Emperor Tenji天智天皇

Emperor Amemikoto Hirakasuwake (天命開別天皇) was the son and heir of Emperor Okinagatarashihi Hironuka. His mother was called Empress Ametoyotakara Ikashihitarashihime.

In the fourth year of Empress Ametoyotakara Ikashihitarashihime she gave up the throne to Emperor Ameyorozu Toyohi, and the emperor was set up as crown prince.

Emperor Ameyorozu Toyohi died in the tenth month of the fifth year after.

In the next year Sumemioya no Mikoto ascended the throne of emperor.

In the seventh year, in the seventh month, on the jeongsa day, she died. The crown prince wore white mourning and took the rule upon himself.

In this month General Su and the Tujue prince Qibi Jiali and the others came by water and by land to below the walls of the castle of Goryeo. The crown prince moved his dwelling to Nagatsu no Miya and little by little took in hand the military government beyond the sea.

In the eighth month the front generals Azumi no Hirafu no Muraji of the rank daikage and Kawabe no Momoe no Omi of the rank shōkage, and the rear generals Abe no Hiketa no Hirafu no Omi of the rank daikage, Mononobe no Muraji Kuma of the rank daisenjō, and Mori no Kimi Ōishi of the rank daisenjō, were sent to save Baekje. Weapons and the five grains were sent after them.

In the ninth month the crown prince went to Nagatsu no Miya and gave the woven cap (織冠) to Pungjang, the prince of Baekje. He also gave him the younger sister of Ō no Omi Komoshiki to wife.

Then Sai no Muraji Ajimasa of the rank daisenge and Hata no Miyatsuko Takutsu of the rank shōsenge were sent to lead more than five thousand soldiers and to guard him as far as his own homeland.

When Pungjang entered the land, Boksin came out to meet him, bowed his head to the ground, and handed over to him the government of the court and all its affairs.

In the twelfth month Goryeo said:

"In this twelfth month the cold in the land of Goryeo was bitter and the Paesu froze. Therefore the soldiers of Tang came on with cloud ladders and battering carts, beating drums and gongs and shouting. The soldiers of Goryeo were bold and stout of heart. Therefore two more of the Tang ramparts were taken, and only two forts were left. When a plan was made to take them by night as well, the soldiers of Tang clasped their knees and wept. Their edge was blunted and their strength spent, and they could not break through."

What is the shame of biting one's own navel, if it is not this?

The monk Dohyeon said, "The purpose of the Chunqiu arose in Goryeo, but its voice was first raised against Baekje. Baekje had come near and harried them, and it was bitter and urgent, and this was why."

In this year Kishida no Omi Maro and the others of the kuni no tsukasa of Harima offered a precious sword and said, "We got it inside a hole in a grain field of a man of the district of Sayo."

Again, the generals of Japan who had gone to save Goryeo put in at the shore of Gabari in Baekje and lit a fire. The ashes turned into a hole, and there was a thin sound like a whistling arrow.

Someone said, "Is this a sign that Goryeo and Baekje will at last perish?"

In spring, the first month, the first day being a sinmyo day, on the jeongsa day, a hundred thousand arrows, five hundred geun of thread, a thousand geun of floss silk, a thousand ends of cloth, a thousand tanned hides, and three thousand seom of rice seed were given to Gwisil Boksin, the jwapyeong of Baekje.

In the third month, the first day being a gyeongin day, on the gyesa day, three hundred ends of cloth were given to the king of Baekje.

In this month the men of Tang and the men of Silla attacked Goryeo. Goryeo begged the land for help. Then generals were sent, and they held the castle of Soryu (疏留城). Because of this the men of Tang could not plunder its southern border, and Silla could not bring supplies up to its western rampart.

In summer, the fourth month, a rat gave birth in a horse's tail. The monk Dohyeon divined and said, "The men of the northern land will attach themselves to the southern land. Perhaps Goryeo will be broken and will belong to Japan."

In the fifth month the great general Azumi no Hirafu no Muraji of the rank daikinchū and the others led a fleet of a hundred and seventy ships and took Pungjang and his company to the land of Baekje. They proclaimed the imperial command and had Pungjang succeed to the throne.

They also gave a golden tablet to Boksin, and stroked his back, and rewarded him with rank and revenue. At this Pungjang and Boksin bowed their heads to the ground and received the command, and the multitude shed tears.

In the sixth month, the first day being a gimi day, on the byeongsul day, Baekje sent the dalsol Manji (萬智) and the others to bring tribute and to offer goods.

