[SECT. XXX.—THE AUGUST DELIBERATION FOR PACIFYING THE LAND.]

The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, [1919], at sacred-texts.com

p. 112 [93]

The Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity commanded, saying: "The Luxuriant-Reed-Plains-the-Land-of-Fresh-Rice-ears-of-a-Thousand-Autumns,—Of Long-Five-Hundred-Autumns ¹ is the land which my august child His Augustness Truly-Conqueror-I-Conquer-Conquering-Swift-Heavenly-Great-Great-Ears ² shall govern." Having [thus] deigned to charge him, she sent him down from Heaven. ³ Hereupon His Augustness Heavenly-Great-Great-Ears, standing on the Floating Bridge of Heaven, ⁴ said: "The Luxuriant-Reed-Plains-the-Land-of-Fresh-Rice-ears-of-a-Thousand-Autumns,—of Long-Five-Hundred-Autumns is painfully uproarious,—it is." ⁵ With this announcement, he immediately re-ascended, and informed the Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity. Then the High-August-Producing-Wondrous-Deity ⁶ and the Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity commanded the eight hundred myriad Deities to assemble in a divine assembly in the bed of the Tranquil River of Heaven, ⁷ and caused the Deity Thought-Includer ⁸ to think [of a plan], and said: ⁹ "This Central Land of Reed-Plains is the land with which we

p. 113

have deigned to charge our august child as the land which he shall govern. So as he deems that violent and savage Earthly Deities ¹⁰ are numerous in this land, [69] which Deity shall we send to subdue them?" Then the Deity Thought-Includer and likewise the eight hundred myriad Deities took counsel and said: "The Deity Ame-no-ho-hi ¹¹ is the one that should be sent." So they sent the Deity Ame-no-ho-hi; but he at once curried favour with the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land, and for three years brought back no report.

Footnotes

112:1 p. 113 Toyo-ashi-hara-no-chi-aki-no-naga-i-ho-aki-no-midzu-ho-izo-kuni, i.e., freely rendered, "ever fruitful Japan with its reed-covered plains and its luxuriant rice-fields."

112:2 See Sect. XIII, Note 18. Henceforward this tremendous name is mostly abbreviated to Ame-no-oshi-ho-mimi (probably signifying "Heavenly-Great-Great-Ears.")

112:3 So in the original. The sense, however, is rather "told him to descend from Heaven;" for he did not actually go further than the top of the "Floating Bridge," and never came down to earth.

112:4 See Sect. III, Note 3.

112:5 The words "it is" stand for ari keri in the original. Conf. Sect. X, Note 1.

112:6 Taka-mi-musu-bi-no-kami, first mentioned at the very commencement of the work. In this legend this god's name is constantly coupled with that of the Sun-Goddess, who alone, up to this point, had appeared as the ruler of Heaven.

112:7 See Sect. XIII, Note 12.

112:8 See Sect. XVI, Note 7.

112:9 The meaning must be, as Motowori suggests, that the story was told first, and the Deity Thought-Includer asked for his advice after he had heard it.

113:10 See Sect. I, Note 11.

113:11 See Sect. XIII, Note 19.