Emperor Seiwa

Emperor Seiwa

¶Emperor Seiwa's personal name was Korehito. He was the fourth son of Emperor Montoku. His mother was the Empress Dowager Fujiwara-shi, of the Fujiwara clan.

¶He was born on the twenty-fifth day of the third month of the third year of Kashō, the day Mizunoto-u, at the Ichijō residence of his maternal grandfather, the Minister of the Right, Fujiwara-no-Yoshifusa. In the eleventh month, he was installed as crown prince.

¶In the second year of Ten'an, on the twenty-seventh day of the eighth month, the day Kinoto-u, Emperor Montoku died. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Hinoto-mi, the imperial residence was moved to the Tōgū, the Crown Prince's Palace, and the several Guards headquarters, clad in armor and helmets, took up watch. That night, a star entered the Shibikyū, the Purple Tenuity Palace, an asterism associated with the throne, red as fire and some ten jō in length. On the third day of the ninth month, the day Kanoto-tori, a black spot, kokushi, appeared within the moon, which at once turned red as blood. On the sixth day, the day Kinoe-ne, Emperor Montoku was buried. On the seventh day, the day Kinoto-ushi, an edict was proclaimed within the court and without: "Throughout the full year until the first anniversary, mourning should be solemnly observed; and even though the ekigetsu system, by which months stand in place of days, is to be followed, the people of the realm should all the more keep shinsō, mourning within the heart. Let feasting, music, and ornate dress accordingly be forbidden." On the eighth day, the day Hinoe-tora, the several Guards headquarters stood down from their watch. On the fourteenth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, at night a sound like thunder was heard within the palace. On the sixteenth day, the day Kinoe-inu, the rite of jofuku, the setting aside of mourning garments, was held, and the hundred officials put on kichifuku, ordinary dress. On the twenty-second day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the last day of the month, the day Hinoto-i, a shooting star passed from the southeast to the northwest, and as it fell a sound like thunder was heard. On the first day of the tenth month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, there was a solar eclipse. Those of the Six Guards headquarters who had kept night watch were given silk and floss silk, in varying amounts. On the eighth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, the bronze vessel of the rōkoku, the water clock of the Onmyōryō, sounded of its own accord. On the seventh day of the eleventh month, the day Kinoe-ne, the emperor ascended the throne at the Daigokuden. He was nine years of age at the time. His birth mother, Fujiwara-shi, was honored with the title of Kōtaifujin, and the Chancellor, Fujiwara-no-Yoshifusa; the Minister of the Left, Minamoto-no-Makoto; the Minister of the Right and concurrently Captain of the Left Palace Guards, Fujiwara-no-Yoshimi; and the Major Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards, Abe-no-Yasuhito, all retained their posts unchanged (Note: the offices from Chancellor downward follow the Kugyō Bunin. On consideration: the back-notes of the Ōkagami record that Yoshifusa was already regent, sesshō, at this time, and the Kugyō Bunin likewise records him as "Sesshō Daijō Daijin." Both works further state that in the seventh year of Jōgan the emperor underwent his genpuku and Yoshifusa resigned the regency, and that in the eighth year he was again charged by imperial command to administer the government of the realm. Yet on examining the Sandai Jitsuroku, the entry for the eighth year states only that he was "commanded by edict to serve as Chancellor and to administer the government of the realm," under the entry for the twenty-ninth day, and says nothing of a renewed command to the regency. It would seem, rather, that because the emperor ascended the throne while still a child, Yoshifusa, as the sovereign's maternal relation and chief minister, administered the general affairs of government, though the title of regent did not yet exist, and that only later, once the emperor had grown somewhat, undergone his genpuku, and begun to govern for himself, was an edict specifically charging him with administration first issued. That these two works take Yoshifusa as the founder of the regency is presumably an attempt to force the matter into conformity with the later precedent of regents and chancellors. This account does not adopt that view). On the ninth day, the day Hinoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the seventeenth day, the day Kinoe-inu, the Major Counsellor Abe-no-Yasuhito resigned as Captain of the Right Palace Guards. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, the Middle Counsellor Minamoto-no-Sadamu was made Captain of the Right Palace Guards. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, an edict changed the name of the Chūgūshiki, the Office of the Empress's Household, to the Kōtaigōgūshiki, the Office of the Empress Dowager's Household. This month, the chinkonsai, the rite of pacifying the spirit, at the Hirano, Kasuga, Ōharano, and Sono-Karakami shrines, and the Niiname-sai, the Harvest Festival, were cancelled. On the eighth day of the twelfth month, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, the observance for the death-day of the posthumously honored Empress, Imperial Princess Takashi, was cancelled. On the ninth day, the day Hinoe-saru, the Ten Mausolea and Four Tombs were established for the first time. On the tenth day, the day Hinoto-tori, the Mahara mausoleum was renamed the Tamura mausoleum. On the thirteenth day, the day Kanoe-ne, there was an earthquake. This year, there was flooding in Musashi and Mutsu, a great windstorm in Shimotsuke, frost and hail in Dewa, and both flood and drought damage in Kaga.

¶In the first year of Jōgan, the year Tsuchinoto-u, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of ryōan, the sovereign's mourning. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, Mino province reported that a purple cloud had appeared. On the twenty-second day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the drum of the armory in Shima district, Chikuzen province, sounded of its own accord, and bows and arrows gave off a sound. This month, the Festival of the Blue Horses, the Tōka festival of foot-stamping songs, and the jarai, the archery ceremony of the Six Guards headquarters, were cancelled. On the first day of the second month, the day Hinoto-i, the Sekiten, the rite honoring Confucius, was cancelled. On the eleventh day, the day Hinoto-tori, vapors of red, yellow, and white encircled the sun, in the shape of a wheel. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Mizunoto-ushi, an edict ordered the provinces to repair their shrines. On the third day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, the lamp-offerings of the gosai, the rite of sacred abstinence, were discontinued. In summer, on the morning of the day Hinoe-inu in the fourth month, there was a solar eclipse. On the seventh day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, relief, shingō, was given to Musashi, Shimotsuke, Mutsu, Dewa, Kaga, and Izumo. On the fifteenth day, the day Kanoe-ne, the era name was changed. An edict declared: "We have heard that, from ancient times, those who have embodied the origin and dwelt in correctness have each differed in the root of their fortune and in the particulars of their history, and yet none has failed to revise the seisaku, the calendar, and change the kishō, the banners and emblems, so as to renew what the people see and hear. For this reason the lineage of the imperial succession is beyond reckoning, accumulating ten thousand new moons without growing weary, and the imperial line is without end, passing a thousand years without limit. Now the bounty of spring has already spread abroad, and the virtue of summer is coming round in its turn. The many birds first take wing once their feathers are set in order, and the many flowers newly bear fruit once they have set their seed. Seeing these signs in the course of the seasons, We know that this is the time to change the era name. Let the third year of Ten'an be renamed the first year of Jōgan. Let the way of the imperial succession be made correct and one, extended to all things, and let all be preserved intact. Let Us, like the Hōryaku and Enchō eras of China, both names token of long life, accumulate years without end together with Heaven and Earth." On the twenty-eighth day, the day Mizunoto-ushi, an edict ordered new coins to be cast. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Kanoe-saru, the Tango festival was cancelled on account of the sovereign's mourning. On the tenth day, the day Kinoto-ushi, the kingdom of Balhae sent tribute. On the thirteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, Bizen province presented a white sparrow as tribute. On the seventeenth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, hail fell. On the fourth day of the sixth month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, relief was given to the hungry people of the capital. On the twenty-second day, the day Hinoe-uma, there was a great windstorm with rain, which broke trees and destroyed houses. In autumn, on the thirteenth day of the seventh month, the day Hinoe-tora, an edict ordered the provinces to repair the temples within their jurisdictions. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoto-u, sacred treasures and offerings were presented to the great shrines of the eminent deities. On the nineteenth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, lightning struck a persimmon tree at the Naikyōbō, the Palace Academy of Music and Dance. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kanoto-mi, Kawachi province reported that rice had grown ryōki, a single stalk bearing two ears, an auspicious sign. This month, the cherry trees of the Gain bloomed, and the plum trees of the capital put forth blossoms. On the third day of the eighth month, the day Hinoe-inu, an envoy was sent to perform rites at the high mountain of Yoshino district, Yamato province, to drive away meitō, insect pests that damage the rice. On the fourth day, the day Hinoto-i, Shimotsuke province reported that a tree had formed renri, joined branches, an auspicious sign. On the eighth day, the day Kanoto-u, there was an earthquake, and the annual tribute of falcons from the provinces was discontinued. On the ninth day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, since prolonged rains had continued from the fifth month to this month, an envoy was sent to present offerings and a horse at the Niukawakami shrine, in prayer for clear weather. On the twelfth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, there was a great windstorm with rain, which destroyed houses. On the thirteenth day, the day Hinoe-saru, the provincial governors were forbidden to keep falcons and sparrowhawks. On the third day of the ninth month, the day Kinoto-u, in anticipation of the Daijōsai, the Great Thanksgiving Rite, the gotō lamp offering and its rite of purification were suspended. On the fourth day, the day Hinoe-tatsu, offerings were presented to the deities of forty-five shrines in the home provinces, praying for the wind and rain to cease. On the ninth day, the day Kanoto-tori, the Chōyō festival was cancelled, the date falling close to the late emperor's death-day. On this day, there was a great windstorm with rain, which destroyed houses and broke trees. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the eighteenth day, the day Kanoe-uma, there was a great windstorm with thunder. In winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, there was a solar eclipse. On the fifth day, the day Hinoto-i, the imperial princesses Tenshi and Gishi were made Ise Priestess and Kamo Priestess respectively. On the seventh day, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, envoys were sent to the provinces to distribute offerings to the gods of heaven and earth and perform hōsai, rites of thanksgiving. On the twenty-first day, the day Mizunoto-u, a purification rite, gokei, was performed. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kanoe-inu, Kōzuke province presented kaka, an auspicious ear of rice, as tribute. The newly minted coins were presented to the eminent deities and the imperial mausolea, and were also distributed among the imperial princes and those below them. On the last day of the month, the day Kanoto-i, there was an earthquake. On the tenth day of the eleventh month, the day Kanoto-tori, the Umenomiya festival was performed (Note: no record of the Umenomiya festival is found earlier than this. Since this work's own entry here says that it was "held as customary," the festival must already have existed before this, though its origin is not clear. The Kuji Kongen states that it began in the Jōwa era, but it appears in neither the Shoku Nihon Kōki nor the Montoku Jitsuroku. The Nenjū Gyōji is mistaken in taking the second year of Gangyō as its beginning). On the twelfth day, the day Mizunoto-i, there was an earthquake. On the sixteenth day, the day Hinoto-u, the Daijōsai was performed. On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, an edict granted considerable leniency in the sentences of criminals that the Daijōkan had submitted for judgment. This year, the great god Hachiman was enshrined at Iwashimizu on Mount Otoko in Yamashiro province (Note: this year, and what follows, is based on the Iwashimizu Engi and the Genkō Shakusho. The Kōdai Ryakki and the Ichidai Yōki date this to the second year).