In winter, the twelfth month, the first day being a byeongsul day, Pungjang the king of Baekje and his minister the jwapyeong Boksin and the others took counsel with Sai no Muraji and Echi no Hata no Takutsu.

"This Juyu (州柔) lies far from the fields. The soil is hard and barren. It is no land for farming and silkworms; it is a place for holding off battle. If we stay here long, the people may starve.

Now we may move to Piseong (避城). Piseong has to its northwest the waters of Goryeondangyeong (古連旦涇), and to its southeast it holds the bank of a great dike of deep mud. Fields lie all around it, and the ditches are opened to bring down rain. Its flowers and fruits are the richest of the Three Han. It is the source of clothing and food, the deep place of heaven and earth. Though the land is said to be low, how should we not move?"

At this Echi no Hata no Takutsu alone came forward and remonstrated.

"Between Piseong and the place where the enemy is, a man may go in a single night. They are exceedingly near to each other. If anything unlooked for should happen, our regret would come too late.

Hunger comes later; ruin comes first. The reason the enemy does not come lightly now is that Juyu has the steepness of the mountains set about it and is guarded on every side, and that the mountains are high and steep and the valleys narrow, so that it is easy to hold and hard to attack. If we settle in a low place, with what shall we dwell firmly and stand unshaken as we do this day?"

In the end he did not listen to the remonstrance, and made Piseong the capital.

In this year, in order to save Baekje, weapons and armor were mended and set in order, ships were made ready, and stores of army provisions were laid up. This year the great year was imsul.

In spring, the second month, the first day being an eulyu day, on the byeongsul day, Baekje sent the dalsol Kim Su (金受) and the others to bring tribute.

The men of Silla burned four districts on the southern border of Baekje and took Andeok (安德) and other places of importance.

At this, because Piseong was near the enemy, they could not stay there by the shape of things. So they went back and dwelt in Juyu. It was as Takutsu had reckoned.

In this month the jwapyeong Boksin sent up the Tang captive Xu Shouyan and the others.

In the third month the front generals Kamitsukeno no Kimi Wakako and Hashihito no Muraji Ōfuta, the middle generals Kose no Kamuzaki no Omi Osa and Miwa no Kimi Nemaro, and the rear generals Abe no Hiketa no Omi Hirafu and Ōyake no Omi Kamatsuka were sent to lead twenty-seven thousand men and strike Silla.

In summer, the fifth month, the first day being a gyechuk day, Inukami no Kimi hurried to Goryeo to tell of the war, and came back. He saw Gyuhae at the castle of Seokseong (石城). Gyuhae then spoke of the guilt of Boksin.

In the sixth month the front general Kamitsukeno no Kimi Wakako and the others took the two castles of Sabi (沙鼻) and Ginogang (岐奴江) from Silla.

Pungjang the king of Baekje mistrusted Boksin as having a mind to rebel, and bound him by piercing his palms with leather. At the time he found it hard to decide of himself and did not know what to do. So he asked his ministers, "The guilt of Boksin is already such as this. Should he be beheaded or not?"

At this the dalsol Deok Jipdeuk (德執得) said, "This wicked and rebellious man must not be let go."

Boksin at once spat at Jipdeuk and said, "You rotten dog, you foolish slave."

The king set his stout soldiers on him, and he was beheaded and his head was salted.

In autumn, the eighth month, the first day being an imo day, on the gapo day, because the king of Baekje had beheaded his own good general, Silla plotted to enter the land straightway and to take Juyu first.

At this Baekje learned what the enemy had planned and said to the generals, "Now we hear that 'Iohara no Kimi no Omi, the rescuing general of the great land of Japan, leads more than ten thousand stout soldiers and is even now crossing the sea to come.' Let the generals lay their plans beforehand. I mean to go myself and wait to receive him at Baekchon (白村)."

On the musul day the enemy generals came to Juyu and surrounded the king's castle. The generals of the Great Tang led a hundred and seventy warships and set out their line on the Baekchon river (白村江).

On the musin day those of the ships and soldiers of Japan who came first joined battle with the ships and soldiers of the Great Tang. Japan had the worse of it and drew back, and the Great Tang held its line firm and kept it.

On the giyu day the generals of Japan and the king of Baekje did not look at the weather or at the shape of things, and said to one another, "If we strive to go forward first, they will surely fall back of themselves."

They then led the soldiers of the middle army of Japan, whose ranks were in disorder, and went forward and struck the army of the Great Tang in its firm line.

The Great Tang at once closed in with its ships on the left and on the right and fought them round about. In a moment the imperial army was broken. Many threw themselves into the water and were drowned. Prow and stern could not be turned about.

