wareotohasuna akizushima yamatonokunini karigomuto warewakikazu (夜輸瀰始之。和我於朋枳瀰波。于陪儺于陪儺。和例烏斗波輸儺。阿企菟辭摩。揶莽等能倶珥珥。箇利古武等。和例破■枳箇儒)"

— the two songs are written for their sound, and they are not rendered by meaning.

In the fifty-third year Silla did not come to court and brought no tribute.

In summer, the fifth month, Takahase, the ancestor of the Kamitsukeno no Kimi, was sent to ask about the tribute that had been left undone. On the road he took a white deer. So he came back and offered it to the emperor, and he set out again on another day.

Before long Taji (田道), the younger brother of Takahase, was sent after him as well, and this command was given. "If Silla bars your way, raise your soldiers and strike." Picked soldiers were given to him.

Silla raised soldiers and barred the way. Then the men of Silla offered battle day after day. Taji held his defences fast and did not come out.

At that time one soldier of Silla came outside the camp and was taken prisoner. Then he was asked how things stood.

He answered. "There is a strong man called Baekchung (百衝). He is light and quick and fierce and hardy, and he is always the vanguard on the right of the army. So watch for it and strike the left, and it will break."

At that time Silla left the left empty and made the right ready. Then Taji led his swift horsemen and struck their left. The army of Silla broke. So he loosed his soldiers and pressed after them and killed several hundred men, and he took the people of four villages prisoner and came back.

In the fifty-fifth year the Emishi rebelled. Taji was sent to strike them. He was beaten by the Emishi and died at the harbor of Iji.

At that time one of his followers took the armlet of Taji and gave it to his wife. Then she held the armlet and hanged herself and died. The people of that time heard of it and shed tears.

After this the Emishi raided again and carried off the people. Then they dug up the grave of Taji. A great snake was there, and it opened its angry eyes and came out of the grave and bit them. The Emishi all took the poison of the snake and many of them died. Only one or two got away.

Therefore the people of that time said. "Though Taji was dead already, in the end he paid back his enemy. How should we say that the dead have no knowledge?

In the fifty-eighth year, in summer, the fifth month, two trees suddenly grew on the road south of the pine wood of Arahaka, and they stood on either side of the road and their tops joined.

In winter, the tenth month, the land of Wu and the land of Goryeo both came to court and brought tribute.

In the sixtieth year, in winter, the tenth month, the keepers of the tomb of Shiratori were taken as able men for the labor service. At that time the emperor came to the place of the work.

Then Meki, one of the tomb keepers, suddenly turned into a white deer and ran away. So the emperor gave a command. "This tomb was empty from the first. Therefore I wished to do away with its keepers, and I began by taking them as able men for the labor. Now I have seen this strange thing and I fear it greatly. Do not move the tomb keepers." So they were given to the Haji no Muraji again.

In the sixty-second year, in summer, the fifth month, the governor of the land of Totomi sent up a memorial and reported. "There is a great tree that came floating down the river Oi and has stopped at a bend of the river. It is ten arm-spans around, and the trunk is one but the top is two."

Then Yamato no Atai Agoko was sent to make a ship of it. It was brought round by the southern sea and taken to the harbor of Naniwa, and it was made the imperial ship.

In this year Prince Nukata no Onakatsuhiko hunted at Tsuge. At that time the prince looked out from the top of a hill and saw a thing in the middle of the plain, and its shape was like a hut. So he sent a messenger to look at it.

He came back and said. "It is a pit."

So Oyamanushi, the inaki of Tsuge, was called and asked. "What is that thing in the middle of the plain?"

He said. "It is an ice store."

The prince said. "How is the ice kept there, and what is it used for?"

He said. "The earth is dug out more than a fathom deep and the top is covered with grass, and reeds and rushes are laid thick, and the ice is brought and set upon them. It does not melt though the summer months go by. As for its use, when the hot months come it is put into water and wine and so used."

The prince then brought that ice and offered it at the place where the emperor was. The emperor was pleased. From this time on, ice was always stored at the end of every winter, and at the spring equinox the ice was first given out.

In the sixty-fifth year there was a man in the land of Hida called Sukuna (宿儺). He was made so that one body had two faces, and the faces turned away from each other, and the crowns of the heads were joined and there was no neck, and each had its own hands and feet. He had knees but no hollows behind them and no heels. He was strong, and light and quick as well. He wore a sword on the right and on the left, and with four hands he used bow and arrows at once.

Because of this he did not follow the command of the emperor, and he made a pleasure of plundering the people. So Naniwa no Neko Takefurukuma, the ancestor of the Wani no Omi, was sent and cut him down.

In the sixty-seventh year, in winter, the tenth month, the first day being a gyeongjin day, on the gapsin day, he went to Ishizuhara in Kawachi and fixed the place of his tomb.

On the jeongyu day the tomb was begun. On that day a deer suddenly started up in the middle of the plain and ran in among the men and fell down dead. They thought its sudden death strange and looked for its wound. Then a shrike (百舌鳥) came out of its ear and flew away. When they looked inside the ear it was all bitten and torn open. Therefore that place is called Mozu Mimihara (百舌鳥耳原), and this is the reason for it.

In this year there was a great water serpent in a branch of the river Kawashima in Nakatsukuni of Kibi, and it brought suffering upon the people. When travellers came to that place and passed by, they took its poison and many of them died.

Then Agatamori, the ancestor of the Kasa no Omi, who was brave and strong of body, came to the pool of that branch and threw three whole gourds into the water and said. "You pour out your poison again and again and bring suffering upon travellers. I shall kill you, serpent. If you sink these gourds, I shall go aside. If you cannot sink them, I shall cut your body down."

Then the water serpent turned into a deer and drew the gourds down. The gourds did not sink. So he took up his sword and went into the water and cut the serpent down. He looked further for the serpent's kin, and the whole serpent tribe filled a cave at the bottom of the pool. He cut them all down, and the water of the river turned to blood. Therefore that water was named the pool of Agatamori.

About this time an evil air began to stir little by little, and one or two rebels rose up. So the emperor rose early and lay down late, and made the taxes light and the gathering thin so that the people might have room. He spread virtue and gave out kindness and raised up those in want, he mourned the dead and asked after the sick and cared for the orphaned and the widowed. For this reason his rule and his commands went out and ran everywhere, and all under heaven was at peace, and for more than twenty years there was no trouble.

In the eighty-seventh year, in spring, the first month, the first day being a muja day, on the gyemyo day, the emperor died.

In winter, the tenth month, the first day being a gyemi day, on the gichuk day, he was buried in the tomb of Mozuno.