¶In the second year, the year Kanoe-tatsu, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Mizunoe-ne, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of rain. On the tenth day of the second month, the day Kanoto-u, the emperor for the first time read the Xiaojing, the Classic of Filial Piety. In summer, on the sixth day of the fourth month, the day Hinoe-inu, frost fell and withered the grass and trees. On the eleventh day, the day Kanoto-u, a whirlwind arose before the kōchō, the waiting-hall of the Geki, the Secretariat of the Council of State, and moved spinning toward the west, scattering tens of thousands of small insects within it. On the nineteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, an edict ordered the monks and nuns of the realm to recite the Buchō Sonshō Darani, a dharani of the Buddha's crown of victory, praying for kokuso, the fortune of the state, and this was made a permanent observance. On the twenty-second day, the day Mizunoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the last day of the month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the Ninnōkyō was expounded at about a hundred seats in the capital and the provinces. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Kinoe-tora, there was an earthquake, and hail fell. The Tango festival was cancelled. Suruga province reported that clouds of five colors had appeared over Mount Fuji. On the eighteenth day, the day Hinoto-u, there was an earthquake, and hail fell. On the third day of the sixth month, the day Mizunoe-uma, there was a great flood, the rains having continued from the fifth month down to this day. On the sixteenth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, on account of the emperor's fuyo, illness, envoys were sent to the temples near the capital to have the merit of tennen, alternate sutra recitation, performed. On the seventeenth day, the day Hinoe-saru, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-second day, the day Kanoto-ushi, there was again an earthquake. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Kinoe-tatsu, there was again an earthquake. On the last day of the month, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, ten chō of land in Hata district, Tosa province, were granted to the Seyakuin, the Dispensary for the Poor. In autumn, on the fourteenth day of the seventh month, the day Mizunoe-inu, there was an earthquake. On the seventeenth day, the day Kinoto-ushi, there was again an earthquake. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, there was a great windstorm with rain. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, there was an earthquake, and a shooting star rose in the northeast and set in the southwest, its light illuminating the ground. On the twenty-seventh day of the eighth month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, there was a shooting star, which rose in the south and set in the northwest, its light illuminating the ground. That night, a thief entered the shrine of the iwaido, the sacred storehouse, in the western precinct of the Jingikan, and stole the garments of the iwaido at three locations, together with the musubi-no-mitama-no-o, the cord of the sacred spirit, from the emperor's palanquin. On the last day of the month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, there was rainfall. On the seventh day of the ninth month, the day Kinoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the ninth day, the day Hinoe-tatsu, the Chōyō festival was cancelled. On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoto-tori, there was a great wind, which broke trees and destroyed houses. On the fifteenth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, the wind and rain did not let up, and there was a great flood in the capital. In the provinces the sea overflowed, and many people and livestock died. In winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Hinoto-ushi, there was a solar eclipse. On the seventh day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, there was an earthquake. On the eighth day, the day Kinoe-saru, since many horses had been injured, to the detriment of farm work, the two pastures of Kitano in Ōsumi province were abolished. On the twenty-first day, the day Hinoto-tori, an edict forbade private hunting in the provinces (Note: the account from the twenty-first day onward follows the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). On the first day of the intercalary month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, there was an earthquake. On the twentieth day, the day Hinoe-tora, snow fell. Floss silk was given, in varying amounts, to those of the fifth rank and below and to those of the several Guards headquarters who had kept night watch. On the twenty-third day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, there was an earthquake. On the morning of the day Hinoto-ushi in the eleventh month, the winter solstice having fallen that day, the ministers submitted a memorial of congratulation. The emperor went to the Zenden, the Hall Before the Throne, and bestowed wine upon his attendant courtiers. On the sixteenth day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, an edict declared: "Kōten, August Heaven, shows no partiality in its love, treating the myriad things as sūku, straw dogs used once in sacrifice and then cast aside — that is, as things not to be made light of. The sage has no private mind, and takes the people themselves as his eyes and ears. For this reason his nurturing of the myriad things knows no bound, and the teaching that needs no word grows ever more flourishing. Upheld by the people without their ever tiring of him, the undertaking of effortless rule remains at peace for long ages. We, with a person unworthy of the charge, stand above the myriad people; We have only lately begun to tread this path, and face the world bearing a sense of its perils. We rely only upon the assembled ministers, the high officials, and men of learning, who exert their full strength to support and sustain Us. The ministers have now submitted a memorial, saying: 'This year, in the eleventh month, falls the sakutan tōji, the winter solstice coinciding with the first day of the month, held to be an auspicious sign. It marks the attainment of Heaven's cycle, ending only to begin anew. Renju, a stringing-together of stars, casts its radiance reflected in the five planets, and gappeki, the joining of disks, spreads its brightness where sun and moon overlap. Though this follows of course from the constant workings of the calendar, it must surely also answer to the sovereign's utmost humanity.' How could We, so thin in virtue, be worthy to receive such an auspicious sign? We therefore wish to share and celebrate this joyous occasion together with the realm, and pardon all crimes of exile and lighter throughout the realm. Those whose hereditary claim to the on'i, the privilege of rank by birth, has long lapsed, and those whose merit or talent has shown itself early, should be granted special honor, as a mark of Our favor. Civil and military officials within the court and without, of the rank of sakan or above, shall each be advanced one grade in court rank. Officials in the capital of Senior Sixth Rank Upper, and those from shishō, clerks, up to jikichō, menial attendants, together with the aged throughout the realm, should each be granted gifts. May this great bounty reach throughout the realm, and answer to the heart of Heaven." That night, there was a violent windstorm with rain and thunder. On the seventeenth day, the day Mizunoto-mi, the wind did not let up, and destroyed many dwellings. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Mizunoe-tora, gifts were bestowed on the imperial princes and those below them, and on those who had kept watch on the first day of this month. On the fourth day of the twelfth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, there was an earthquake. On the eighth day, the day Mizunoto-ushi, a newly revised procedure for the Sekiten was compiled and distributed to the provinces of the seven circuits.

¶In the third year, the year Kanoto-mi, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Hinoe-ne, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of rain. On the ninth day, the day Kinoe-saru, there was an earthquake. On the twentieth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, Izumo province reported that an envoy from Balhae had arrived at court. On the twenty-first day, the day Hinoe-saru, an edict declared: "In recent years, the governors of the provinces of the five home provinces and seven circuits have been made to repair the great Buddha image at Tōdaiji, and this work is now complete. On the fourteenth day of the third month, a Mushadaie, a great assembly open to all regardless of standing, should be held. From the eleventh to the twentieth day, the taking of life shall be forbidden. On the day of the assembly, the two kokubunji, the provincial temple and the provincial nunnery, in each province shall each hold a saie, a vegetarian assembly, gathering the monks and nuns within their jurisdiction to make offerings together." On the first day of the second month, the day Kinoto-mi, there was a solar eclipse. On the seventh day, the day Kanoto-i, a hundred monks were summoned to the Naiden, the Inner Hall, and made to read the Konji Daihannyakyō, the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra written in gold characters, over three days, praying for the repose of the late emperor. On the first day of the third month, the day Kinoto-i, frost fell. On the thirteenth day, the day Hinoto-i, the two offices of the Bōkamogawashi and the Bōkadonogawashi, charged with controlling the Kamo and Kadono rivers, were placed under the jurisdiction of Yamashiro province. On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, in celebration of the completion of the great Buddha image at Tōdaiji, an edict sent the Minister of Civil Administration, Imperial Prince Kaya; the Minister of Central Affairs, Imperial Prince Tokiyasu; the Director of the Danjōdai, Imperial Prince Motoyasu; and the Middle Counsellor Tomo-no-Yoshio, among others, to oversee the ceremony. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, a renewed ordinance forbade taking horses fit for military use out of Mutsu province beyond its borders, whether male or female (Note: the account from the twenty-fifth day onward is adopted with reference to the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). In summer, on the seventh day of the fourth month, the day Kanoto-i, there was an earthquake. On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, a sound like thunder was heard in the sky. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, the emperor's younger brother Koretsune was made an imperial prince, and Yukiari, together with the emperor's younger sisters Tomiko and Fuchiko, were each granted the surname of Minamoto-no-Ason. On the thirteenth day of the fifth month, the day Hinoe-inu, there was an earthquake. On the fifteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, offerings were presented at seven shrines of eminent deities near the capital, in prayer for rain. On the nineteenth day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the twentieth day, the day Mizunoto-mi, there was an earthquake. On the first day of the sixth month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, the zekko, households of the Ōnakatomi and Nakatomi clans whose line had died out, and the mushin kochō, registers of households without substance, were struck from the rolls, putting an end to the fraudulent claiming of on'i, hereditary rank. On the third day, the day Hinoe-uma, thunder sounded though there were no clouds. On the ninth day, the day Mizunoe-ne, on account of the previous year's flood damage, the four districts of Yabase, Aseri, Aimi, and Hino in Hōki province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for two years. On the sixteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, the Senmyō calendar was put into effect. On the twentieth day, the day Mizunoto-i, a woman of Ise province gave birth to three children at once. She was granted rice and provisions for a wet nurse. On the twenty-second day, the day Kinoto-ushi, it was cold, and fog arose. On the twenty-third day, the day Hinoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, the emperor went to the Zenden and watched child sumo wrestling. Music, variety performances, sangaku entertainments, and such diversions as pole-vaulting, juggling of blades, and juggling of balls were performed. The observance followed the form of the regular sumo festival. On the last day of the month, the day Mizunoe-saru, he again went to the Zenden and watched the same. The observance was as on the previous day. In autumn, on the eleventh day of the seventh month, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, there was a great windstorm with rain. On the sixteenth day of the eighth month, the day Hinoto-mi, the emperor for the first time had the Analects of Confucius expounded. On the seventeenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, there was an earthquake. Echizen province suffered famine, and Nagato, where an epidemic had raged the previous year, was likewise given relief. An edict ordered the provinces to copy out the Sonshō Darani and deposit it within the central pillars of temple pagodas. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, a sound like thunder was heard in the sky. This month, pear and plum trees in the capital bloomed and bore fruit out of season, and people suffered from dysentery. In winter, on the fourth day of the tenth month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, an envoy was sent to present offerings at the Daijingū. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Kinoe-ne, the Right Guards headquarters and the Right Bureau of Horses presented the yubutsu, the prizes won in the horse races of the fifth month. A banquet was held for the imperial princes and those below them, music was performed, and gifts were bestowed on each (Note: this work writes "the Right Guards headquarters" as "the summoned Guards headquarters," and "Right Horses" as "Left Horses"; this is here corrected according to the Ruijū Kokushi. On consideration, the Nenjū Gyōji is mistaken in holding that the presentation of prizes by the Guards headquarters and the Bureau of Horses began on the twenty-first day of the twelfth month of the sixth year). On the sixteenth day of the eleventh month, the day Hinoe-inu, since violent men were committing theft, Kebiishi, officers of the Imperial Police, were established in Musashi province, one to each district.