Echi no Hata no Takutsu looked up to heaven and swore, and ground his teeth in anger, and killed several tens of men, and there fell in the fight.

At this time Pungjang the king of Baekje with a few men took ship and fled to Goryeo.

In the ninth month, the first day being a sinhae day, on the jeongsa day, the castle of Juyu in Baekje at last surrendered to Tang.

At this the men of the land said to one another:

"Juyu has surrendered. There is nothing to be done. The name of Baekje is cut off this day. How shall we go again to the place of the graves? We can only go to the castle of Jeorye (弖禮城), meet the generals of Japan, and take counsel together on what is needful in the turn of things."

In the end they taught their wives and children, who had been in the castle of Chimbokgi (枕服岐城), and let them know their mind to leave the land.

On the sinyu day they set out from Moje (牟弖). On the gyehae day they reached Jeorye. On the gapsul day the ships and soldiers of Japan, and the jwapyeong Yeo Jasin (余自信), and the dalsol Moksogwija (木素貴子), Gokna Jinsu (谷那晉首), and Eongnye Bongnyu (憶禮福留), together with the people of the land, reached the castle of Jeorye.

The next day they launched their ships and first set their course for Japan.

In spring, the second month, the first day being a gimyo day, on the jeonghae day, the emperor commanded the great imperial brother (大皇弟) to add to and to change the names of the steps of court rank and the matters of the uji no kami, the minbu, and the kabu.

There are twenty-six steps in that rank. Daishoku, shōshoku, daihō (大縫), shōhō, daishi, shōshi, daikinjō, daikinchū, daikinge, shōkinjō, shōkinchū, shōkinge, daisenjō, daisenchū, daisenge, shōsenjō, shōsenchū, shōsenge, daiotsujō, daiotsuchū, daiotsuge, shōotsujō, shōotsuchū, shōotsuge, daiken (大建), shōken — these are the twenty-six steps.

The former ka (花) was changed and called kin (錦), and from kin down to otsu ten steps were added. Also the one former first step was added to and changed, and made the two steps daiken and shōken. This much was made different, and the rest was as before.

To the uji no kami of a great uji a great sword was given, to the uji no kami of a small uji a small sword, and to the uji no kami of the Tomo no Miyatsuko shields and bows and arrows. Their minbu and kabu were also fixed.

In the third month the Baekje king Seongwang (善光王) and his company were settled at Naniwa. A star fell to the north of the capital. In this spring there was an earthquake.

In summer, the fifth month, the first day being a musin day, on the gapja day, Liu Renyuan (劉仁願), the garrison commander in Baekje, sent the court grandee Guo Wucong (郭務悰) and the others to present a letter case and gifts.

In this month Soga no Muraji, the great minister, of the rank daishi, died.

In the sixth month Shima no Sumemioya no Mikoto died.

In winter, the tenth month, the first day being an eulhae day, the command sending off Guo Wucong and the others was proclaimed. On this day Nakatomi no Uchi no Omi sent the monk Jisang (智祥) to give gifts to Guo Wucong. On the muin day Guo Wucong and the others were feasted.

In this month Gaegeum (蓋金), the great minister of Goryeo, died in his own land. He left these words to his sons: "You brothers, be at peace like water and fish, and do not strive over rank and place. If you do not do so, you will surely be the laughter of your neighbors."

In the twelfth month, the first day being a gapsul day, on the euryu day, Guo Wucong and the others went home.

In this month the land of Ōmi said:

"In the water of the pig trough of Shinoda no Fubito Mi, a man of the district of Sakata, rice suddenly grew. Mi took it and gathered it in, and grew richer day by day.

At the head of the sleeping mat of the new bride of Iwaki no Suguri In, a man of the district of Kurimoto, rice grew in a single night and came into ear. That morning the ears hung down and ripened. The next night one more ear grew. When the new bride went out into the yard, two keys fell from heaven before her. The bride took them and gave them to In, and In got them and first grew rich."

In this year guards and beacon fires were set on the island of Tsushima, the island of Iki, and the land of Tsukushi and elsewhere. Also at Tsukushi a great dike was raised to hold water, and it was named Mizuki (水城).

In spring, the second month, the first day being a gyeyu day, on the jeongyu day, Hashihito no Ōkisaki died.

In this month the steps of court rank of the land of Baekje were compared and examined. Then, for the merit of the jwapyeong Boksin, Gwisil Jipsa (鬼室集斯) was given the rank shōkinge.

Again, more than four hundred men and women of the people of Baekje were settled in the district of Kanzaki in the land of Ōmi.

