Emperors Sujin through Seimu

Emperor Sujin

¶Emperor Sujin was the second son of Emperor Kaika. His mother was the Empress Ikagashikome.

¶The emperor was wise by nature from birth, and from his youth possessed great and far-reaching designs. On reaching manhood he was broad-minded and circumspect, revered the gods with deep piety, and always cherished the ambition to carry forward and govern the great enterprise of the realm. In the twenty-eighth year of Emperor Kaika's reign, he was installed as crown prince. In the sixtieth year, in the fourth month, Emperor Kaika died. On the third day of the tenth month, the day Kinoto-u, Emperor Kaika was buried.

¶In the first year, the year Kinoe-saru, in spring, on the thirteenth day of the first month, the day Kinoe-uma, the emperor ascended the throne. He was fifty-two at the time (Note: this age follows the Mizukagami, the Kōdaiki, and the Gukanshō, together with this work's own record that he was nineteen when installed as crown prince). He was called Mimakiirihiko-inie-no-sumeramikoto. He honored the empress with the title of empress dowager. On the sixteenth day of the second month, the day Hinoe-tora, he installed Mimakihime as empress.

¶In the third year, the year Hinoe-inu, in autumn, in the ninth month, he moved the capital to Shiki, at what was called the Mizukaki Palace.

¶In the fourth year, the year Hinoto-i, in winter, on the twenty-third day of the tenth month, the day Mizunoe-uma, the emperor issued a decree, saying: "I have considered that the successive emperors among my imperial ancestors did not ascend the throne for their own sake alone, but in order to govern both man and god together and to order the realm; and so, generation after generation, they made their deep achievements manifest and spread their utmost virtue with the passing of the ages. Now I have inherited this great fortune and cherish and nurture the myriad people. How might I follow in the footsteps of my imperial ancestors and preserve the imperial throne forever without end? Let the assembled ministers and the many officials exhaust their loyalty, that together we may bring peace to the realm" (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi states that in the second month of this year, Takekokoro-no-mikoto was made Ōne, Tabe-no-mikoto was made sukune, and Yasumotakemi-no-mikoto was made an attendant minister).

¶In the fifth year, the year Tsuchinoe-ne, a great many of the people fell victim to pestilence, and more than half of them died.

¶In the sixth year, the year Tsuchinoto-ushi, the common people wandered from their homes, and some among them rose in rebellion. The emperor, troubled and fearful at this, confessed his faults to the gods. Until this time, Amaterasu Ōmikami and Yamato-no-Ōkunitama-no-kami had been worshiped within the palace itself; but now, fearing that this defiled the dignity of the gods, the emperor ordered the princess Toyosukiiri-hime to move the sacred mirror and the sacred sword to the village of Kasanui in Yamato, and to worship Amaterasu there. He had replicas of the mirror and sword made separately and placed within the palace, to serve as regalia for the protection of his person (Note: that replicas of the mirror and sword were the ones moved follows the Kogo Shūi). He also ordered the princess Nunakiiri-hime to worship Ōkunitama-no-kami (Note: a variant tradition recorded in a note to the Chronicle of Emperor Suinin places this event in the twenty-sixth year of Emperor Suinin's reign; that account differs from the one given here, but such discrepancies will not be noted individually hereafter).

¶In the seventh year, the year Kanoe-tora, in spring, on the fifteenth day of the second month, the day Kanoto-u, the emperor issued a decree, saying: "Long ago my imperial ancestors greatly opened the foundations of our enterprise; their sacred works grew ever loftier, and the civilizing influence of kingship ever more abundant. Yet unexpectedly, in my own reign, calamities have occurred time and again. It must be that the court lacks good governance, and that we are suffering the reproach of the gods. Let the tortoise-shell oracle be consulted, to inquire into the cause that has brought on these calamities." The emperor then made a progress to Kamuasajihara and had the eighty myriad gods divined. He then worshiped Ōmononushi-no-kami. The emperor further purified himself through abstinence and ritual bathing, cleansed the interior of the palace, and prayed for the calamities to cease. Then Ōmononushi-no-kami appeared to him in a dream and declared: "O Emperor, why do you grieve that the realm is not at peace? If you have my son Ōtataneko worship me, the realm will at once be at peace, and the lands beyond the sea will submit of their own accord." The emperor rejoiced greatly, and proclaimed throughout the realm a search for a man called Ōtataneko. He was found at the village of Sue, in the district of Chinu (Note: the Kojiki states that he was found at the village of Mino in Kawachi). In winter, on the eighth day of the eleventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-u (Note: most texts give the day as Hinoto-u, but here, calculating the sexagenary cycle, we follow the Urabe Kanenaga manuscript in correcting it), he ordered Ikagashiko-o to distribute the offerings to the gods, and had Ōtataneko worship the great god Ōmononushi. He had Nagaochi worship Yamato-no-Ōkunitama-no-kami, and then had divination performed as to whether the other gods should also be worshiped; the result was auspicious. He therefore worshiped the eighty myriad gods individually, and established heavenly shrines, provincial shrines, sacred lands, and shrine households. Because of this the pestilence at last subsided, the year brought a bountiful harvest, and the people found peace.

¶In the eighth year, the year Kanoto-u, in winter, on the twentieth day of the twelfth month, the day Kinoto-u, he ordered Ōtataneko to worship Ōmononushi-no-kami, and the emperor himself attended in person. When the rite was concluded, he held a banquet at the shrine.