¶In the fourth year, the year Mizunoe-uma, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Kanoe-uma, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of rain. On the tenth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Kinoe-uma, there was again an earthquake. On the sixteenth day of the second month, the day Kinoto-u, since crops had been damaged by the previous year's wind, flood, and frost damage, the two districts of Izumo and Ōhara in Izumo province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year. On the seventeenth day, the day Hinoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Kinoe-ne, there was again an earthquake. On the eleventh day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, there was again an earthquake. On the sixteenth day, the day Kinoe-saru, a sound like thunder was heard in the east. On the nineteenth day, the day Hinoto-i, hail fell. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Hinoe-saru, there was an earthquake. In summer, on the second day of the fourth month, the day Kanoe-ne, heavy rain caused the rivers to overflow. On the fifteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, an edict declared: "We have heard that, from ancient times, the wise and enlightened sovereigns have always named Yao and Shun as foremost among them. Yet even they set up a kanko, a drum for remonstrance, and a bōboku, a tablet for posting criticism, at court, and had Yu the Great and Gao Yao exhaust their teaching in service to the realm. We consider that, however flourishing the affairs of government may be, it is difficult to accomplish great works without seeking opinion widely, and that however exalted the authority within the Four Seas, the transforming influence of government cannot be brought to completion without consulting those below. We succeeded to the imperial line while still a child. Our capacity falls short of governing even a single state, and Our conduct falls short, to Our shame, of the way of the sage. We have relied entirely upon the protection and instruction of the wise ministers who assist Us, folding Our hands and looking up only to their achievements. And yet the turning of fortune has brought Us to the far end of a hundred reigns, and the trend of the age has met with the decline of the myriad states. Five years have now passed since Our accession. We hear only that the treasury stands empty, that expenses cannot be met, that kōfu, the tribute and taxes, fall into arrears, and that officials and people alike suffer and lament, yet We have not found the essential means to relieve this. Long ago, when the age of the Divine Farmer declined, the realm hung as though suspended upside down in its suffering; yet when the Yellow Emperor arose in his place and cultivated virtue, the transforming influence of suii, governing while seated at ease with sleeves folded, flourished. When the government of Xin, the tyrant of Yin, fell into disorder, the common people suffered as though mired in mud and scorched by fire; yet once Zhou arose, and the ages of Kings Cheng and Kang came, punishments were established yet never had to be used. This shows that antiquity was not always simple and pure, nor is the present always thin and uncaring; it depends solely on the goodness or wickedness of ruler and minister, and on the success or failure of government and teaching. If the assembled ministers, great and small alike, join their strength and bend their hearts to seeking good government, correct the court, and teach and guide the people, then the state will grow rich and its punishments made clear, the seasons will turn mild and the years bountiful, the crane will be transformed into simplicity itself, and deceit will return to truth. This would be nothing other than the age of Tōko Kishi, a man of the ideal age of antiquity, and nothing beyond Our reach. Let those of Councillor rank and above each discuss the rights and wrongs of the present government, and set out in detail the gains and losses of the customs of the age. Whatever harms the transforming influence or injures the people, whatever is ill-suited to the times, should be corrected with due measure and care. Whatever benefits the state, let all exhaust plain and direct speech to enrich Our heart. Let there be no embellishment, and nothing held back or concealed." On the sixth day of the fifth month, the day Mizunoto-tori, the emperor went to the Butokuden and watched feats of horsemanship and variety performances. The observance followed the form of the Tango festival. On the sixteenth day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, there was an earthquake. On the twentieth day, the day Hinoto-i, since pirates were openly rampant, seizing the tribute rice of Bizen province and killing kōchō, the officers in charge of its transport, the two circuits of San'yōdō and Nankaidō were ordered to pursue and capture them. On the twenty-third day, the day Kanoe-tora, the two districts of Toki and Ena in Mino province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year. On the sixteenth day of the sixth month, the day Mizunoto-ushi, there was an earthquake. On the eighteenth day, the day Kinoto-u, on account of prolonged rain, relief was given to the hungry people of the capital. In autumn, on the second day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, the five districts of Kawachi, Shida, Kashima, Naka, and Taka in Hitachi province, having suffered successive years of flood, drought, and epidemic, were exempted from tribute and labor tax for two years. On the fifth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, the emperor went to the Zenden and watched child sumo wrestling, in the form of the previous year. On the sixteenth day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, the sumo festival, formerly held on the fifteenth day of the sixth month, was changed to be held in the first ten days of the seventh month. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kinoe-uma, there was again an earthquake. On the first day of the eighth month, the day Hinoto-tori, there was a solar eclipse. On the ninth day, the day Kinoto-mi, Tajima province reported that an auspicious cloud had appeared. On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, the day Kanoto-mi, there was an earthquake. This month, the wells of the capital ran dry. On the seventeenth day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, an edict permitted the drawing of water from the Shinsen'en. On the twenty-first day, the day Hinoto-i, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Kanoe-tora, there was again an earthquake. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Mizunoto-mi, Mimasaka province presented a white deer as tribute. On the last day of the month, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, there was an earthquake. In winter, on the ninth day of the tenth month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Mizunoto-i, there was again an earthquake. On the third day of the eleventh month, the day Hinoto-u, the earth shook violently. On the tenth day, the day Kinoto-i, an envoy was sent to present offerings at the Daijingū. On the sixteenth day of the twelfth month, the day Kanoe-inu, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Kanoe-saru, there was a great thunderstorm. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kanoto-tori, there was an earthquake.

¶In the fifth year, the year Mizunoto-hitsuji, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Kinoe-ne, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of rain. The emperor went to the Zenden and bestowed a banquet on his attendant courtiers. On the third day, the day Hinoe-tora, the Major Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards, Minamoto-no-Sadamu, died. On the tenth day, the day Mizunoto-tori, there was a thunderstorm. On the twenty-first day, the day Kinoe-saru, since gaigyaku, an epidemic cough resembling influenza, had been spreading within and beyond the capital since the previous winter, with many deaths regardless of rank, the Naien, the informal palace banquet, was cancelled, and a seven-day rite was performed at the Gain. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kanoe-tora, a Great Purification, ōharae, was performed at the Gozaisho, the sovereign's residence, and at the Kenrei and Suzaku gates, to drive away calamity and epidemic, and relief was given to the hungry and the sick of the capital. On the first day of the second month, the day Kinoe-uma, an envoy was sent to perform rites at the high mountain of Yoshino district, Yamato province, to drive away insect damage. On the second day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, a Great Purification was performed at the Suzaku Gate, on account of ritual defilement. On the third day, the day Hinoe-saru, the Kasuga festival was cancelled. On the fourth day, the day Hinoto-tori, the Kinensai, the Prayer-for-the-Year Festival, was cancelled. On this day, there was an earthquake. On the seventh day, the day Kanoe-ne, the common people were forbidden to fell trees or graze livestock within the precincts surrounding the tomb at Danpō. On the tenth day, the day Mizunoto-u, the Middle Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Ujimune was made concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards (Note: the account from the tenth day onward follows the Kugyō Bunin. The Rekidai Kōki and the Ichidai Yōki date this to the first month). On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, there was a great wind, which destroyed houses. On the sixteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the sun, on first rising, was white and without light, and the moon, on first rising, was as red as cinnabar; after three days both returned to normal. On the twenty-first day, the day Kinoe-tora, relief was given for famine and epidemic in Yamato and Izumi provinces. On the second day of the third month, the day Kinoe-ne, a sound like thunder was heard in the sky. On the fourth day, the day Hinoe-tora, offerings were distributed to the eminent deities throughout the realm, in prayer for the epidemic to subside. On the ninth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, an envoy was sent to present offerings at the Daijingū. On the fifteenth day, the day Hinoto-ushi, frost fell. The Onmyōryō submitted a memorial saying that an epidemic was bound to spread. An edict ordered the provinces to have the Kyōō, the Lotus Sutra, expounded during the period of the ango, the summer retreat. On this day, the governors of the provinces were again forbidden to keep falcons and sparrowhawks privately. On the twenty-third day, the day Kinoto-tori, more than a hundred monks were made to read the Daihannyakyō by alternate recitation for three days, at the three locations of the Naiden, the Chūgū, and the Shinsen'en. In summer, on the eleventh day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoto-u, it was cold, and a great wind blew. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoe-uma, there was an earthquake. This month, prolonged rains continued. On the sixth day of the fifth month, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, the Keisha festival of mounted archery was cancelled. On the seventh day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, it was cold, and frost fell. On the twentieth day, the day Mizunoe-uma — until now, the Goryōe, the rite for pacifying vengeful spirits, had been performed among the people, but on account of this year's epidemic, the court itself conducted the observance. On this day, a Buddhist service was held at the Shinsen'en, and the rite performed. On the twenty-second day, the day Kinoe-saru, the emperor went to the Gain and viewed the butō, the child dancers of the Goryōe, and had the Gagakuryō perform music. On the seventeenth day of the sixth month, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, the earth shook violently in Etchū and Echigo provinces; mountains collapsed and water gushed forth, destroying houses, and many were crushed to death. On the twenty-first day, the day Mizunoe-ne, the common people of the two districts of Toki and Ena in Mino province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year. On the second day of the intercalary month, the day Mizunoto-i, Yamato province reported that clouds of five colors had appeared. On the ninth day, the day Kinoe-uma, there was an earthquake. On the nineteenth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, a shooting star passed toward the west. On the twenty-first day, the day Mizunoe-uma, relief was given to the hungry of the capital. In autumn, on the first day of the seventh month, the day Kanoto-u, there was a solar eclipse. On the second day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, the Councillor Harusumi-no-Yoshitada and the Junior Assistant of the Jingikan, Ōnakatomi-no-Toyoo, among others, were made to worship the great deity of Ise at the Daigokuden, to drive away the portent of the stars. On the fourth day, the day Kinoe-uma, offerings were presented to the eminent deities. On the twenty-first day, the day Kanoto-i, there was a great wind, which broke trees and destroyed houses. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Hinoto-mi, an edict distributed a thousand kan of newly minted coin and a thousand ingots of chūkantetsu, refined iron, among seventeen temples, including Tōdaiji and Kōfukuji. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, thirty prisoners who had been fettered with tetsu, iron shackles, at the Shūgokushi, the Prison Office, broke out of the jail and fled. On the third day of the eighth month, the day Mizunoto-i, the provinces were ordered to pursue and capture the fugitive prisoners. On the eighth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the eleventh day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, the morning sun lost its light. On the twelfth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, the sun again lost its light. On the twenty-first day, the day Kanoto-mi, a seven-day rite was performed at the Shinsen'en. On the twenty-third day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, the Daijōkan issued a ruling: "For kōkyo, recommendation to office, and ninshi, appointment by hereditary privilege, in the two capitals and the provinces, the household registers of the past three sanpi, census periods, should be examined." On the eighth day of the ninth month, the day Hinoto-tori, there was an earthquake. In winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Kanoe-saru, there was a thunderstorm. On the fifteenth day, the day Kinoe-inu, there was a great windstorm with thunder and rain. On the seventeenth day, the day Hinoe-ne, the common people of Izumo province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year. On the thirteenth day of the eleventh month, the day Mizunoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the seventeenth day, the day Hinoe-uma — Tango province had earlier reported that fifty-four people of Saira had drifted ashore, and Inaba province that fifty-seven people of Silla had drifted ashore. On this day, an edict provided them with food and sent them home. On the sixth day of the twelfth month, the day Kinoe-ne, an envoy was sent to present offerings at the Daijingū. On the thirteenth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, Hida province reported that a tree had formed renri.