In the third month, the first day being a gyemyo day, three hundred and thirty persons entered religion for the sake of Hashihito no Ōkisaki.

In this month fields were given to the people of Baekje in the district of Kanzaki.

In autumn, the eighth month, the dalsol Dapbal Chuncho (答㶱春初) was sent, and a castle was built in the land of Nagato. The dalsol Eongnye Bongnyu and the dalsol Sabi Bokbu (四比福夫) were sent to the land of Tsukushi, and they built the two castles of Ōno (大野) and Ki (椽).

Tamna sent an envoy who came to court.

In the ninth month, the first day being a gyeongo day, on the imjin day, the land of Tang sent the court grandee Liu Degao (劉德高), adjutant of Yizhou and supreme pillar of state, and the others.

In winter, the tenth month, the first day being a gihae day, on the giyu day, there was a great review at Uji.

In the eleventh month, the first day being a gisa day, on the sinsa day, Liu Degao and the others were feasted.

In the twelfth month, the first day being a musul day, on the sinhae day, gifts were given to Liu Degao and the others. In this month Liu Degao and the others went home.

In this year Mori no Kimi Ōishi of the rank shōkin and the others were sent to the Great Tang, and so forth.

In spring, the first month, the first day being a mujin day, on the muin day, Goryeo sent Neungnu (能婁) and the others of the front division to bring tribute. On this day Tamna sent Prince Goyeo (姑如) and the others to offer gifts.

In the third month the crown prince went himself to the house of Saeki no Komaro no Muraji, asked after his sickness, and sighed with feeling over his merit in following him from the first.

In summer, the sixth month, the first day being an eulmi day, on the musul day, Neungnu of the front division of Goryeo and the others went home.

In autumn, the seventh month, there was a great flood.

In this autumn the field rent and the tribute were given back.

In winter, the tenth month, the first day being a gapo day, on the gimi day, Goryeo sent its minister Eulsang Eomchu (奄𨛃) and the others to bring tribute.

In this winter the rats of the capital moved toward Ōmi. More than two thousand men and women of Baekje were settled in the eastern lands. Without choosing between monk and layman, from the year gyehae for three years they were all given food from the government.

Jiyu (智由), a monk of the Yamato no Aya, offered a south-pointing chariot.

In spring, the second month, the first day being an imjin day, on the muo day, Empress Ametoyotakara Ikashihitarashihime and Princess Hashihito were buried together in the tomb on Ochi no Oka. On this day the imperial granddaughter Princess Ōta was buried in a grave before the tomb.

Goryeo and Baekje and Silla all offered their mourning along the imperial road.

The crown prince said to his ministers, "Because I hold to what the empress dowager sovereign commanded, and grieve and pity the ten thousand people, I do not raise the labor of a stone vault. I wish this to be a mirror and a warning for all ages to come."

In the third month, the first day being a sinyu day, on the gimyo day, the capital was moved to Ōmi.

At this time the people under heaven did not wish the capital moved. Many remonstrated by hints, and there were many children's songs too. Day after day and night after night there were many places where fire broke out.

In the sixth month the district of Kadono offered a white swallow.

In autumn, the seventh month, the first day being a gimi day, on the gisa day, Tamna sent the jwapyeong Yeonma (椽磨) and the others to offer gifts.

In the eighth month the crown prince went to the capital of Yamato.

In winter, the tenth month, Namsaeng (男生), the daehyeong of Goryeo, went out of the castle and went about the land. At this his two younger brothers within the castle listened to the ill words of the officers at their side, and shut him out and would not let him in. Because of this Namsaeng fled into the Great Tang and plotted to destroy his own land.

In the eleventh month, the first day being a jeongsa day, on the eulchuk day, Liu Renyuan, the garrison commander in Baekje, sent Sima Facong (司馬法聰), magistrate of Ungsan county in the Ungjin protectorate and supreme pillar of state, and the others, to bring Sakaaibe no Muraji Iwatsumi of the rank daisenge and the others to the protectorate of Tsukushi.

On the gisa day Sima Facong and the others went home. Iki no Muraji Hakatoko of the rank shōsenge and Kasa no Omi Moroishi of the rank daiotsuge were made the envoys to see them off.

In this month the castle of Takayasu in the land of Yamato, the castle of Yashima in the district of Yamada in the land of Sanuki, and the castle of Kaneda in the land of Tsushima were built.