¶In the ninth year, the year Mizunoe-tatsu, in summer, on the sixteenth day of the fourth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the emperor, moved by a revelation received in a dream, worshiped the gods Sumisaka and Ōsaka.

¶In the tenth year, the year Mizunoto-mi, in autumn, on the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the emperor issued a decree, saying: "The foundation of guiding the people lies in moral instruction. Now that the gods have already been worshiped with due ceremony, every calamity has been brought to an end. Yet the unruly peoples of distant lands have not yet been bathed in the grace of royal rule. Select ministers and send them out in the four directions, to make known my intent." On the ninth day of the ninth month, the day Kinoe-uma, he dispatched Ōhiko-no-mikoto to Hokuriku, Takenunakawawake to Tōkai, Hikoisaserihiko-no-mikoto to the western road, and Tanbanomichinushi-no-mikoto to Tanba, charging them: "Should there be any who will not accept instruction, raise troops and subdue them." He bestowed upon each of them a seal and cord of office, making them generals, shōgun; the designation shōgun originates here (Note: that the title shōgun originates here follows the Shokugenshō and the Jinnō Shōtōki. The Kojiki states that Ōhiko-no-mikoto was sent to the Koshi road and Takenunakawawake-no-mikoto to the twelve roads of the eastern provinces to subdue those who would not submit, and that Hikoimasu-no-miko was sent to Tanba to kill Kugamimi-no-mikasa; it makes no mention of Hikoisaserihiko-no-mikoto or Tanbanomichinushi-no-mikoto, and thus differs from this work). Just as they were about to set out, Takehaniyasuhiko happened to raise a rebellion, intending, together with his wife Atahime, to attack the capital. Ōhiko-no-mikoto, Hikoisaserihiko-no-mikoto, and Hikokunibuku were therefore sent to subdue him; Takehaniyasuhiko and Atahime were put to death. In winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Kinoto-u, the emperor issued a decree to the assembled ministers, saying: "The rebels have already been put to death, and the home provinces are at peace. Yet in the untamed lands beyond the sea, disorder has still not ceased. Let the generals of the four roads set out at once." On the twenty-second day, the day Hinoe-ne, Ōhiko-no-mikoto and the others each proceeded to their appointed roads.

¶In the eleventh year, the year Kinoe-uma, in summer, on the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the generals of the four roads reported that they had pacified the barbarian tribes. In this year the peoples of foreign customs also submitted, and the realm was at peace.

¶In the twelfth year, the year Kinoto-hitsuji, in spring, on the eleventh day of the third month, the day Hinoto-i, the emperor issued a decree, saying: "Since I first succeeded to the heavenly throne and have been able to preserve the ancestral shrines, there remains much that my understanding has not reached, and my virtue is still not sufficient to give the people peace. For this reason the cycle of yin and yang has fallen into disorder, the proper sequence of cold and heat has likewise gone awry, pestilence has arisen on a great scale, and the common people have suffered calamity. I have therefore now absolved past offenses and corrected my errors, honored the gods with deep reverence, spread instruction to pacify unruly customs, and raised troops to subdue those who would not submit. Because of this, no office has fallen into neglect, no one among the people idles, moral instruction has spread widely, the people take pleasure in their callings, those of foreign custom convey their words through interpreters one after another, and some have even come from beyond the sea to be naturalized as subjects. Now, at this very time, the population should once more be surveyed, so that the order of elder and younger, and the precedence due in levies and corvée, may be made known." In autumn, on the sixteenth day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, the population was surveyed for the first time, and tribute and labor service were newly levied. These were called, for men, the yuhazu-no-mitsugi, "bow-tip tribute," and for women, the tanasue-no-mitsugi, "fingertip tribute." By this time the gods had grown gentle and accepted the offerings made to them, wind and rain came in their proper season, the five grains ripened, every household grew prosperous, the people were content, and the realm was at peace. The emperor was therefore given the honorific title Hatsukunishirasu-no-sumeramikoto, "the Emperor who First Ruled the Land."

¶In the seventeenth year, the year Kanoe-ne, in autumn, on the first day of the seventh month, the day Hinoe-uma, the emperor issued a decree, saying: "Boats are vessels of great use to the realm. Yet at present the people of the coasts possess no boats, and suffer greatly in transporting goods by land. Let the provinces be ordered to build ships." In winter, in the tenth month, ships were built for the first time (Note: the Kōdaiki, the Kōnendai Ryakki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Ranshōshō all state that in the fourteenth year, the year Hinoto-tori, the province of Izu presented a great ship. The Rekidai Kōki further states that in this reign, personal names were for the first time given to the people, the system of court dress and caps was established, and sake, vinegar, bridges, and carriages were made. It is not clear on what these claims are based, but they are noted here for reference).

¶In the forty-eighth year, the year Kanoto-hitsuji, in summer, on the nineteenth day of the fourth month, the day Hinoe-tora, he installed Ikume-no-mikoto as crown prince, and had Toyoki-no-mikoto govern the eastern provinces.

¶In the sixtieth year, the year Mizunoto-hitsuji, in autumn, in the seventh month, the emperor issued a decree and sent envoys to Izumo to request its sacred treasures. Izumo Furune killed his younger brother Iiirine. Hikoisaserihiko-no-mikoto and Takenunakawawake were sent to subdue Furune, and Furune was put to death.