¶In the sixth year, the year Kinoe-saru, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, the emperor underwent the genpuku, the ceremony of coming of age. On the third day, the day Kanoe-tora, he went to the Daigokuden and received the New Year's felicitations. On the seventh day, the day Kinoe-uma, the Empress Dowager was honored with the title of Grand Empress Dowager, and the Kōtaifujin was made Empress Dowager. The negi and hafuri, priests of the various shrines, the monks and nuns of the various temples, and those throughout the realm who had succeeded as head of their household were each granted one grade of court rank. Gifts were bestowed on the aged, on the kankakoku, the widowers, widows, orphans, and childless with no one to rely on, and on the gravely ill. A general amnesty was proclaimed throughout the realm, and the common people's labor service was remitted for ten days. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Mizunoe-ne, the provinces were no longer permitted to inflate their household registers by increasing the number of fukakō, those exempt from tribute and labor tax. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kinoe-tora, Fujiwara-no-Tamiko, Junior Fourth Rank Lower, was made a consort, nyōgo. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kinoto-u, an edict permitted the continuation of suiko, the lending of regular tax rice, as before, allowed a reduction in the collection of the land tax, and increased the people's labor service. On the sixteenth day of the second month, the day Mizunoto-tori, the ranks of the Sōgō, the Office of Monastic Affairs, were newly established. On the seventeenth day, the day Kinoe-inu, an edict directed the governor of Iwami province to provide food to castaways from Silla and send them home. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, Ise province reported that a tree had formed renri. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, the emperor made a progress to the Chancellor Fujiwara-no-Yoshifusa's Someridono residence and viewed the blossoms. The Governor of Yamashiro, Ki-no-Imamori, led the district officials and common people in performing the kōden-no-rei, the ceremonial rite of ploughing the fields. On the fourteenth day of the third month, the day Kanoe-ne, a comet appeared in Eishitsu. Its length was four shaku. In summer, on the twenty-first day of the fourth month, the day Hinoto-ushi, the dates for the provinces' presentation of kugoba, tribute horses for the court, were newly fixed. On the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month, the day Kanoe-inu, on account of prolonged rain, relief, shinjutsu, was given to the hungry and the sick of the capital. Suruga province reported that the great mountain of the god Asama in Fuji district had erupted in flame. On the twenty-third day of the sixth month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, the dates for the presentation of tribute horses from the pastures of Shinano province were newly fixed. In autumn, on the first day of the seventh month, the day Kinoto-tori, there was a solar eclipse. On the tenth day, the day Kinoe-uma, an envoy was sent to present offerings at the Daijingū. On the seventeenth day, the day Kanoto-ushi, Kai province reported that Mount Fuji had burned. On the twenty-third day, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, a star appeared in Shitsu and set east of Urin, reddish-yellow and without light. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kanoto-i, an edict was again sent to the five home provinces and to Iga, Ise, Shima, Tōtōmi, Sagami, and Kazusa, ordering the repair of their shrines. This month, an epidemic spread through Kaga and Izumo provinces. On the twenty-fifth day of the eighth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, Taira-no-Kanshi was made a consort. On the fourth day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, there was an earthquake. Those registered as market merchants, shiseki, were forbidden to serve in the offices and households of officials (Note: the prohibition on market merchants, and what follows, is based on the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). On the ninth day, the day Mizunoto-mi, a star appeared in the Shibi and set at the Pleiades. Its length was more than three jō. On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, a star appeared between Kei and Rō and set at Gaihei. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Kanoe-inu, there was an earthquake. In winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Kinoe-tora, the two districts of Nita and Iishi in Izumo province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for two years. On the seventh day, the day Kanoe-saru, at night there was a light like lightning over the northern hills. Before the Suzaku Gate there was a red light, about five shaku in length. On the ninth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, there was an earthquake. On the twelfth day, the day Kinoto-ushi, the earth shook violently. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, there was thunder. On the fourth day of the eleventh month, the day Hinoto-i, an edict abolished the Ōyake pasture in Higo province. On the twelfth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, an edict ordered the five home provinces and the two circuits of San'yōdō and Nankaidō to read the Hannyakyō and Daijōkyō by alternate recitation, to forestall epidemic disease. On the thirteenth day, the day Hinoe-saru, Mars guarded the lunar lodge Tei. On the twenty-second day, the day Kinoto-mi, since they had suffered both flood and drought, the five districts of Katsushika, Inba, Sōma, Habu, and Sashima in Shimōsa province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for two years. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, there was a thunderstorm. On the last day of the month, the day Mizunoto-ushi, there was a solar eclipse. On the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, the day Hinoto-u, an edict ordered that, excepting those provincial scholars and physicians who truly pursued their learning and trained in their art, the kugai, official funds, due to be applied against unpaid tribute and labor tax should be confiscated, following the same procedure as for shishō, clerks, and those above them. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the Dazaifu reported: "On the night of the third day of the tenth month, the sacred pond of the god Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto in Aso district, Higo province, shook and seethed. Also, the stones of the two deities at Himekami Peak collapsed and fell."

¶In the seventh year, the year Kinoto-tori, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of rain and snow. On the third day, the day Kinoto-tori, a star appeared at Ten'en and set at Jōchin. On the fourth day, the day Hinoe-inu — since the previous year the Onmyōryō had submitted a memorial that the coming year was bound to bring military unrest and epidemic, and the Astronomer had submitted a memorial that there was bound to be military trouble, an edict was sent to the Sōgō, ordering the fifteen great temples to read the Daihannyakyō, and the temples under their jurisdiction to read the Kongō Hannyakyō. An official directive was also sent to the kokubunji and jōgakuji, the provincial temples and licensed temples, of the provinces, ordering the Daihannyakyō to be read for seven days. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoe-saru, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Kanoto-i, there was again an earthquake. On the second day of the second month, the day Kinoe-tora, a star appeared at Tōsei and set at Shin. Its color was white, and its length more than two jō. On the tenth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, an edict declared: "The virtue of Heaven reaches everywhere, and its merit in governing and nurturing the myriad things is lofty from the outset. The standards set by a wise sovereign extend ever more widely the way of soothing and governing the people. Thus it is known that good government depends solely on deep and bountiful benevolence, and that to guide the people toward wealth, honor, and long life lies truly in bearing care and labor. We, with Our ordinary person, have reverently succeeded to the imperial line; though Our position is exalted at the shinkyoku, the throne of Heaven, Our transforming teaching has not yet spread throughout the realm. For this reason We are troubled even at night, unable to loosen Our robes, and exert Ourself even as the sun declines, forgoing food, wishing that the Four Seas be free of the lament of poor harvests, and that the eight directions be rid of the warning of war. And yet Our sincerity has not yet manifested itself, the response of the gods remains distant, and We have gone against the heart of Heaven and invited this portent. This past winter, the Dazaifu reported: 'The sacred pond of the gods in Aso district, Higo province, neither rose through prolonged rain nor fell through continued drought, yet now, for no reason, it has seethed and overflowed into neighboring districts. According to the tortoise-shell divination, this is an ill omen of military unrest and epidemic.' Our heart within grows cold as ice or a ravine, and We are deeply afraid. That accumulating virtue can turn aside calamity has long been heard of old, and that performing good can drive away disaster is likewise not without precedent. Let kunjū, the burning of incense in Buddhist devotion, be performed at every temple, and offerings be presented at every shrine. Through this myōjo, the unseen aid of gods and buddhas, let us ward off that ill omen. Also, let all unpaid taxes owed from before the second year of Ten'an be remitted without exception, without further demand for payment. May it be that Our utmost sincerity spreads abroad, dissolving these lingering cares like mist or dew into nothing, that an unseen protection secretly reaches through, and that the dust of disorder, fūjin, be stilled before it has even begun to stir. Let this purport be proclaimed far and near, that Our intent be made known to all." An official directive was accordingly sent to the provinces, ordering the governors and the kōji, provincial lecturing monks, to observe ritual abstinence together, and forbidding the taking of life for seven days. The kokubunji and jōgakuji were made to read the Kongō Hannyakyō by alternate recitation. The chief officers of the various shrines were also made to purify themselves and present offerings, and those among the kankakoku who could not support themselves were given supplies from the gisō, the emergency relief granaries, each according to need. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoe-tora, an envoy was sent to present offerings at the Usa shrine, to report the portent in Higo province and pray for the calamity to be averted. On the seventeenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, the Councillor Ōe-no-Otondo, among others, was sent to the Yamashina mausoleum; the Councillor Fujiwara-no-Yoshinawa, among others, to the Kashiwabara mausoleum; the Provisional Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Ujimune, among others, to the Saga mausoleum; the Major Counsellor Tomo-no-Yoshio, among others, to the Fukakusa mausoleum; and the Councillor Minabuchi-no-Toshina, among others, to the Tamura mausoleum, to report the portent in Higo province and pray for the calamity to be averted. On the second day of the third month, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, it was ordained that provincial governors of the seven circuits who failed to meet the deadline for presenting so, a dairy product, and datsu, a kind of beeswax, as tribute should, if of the fifth rank or above, forfeit their iroku, rank stipend, and, if of the sixth rank or below, forfeit a fifth of their kugai, official funds; and this was made a permanent rule. On the twenty-second day, the day Mizunoto-u, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, an edict ordered a great search of the palace, the various offices, and the two capitals. In summer, on the third day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoto-ushi, frost fell. On the fifth day, the day Kinoto-u, monks were invited into the palace and the various offices to administer the Jūzenkai, the Ten Good Precepts, and to read the Hannya Shingyō, so as to forestall epidemic vapors. On the seventh day, the day Hinoto-mi, frost fell. On the twelfth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, there was an earthquake. On the fourteenth day, the day Kinoe-ne, frost fell. On the seventeenth day, the day Hinoto-u, an envoy was sent to present shields, spears, and saddles at the Iwashimizu and Hirano shrines, and at the shrine of the Chancellor Yoshifusa's Tōkyō residence. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Kinoto-tori, the Tango festival was cancelled. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Kinoe-tatsu — earlier, six prisoners fettered with iron shackles at the jail of the Left Gate Guards had broken through the jail wall and fled. The two capitals were accordingly subjected to a great search. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Kinoto-mi, a great search was made of the capital. On the first day of the sixth month, the day Kanoe-inu, there was a solar eclipse. On the fourteenth day, the day Mizunoto-i, it was forbidden, in the capital, the home provinces, and the seven circuits, to gather private bands of followers or to race horses and practice mounted archery under the pretext of the Goryōe. On the sixteenth day, the day Kinoto-ushi, there was a great windstorm with rain, which destroyed houses and broke trees. In autumn, on the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the day Hinoe-saru, there was a great windstorm with rain, which broke trees and destroyed houses. On the second day of the eighth month, the day Kanoe-inu, there was rainfall. On the seventeenth day, the day Kinoto-ushi, the eight districts of Kameshi, Nuka, Kōnu, Eso, Sera, Mitani, Miyoshi, and Mikami in Bingo province, having suffered successive years of drought and epidemic, were ordered exempted from tribute and labor tax in rotation, four districts each year, over a period of four years. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, the imperial residence was moved to the Daijōkan Zōshichō, the office hall of the Council of State. On the ninth day of the ninth month, the day Hinoto-i, a star appeared at Kenzetsu and set at Hitsu. Its length was about three shaku. On the tenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, a star appeared at Funbo and set at Shujo. On the eleventh day, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, the presentation of offerings at the Daijingū was suspended, on account of ritual defilement. On the fifteenth day, the day Mizunoto-mi, the Danjōdai, the Offices of the Left and Right Capitals, and the provinces of Yamashiro, Settsu, Iga, Ōmi, Tanba, and Harima, among others, were ordered to prohibit timber cut shorter or narrower than the law allowed, and to enforce the fixed limits on the quantities loaded onto carts. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Mizunoe-tora, there was an earthquake. In winter, on the seventeenth day of the tenth month, the day Kinoto-ushi, the five home provinces and seven circuits were ordered to forbid the taking of life from the second to the seventh day of the following month. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kinoto-i, in preparation for moving the imperial residence, a hundred monks were made to read the Daihannyakyō by alternate recitation within the palace for three days. On the first day of the eleventh month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the fourth day, the day Kanoto-mi, the imperial residence was moved to the Jijūden. On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoto-u, there was an earthquake. On the second day of the twelfth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, there was again an earthquake. On the ninth day, the day Hinoe-tatsu, Musashi province was exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year, and the Takuma pasture in Sanuki province was abolished. A woman of Awa province gave birth to three children at once. She was granted rice and provisions for a wet nurse. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, a star appeared north of Kei and Rō and set at Doshikū.