In the eleventh intercalary month, the first day being a jeonghae day, on the jeongyu day, fourteen bolts of silk, nineteen bolts of tie-dyed silk, twenty-four bolts of red silk, twenty-four bolts of dark blue cloth, fifty-eight bolts of peach-colored cloth, twenty-six axes, sixty-four sickles, and sixty-two small knives were given to Yeonma and the others.

In spring, the first month, the first day being a byeongsul day, on the muja day, the crown prince ascended the throne of emperor. On the imjin day the ministers were feasted within the palace. On the musin day Hakatoko and the others, the envoys who had seen them off, reported on their charge.

In the second month, the first day being a byeongjin day, on the muin day, Yamatohime no Ōkimi, the daughter of Prince Furuhito no Ōe, was set up as empress. Then four consorts were taken in.

There was a daughter of Soga no Yamada no Ishikawamaro, the great minister, and she was called Ochi no Iratsume. She bore one son and two daughters. The first was Princess Ōta. The second was Princess Uno, who, when she came to hold the land, dwelt in the Kiyomihara palace at Asuka and afterward moved her palace to Fujiwara. The third was Prince Takeru, who was dumb and could not speak.

Next there was the younger sister of Ochi no Iratsume, and she was called Mei no Iratsume. She bore Princess Minabe and Princess Ahe. Princess Ahe, when she came to hold the land, dwelt in the Fujiwara palace and afterward moved the capital to Nara.

Next there was a daughter of Abe no Kurahashimaro, the great minister, and she was called Tachibana no Iratsume. She bore Princess Asuka and Princess Niitabe.

Next there was a daughter of Soga no Akae, the great minister, and she was called Hitachi no Iratsume. She bore Princess Yamabe.

There were also four palace women who bore sons and daughters. There was a daughter of Oshinumi no Miyatsuko Otatsu, and she was called Shikobuko no Iratsume. She bore one son and two daughters. The first was Princess Ōe, the second Prince Kawashima, and the third Princess Izumi.

Again there was a daughter of Kurikuma no Obito Tokomaro, and she was called Kurohime no Iratsume. She bore Princess Minushi.

Again there was Koshi no Michi no Kimi Iratsume, and she bore Prince Shiki.

Again there was the uneme of Iga, Yakako no Iratsume, and she bore Prince Iga. He was afterward styled Prince Ōtomo.

In summer, the fourth month, the first day being an eulmyo day, on the gyeongsin day, Baekje sent Matsushifu and the others to bring tribute. On the gyeongo day Matsushifu and the others went home.

On the fifth day of the fifth month the emperor hunted freely at Kamafuno. At this time the great imperial brother, the princes, the Uchi no Omi, and the ministers all followed him.

In the sixth month Prince Ise and his younger brother the prince died one day after the other.

In autumn, the seventh month, Goryeo sent an envoy by the road of Koshi to bring tribute. The wind and the waves were high, and so he could not go back.

Prince Kurikuma was appointed sochi of Tsukushi.

At this time the arts of war were practiced in the land of Ōmi, and many pastures were set out and horses were turned loose. Also the land of Koshi offered burning earth and burning water. Also below the terrace by the water, fishes came covering the water. Also the Emishi were feasted. Also the toneri were commanded to hold feasts in place after place.

The men of the time said, "Is the heavenly span of the emperor about to end?"

In autumn, the ninth month, the first day being an imo day, on the gyesa day, Silla sent Kim Dongeom (金東嚴), the geupchan of Satak, and the others to bring tribute.

On the jeongmi day Nakatomi no Uchi no Omi had the monks Beopbyeon (法辨) and Jinpil (秦筆) give one ship to Yusin (庾信), the chief minister and daegakgan of Silla, and put it in the charge of Dongeom and the others.

On the gyeongsul day Fuse no Omi Mimimaro was sent to give one ship for carrying tribute to the king of Silla, and it was put in the charge of Dongeom and the others.

In winter, the tenth month, Duke Ying (英公), the great general of the Great Tang, struck Goryeo and destroyed it.

When Jungmowang (仲牟王) of Goryeo first founded the land, he wished to rule a thousand years. His mother, the lady, said, "If you rule the land well, you may have it. But you shall have only seven hundred years of rule."

Now the fall of this land came at the end of those seven hundred years.

In the eleventh month, the first day being a sinsa day, fifty bolts of silk, five hundred geun of floss silk, and a hundred tanned hides were given to the king of Silla and put in the charge of Kim Dongeom and the others. Gifts were given to Dongeom and the others, each according to his degree.

On the euryu day Chimori no Omi Maro of the rank shōsenge and Kishi no Oshibi were sent to Silla. On this day Kim Dongeom and the others went home.