¶In the sixty-second year, the year Kinoto-tori, in autumn, on the second day of the seventh month, the day Hinoe-tatsu, the emperor issued a decree, saying: "Agriculture is the great foundation of the realm, and the means by which the people live and depend. At present, in Sayama in Kawachi, the clay paddies lack water, and the people tend to neglect their farming. Open up many ponds and channels, and enrich the people's livelihood." In winter, in the tenth month, the Yosami Pond was built. In the eleventh month, the Karisaka Pond and the Sakaori Pond were built (Note: a variant account noted in this work states that the emperor was then residing at the Kuwama Palace, and had these three ponds built).

¶In the sixty-fifth year, the year Tsuchinoe-ne, in autumn, in the seventh month, the land of Mimana sent envoys to pay tribute for the first time (Note: the Mizukagami, the Kōnendai Ryakki, and the Kokon Kōdaizu cited in the Kumano Ryakki all state that the main shrine of Kumano was first built in this year).

¶In the sixty-eighth year, the year Kanoto-u, in winter, on the fifth day of the twelfth month, the day Mizunoe-ne, the emperor died, at the age of 119 (Note: this age follows the Mizukagami, together with this work's own record that he was nineteen when installed as crown prince. This work and the Sendai Kuji Hongi both give his age as 120. The Kojiki gives his age as 168, and states that he died in the twelfth month of the year Tsuchinoe-tora). He was buried at the Yamanobe-no-michi-no-e Misasagi. He was posthumously given the title Emperor Sujin.

Emperor Suinin

¶Emperor Suinin was the third son of Emperor Sujin. His mother was the Empress Mimakihime.

¶In the twenty-ninth year of Emperor Sujin's reign, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoto-i, he was born at the Mizukaki Palace. From birth he possessed qualities that surpassed other men. On reaching manhood he was magnanimous and unaffected, a man of unadorned character who remained true to his natural disposition. Emperor Sujin loved him dearly and always kept him close at hand.

¶In the forty-eighth year, in the first month, Emperor Sujin said to the prince and to Toyoki-no-mikoto: "I love my two sons equally, and cannot decide which of you should succeed me. Each of you should tell me of any dream you have; I will divine the succession from it." The two princes purified themselves by bathing and went to sleep. The next day, Toyoki-no-mikoto came to court and reported: "In my dream I climbed Mount Mimoro, faced east, and brandished a spear eight times and struck with a sword eight times." The prince reported: "In my dream I climbed to the summit of Mount Mimoro, stretched ropes out in the four directions, and drove away sparrows that were pecking at the millet." On hearing this, Emperor Sujin instructed them: "Since my elder son faced only to the east, let him govern the eastern provinces. Since my younger son faced in all four directions, let him succeed to my throne." And so he at last installed him as crown prince.

¶In the sixty-eighth year, in the twelfth month, Emperor Sujin died.

¶In the first year, the year Mizunoe-tatsu, in spring, on the second day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, the emperor ascended the throne. He was forty-one at the time (Note: this age follows this work's own record that he was born in the twenty-ninth year of Emperor Sujin's reign. The Mizukagami, the Gukanshō, and the Kōnendaiki all give his age as forty-three, but this is an error). He was called Ikumeirihiko-isachi-no-sumeramikoto. In winter, on the eleventh day of the tenth month, the day Mizunoto-ushi, he buried Emperor Sujin (Note: the Chronicle of Emperor Sujin in this work states that he was buried on the day Kinoe-tora in the eighth month; one of these two records must be in error, but it is not clear which is correct). On the second day of the eleventh month, the day Mizunoto-tori, he honored the empress with the title of empress dowager.

¶In the second year, the year Mizunoto-mi, in spring, on the ninth day of the second month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, he installed Sahohime as empress. In winter, in the tenth month, he moved the capital to Makimuku, at what was called the Tamaki Palace. In this year, the envoy from Mimana asked leave to return home. This was granted, and he was given gifts of exceptional generosity; a hundred bolts of red silk were bestowed upon the king of Mimana. Men of Silla attacked him on the road and seized the silk, and it was from this incident that the two countries first came to harbor resentment toward one another.

¶In the third year, the year Kinoe-uma, in spring, in the third month, Ame-no-Hiboko, a prince of Silla, came and submitted as a naturalized subject.

¶In the fifth year, the year Hinoe-saru, in winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the emperor made a progress to the Kume Takamiya. The empress's elder brother, Sahobiko, raised a rebellion. The general Yatsunada was sent to subdue him. Sahobiko was put to death, and the empress also died within his stronghold.

¶In the seventh year, the year Tsuchinoe-inu, in autumn, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the day Kinoto-i, the emperor summoned Kuehaya, a man of the village of Taima, and Nomi-no-Sukune, a man of Izumo, and had them compete in a trial of strength before him.

¶In the fifteenth year, the year Hinoe-uma, in autumn, on the first day of the eighth month, the day Mizunoe-uma, he installed Hibasuhime as empress, and summoned her three younger sisters, Nubatanīrihime, Matonohime, and Azaminīrihime, taking each of them as a consort (Note: the Mizukagami states that in this month stars fell like rain).