¶In the eighth year, the year Hinoe-inu, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, the New Year's felicitations were not received. On the fifth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, a thousand scrolls of the Kongō Hannyakyō and ten thousand scrolls of the Hannya Shingyō were read by alternate recitation for three days at Daianji, praying for the repose of Emperor Montoku. On the twenty-third day, the day Kanoe-ne, the five home provinces, the seven circuits, and the Dazaifu were made to read the Kongō Hannyakyō by alternate recitation for seven days, to forestall calamity and epidemic. On this day, an edict forbade those newly entering office from holding a shōbi, a celebratory banquet marking promotion, or a kōchin, the customary banquet on taking up a new post; forbade forcing others to provide food and drink; forbade unauthorized gatherings for drinking; and forbade the toneri, attendants of the several Guards headquarters, from demanding food and drink or extorting kazukemono, garments given as reward, on days of purification rites. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Mizunoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kinoe-tatsu, a star appeared at Shokujo, the Weaver Maid, and set at Joshō. On the seventh day of the second month, the day Mizunoto-ushi, upon a memorial from the Jingikan, an edict was sent to the governor of Shinano province: "Read a thousand scrolls of the Kongō Hannyakyō and ten thousand scrolls of the Hannya Shingyō by alternate recitation, to apologize for the curse of the two gods of Miwa and Kanbe, and to drive away military unrest and epidemic." On the tenth day, the day Hinoe-tatsu, an edict declared: "The edict of the seventh day of the first month of the sixth year of Jōgan stated that the labor service of the common people throughout the realm should be remitted for ten days. Yet the zakkōko, the miscellaneous artisan households, of the provincial Zōheishi, the Armory Offices, are still charged with thirty days of labor service. Since the Zōheishi collect the cost of this from them, they should likewise be granted remission, in keeping with the purport of that edict." On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoe-saru, an edict declared: "Let the governor of Higo province read a thousand scrolls of the Kongō Hannyakyō and ten thousand scrolls of the Hannya Shingyō by alternate recitation. Let the officers of the Dazaifu read three thousand scrolls of the Kongō Hannyakyō and thirty thousand scrolls of the Hannya Shingyō by alternate recitation. Let this be done to apologize for the curse of the god of Mount Aso, and to drive away military unrest and epidemic." On the sixteenth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, a further edict declared: "Send monks to the Sumiyoshi shrine, and have them read three thousand scrolls of the Kongō Hannyakyō and thirty thousand scrolls of the Hannya Shingyō by alternate recitation." Since the price of grain had soared, fixed prices were set for buying and selling in the capital. On the fifth day of the third month, the day Kanoto-mi, the Kongō Hannyakyō was read by alternate recitation for three days at twenty-six temples near the capital, and at the three temples of Kaguyama, Hase, and Ichisaka in Yamato province. On the eighth day, the day Kinoe-saru, an edict sent the monk Ichinyo of Daianji to the shrines of Chikuzen, Chikugo, Buzen, Bungo, Hizen, and Higo, to read sutras. On the twenty-first day, the day Hinoto-tori, frost fell. On the twenty-third day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, the emperor made a progress to the Minister of the Right Fujiwara-no-Yoshimi's Saikyō residence and viewed the blossoms. On the first day of the intercalary month, the day Hinoe-uma, he made a progress to the Chancellor Yoshifusa's Someridono residence. On the fifth day, the day Kanoe-inu, there was an earthquake. On the tenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, there was a fire at the Ōtenmon gate, which spread to the two towers of Seihōrō and Shōranrō. On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, relief was given for famine and epidemic in Mimasaka province. On the fifteenth day, the day Kanoe-saru, Eitōsei emerged from Shitsu, passed to the Shibi, and set there; its color was reddish yellow. On the twenty-second day, the day Hinoto-u, on account of the fire at the Ōtenmon, the hundred officials performed a Great Purification before the Kaishō Gate, had the Daihannyakyō read by alternate recitation at Sūfukuji, and had the Shiō Hihō, the secret rite of the Four Deva Kings, performed at Bonshakuji, each for seven days, to drive away the calamity. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Mizunoe-saru, the Daihannyakyō was read by alternate recitation for six days at the Kayō detached palace. In summer, on the first day of the fourth month, the day Kinoto-i, the banquet was cancelled. On the fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the Kongō Hannya Shingyō was read by alternate recitation for three days at sixteen temples near the capital, and at Bonshakuji in Ōmi province. On the seventh day, the day Kanoto-mi, since the people of Owari and Awa provinces were starving from wind and flood damage, sixty thousand bundles of regular tax rice were lent to Owari province, and eighty thousand bundles to Awa province. On the eleventh day, the day Kinoto-tori, an envoy was sent to the Sumiyoshi shrine to present shinzai, sacred treasures. An order was sent down to Settsu, Izumi, Harima, Bizen, Bingo, Aki, Suō, and Nagato, and to the provinces of the Nankaidō circuit, declaring: "In recent years We have repeatedly ordered the pursuit and capture of pirates. We now hear that bands of brigands have arisen in numbers, and that plunder has not ceased. This is because the provincial governors have not applied themselves to its suppression. If search and capture are neglected, and still further violence is invited, the governors will be held responsible, and no leniency whatever will be shown. Let the numbers captured be reported in detail." On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, an edict declared: "The Ōtenmon and the towers to its east and west have now been struck by fire. On consulting the tortoise-shell divination, it is said that the vapor of fire can still be seen. Without the aid of the gods, how could this calamity be extinguished? Let offerings be presented to the deities within the bounds of the five home provinces and seven circuits." On this day, the south corridor of the Daijōkan hall collapsed. On the sixteenth day, the day Kanoe-tora, since divination showed signs that military unrest was to arise, the two provinces of Yamashiro and Wakasa were made to keep watch and prepare their defenses in advance. On the seventeenth day, the day Kanoto-u, an order was sent to the Dazaifu: "Strange portents have lately occurred repeatedly in the capital. The Onmyōryō states that soldiers of a neighboring country are bound to come and spy upon us, and that every effort should accordingly be made toward defense, in preparation for the unforeseen." A reprimand was also sent to the governors of Buzen, Nagato, and other provinces: "In passing through a barrier, it is only proper that a kasho, a travel permit, be used. Yet now men of Tang enter the capital as they please and travel freely about, because the provincial governors have neglected their oversight and the barrier officers have not required a travel permit. If henceforth any urgent matter should arise on this account, severe punishment will certainly follow." On the eighteenth day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, Wakasa province reported that the Nōinkumonko, the sealed archive storehouse, and the armory had both sounded. An order was sent to the governor to maintain strict watch, and at the same time to forestall calamity and epidemic. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, on account of the collapse of the south corridor of the Daijōkan hall, the Kongō Hannyakyō was read by alternate recitation at the kōchō for three days. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Kanoe-ne, on account of the fire at the Ōtenmon, the Ninnō Hannyakyō was read by alternate recitation at the temples of the eastern and western capital, and in the five home provinces and seven circuits. This month, prolonged rains continued. On the first day of the fifth month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, there was a solar eclipse. On the fifth day, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, the Tango festival was cancelled. On the eighth day, the day Kanoto-i, relief was given for famine in Iga province. On the seventeenth day, the day Kanoe-saru, relief was given for famine in Kii province. On the nineteenth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, relief was given for famine in the capital, and Sagami, Musashi, Kazusa, Shimōsa, and Hitachi were ordered to select men six shaku three sun in height and present them as tribute. On the twenty-first day, the day Kinoe-ne, vacant land in the capital was granted to the people, to be cultivated as eigyō, a permanent holding. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kanoe-uma, since Bizen province had suffered drought damage, a hundred thousand bundles of regular tax rice were lent to the destitute. On the first day of the sixth month, the day Kinoe-inu, relief was given for famine and epidemic in Ise and Inaba provinces. On the fourth day, the day Hinoto-ushi, an edict forbade monks to drink wine or exchange gifts. On the seventh day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. The Provisional Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Ujimune was sent to the Yamashina mausoleum, to apologize for the felling of its trees by the ryōko, the keepers of the mausoleum. On the ninth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, on account of drought, the provinces of the five home provinces and seven circuits were made to present offerings to the deities within their bounds and to read the Kongō Hannyakyō by alternate recitation. On the thirteenth day, the day Hinoe-inu, relief was given for drought and famine in Musashi province. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoto-i, Tanba province presented a white swallow as tribute. On the sixteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, there was an earthquake. On the eighteenth day, the day Kanoto-u, the Daihannyakyō was read by alternate recitation at the Daigokuden for three days, praying for rain. On the twenty-first day, the day Kinoe-uma, the Middle Counsellor Minamoto-no-Tōru was sent to the Tamura mausoleum, to apologize for the felling of its trees by the mausoleum keepers. On this day, relief was given for famine and epidemic in Shima province, using the regular tax grain of Owari province. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kanoto-ushi, a star appeared at Kei and set at Tairyō. On the last day of the month, the day Mizunoe-tora — Yamato province had earlier reported that the keepers of the Tatanami mausoleum had felled many of its trees. The Jingikan divined the matter and declared that the calamity of the scorching drought was indeed owing to this. The Councillor Fujiwara-no-Yoshinawa, among others, was accordingly sent to apologize for it. This month, a great drought afflicted the whole realm, and many of the people went hungry. In autumn, on the third day of the seventh month, the day Kinoto-mi, offerings were distributed to the deities of the palace, the capital, the home provinces, and the seven circuits, and a horse was presented to Niukawakami and to Ushi-no-Kami, the rain god, in prayer for rain. On the fourth day, the day Hinoe-uma, an envoy was sent to Ise province, and relief was given to the hungry people of the two districts of Take and Watarai. On the sixth day, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, an envoy was sent to present offerings at the Daijingū, and offerings were distributed to the deities of the Nankaidō circuit, reporting the fire at the Ōtenmon and praying together for the calamity to be dispelled. On the ninth day, the day Kanoto-i — Owari province had earlier reported: "In accordance with a directive of the Daijōkan, we attempted to open the mouth of the Hirono river and restore it to its original course, whereupon Kakami-no-Yoshio, Senior District Officer of Kakami district, and Kakami-no-Yoshimune, Senior District Officer of Atsumi district, both of Mino province, attacked with seven hundred foot soldiers and horsemen, beating and wounding the district officials and shooting the laborers dead." On this day, the Daijōkan sent a directive to Mino province, ordering Yoshio and the others placed under confinement. On the tenth day, the day Mizunoe-ne, offerings were presented at the Daijingū. On the thirteenth day, the day Kinoto-u, large birds gathered at the medicine storehouse of the Ōkurashō, the Ministry of the Treasury. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoe-tatsu, offerings were distributed to the deities of Kamo, Matsunoo, Niukawakami, Inari, Minushi, and Kibune, in thanks for the prayers offered earlier, and at the same time praying for rain. On this day, relief was given for drought in Bizen province, and the monks Saichō and Ennin were granted posthumous titles (Note: the granting of the titles, and what follows, is based on the Kōsōden Yōmonshō. The Ichidai Yōki dates this to the twelfth day). On the sixteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, the Onmyōryō reported that flood and epidemic were bound to strike the realm. The five home provinces and seven circuits were accordingly made to distribute offerings to the deities within their jurisdiction and to read the Kongō Hannyakyō by alternate recitation. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu — Owari province had earlier reported: "Kakami-no-Yoshio and Yoshimune have again led several hundred foot soldiers and horsemen, destroyed our storehouses and thrown them into the river, and are carrying sand and stone to block up the river mouth. We fear that if soldiers are sent out to subdue them, strife will arise between the two provinces. We have for the present halted the excavation work, and await your judgment." On this day, an order was sent to Mino province, directing that the crimes of Yoshio and the others be investigated. On the first day of the eighth month, the day Kinoe-inu, relief was given for drought in Shimōsa province. On the third day, the day Kinoto-i, Ōyake-no-Takatori, a clerk of Bitchū province, accused the Major Counsellor Tomo-no-Yoshio and his son, the Assistant Captain of the Left Gate Guards, Nakatsune, of having set the fire at the Ōtenmon. On the seventh day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, an edict ordered the Councillors Minabuchi-no-Toshina and Fujiwara-no-Yoshinawa to question Tomo-no-Yoshio. On the fifteenth day, the day Hinoto-i, there was an earthquake. On the eighteenth day, the day Kanoe-tora, envoys were sent to the various imperial mausolea, to report the fire at the Ōtenmon. On the nineteenth day, the day Kanoto-u, an edict charged the Chancellor Yoshifusa with administering the government of the realm. The regency of the Fujiwara clan began with this (Note: the statement on the Fujiwara clan, and what follows, is based on the Ōkagami). On the twenty-ninth day, the day Kanoto-ushi, Tomo-no-Nakatsune was placed under confinement at the Left Gate Guards headquarters. On the seventh day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the armory of Mimasaka province sounded, with a noise like gongs and drums. On the ninth day, the day Kanoto-i, the Chōyō festival was cancelled. On the twenty-second day, the day Kinoe-ne, since Kaguraoka in Yamashiro province adjoined the Kamo-mioya shrine, burial in its vicinity was forbidden. On this day, Tomo-no-Yoshio was exiled to Izu, and his son Nakatsune to Oki; all their associates and those implicated by connection were without exception sentenced to distant exile. In winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Mizunoe-saru, the banquet was cancelled. On this day, an edict ordered the provinces of the seven circuits to maintain strict watch. On the eighth day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the two districts of Tetta and Aga in Bitchū province, having suffered drought and epidemic, were exempted from tribute and labor tax for two years. On the fourteenth day, the day Kinoto-tori, the Provisional Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Ujimune was sent to the Yamashina mausoleum, and the Councillor Minabuchi-no-Toshina to the Tamura mausoleum, to apologize for the felling of their trees by the mausoleum keepers. On the nineteenth day, the day Kanoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the twentieth day, the day Kanoto-u, the provincial governors and the common people were forbidden to keep falcons and sparrowhawks. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Hinoe-saru, an edict ordered the Daihannyakyō to be read by alternate recitation at Tōdaiji, Kōfukuji, Gangōji, Yakushiji, Saidaiji, Daianji, Hokkeji, and Enryakuji. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, the Kongō Hannya Shingyō was read by alternate recitation at forty-three temples near the capital, to drive away calamity. On the first day of the eleventh month, the day Mizunoe-tora, there was a solar eclipse. On the fifth day, the day Hinoe-uma, a star appeared passing from Hitsu to Tei and Taikaku, and set at Settei. On the seventh day, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, there was an earthquake. On the seventeenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, an edict declared: "Strange portents have of late appeared repeatedly. On seeking their meaning through shiki, divination by milfoil and tortoise shell, it is said that Silla's raiding soldiers are constantly watching for an opening. The occurrence of these calamitous signs must surely be owing to this alone. To avert disaster before it shows itself, and to guard against the raiders yet to come, depends solely on the unseen aid of the bright gods — how could this be accomplished by human strength alone? Let the provincial headquarters of Noto, Inaba, Hōki, Izumo, Iwami, Oki, Nagato, and the Dazaifu, among others, distribute offerings to the deities within their bounds, and pray for their special efficacy in guarding and protecting the land. We have also heard that the senshi who command the dispatched kondei, the local garrison soldiers, though said to be equipped with sōga, arms and claws, are in truth no more effective than the guard of a mantis. How much less, then, could the untrained common people ward off an extraordinary enemy? Within every ten paces there is surely some fragrant herb, and within a hundred fortresses there can be no lack of able soldiers. Let the provincial governors select out men of strength and skill, and apply themselves diligently to their training." On the eighth day of the twelfth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the five home provinces were forbidden to make indiscriminate use of fudōkoku, the reserve grain stored against emergencies. On the tenth day, the day Kanoto-mi, there was an earthquake. On the sixteenth day, the day Hinoto-i, the Minister of the Right, Fujiwara-no-Yoshimi, resigned as Captain of the Left Palace Guards (Note: the account from the Minister of the Right onward follows the Kugyō Bunin). The Captain of the Right Palace Guards, Fujiwara-no-Ujimune, was made Captain of the Left Palace Guards, and the Councillor Fujiwara-no-Tsuneyuki was made concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Hinoe-saru, an edict made Fujiwara-no-Sueko the itsukime, ritual maiden, of the deities of Kasuga and Ōharano. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, Fujiwara-no-Takaiko, Junior Fifth Rank Lower, was made a consort.