In this year the monk Dohaeng (道行) stole the Kusanagi sword and fled toward Silla. But on the road he met wind and rain, and lost his way in the dark, and came back.

In spring, the first month, the first day being a gyeongjin day, on the muja day, Soga no Akae no Omi was appointed sochi of Tsukushi.

In the third month, the first day being a gimyo day, on the gichuk day, Tamna sent Prince Gumagi (久麻伎) and the others to offer gifts. On the byeongsin day the seeds of the five grains were given to the king of Tamna. On this day Prince Gumagi and the others went home.

In summer, the fifth month, the first day being a muin day, on the imo day, the emperor hunted freely at Yamashinano. The great imperial brother, Fujiwara no Uchi no Ōomi, and the ministers all followed him.

In autumn, the eighth month, the first day being a jeongmi day, on the giyu day, the emperor went up the ridge of Takayasu and would have taken counsel on mending the castle. But he pitied the weariness of the people and stopped, and did not build.

The men of the time were moved and sighed, and said, "Truly this is the virtue of kindness and love. Is it not generous indeed?" and so forth.

In this autumn lightning struck the house of Fujiwara no Uchi no Ōomi.

In the ninth month, the first day being a jeongchuk day, on the jeonghae day, Silla sent Dogyu (督儒), the sachan, and the others to bring tribute.

In winter, the tenth month, the first day being a byeongo day, on the eulmyo day, the emperor went to the house of Fujiwara no Uchi no Ōomi and asked himself after his sickness. But his grief and wasting were very great.

Then he gave a command: "They say that the way of heaven helps the good. How is this but an empty word? They say that the heaping up of good deeds leaves blessings over. Yet there is no proof of it. If there is anything you wish, you may tell it."

He answered, "Your servant has already been slow of wit. What more should I say? Only, in the matter of my burial, let it be light and easy. Living, I did nothing for the army and the land. Dead, how should I dare to make it heavy and hard?" and so forth.

The wise men of the time heard it and sighed, and said, "This one word may quietly be set beside the good words of the wise men of old. How can the refusal of a reward by the General of the Great Tree be spoken of in the same breath with it?"

On the gyeongsin day the emperor sent the crown prince, the great imperial brother, to the house of Fujiwara no Uchi no Ōomi, and gave him the great woven cap and the rank of great minister. He also gave him a surname, and it was Fujiwara. After this he was called Fujiwara no Uchi no Ōomi throughout.

On the sinyu day Fujiwara no Uchi no Ōomi died.

The Nihon seiki says: The Uchi no Ōomi died in his own house at the age of fifty. His coffin was moved to the south of the mountain. Why was heaven not kind, that it grudged to leave the old man here? Alas, how sad. The stone says that he died at the age of fifty-six.

On the gapja day the emperor went to the house of Fujiwara no Uchi no Ōomi. He commanded Soga no Akae no Omi of the rank daikinjō to bear and proclaim a gracious decree, and gave a golden censer.

In the twelfth month there was a fire in the great treasury.

In this winter the castle of Takayasu was mended, and the field taxes of the home provinces were gathered in. At this time there was a fire at Ikarugadera.

In this year Kawachi no Atai Kujira of the rank daikinchū and the others were sent as envoys to the Great Tang. Also more than seven hundred men and women, the jwapyeong Yeo Jasin and the jwapyeong Gwisil Jipsa and their people, were moved and settled in the district of Kamō in the land of Ōmi. Also the Great Tang sent Guo Wucong and more than two thousand others.

In spring, the first month, the first day being an eulhae day, on the sinsa day, a command was given to the officers to hold a great shooting within the palace gate.

On the muja day the rites of the court and the rule of giving way to one another on the road were proclaimed. Again, deceit and false wonders were forbidden and stopped.

In the second month household registers were made, and thieves and vagabonds were put down.

At this time the emperor went to Hisakusano in the district of Kamō and looked at a site for a palace. Also the castle of Takayasu was mended, and grain and salt were stored there. Also one castle was built in Nagato and two castles in Tsukushi.

In the third month, the first day being a gapsul day, on the imo day, the seats of the gods were spread beside the well of Yama, and offerings of cloth were shared out. Nakatomi no Kane no Muraji set forth the words of prayer.

In summer, the fourth month, the first day being a gyemyo day, on the imsin day, after midnight, there was a fire at Hōryūji (法隆寺). Not one building was left. There was great rain and thunder.

In the fifth month there was a children's song.