¶In the twenty-fifth year, the year Hinoe-tatsu, in spring, on the eighth day of the second month, the day Kinoe-ne, the emperor issued this decree to the five ministers Takenunakawawake, Hikokunibuku, Ōkashima, Tōchine, and Takehi: "My late father the emperor, through his deep wisdom, accomplished sacred virtue; he was perceptive and conversant with all affairs, modest and retiring rather than proud, devoted his whole mind to the counsels of government, worshiped the gods with due ceremony, and exerted himself day after day in self-discipline. For this reason the people grew rich and content, and the realm was at peace. Now that it falls to my own reign, how could I allow any negligence in the worship of the gods?" (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi states that in the eighth month of the twenty-third year, Tōchine-no-mikoto was made a minister.) On the tenth day of the third month, the day Hinoe-saru, he had Yamatohime take over from Toyosukiiri-hime in the reverent worship of Amaterasu Ōmikami. Yamatohime bore Amaterasu to Ise and built a shrine for her there, erecting the Itsukinomiya, the Palace of Abstinence, on the banks of the Isuzu River (Note: a variant tradition noted in this work states that Princess Yamatohime first enshrined and worshiped Amaterasu Ōmikami beneath the sacred oak at Itsukashi in Shiki, and only afterward, following a divine oracle, moved her in the winter of the tenth month of the year Hinoto-mi to the Watarai Shrine in the province of Ise).

¶In the twenty-sixth year, the year Hinoto-mi, in autumn, on the third day of the eighth month, the day Kanoe-tatsu, he sent Mononobe-no-Tōchine (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi states that in the eighty-first year Tōchine-no-mikoto was granted the surname Mononobe-no-Muraji-no-Kimi; yet this very passage in this work already calls him Mononobe-no-Ōmuraji, which would seem to place it after the surname was granted. It may be that the record was written retrospectively. Here, for now, we follow the old text of this work as it stands) to inspect the sacred treasures of Izumo, and placed him in charge of them thereafter.

¶In the twenty-seventh year, the year Tsuchinoe-uma, in autumn, on the seventh day of the eighth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, he had the shrine officials divine whether weapons should be offered as sacred gifts in worship, and the result was auspicious. Bows, arrows, and swords were accordingly placed in the various shrines, sacred lands and shrine households were newly established, and offerings were made at the appointed seasons. The practice of worshiping the gods with weapons began from this. In this year, a granary, miyake, was established at the village of Kume.

¶In the twenty-eighth year, the year Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, in winter, on the fifth day of the tenth month, the day Kanoe-uma, Yamatohiko-no-mikoto died. His personal attendants were gathered and made to follow him in death. When the emperor heard of this, he was deeply grieved, and issued a decree to the assembled ministers, saying: "How pitiful it is that those who were loved in life should be made to die in attendance upon the dead. Even if this is an ancient custom handed down from of old, how can it be right to go on following it? Let this practice be ended from now on."

¶In the thirty-second year, the year Mizunoto-i, in autumn, on the sixth day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the Empress Hibasuhime died. The emperor decreed: "Let figures be shaped out of clay to take the place of those who would die in attendance, and let this be established as a permanent institution." He appointed Nomi-no-Sukune to the office of Hajibe, master of the clay-worker's guild. Takemarine-no-mikoto presented a stone coffin and was granted the surname Ishitsukuri-no-Ōmuraji-no-Kimi (Note: the account from Takemarine-no-mikoto onward follows the Shinsen Shōjiroku).

¶In the thirty-fourth year, the year Kinoto-ushi, in spring, on the second day of the third month, the day Hinoe-tora, he made a progress to Yamashiro.

¶In the thirty-fifth year, the year Hinoe-tora, in autumn, in the ninth month, he sent the prince Inishiki-no-mikoto to Kawachi and had him build the Takashi Pond and the Chinu Pond. In winter, in the tenth month, the Yamato-no-Saki Pond and the Tomi Pond were built (Note: the Kojiki states instead that the Chinu Pond, the Sayama Pond, and the Takatsu Pond were built). In this year, the provinces were ordered to open altogether eight hundred ponds and channels to encourage farming, and the people grew greatly prosperous as a result.

¶In the thirty-seventh year, the year Tsuchinoe-tatsu, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, he installed Ōtarashihiko-no-mikoto as crown prince.

¶In the thirty-ninth year, the year Kanoe-uma, in winter, in the tenth month, Inishiki-no-mikoto had a thousand swords forged and dedicated them to the Isonokami Shrine. The emperor thereupon had Inishiki-no-mikoto take charge of the shrine's treasures, and established the Kawakami-be guild (Note: the establishment of the Kawakami-be follows the Kojiki).

¶In the eighty-seventh year, the year Tsuchinoe-uma, in spring, on the fifth day of the second month, the day Kanoto-u, Mononobe-no-Tōchine replaced Inishiki-no-mikoto in charge of the sacred treasures at Isonokami (Note: the Rekidai Kōki and the Ranshōshō both state that in the eighty-sixth year an envoy was sent to Han for the first time. This is probably based on the passage in the Chronicle of Emperor Guangwu in the Book of the Later Han stating that in the second year of Zhongyuan, the land of Wa-Nu sent an envoy to pay tribute. However, on examining the Account of Wa, it states that the envoy of Wa-Nu, who presented tribute and styled himself a taifu, came from the southernmost territory of the land of Wa. This would show that it was a private communication undertaken by a frontier settlement, not one ordered by the court. This account therefore does not adopt that theory).

¶In the eighty-eighth year, the year Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, in autumn, on the tenth day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, he sent an envoy to Tajima and issued a decree to Kiyohiko, having him present the treasures that his great-grandfather Ame-no-Hiboko had brought with him from Silla; these were placed in the government storehouse.

¶In the ninetieth year, the year Kanoto-tori, in spring, on the first day of the second month, the day Kanoe-ne, he sent Tajimamori to the land of Tokoyo to seek the ever-fragrant fruit that knows no season, the tokijiku-no-kaku-no-konomi.

