[SECT. CV.—EMPEROR Ō-JIN (PART II.—HE DIVIDES THE INHERITANCE BETWEEN HIS THREE SONS)]

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

p. 303

Hereupon the Heavenly Sovereign asked His Augustness Oho-yama-mori and His Augustness Oho-sazaki, saying: "Which think ye the dearer, an elder child or a younger child?" (The reason why the Heavenly Sovereign propounded this question was because it was his intention ¹ to make Uji-no-waki-iratsuko rule the Empire). Then His Augustness Oho-yama-mori said: "The elder child is the dearer." Next His Augustness Oho-sazaki, knowing the august

p. 304

feeling which made the Heavenly Sovereign deign to ask [the question], said: "The elder child, having already become a man, gives no trouble; but the younger child, not being yet a man, is the dearer." Then the Heavenly Sovereign said: "My lord Sazaki's words agree with my thoughts," and forthwith ordained the division [of the inheritance] thus: His Augustness Oho-yama-mori to administer the government of the mountains and the sea, ^2a His Augustness Oho-sazaki to take and deign to report on the government of the realm, ³ and Uji-no waki-iratsuko to rule the succession of Heaven's sun. ⁴ So His Augustness Oho-sazaki was not disobedient to the Heavenly Sovereign's commands. ⁵

Footnotes

303:1 p. 304 Literally, "heart."

304:2a I.e., Motowori thinks, to have control over the guilds of foresters and fishermen.

304:3 I.e., to act as regent or minister.

304:4 I.e., to inherit the empire.—It will be remembered that the Japanese Emperors claim to descend from the Sun-Goddess.

304:5 This statement refers proleptically to the contrary course which was taken by the elder Oho-yama-mori.