"Uchihashino tsumenoasobini idemaseko tamadenoiheno yahekonodoni idemashino kuiwaaranizo idemaseko tamadenoiheno yahekonodoni (于知波志能，都梅能阿素弭爾，伊提麻栖古，多麻提能伊鞞能，野鞞古能度珥，伊提麻志能，俱伊播阿羅珥茹，伊提麻西古，多麻提能鞞能，野鞞古能度珥)"

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

In the sixth month a tortoise was caught in a village. On its back was written the character sin (申). Above it was yellow and below it was black, and it was about six inches long.

In autumn, the ninth month, the first day being a sinmi day, Azumi no Muraji Tsuratari was sent to Silla.

In this year a water mill was made and iron was worked.

In spring, the first month, the first day being a gihae day, on the gyeongja day, Soga no Akae no Omi of the rank daikinjō and Kose no Hito no Omi of the rank daikinge came forward before the hall and offered the New Year greeting.

On the gyemyo day Nakatomi no Kane no Muraji of the rank daikinjō was commanded to set forth the service of the gods.

On this day Prince Ōtomo was appointed great minister of state, Soga no Akae no Omi was made minister of the left, and Nakatomi no Kane no Muraji minister of the right. Soga no Hatayasu no Omi, Kose no Hito no Omi, and Ki no Ōhito no Omi were made ōshi daibu.

On the gapjin day the crown prince, the great imperial brother, bore the command and put into force the matters of court rank and of law, and there was a great pardon under heaven.

On the jeongmi day Goryeo sent Garu (可婁), the daesang of the upper division, and the others to bring tribute.

On the sinhae day Liu Renyuan, the garrison commander in Baekje, sent Li Shouzhen (李守真) and the others to present a memorial.

In this month the rank daikinge was given to the jwapyeong Yeo Jasin and to Sataek Somyeong (沙宅紹明). The rank shōkinge was given to Gwisil Jipsa. The rank daisenge was given to the dalsol Gokna Jinsu, Moksogwija, Eongnye Bongnyu, Dapbal Chuncho, Balilbija Chanpara Geumna Geumsu (㶱日比子贊波羅金羅金須), and Gwisil Jipsin (鬼室集信). The rank shōsenjō was given to the dalsol Deok Jeongsang (德頂上), Gil Daesang (吉大尚), Heo Solmo (許率母), and Gak Bokmo (角服牟). The rank shōsenge was given to more than fifty of the remaining dalsol.

A children's song said:

"Tachibanawa onogaedaeda nareredomo tamaninukutoki oyajioninuku (多致播那播，於能我曳多曳多。那例例騰母，陀麻爾農矩騰岐，於野兒弘爾農俱)"

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

In the second month, the first day being a mujin day, on the gyeongin day, Baekje sent Daeguyongseon (臺久用善) and the others to bring tribute.

In the third month, the first day being a musul day, on the gyeongja day, Kibumi no Miyatsuko Honjitsu offered a water level (水臬).

On the gapin day the land of Hitachi offered Nakatomibe no Wakugo. He was one foot and six inches tall, and from the year byeongjin of his birth to this year was sixteen years.

In summer, the fourth month, the first day being a jeongmyo day, on the sinmyo day, a water clock was set on the new terrace, and for the first time the hours were struck and told. Bells and drums were sounded, and the water clock was used for the first time.

This water clock was first made by the emperor's own hand when he was crown prince, and so forth.

In this month Tsukushi said, "A deer with eight legs was born and died at once."

In the fifth month, the first day being a jeongyu day, on the sinchuk day, the emperor went to the small western hall. The crown prince and the ministers attended the feast. At this the tamai dance (田儛) was performed twice.

In the sixth month, the first day being a byeongin day, on the gisa day, the matters of war asked for by the envoys of the three divisions of Baekje were set forth.

On the gyeongjin day Baekje sent Yejinja (羿真子) and the others to bring tribute.

In this month Prince Kurikuma was made sochi of Tsukushi. Silla sent an envoy to bring tribute. Besides this they offered one water buffalo and one mountain fowl.

In autumn, the seventh month, the first day being a byeongsin day, on the byeongo day, Li Shouzhen and the others, men of Tang, and the envoys of Baekje all went home.

In the eighth month, the first day being an eulchuk day, on the jeongmyo day, Garu, the daesang of the upper division of Goryeo, and the others went home. On the imo day the Emishi were feasted.

In the ninth month the emperor lay ill and was not well.

In winter, the tenth month, the first day being a gapja day, on the gyeongo day, Silla sent Kim Manmul (金萬物), the sachan, and the others to bring tribute.

On the sinmi day the eyes of a hundred Buddhas were opened within the palace.