¶In the ninety-ninth year, the year Kanoe-uma, in autumn, on the first day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma (Note: calculating the sexagenary cycle now, the seventh month begins on the day Kinoto-mi, so that Tsuchinoe-uma would fall on the fourteenth day; it seems there may be a textual omission or error here. The Sendai Kuji Hongi gives the first day as Tsuchinoe-ne, but this too is mistaken), the emperor died at the Makimuku Palace (Note: the Chronicle of Emperor Keikō in this work states that he died in the second month of spring, which differs from this account; it is not clear which is correct). He was 139 years old (Note: this work and the Sendai Kuji Hongi both give his age as 140. According to this work, the emperor was born in the year Mizunoe-ne, the twenty-ninth year of Emperor Sujin's reign; counting from there to the year Kanoe-uma gives in fact 139 years, a discrepancy of exactly one year. The Kojiki gives his age as 153). He was buried at the Sugawara Fushimi Misasagi (Note: the Engishiki calls it the Fushimi East Misasagi. The Kojiki calls it Sugawara-no-Mitachino, and the Shoku Nihongi calls it the Kushimiyama Misasagi). He was posthumously given the title Emperor Suinin.

Emperor Keikō

¶Emperor Keikō was the third son of Emperor Suinin. His mother was the Empress Hibasuhime.

¶The emperor is said to have stood one jō and two sun in height, with shins four shaku and one sun long (Note: this description of his stature follows the Kojiki).

¶In the thirtieth year of Emperor Suinin's reign, the prince and his elder brother Inishiki-no-mikoto were both in attendance close by the emperor. The emperor said: "Let each of my two sons say what he desires." Inishiki-no-mikoto said, "I wish to be given a bow and arrows." The prince said, "I wish to obtain the imperial throne." The bow and arrows were accordingly bestowed on Inishiki-no-mikoto, and to the prince the emperor said: "You shall surely succeed to my throne."

¶In the thirty-seventh year, he was installed as crown prince.

¶In the ninety-ninth year, in the seventh month, Emperor Suinin died. On the tenth day of the twelfth month, the day Mizunoe-ne, Emperor Suinin was buried.

¶In the first year, the year Kanoto-hitsuji, in autumn, on the eleventh day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the emperor ascended the throne (Note: the Gukanshō gives his age as forty-four, the Kōdaiki as sixty-four, and the Kōnendai Ryakki as twenty-four, though it is not clear on what these figures are based. Reckoning now from this work's own record that he was twenty-one when installed as crown prince, he would have been eighty-four at this time; but this does not agree with this work's record that he died at the age of 106, and so his age at accession is not given here). He was called Ōtarashihiko-oshirowake-no-sumeramikoto (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi states that he honored the empress with the title of empress dowager. However, according to this work, after the Empress Hibasuhime died in the thirty-second year of Emperor Suinin's reign, there is no record of another empress having been installed, so it is not clear whom the Sendai Kuji Hongi's record refers to. Moreover, in the Sendai Kuji Hongi, from the reign of Emperor Kōgen onward, every record of honoring an empress with the title of empress dowager is invariably followed by a further statement that the empress dowager was honored with the title of grand empress dowager; yet the title grand empress dowager does not appear anywhere in this work. It was probably added in error by a later hand, and is therefore not adopted here). In this year, Tajimamori obtained the fragrant fruit in the land of Tokoyo and returned home.

¶In the second year, the year Mizunoe-saru, in spring, on the third day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi gives the month as the second), he installed Harima-no-Inabi-no-Ōiratsume as empress.

¶In the third year, the year Mizunoto-tori, in spring, in the second month, he made a progress to Kii, intending to worship the gods there in person. Divination proved inauspicious, and he sent Yanushi-Oshio-Takeokokoro-no-mikoto to perform the rite in his place.

¶In the fourth year, the year Kinoe-inu, in spring, on the eleventh day of the second month, the day Kinoe-ne, he made a progress to Mino. In winter, on the first day of the eleventh month, the day Kanoe-tatsu, the imperial carriage returned from Mino to the capital. He established his capital at Makimuku, at what was called the Hishiro Palace.

