[SECT. LXXVII.—EMPEROR KEI-KŌ (PART II.—THE MAIDENS YE-HIME AND OTO-HIME).]

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

p. 253

Hereupon the Heavenly Sovereign, to assure himself of what he had heard of the beauty of the two maidens Ye-hime and Oto-hime, ¹ daughters of King Kamu-ohone, ² ancestor of the Rulers of the Land of Minu, ³ sent his august child, His Augustness Oho-usu, to summon them up [to the Capital]. So His Augustness Oho-usu who had been sent, instead of summoning them up, forthwith wedded both the maidens himself, and then sought other women, to whom he falsely gave the maidens' names, and sent them up [to his father]. Hereupon the Heavenly Sovereign, knowing them to be other women, frequently subjected them to his long glances; ⁴ but, never wedding them, caused them to sorrow. So the child that His Augustness Oho-usu begot on wedding Ye-hime, [205] was King Oshi-kuro-no-ye-hiko ⁵ (he was the ancestor of the Lords of Unesu in Minu.) ⁶ Again, the child that he begot on wedding Oto-hime, was King Oshi-kuro-no-oto-hiko (he was the ancestor of the Dukes of Mugetsu.) ⁷

Footnotes

253:1 p. 253 I.e., the elder princess and the younger princess.

253:2 See Sect. LXII, Note 36.

253:3 Minu no kuni no miyatsuko.

253:4 I.e., "gazed at them intently." The Classical word nagamuru, "to gaze," is properly a compound of naga, "long," and miru, "to see."

253:5 The meaning of the syllables oshi in this name and the companion one (Oshi-kuro no oto hiko) immediately below is probably "great;" kuro is obscure; ye-hiko signifies "elder prince" and oto-hiko "younger prince."

253:6 Mimi no Unesu no wake. Of Unesu nothing is known.

253:7 Mugetsu no kimi. Mugetsu or Muge was in the province of Mini (Mino).