¶In the ninth year, the year Hinoto-i, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Mizunoe-tora, the New Year's felicitations were not received. On the seventeenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, Imperial Prince Nakano, of the Second Rank, died. On the twenty-first day, the day Mizunoe-inu, the Naien was cancelled. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Hinoto-u, the Jingikan and the Onmyōryō both submitted memorials that an epidemic was bound to strike the realm. The provinces of the five home provinces and seven circuits were accordingly made to read the Ninnō Hannyakyō by alternate recitation and to perform the Kikesai, the rite to ward off baleful vapors. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the first day of the second month, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, there was again an earthquake. On the third day, the day Mizunoto-tori, there was a fire at the Saigūryō, the Office of the Ise Priestess, which burned twelve official buildings. On the thirteenth day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, this spring brought famine, and the home provinces suffered especially severely. Bands of thieves and brigands arose, killing people and setting fires. The provincial governors were made to organize ho, mutual-surety groups, in every village, to control this. On the seventeenth day, the day Hinoto-i, an edict gave relief to the hungry people of the eastern and western capital with beisui, broken rice, salt, and coin. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Hinoe-saru, the Dazaifu reported that, on the twentieth day of the first month, Mount Tsurumi in Bungo province had burned and the Three Ponds had seethed. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Hinoto-tori, an edict ordered the Left and Right Palace Guards and Military Guards to divide into watches and patrol the capital at night. On the twelfth day of the third month, the day Mizunoe-ne, a kyokuen, an informal banquet, was held for the Empress Dowager at the Jōneiden. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Hinoto-u, an order was sent down to the five home provinces and seven circuits, declaring: "In recent years We have striven toward the pursuit and capture of pirates and the suppression of robbery. Yet We now hear that violent men have not ceased, and that the harm of theft remains frequent, so that all, on water and on land alike, live in dread of the harm done by brigands. This is truly because the provincial governors have not applied themselves to its control. It is set down in the provisions of the law that the five households of a goke should stand surety for one another, with one as their head to oversee the rest, and it is held that to harbor thieves is no light offense. Within every rinpo, neighborhood group, a hochō, group head, should invariably be set, to watch over comings and goings and keep careful account of movements. At markets, harbors, and other key points where crowds of people mingle, every effort should be made to devise measures, and watchers and patrols stationed in number. Let rewards be offered to encourage success in capture, and the bounty of leniency be shown where due. Let wicked and villainous men be allowed to leave no trace behind." In summer, on the first day of the fourth month, the day Kanoe-uma, Princess Yoshiko, Junior Fourth Rank Lower, was made a consort. On the second day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, an envoy was sent to present a bow and arrows and a reikyō, a bell-mirror, at the shrine of the god Ibuki in Ōmi province. On the third day, the day Mizunoe-saru, the pacification office of Bungo province was made to apologize to the two deities Honoo and Honome, and at the same time to read the Daihannyakyō by alternate recitation. On the twenty-second day, the day Kanoto-u, since the price of grain had soared and famine struck within and beyond the capital, a Jōheisho, an office for stabilizing prices, was for the first time established in the eastern and western capital, selling government rice at a reduced price. This month, prolonged rains continued. On the first day of the fifth month, the day Tsuchinoto-i, there was a solar eclipse. On the third day, the day Kanoto-ushi, offerings were distributed to the deities of the home provinces, in prayer for clear weather. On the fourth day, the day Mizunoe-tora, heavy rain caused flooding. On the fifth day, the day Mizunoto-u, the Tango festival was cancelled. On the tenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, the officials of the various offices and those from zōshiki, menial functionaries, upward were made to read the Hannya Shingyō. On this day, an edict forbade officials and commoners outside the home provinces to hoard coin. On the thirteenth day, the day Kanoto-i, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Kinoe-ne, five sets of hachifuku shitennō zō, eight-paneled images of the Four Deva Kings, were made, and one set each was sent down to Hōki, Izumo, Iwami, Oki, and Nagato. An order was given to their governors, declaring: "The land of these provinces lies at the western edge of the realm, their borders close to Silla. The measures for their defense should differ from those of other provinces. Let devotion be paid to the sacred images, and every sincerity exhausted in diligent religious observance, so as to subdue the hearts of the enemy and dispel calamity. Choose out a place of high and open ground, from which the roads the enemy might come by can be overseen. If there is not already a place of worship there, select a good new site, build a temple, and install the sacred image. Invite the kokubunji and four monks of disciplined and devoted practice from within the province, and have them read the sutra scrolls by day and recite shinju, sacred incantations, by night. Let them carry out this devotion for seven days each in the spring and autumn seasons, in purity and steadfastness, according to proper rule." From the rains of the previous month down to this month, many people of the capital died of illness. On the last day of the sixth month, the day Hinoto-tori, there was an earthquake. In autumn, on the twenty-second day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, the poor of the two districts of Ōba and Mashima in Mimasaka province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Kanoto-tori, a star appeared in daylight. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, there was an earthquake. On the sixth day of the eighth month, the day Mizunoe-saru, the Dazaifu reported that, on the twelfth day of the fifth month, Mount Aso in Higo province had collapsed, over a breadth of about fifty jō and a length of about two hundred fifty jō. On the eighth day, the day Kinoe-inu, the pacification office of Bungo province was made to offer an apology. On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Kanoto-u, there was again an earthquake. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, Minamoto-no-Nariko was made a consort. On the last day of the month, the day Hinoe-saru, there was heavy rain. On the sixth day of the ninth month, the day Mizunoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the tenth day, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, offerings were presented at the shrines of Kamo, Matsuo, Inari, Kibune, Niukawakami, Sumiyoshi, Minushi, Nagata, Otokuni, and others, in thanks for the bountiful harvest of the five grains. On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoe-inu, there was a great windstorm with rain, which uprooted trees and destroyed houses. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Mizunoto-i, Venus crossed the sky. In winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Hinoe-tora, the banquet was cancelled. On the fifth day, the day Kanoe-uma, there was an earthquake. On the tenth day, the day Kinoto-i, the Minister of the Right, Fujiwara-no-Yoshimi, died. On the sixteenth day, the day Kanoto-mi, a rainbow appeared at the waiting-hall of the Daijōkan. On the seventeenth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, in daylight, a shooting star passed toward the southeast, its light illuminating the ground. On the nineteenth day, the day Kinoe-saru, Iwami province reported that a storehouse in Kanoashi district had sounded of its own accord. On the first day of the eleventh month, the day Hinoe-saru, there was a solar eclipse. On the tenth day, the day Kinoto-mi, an order was sent to Settsu, Izumi, and the provinces of the San'yōdō and Nankaidō circuits, among others, declaring: "We hear that of late pirates have gathered in numbers at Miyazaki village in Iyo province, plundering public and private goods, so that the sea routes have become impassable. We have already ordered their search and capture, and pressed this most earnestly. Since then, Harima, Bitchū, Bingo, and Awa, among other provinces, have one after another reported the capture of brigands. And yet We continue to hear that the suppression of banditry remains difficult even now. This is truly because the provincial governors seek only to remove the harm within their own borders, giving no thought to the concern of the whole realm, and because they do not exhaust every measure or apply themselves in earnest to search and capture. Pirates by nature drift like floating weeds from south to north; they seek only their own profit, with no regard for where they dwell. Pursued, they scatter like birds; shown leniency, they flock together again like crows. Let the provinces along the coast join their strength and share a single strategy, keep careful record of the ships that come and go, and investigate closely the movements of men. Let them coordinate their forces, enlist fushū, the submitted Emishi, seek out the pirates' lairs, trace every rumor of them, pursue them to exhaustion, and capture them one and all, leaving none behind." On the thirteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, a comet appeared in the Shibi, passing through the Naikai. Its length was about five shaku. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Kinoe-ne, an edict ordered the provinces of the realm to observe ritual abstinence for three days and to read the Kongō Hannyakyō and the Maka Hannyakyō. The seven great temples were also made to expound the Ninnō Hannyakyō, in prayer for the peace of the state. On the last day of the month, the day Kinoto-ushi, there was kanki, a coronal halo, about the sun, with ryōji, twin ear-like arcs, on either side. Their color was yellowish white. On the fourth day of the twelfth month, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, an edict established Kebiishi in Kazusa province. On the seventh day, the day Mizunoe-saru, Minamoto-no-Sadako was made a consort. On the twentieth day, the day Kinoto-tori, the retainers of noble households were forbidden to commandeer carts and horses from travelers by force (Note: the account from the twentieth day onward follows the Ruijū Sandaikyaku).