¶In the twelfth year, the year Mizunoe-uma, in autumn, in the seventh month, the Kumaso rose in revolt. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the imperial carriage set out on a personal campaign against them. On the fifth day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, he encamped at Saba in Suō. Looking southward, the emperor said to the assembled ministers: "Smoke is rising thickly there. The rebels must surely be in that place." He first sent Takemoroki, Unade, and Natsuhana to reconnoiter. There was a woman named Kamunatsusohime, who commanded the greatest following of all; but on hearing that the emperor's messengers had come, she came out to meet them bearing an eight-foot string of jewels, an eight-span sword, and an eight-span mirror, and surrendered. She told them: "My clan has already submitted to the imperial favor. I beg that you send down no troops against us. There are, however, four other rebels: at the headwaters of the Usa River dwells one called Hanatari; at the headwaters of the Mike River, one called Mimitari; at the headwaters of the Takaha River, one called Asahagi; and at the headwaters of the Midorino River, one called Tsuchiori-Ihori. Each holds a stronghold and defends it firmly, refusing the imperial command. I beg you to make haste and subdue them." Takemoroki and the others thereupon lured Asahagi into surrender, rewarding him with red robes and trousers and various other gifts, and attempted to summon the remaining three rebels to submit as well; but as none of them answered the summons, all who came within reach were put to death. The emperor advanced as far as the district of Nagao in Buzen, built a temporary palace, and stayed there. In winter, in the tenth month, the emperor reached the land of Ōkita. In the village of Hayami there was a woman named Hayatsuhime, the head of the village. She came before him and reported: "In the cavern of Nezumi there are two Tsuchigumo named Ao and Shiro. In Negino, in the district of Naoiri, there are three Tsuchigumo named Uchizaru, Yata, and Kunimaro. All of them are strong, and many follow them. They all say they will not obey the imperial command, and if summoned by force, they will surely raise arms and resist." The emperor, resenting this, stationed his army at the village of Kutami, built a temporary palace there, and stayed. He took counsel with his ministers, saying: "Were we now to confront them with a great army, they would flee and hide among the hills and fields, and would surely become a source of trouble for years to come." He therefore had mallets made from the wood of the camellia tree, chose men of the finest mettle, and gave the mallets to them. Cutting through the mountains and pushing aside the undergrowth, they struck straight at the cavern, defeated the rebels at the headwaters of the Inaba River, and killed both Ao and Shiro. Advancing further, they reached Mount Negi and attacked Uchizaru. The rebels held the mountain and rained arrows down like rain. The emperor withdrew to Kinohara, had divination performed by the water's edge, and then led his troops to strike first at Yata in Negino, defeating him. Uchizaru and the others, struck with terror, begged to surrender; but the emperor would not listen, and they all threw themselves from cliffs and ravines to their deaths. Earlier, when the emperor had encamped in the great plain of Kashiwao, there was a great boulder six shaku in length. The emperor made this vow: "If I am able to destroy the Tsuchigumo, let this stone be kicked up as easily as an oak leaf." When he kicked it, it happened exactly as he had declared; and so the stone was named Fumi-ishi, the "trodden stone." In the eleventh month, he made a progress to Hyūga and built a temporary palace there, called the Takaya Palace.

¶On the fifth day of the twelfth month, the day Hinoto-tori, he took counsel on the subjugation of the Kumaso. He issued a decree to the assembled ministers, saying: "I have heard that in the land of So there are two rebel chieftains, Atsukaya and Sakaya, leading a great and unsightly horde known as the eighty takeru of Kumaso, whose strength is difficult to withstand. If I send too few troops, they will not suffice to destroy the rebels; if too many, the common people will suffer harm. Is there no way, without so much as drawing a blade, to pacify that land while seated at ease?" At this, one minister came forward and said: "The chieftain of the Kumaso has two daughters, named Ichifukaya and Ichikaya. They are both bold and beautiful. It would be well to entice them with generous gifts, summon them in, and have them devise a stratagem." The emperor followed this advice, summoned the two daughters, and outwardly showed favor to Ichifukaya. Before long Ichifukaya reported to him: "Do not trouble yourself over the Kumaso's disobedience. I have a good plan." She then took one or two soldiers and returned to her father's house, had her father drink strong wine, and, once he had fallen into a drunken sleep, secretly cut the string of his bow. The soldiers who had accompanied her then came forward and killed him. The emperor, abhorring such disloyalty to a parent, had Ichifukaya put to death, and gave her younger sister Ichikaya to the kuni-no-miyatsuko of Hi.

¶In the thirteenth year, the year Mizunoto-hitsuji, in summer, in the fifth month, the land of So was entirely pacified (Note: the Kōdaiki, the Kōnendai Ryakki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Ranshōshō all state that in this month surnames were bestowed on the people of the various provinces; this is noted here for reference).

¶In the seventeenth year, the year Hinoto-i, in spring, on the twelfth day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, he made a progress to Nimo-no-ono in the district of Koyu, and, gazing eastward, longed for the capital he had left behind, and composed a song known as the Kunishinobi-uta, "the song of longing for the homeland."

¶In the eighteenth year, the year Tsuchinoe-ne, in spring, in the third month, the emperor, intending to make his way back to the capital, made a circuit of inspection through the land of Tsukushi. On reaching Hinamori, Izumihime, daughter of the lord of Morokata, presented him with food. In summer, on the third day of the fourth month, the day Kinoe-ne, he reached the district of Kuma and summoned the brothers Kumatsuhiko. The elder brother answered the summons, but the younger did not appear; troops were sent to put him to death. On the eleventh day, the day Mizunoe-saru, he crossed the sea and anchored at a small island off Ashikita to take a meal, and had Ohidari draw water. The island originally had no water, but when Ohidari prayed to the gods, a cold spring at once gushed forth, and this was drawn and offered to the emperor; the place was accordingly named Mizushima, "Water Island." On the first day of the fifth month, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, he reached the land of Hi. On the third day of the sixth month, the day Mizunoto-i, he reached the village of Tamakina and put to death the Tsuchigumo Tsutsura. On the sixteenth day, the day Hinoe-ne, he reached the land of Aso. In autumn, on the fourth day of the seventh month, the day Kinoe-uma, he reached the land of Mike and stayed at the temporary palace of Takata. On the seventh day, the day Hinoto-tori, he reached the district of Yame. In the eighth month, he reached the village of Ukiha.

¶In the nineteenth year, the year Tsuchinoto-ushi, in autumn, on the twentieth day of the ninth month, the day Mizunoto-u, the emperor returned to the capital from Hyūga.