In this month the emperor sent messengers to offer a monk's robe, a golden bowl, ivory, aloeswood, sandalwood, and many precious things to the Buddha of Hōkōji.

On the gyeongjin day the emperor's sickness grew long upon him. He called the crown prince by command, led him into the chamber where he lay, and gave him this word: "My sickness is heavy. I lay what comes after upon you," and so forth.

At this the crown prince bowed twice, and pleaded sickness and firmly refused, and would not take it, and said, "I beg you to lay the great work upon the empress, and to have Prince Ōtomo bear and set forth all the government. Your servant asks and wishes to leave the world and to follow the way for the emperor's sake."

The emperor allowed it.

The crown prince rose and bowed twice, and then went toward the south of the Buddha hall within the palace, sat astride a folding stool, shaved off his side locks and his hair, and became a monk.

At this the emperor sent Sukita no Iwa to bring him a monk's robe.

On the imo day the crown prince saw the emperor and asked to go to Yoshino to follow the way of the Buddha. The emperor allowed it. The crown prince then entered Yoshino. The great ministers attended him on his way, and went as far as Uji, and turned back.

In the eleventh month, the first day being a gapo day, on the gyemyo day, the kuni no tsukasa of Tsushima sent a messenger to the Ōmikotomochi no Tsukasa of Tsukushi and said:

"On the second day of the new moon four men, the monk Dogu (道久), Tsukushi no Kimi Sachiyama, Karashima no Suguri Saba, and Nunoshi no Obito Iwa, came from Tang and said, 'Guo Wucong and six hundred men, the envoys of the land of Tang, and Sataek Sondeung (沙宅孫登) and one thousand four hundred men, the envoys seeing them off, two thousand men in all, boarded forty-seven ships and have put in together at the island of Biji (比知嶋). They said to one another, "Our men and our ships are now many in number. If we come upon them suddenly, we fear that their guards will be startled and will shoot and fight." So they send Dogu and the others ahead, to set forth little by little that they come to pay their court.'"

On the byeongjin day Prince Ōtomo was before the woven image of the Buddha in the western hall within the palace. Soga no Akae no Omi, minister of the left, Nakatomi no Kane no Muraji, minister of the right, Soga no Hatayasu no Omi, Kose no Hito no Omi, and Ki no Ōhito no Omi attended him.

Prince Ōtomo took a censer in his hand, rose first, and swore an oath: "We six are of one mind and bear the command of the emperor. If any break it, he shall surely be punished by heaven," and so forth.

At this Soga no Akae no Omi, minister of the left, and the others took censers in their hands and rose each in turn, and swore an oath with tears of blood: "We five men follow his highness and bear the command of the emperor. If any break it, the Four Deva Kings shall strike him, and the gods of heaven and the gods of earth shall also punish him with death. The thirty-three heavens shall bear witness to this. His children and grandchildren shall be cut off, and his house shall surely perish," and so forth.

On the jeongsa day there was a fire at the palace of Ōmi. It broke out in the third storehouse of the office of the great treasury.

On the imsul day the five ministers upheld Prince Ōtomo and swore before the emperor.

On this day fifty bolts of silk, fifty bolts of coarse silk, a thousand geun of floss silk, and a hundred tanned hides were given to the king of Silla.

In the twelfth month, the first day being a gyehae day, on the eulchuk day, the emperor died at the palace of Ōmi. On the gyeyu day his coffin was laid in the new palace.

At this time a children's song said:

"Mieshinono eshinonoayu ayukosowa shimabemoeki egurushie naginomoto serinomoto arewagurushie (美曳之弩能，曳之弩能阿喩，阿喩擧曾播，施麻倍母曳岐，愛俱流之衞，奈疑能母騰，制利能母騰。阿例播俱流之衞)"

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

"Ominokono yahenohimotoku hitohedani imadatokaneba mikonohimotoku (於彌能古能。野陛能比母騰俱，比騰陛多爾，伊麻拕藤柯禰波，美古能比母騰矩)"

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

"Akagomano iyukihabakaru makuzuhara naninotsutegoto tadanishiekemu (阿箇悟馬能，以喩企波波箇屢。麻矩儒播羅，奈爾能都底擧騰，多拕尼之曳鷄武)"

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

On the gimyo day Kim Manmul, the sachan and tribute-bearing envoy of Silla, and the others went home.

In this year in the house of a man of the district of Yamada in the land of Sanuki there was a chick with four legs. Also in the Ōi no Tsukasa eight cauldrons sounded. Sometimes one cauldron sounded, sometimes two or three sounded together, and sometimes all eight sounded together.