[SECT. LXIII.—EMPEROR SŪ-JIN (PART I.—GENEALOGIES).]

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

p. 212 [173]

His Augustness Mima-ki-iri-biko-iniwe dwelt at the Palace of Midzu-gaki at Shiki, ¹ and ruled the Empire. This Heavenly Sovereign wedded Tohotsu-no-ayu-me-me-kuhashi, ² daughter of Arakaha-to-be, ³ Ruler of the land of Ki, ⁴ and begot august children: His Augustness Toyo-ki-iri-biko, ⁵ and next Her Augustness Toyo-suki-iri-bime ⁶ (two Deities). Again, wedding the Great Princess of Ama, ⁷ ancestress of the Chiefs of Wohori, ⁸ he begot august children: His Augustness Oho-iri-ki; ⁹ next His Augustness

p. 213

[paragraph continues] Ya-saka-no-iri-biko; next Her Augustness Nuna-ki-no-iri-bime; next Her Augustness Towochi-no-iri-bime ¹⁰ (four Deities). Again, wedding Her Augustness Princess Mimatsu, ¹¹ daughter of His Augustness Oho-biko, he begot august children: His Augustness Ikume-iri-biko-isachi ¹² next His Augustness Iza-no-ma-waka; ¹³ next Her Augustness Princess Kuni-kata; ¹⁴ next Her Augustness [159] Princess Chiji-tsuku-yamato; ¹⁵ next Her Augustness Princess Iga; ¹⁶ next His Augustness Yamato-Hiko ¹⁷ (six Deities). The august children of this Heavenly Sovereign [numbered] in all twelve Deities (seven Kings and Queens). So His Augustness Ikume-iri-biko-isachi [was he who afterwards] ruled the Empire. The next, His Augustness Toyo-ki-iri-biko (was the ancestor [of the Dukes] of Kami-tsu ke-nu, ¹⁸ and the Dukes of Shimo-tsu-ke-nu). ¹⁹ The younger sister, Her Augustness Princess Toyo-Suki (was high-priestess of ²⁰ the temple of the Great Deity of Ise.) ²¹ The next brother, His Augustness Oho-iri-ki (was ancestor of the Grandees of Noto). ²² The next, His Augustness Yamato-hiko,—(in the time of this King a hedge of men was the first time set in the mausoleum). ²³

p. 214

Footnotes

212:1 p. 213 In Yamato. Shiki probably signifies "stone castle" (ishi-ki). Midzugaki signifies "fresh young hedge,"—an Honorific designation of the hedge round the Emperor's abode, which passed into a Proper Name.

212:2 According to Motowori's exegesis, this name is a rather remarkable instance of verbal usage, ayu-me ("trout-eyes") being not properly part of the name at all, but only a Pillow-Word for what follows, viz., Me-kakushi-hime, i.e. "Princess Beautiful Eyes." Tohotsu is the name of a place in the province of Ki, signifying "far harbour."

212:3 Arakaha is the name of a place in Ki, and signifies "rough (i.e. impetuous and dangerous) river." The syllables to-be are of uncertain import.

212:4 Ki no kuni no miyatsuko.

212:5 Toyo signifies "luxuriant" and biko (hiko) "prince." The other elements of the compound are obscure.

212:6 p. 214 Bime (hime) signifies "princess," and suki is identified by Motowori with Shiki, the name of the residence of the monarch whose daughter this princess was.

212:7 Oho-ama-hime. Ama is the name of a district in Wohari, and probably signifies "fisherman."

212:8 Wohari no murazhi.

212:9 The signification of this and the two following names is uncertain.

213:10 Towochi is the name of a district in Yamato.

213:11 Mimatsu-hime. Signification uncertain.

213:12 Signification uncertain.

213:13 The syllables ma and waka, literally "true and young" or "truly young "are honorific. Iza is of doubtful signification.

213:14 Kuni-kata-hime. Kuni means "country," and kata here probably signifies "hard" or "firm."

213:15 Ohiji-tsuku-yamato-hime. Ohiji probably means "a thousand," and Yamato is the name of a province. Tsuku is obscure.

213:16 Iga-hime. Iga is the name of a district and of a province (see Sect. LVI, Note 9).

213:17 I.e., "Yamato Prince."

213:18 Kami-tsu-ke-nu [no kimi]. The character (Dukes) is supplied by Motowori. This is the ancient form of the name now pronounced Kōdzuke (conf. Shimo-tsu-ke-nu corrupted to Shimotsuke). The author of the "Inquiry into the Meaning of the Names of All the Provinces" draws attention to the curious fact that, whereas the final syllable nu of the original word is dropped in speaking, it is the ke which is dropped in writing—the original form of the name, as written, being , whereas now only the first two of these three characters are used. Its signification is supposed to be "upper vegetation-moor," ke ( ) being regarded as the Archaic general term for trees and grasses, identical with ke that means "hairs," vegetation having struck the early speakers of the language as being similar to the hairs on the bodies of men and beasts.

213:19 Shimo-tsu-ke-nu no kimi. Shimo means "lower." For the rest of the name see preceding Note. Both names are those of provinces in Eastern Japan.

213:20 Or more literally, "worshipped and celebrated the festivals at," etc.

213:21 Viz., of the Sun-Goddess (Ama-terasu).

213:22 Noto no omi. Noto, formerly a part of the province of Echizen, p. 215 is the name of the peninsula that juts out into the Sea of Japan on the western coast of the Main Island. The etymology of the name is obscure.

213:23 The meaning of this imperfectly formed sentence is: On the occasion of "the interment of the next prince, His Augustness Yamato-hiko, the custom of setting a row of the deceased prince's retainers round his grave and burying them alive was first introduced." For a further notice of this custom see Sect. LXXV, Note 4. According to the "Chronicles," the "ancient" custom of burying retainers up to their necks in the neighbourhood of their lord's grave was abolished after this very same interment. Motowori endeavours to reconcile the two statements by supposing that the custom was really an old one, but that on the occasion here mentioned the number of victims was increased to an unprecedented degree, so that, as related in the "Chronicles," their cries, while their heads were being pulled to pieces by the crows and dogs, filled the Emperor with commiseration.