¶In the twentieth year, the year Kanoe-tora, in spring, on the fourth day of the second month, the day Kinoe-saru, he sent the princess Ionohime to worship Amaterasu Ōmikami.

¶In the twenty-fifth year, the year Kinoto-hitsuji, in autumn, on the third day of the seventh month, the day Mizunoe-uma, he sent Takenouchi-no-Sukune to Hokuriku and the eastern provinces to survey the terrain and the customs of the people.

¶In the twenty-seventh year, the year Hinoto-tori, in spring, on the twelfth day of the second month, the day Mizunoe-ne, Takenouchi-no-Sukune returned from the eastern provinces. In autumn, in the eighth month, the Kumaso again revolted. In winter, on the thirteenth day of the tenth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, he sent the prince Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto to subdue the Kumaso (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi places this in the twentieth year, but this is probably an error). In the twelfth month, Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto put Kawakami-no-Takeru to death, and the remaining rebels were entirely pacified.

¶In the twenty-eighth year, the year Kanoe-inu, in spring, on the first day of the second month, the day Kinoto-ushi, Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto returned and reported that he had pacified the rebels.

¶In the fortieth year, the year Kanoe-inu, in summer, in the sixth month, the eastern barbarians revolted. In autumn, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, the emperor personally bestowed the battle-axe upon Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto and sent him to subdue them. Kibi-no-Takehiko and Ōtomo-no-Takehi accompanied him. The prince Ōusu-no-mikoto was enfeoffed in Mino. In winter, in the tenth month, Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto set out from the capital.

¶In the forty-third year, the year Mizunoto-ushi, the eastern barbarians were entirely pacified. On his way home, Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto fell ill on reaching Nobono in Ise, and presented his captives to the Grand Shrine. He had Kibi-no-Takehiko report the victory to the capital, but soon afterward he died. The emperor mourned him deeply, had his deeds and renown set down in the records, and established the Takeru-be guild in his memory.

¶In the fifty-first year, the year Kanoto-tori, in spring, on the seventh day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, he summoned the assembled ministers and held a banquet lasting several days. In autumn, on the fourth day of the eighth month, the day Mizunoe-ne, he installed Wakatarashihiko-no-mikoto as crown prince, and made Takenouchi-no-Sukune his chief minister, tōryō. The Emishi captives that Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto had presented were so unruly and disrespectful that they could not be allowed near the Grand Shrine, and were ordered moved to the vicinity of Mount Mimoro instead. But these captive barbarians felled trees and terrorized the people. The emperor therefore issued a decree, saying: "The Emishi are by nature possessed of beastlike hearts, and it is difficult to let them dwell within the central provinces. In keeping with their own disposition, let them be distributed to dwell outside the home provinces." He accordingly had them divided and settled in Harima, Sanuki, Iyo, Aki, and Awa (Note: most texts give "Ise" in place of "Iyo," but here we follow the Kanenaga manuscript in correcting it).

¶In the fifty-second year, the year Mizunoe-inu, in summer, on the fourth day of the fifth month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, the Empress Harima-no-Inabi-no-Ōiratsume died. In autumn, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, he installed Yasakairihime as empress.

¶In the fifty-third year, the year Mizunoto-i, in autumn, in the eighth month, the emperor made a progress to Ise, and from there turned into the Tōkai region. In winter, in the tenth month, he reached Kazusa, and arrived by sea at Awa-no-Minato. In the twelfth month, he returned to Ise and stayed at the Kanihata Palace.

¶In the fifty-fourth year, the year Kinoe-ne, in autumn, on the nineteenth day of the ninth month, he returned from Ise and stayed at the Makimuku Palace.

¶In the fifty-fifth year, the year Kinoto-ushi, in spring, on the fifth day of the second month, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, he appointed Prince Hikosashima governor-general, totoku, of the fifteen provinces of the Tōsandō. Prince Hikosashima died on the way to his post.

¶In the fifty-sixth year, the year Hinoe-tora, in autumn, in the eighth month, he had Prince Morowake succeed to the post of his father, Prince Hikosashima. At that time the Emishi had risen in disorder, but Prince Morowake subdued and pacified them.

¶In the fifty-seventh year, the year Hinoto-u, in autumn, in the ninth month, the Sakate Pond was built. In winter, in the tenth month, the provinces were ordered to establish tabe, rice-field households, and miyake, granaries.

¶In the fifty-eighth year, the year Tsuchinoe-tatsu, in spring, on the eleventh day of the second month, the day Kanoto-i, he made a progress to Ōmi. He stayed at Shiga, at what was called the Takaanaho Palace (Note: the Kokon Kōdaizu cited in the Kumano Ryakki states that the new shrine of Kumano was built in this year. The Teiō Hennenki places this in the twentieth year, while the Mizukagami records no year at all; this is noted here for reference).

¶In the sixtieth year, the year Kanoe-uma, in winter, on the seventh day of the eleventh month, the day Kanoto-u, the emperor died at the Takaanaho Palace (Note: the Mizukagami gives his age as 143, probably reckoned from this work's own record that he was twenty-one when installed as crown prince; but this work and the Sendai Kuji Hongi both give his age as 106. Since this work's own records are mutually inconsistent, his age at death is not given here. The Kojiki gives his age as 137). He was buried at the Yamato-no-Yamanobe-no-michi-no-e Misasagi. He was posthumously given the title Emperor Keikō.

Emperor Seimu

¶Emperor Seimu was the fourth son of Emperor Keikō. His mother was the Empress Yasakairihime (Note: the Mizukagami states that the emperor was of fine and imposing appearance, standing one jō in height).

