[SECT. CXXI.—EMPEROR NIN-TOKU [PART III.—HE REMITS THE TAXES)]

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

p. 336

Thereupon the Heavenly Sovereign, ascending a lofty mountain and looking on the land all round, spoke, saying: "In the whole land there rises no smoke; the land is all poverty-stricken. So I remit ¹ all people's taxes and [forced labour] from now till three years [hence.]" Therefore the great palace became dilapidated, and the rain leaked in everywhere; but no repairs were made. The rain that leaked in was caught in troughs, ² and [the inmates] removed from [its reach] to places where there was no leakage. When later [the Heavenly Sovereign]] looked on all the land, the smoke was abundant in the land. So finding the people rich, he now exacted taxes and forced labour. Therefore the peasantry ³ prospered, and did not suffer from forced labour. So in praise of that august reign, it was called the reign of the Emperor-Sage. ⁴

Footnotes

336:1 Motowori's reading of this Verb in the Imperative Mood (as if containing an order addressed by the monarch to his ministers) seems less natural than the order reading in the Indicative, which accordingly the translator has followed.

336:2 There is uncertainty as to the exact character in the original. p. 337 But the older editions read it as the Japanese word hako, "boxes." while Motowori prefers hi, "tubes." "Troughs "seems to conciliate both views, and to be also appropriate to the use mentioned in the text.

336:3 Or simply, "the people." But the expression is generally used in Japanese of the peasantry only.

336:4 ; If, following most texts, we omitted the final character , "reign," the English translation would be "in praise of that august reign, (the Heavenly Sovereign) was called the Emperor-Sage."