¶In the tenth year, the year Tsuchinoe-ne, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Hinoe-saru, the New Year's felicitations were not received. On the eleventh day, the day Hinoe-uma, Imperial Prince Nariyoshi died. On the thirteenth day of the second month, the day Hinoto-ushi, the Ōtenmon was rebuilt. On the eighteenth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, a wildfire burned the trees of the Tamura mausoleum. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, the Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Ujimune, among others, was sent to apologize at the Tamura mausoleum. The emperor withdrew from the main hall, put on sekicho, plain mourning garb, took simple meals, and suspended the morning government for five days. The ministers and close attendants likewise all set aside ornate dress, each observing the manner of a mourning rite. In summer, on the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, the Tango festival was cancelled. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, the Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Ujimune resigned as Captain of the Left Palace Guards, and the Middle Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Mototsune was made concurrently Captain of the Left Palace Guards (Note: the account from the twenty-sixth day onward follows the Kugyō Bunin). On the third day of the sixth month, the day Kinoto-ushi, since Awaji province was suffering famine, ten thousand bundles of regular tax rice were lent to it. On the eleventh day, the day Mizunoto-tori, Imperial Prince Muneyasu died (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). In autumn, on the eighth day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-i, there was an earthquake, and many houses were destroyed. On the fifteenth day, the day Hinoe-uma, Harima province reported that the earth had shaken violently, and that official buildings and temple pagodas had all collapsed. On the seventeenth day of the eighth month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, there was a fire at the Tōgū, the Crown Prince's Palace. From the fourth month to this month, earthquakes occurred repeatedly. On the seventh day of the ninth month, the day Hinoto-tori, there was an earthquake. On the fourteenth day, the day Kinoe-tatsu, the Governor of Kazusa, Imperial Prince Koreeda, died (Note: the account from the fourteenth day onward follows the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku). In winter, on the twenty-seventh day of the eleventh month, the day Hinoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Hinoto-mi, there was thunder. The Dazaifu presented a white deer as tribute. On the first day of the twelfth month, the day Kanoe-saru, there was an earthquake. On the seventh day, the day Hinoe-tora, the sanga, the fortieth-birthday celebration of the Empress Dowager, was held at the Jōneiden. On the tenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, there was an earthquake. On the sixteenth day, the day Kinoto-i, there was again an earthquake. On the fifth day of the intercalary month, the day Kinoe-uma, the Office of the Right Capital reported that a tree had formed renri. On the twentieth day, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the newly compiled Naige Kōtaishiki, the procedures for the handover between incoming and outgoing officials, was completed, and an edict distributed it throughout the realm. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Hinoto-mi, the Minister of the Left, Minamoto-no-Makoto, died.

¶In the eleventh year, the year Tsuchinoto-ushi, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, on account of the death of Minamoto-no-Makoto, the New Year's felicitations were not received, and the banquet was cancelled. On the first day of the second month, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, the emperor appeared in state and installed Imperial Prince Sadaakira as crown prince, making the Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Ujimune his Fu, Tutor. On the fourth day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Hinoto-mi, there was again an earthquake. This month, prolonged rains continued. On the first day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, there was a solar eclipse. On the third day, the day Kanoto-tori — the Onmyōryō had earlier reported that an epidemic was bound to arise around summer. An edict ordered the five home provinces and seven circuits to distribute offerings to the deities within their bounds, to read the Kongō Hannyakyō and the Maka Hannyakyō by alternate recitation, and to forbid the taking of life for three days. On the thirteenth day of the fourth month, the day Kanoe-ne, the Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Ujimune, among others, submitted the Jōgan Kyaku, the Jōgan-era supplementary regulations. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Mizunoe-inu, the Tango festival was cancelled. On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, Imperial Prince Tsuneyasu died (Note: the account from the fourteenth day onward follows the Ichidai Yōki and the Teiō Hennenki). On the twenty-sixth day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, at night the earth shook violently in Mutsu province. Light appeared, turning the night as bright as day; the ground split open, the fortress walls collapsed, and the waves of the sea rose up over tens and hundreds of ri, drowning countless numbers of people. On the fifteenth day of the sixth month, the day Kanoto-ushi, the Dazaifu reported: "On the twenty-second day of the previous month, pirates of Silla intruded by night into Hakata Bay and plundered the tribute silk of Buzen province. We pursued them but failed to capture them." On the seventeenth day, the day Mizunoto-u, offerings were presented at the Daijingū, in prayer for rain. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Mizunoe-ne, an edict declared: "We have heard that High Heaven cannot govern alone, and therefore sets up a sovereign to take charge of the myriad things. The sovereign's way admits of no second, and so gyokushoku, the season's harmonious light, is kept evenly in tune. When the government of the time loses its rightness, yin and yang are themselves thrown out of balance. Looking far back to the statutes of past emperors, and weighing far ahead the way proper to sovereigns, however the standards are reinforced and the laws accumulated, there has never been a case where none transgressed them. We, with a person unworthy of the charge, have succeeded to and preserve this great undertaking. Our virtue falls short even of the precious dew, and We think earnestly on shōi, laboring at night without loosening Our robes. We constantly wish that the age might become as that of Tōko, the ideal world of old, and that the common people might obtain shukuzoku, beans and millet, their daily food. And yet now the clouds of drought have lingered through the season without clearing, and the farmers have lost hope. We have distributed offerings to the many gods, and bowed monks in prayer to the Three Treasures. Still the unseen response does not reach Us, and an auspicious answer remains difficult to attain. Through Our own want of virtue, what fault could lie with the common people? We reproach and examine Ourself in awe and caution, yet know not what more to do. Our clothing, carriage, and regular meals, and all such things, should be reduced and set aside. Let the fodder of the Left and Right Bureaus of Horses be entirely suspended as well. Let the Offices of the Left and Right Capitals gather up and bury the dead who have fallen by the roadside, covering their bones and interring their remains. We fear, too, that there may be those within the prisons suffering under false accusation. Let envoys be sent to look diligently into their circumstances and see them properly resolved. Let all unpaid tribute and labor tax levied on the people from before the second year of Ten'an be remitted. May it be that Our utmost sincerity brings forth a response, that beneficent rain fall everywhere this very morning, that the grain ripen abundantly, and that even the parched land know the joy of harvest." In autumn, on the second day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, the ministers petitioned to reduce the hōroku, stipends, of those of the fifth rank and above, and this was granted. On the sixth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, the moon encroached upon the foremost star of Shin. On the seventh day, the day Mizunoto-i, there was an earthquake. On the eighth day, the day Kinoe-ne, the riverbank of Mount Kurahashi in Yamato province collapsed. A mirror, one shaku seven sun across, was found there and presented as tribute. That night, the moon entered the kai, the ladle-stars, of Nanto, the Southern Dipper. On the thirteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, lightning struck a pine tree before the Butokuden. On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoe-uma, there was wind and rain. On this day, there was a great windstorm with rain in Higo province; roof tiles flew off, trees were uprooted, many houses collapsed, and people and livestock were crushed to death. The tide rose violently and surged over six districts, and several hundred ri of farmland sank beneath the sea. On the thirteenth day of the eighth month, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, Bizen province presented kaka, an auspicious ear of rice, as tribute. On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, the Chancellor Yoshifusa and the Councillor and Senior Assistant Minister of Ceremonial, Harusumi-no-Yoshitada, presented the completed Shoku Nihon Kōki (Note: the account from the fourteenth day onward follows the preface to the Shoku Nihon Kōki). On the twenty-sixth day, the day Kanoto-i, there was a great windstorm with rain, which uprooted trees and destroyed houses. On the first day of the ninth month, the day Kinoto-u, there was a solar eclipse. On the seventh day, the day Kanoto-tori, the Jōgan Kyaku was promulgated, and the Provisional Assistant Captain of the Left Gate Guards, Ki-no-Harueda, was sent to Mutsu province, to inspect the areas damaged by the earthquake. On the ninth day, the day Mizunoto-i, since the autumn harvest had failed, the Chōyō festival was cancelled. On the twenty-first day, the day Kinoto-i, Imperial Prince Motosada died. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, there was an earthquake. In winter, on the sixth day of the tenth month, the day Kanoe-tora, there was thunder. On the thirteenth day, the day Hinoto-tori, an edict declared: "Though Fuxi and Shennong lived in different ages, neither was ever free from care and labor. Though Yao and Shun likewise differed in their times, both applied themselves equally to loving and nurturing the people. This is no different from how King Wen of Zhou blamed himself merely because an earthquake had occurred within a single day, and how King Tang reproached himself when drought spread through the years of Yin. We, with a person unworthy of the charge, reverently follow in this great imperial undertaking. We think always of cultivating virtue to answer the heart of Heaven, and of governing in accordance with the people's hopes. We wish that, throughout the realm, all might equally enjoy the blessing of living out their lives in full, and that, among those recorded in the household registers, the calamity of an untimely death might together be banished. And yet Our bountiful transforming teaching has not yet spread everywhere, and Our utmost sincerity brings no response. Heaven has sent down its reproof, and the earth has lost its proper form. We hear that in Mutsu province the earthquake within its bounds was especially severe, that the sea surged violently to great harm, and that fortress walls and houses were crushed, bringing calamity. What fault could lie with the common people, that they should meet with this disaster? We are struck with dismay, and feel shame and awe; the responsibility lies deep within Ourself. We now send envoys, to extend Our bounty. Together with the provincial governors, let them strive to visit and comfort the people themselves, without distinction between commoners and Emishi. Let all who have already died be gathered up and mourned, and let those who survive be given relief according to their need. Let those whose suffering has been especially severe in particular not be charged with the land tax and tribute." On the twenty-third day, the day Hinoto-mi, an edict declared: "Calamity does not arise of itself; it always has a cause. The reproof of the gods is never false, and invariably answers to misgovernment. We hear that in Higo province a sudden calamity struck with violence, suitoku, the power of water, working its harm; that farmland was submerged by it, and that villages were utterly destroyed by it. When even a single thing loses its proper place, one ought to feel deep concern and sorrow of heart; how much more the concern over a thousand ri, which is entrusted to the provincial governors. We consider that the imperial way remains obstructed, that the transforming teaching of officials has not suited the season, and that local officials have failed in their duty, thereby inviting this calamity. Long ago, when the seedlings lay flattened in the suburbs of Zhou, the king's heart of self-reproach brought the misfortune to an end; and when the palace halls of the Han court were destroyed, the calamity was dispelled through the cultivation of virtue. Past precedent must not be forgotten, and should serve as Our mirror. Let virtuous government be extended, to relieve that devastation. Let the Dazaifu distribute four thousand koku of ennen, long-stored rice grain, to those whose suffering has been especially severe, and strive to show them pity and aid, so that they do not lose their livelihood. And where remains lie beneath collapsed fences or ruined houses, let them be gathered up and buried, and not left exposed in the open." On the third day of the eleventh month, the day Hinoe-tatsu, there was thunder and lightning, with wind and rain. On the thirteenth day, the day Hinoe-tora, Oki province reported that a hen had turned into a cock. On the twenty-first day, the day Kinoe-inu, on account of drought damage, half of this year's land tax in Aki province was remitted. On the second day of the twelfth month, the day Kinoto-tori, on account of drought damage, half of this year's land tax in Yamashiro province was remitted. On the fourth day, the day Hinoto-i, there was a fire at the Seta bridge in Ōmi province. On the ninth day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, more than four hundred ninety commoners newly registered in the four districts of Noto province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year. On the thirteenth day, the day Hinoe-saru, there was an earthquake. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoto-tori — large birds had earlier gathered at the Dazaifu headquarters, its gate towers, and its armory. The Jingikan and the Onmyōryō both declared that military unrest was bound to come from a neighboring country. An envoy was accordingly sent to present offerings at the Daijingū. On the seventeenth day, the day Kanoe-ne, an edict ordered the five home provinces and seven circuits to distribute offerings to the deities within their bounds, to drive away the calamitous portent. On the twenty-third day, the day Hinoe-uma, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, an edict ordered the five home provinces and seven circuits to read the Kongō Hannyakyō by alternate recitation for three days, to drive away the calamitous portent. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kanoto-i, the Minor Captain of the Right Palace Guards and concurrently Provisional Junior Assistant Governor-General of the Dazaifu, Sakanoue-no-Takimori, was sent to pacify the Dazaifu. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Mizunoe-ne, an envoy was sent to present offerings at Iwashimizu.