¶In the fifty-first year of Emperor Keikō's reign, in the first month, the emperor gathered the assembled ministers and held a banquet. The prince and Takenouchi-no-Sukune did not attend. When asked the reason, they answered: "On a day of feasting and revelry, the hundred officials are sure to grow idle at play, and their minds will not turn to guarding against danger. Fearing that some ill-intentioned person might seize upon this opening, we remained stationed below the gate, prepared against the unforeseen." The emperor praised them for this. In the eighth month, he was installed as crown prince (Note: this work elsewhere states that he was installed as crown prince in the forty-sixth year; but the passage for the first month of the fifty-first year in the Chronicle of Emperor Keikō calls him "the prince," while the passage for the day Mizunoe-ne in the eighth month records his installation as crown prince. That record is unambiguous, and although no other firm evidence can be brought to bear, the fact itself cannot be altered. Here we follow the account given in the Chronicle of Emperor Keikō).

¶In the sixtieth year, in the eleventh month, Emperor Keikō died.

¶In the first year, the year Kanoto-hitsuji, in spring, on the fifth day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, the emperor ascended the throne at the Takaanaho Palace (Note: that it was the Takaanaho Palace follows the Kojiki and the Sendai Kuji Hongi. The Mizukagami, the Gukanshō, and the Kōnendai Ryakki all give his age at the time as forty-nine; the Kōdaiki gives forty-eight. It is not clear which is correct). He was called Wakatarashihiko-no-sumeramikoto.

¶In the second year, the year Mizunoe-saru, in winter, on the tenth day of the eleventh month, the day Mizunoe-uma, he buried Emperor Keikō, and honored the empress with the title of empress dowager (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi places the honoring of the empress dowager in the first year).

¶In the third year, the year Mizunoto-tori, in spring, on the seventh day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, he made Takenouchi-no-Sukune Ō-omi, grand minister. The office of Ō-omi originates here (Note: that the office of Ō-omi originates here follows the Kugyō Bunin and the Jinnō Shōtōki. The Sendai Kuji Hongi records many appointments to the office of Ō-omi, beginning with that of Izumo-no-Shikome in the reign of Emperor Itoku onward; but since this work contains no such record, that account is not adopted here).

¶In the fourth year, the year Kinoe-inu, in spring, on the first day of the second month, the day Hinoe-tora, the emperor issued a decree, saying: "My late father the emperor, possessed of wisdom and martial virtue like a god, received the mandate of Heaven and took up its sacred charge, governed the people in accordance with Heaven, corrected disorder and brought the world to order; his virtue was equal to the beneficence that covers Heaven and Earth, and his way accorded with the principles of creation itself. For this reason there was no land under Heaven whose people did not become his subjects, and all who possessed vital breath and cherished spirit each found their proper place. Since I succeeded to the sacred throne, I have been reverent and fearful morning and night; yet still the people remain foolish and unruly, and will not reform their wild hearts. This is because the provinces and districts have no lords, and the prefectures and villages have no chiefs. From this time forward, let governors be established over the provinces and districts, and chiefs be set over the prefectures and villages; let men of ability within each province be chosen and appointed, to serve as a fence and shield guarding the central provinces."

¶In the fifth year, the year Kinoto-i, in autumn, in the ninth month, miyatsuko-no-kami, provincial governors, were established over the provinces and districts, and inaki, local chiefs, were placed over the prefectures and villages, and shields and halberds were bestowed upon them as emblems of office. Provinces and prefectures were divided using mountains and rivers as boundaries, and villages and hamlets were marked out following the paths between the rice fields. East and west were called hitate, "sun-lengthwise," and north and south hiyoko, "sun-crosswise"; the southern face of a mountain was called kagetomo, and its northern face sotomo. Because of this the common people lived in peace, and the realm was untroubled.

¶In the forty-eighth year, the year Tsuchinoe-uma, in spring, on the first day of the third month, the day Kanoe-tatsu, he installed his nephew Tarashinakatsuhiko as crown prince (Note: the Kojiki states that the emperor married Ototakara-no-Iratsume, daughter of Takeoshiyama-Tarine, and had a son, Prince Wakanukeno. However, this work, the Sendai Kuji Hongi, the Chronicle of Emperor Chūai, and other works such as the Mizukagami and the Kōnendai Ryakki all state alike that the emperor had no son, and make no mention of his having married any consort. Since the Kojiki's account cannot be verified as fact, it is not adopted here).

¶In the sixtieth year, the year Kanoe-uma, in summer, on the eleventh day of the sixth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the emperor died (Note: this work gives his age as 107. The Kojiki gives 95, and its note states that he died on the fifteenth day of the third month of the year Kinoto-u. The Mizukagami gives 109. The opening of this work's own chronicle states that he was twenty-four when installed as crown prince in the forty-sixth year of Emperor Keikō's reign, from which, reckoning tentatively, he would have been ninety-eight; but, as noted above, that record cannot be relied upon as a basis. If instead one calculates from the record that he was twenty-four when installed as crown prince in the fifty-first year of the Chronicle of Emperor Keikō, he would have been ninety-three. Neither figure agrees with the stated age of 107. Since it is not possible to decide between them, his age at death is not given here). He was buried at the Yamato-no-Saki-no-Tatanami Misasagi (Note: the Engishiki calls it the Saki-no-Tatanami-no-Ikejiri-yama Misasagi). He was posthumously given the title Emperor Seimu.