¶In the twelfth year, the year Kanoe-tora, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Kinoe-tora, the New Year's felicitations were not received. On the thirteenth day, the day Hinoe-tora, the Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Ujimune was made Minister of the Right. On this day, an edict bestowed two hundred sets each of helmets and tamaki, armguards, upon Iki island. On the sixteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, new coins were cast. On the twelfth day of the second month, the day Kinoe-uma, an edict ordered the Dazaifu to guard the coastal districts, and ordered Inaba, Hōki, Izumo, Iwami, and Oki to prepare arms and armor for defense. On the fifteenth day, the day Hinoto-tori, envoys were sent to the deities of Hachiman, Kashii, Munakata, and Kannabi, and to the mausolea of Fukakusa, Tamura, and Tatanami, to pray for calamity to be averted. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Hinoe-uma, relief was given for famine in the capital. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, a quarter of the kiroku, seasonal stipend, of the imperial princes was reduced. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Kanoto-i, Sado province presented a strange tortoise as tribute, with a beak like a bird's, a red shell, and a black body. On the first day of the third month, the day Mizunoto-ushi, there was a solar eclipse. On the seventh day, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, Princess Chūshi was made a consort. In summer, on the fifth day of the fourth month, the day Hinoto-i, Nagato province was forbidden to take horses out beyond its borders. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Hinoe-tatsu, the Tango festival was cancelled, on account of mourning for Imperial Princess Mako. On the sixth day, the day Hinoto-mi, there was an earthquake. On the fourteenth day, the day Kinoto-ushi, the Yamazaki bridge was built. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Hinoto-ushi, on account of famine in Kawachi province, thirteen thousand bundles of rice stored by wealthy households were borrowed and given out as relief, to be repaid in autumn. On the seventh day of the sixth month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, an edict ordered the Dazaifu to station fifty senshi, picked soldiers, on Tsushima island. On the tenth day, the day Kanoto-u, on account of prolonged rain, offerings were presented at Kamo and Kibune, in prayer for clear weather. That night, a white rainbow appeared in the northeast. On the thirteenth day, the day Kinoe-uma — the Dazaifu had earlier reported that the armory of Kishima district, Hizen province, had shaken, and its drum sounded twice; on divination, this showed a situation requiring vigilance against soldiers from a neighboring country. On this day, an edict ordered Chikuzen, Hizen, Iki, and Tsushima to be on guard against the unforeseen. On the seventeenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, since prolonged rains over successive months had brought famine to the capital, relief was given. On the twenty-second day, the day Mizunoto-u, an envoy was sent to present offerings at Kamo, in prayer for clear weather. In autumn, on the second day of the seventh month, the day Mizunoe-ne, the Minor Counsellor Wake-no-Korenori was made commissioner for the Kawachi flood-control embankments. On the ninth day, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, Ise province presented a lotus as tribute, a single stem bearing two blossoms. On the twentieth day, the day Kanoe-uma, the Daisōzu, the Senior Prelate, Etatsu, among others, was sent to Kawachi province, to inspect the construction of the embankment. On the twenty-second day, the day Mizunoe-saru, an envoy was sent to build the embankment at Kawachi, and offerings were presented to the deities Miyoshi, Ōyamato, and Hirose-Tatsuta, in prayer for the flooding to subside. On the nineteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, Yamashiro province reported that a mountain in Yamamoto village, Tsuzuki district, had collapsed, over a length of twenty-two jō, a breadth of five jō one shaku, and a breadth at its base of four jō eight shaku; seven jō away a small hill had arisen, with the grass and trees upon it unchanged in form. On the twenty-sixth day of the eighth month, the day Hinoe-uma, it was forbidden for officials, on the day of collecting suiko, the lending of seed rice at interest, to cut out and collect rice owed for private debts (Note: the account from the twenty-sixth day of the eighth month onward follows the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). On the morning of the day Kanoe-inu in the ninth month, there was a solar eclipse. On the eighth day, the day Hinoto-mi, an envoy was sent to present sacred treasures at the Daijingū. In winter, on the seventh day of the tenth month, the day Kinoto-tori, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Mizunoto-u, on account of famine and epidemic in Hōki province, the four districts of Kawamura, Kume, Aimi, and Hino were exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year. On the thirteenth day of the eleventh month, the day Kanoto-tori, Saeki-no-Matsugu, a clerk of Chikugo province, accused the Junior Assistant Governor-General of the Dazaifu, Fujiwara-no-Motorimaro, of conspiring with Silla. Matsugu was handed over to the Kebiishi. On the seventeenth day, the day Kinoto-ushi, an envoy was sent to present newly minted coin at the shrines of Iwashimizu, Kamo, Matsuo, Inari, Hirano, Umenomiya, Kasuga, and Ōharano. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Mizunoto-tori, there was an earthquake. On the seventeenth day of the twelfth month, the day Kinoe-uma, on account of drought and famine, the two districts of Shida and Naka in Hitachi province were granted exemption. This year, there was both flood and drought damage in Kawachi province.

¶In the thirteenth year, the year Kanoto-u, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of rain. On the tenth day, the day Hinoto-mi, Venus crossed the sky. On the fifteenth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, the Dazaifu reported that the drum of the armory in Iki province had sounded. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, the Naien was cancelled, on account of the Empress Dowager's illness. On the first day of the third month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, there was a solar eclipse. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, fifty thousand bundles of regular tax rice from Settsu province were used to give relief to the people of Kawachi province, who had suffered flood and drought damage. This month, thieves and brigands were numerous in the capital. An edict sent ten men of the Left and Right Palace Guards to keep watch at night. In summer, on the fourth day of the fourth month, the day Kanoe-tatsu, there was a fire at the Seta bridge in Ōmi province. On the sixth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, there was a fire at the armory in Inaba province. On the fifteenth day, the day Kanoto-u, the moon eclipsed the great star of Shin. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Kanoe-inu, the Tango festival was cancelled. On the tenth day, the day Kinoto-u, the governor of Sado province reported that the armory had shaken. On the sixteenth day, the day Kanoto-tori — the governor of Dewa province had earlier reported: "On the eighth day of the fourth month, fire broke out atop the mountain where the Ōmonoimi shrine stands in Akumi district, with a sound like thunder. The waters of the mountain overflowed violently, the muddy water grew foul and fetid, and dead fish piled up and blocked the stream. Two great serpents flowed out and entered the sea, followed by countless small snakes. The seedlings along the river also suffered great damage." On divination it was found that this was because a vow had not yet been fulfilled, and also because bones from an old grave were defiling the mountain waters. On this day, the governor was made to remove the old bones, and to apologize for the unfulfilled vow. On the eighth day of the sixth month, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, the two districts of Toki and Ena in Mino province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year. On the thirteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, an edict ordered the five circuits of Tōsandō, Hokurikudō, San'indō, San'yōdō, and Nankaidō to distribute offerings to the deities of the eminent mountains and great marshes within their bounds, and to read the Daihannyakyō and the Kongō Hannyakyō by alternate recitation, in prayer for rain. On the twenty-third day of the eighth month, the day Hinoto-tori, a great shooting star appeared in the east, reddish-white in color, and set at Tenshi. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, the Minister of the Right, Fujiwara-no-Ujimune, among others, submitted the Jōgan Shiki, the Jōgan-era procedures. On the first day of the intercalary month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, there was a solar eclipse. On the seventh day, the day Kanoe-inu, there was heavy rain, and the rivers overflowed violently, destroying houses. Envoys were sent to distribute offerings to the deities, in prayer for clear weather. On the eleventh day, the day Kinoe-tora, grain and salt were given, in varying amounts, to the people of the capital who had suffered flood damage. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoto-mi, an edict declared: "The piling of earth to build embankments is, by its nature, meant to avert flood damage. Yet the harm done by the breach of a river's banks is especially difficult to prevent. We hear that now foolish, petty people, giving no thought to the distant future, some of them seeking vacant land through official channels and others privately pursuing the profit of fertile ground, open up fields, cut channels, and irrigate them, so that the seeping of this water gradually spreads until at last it breaches the embankment. Moreover, the land near the outskirts along the riverbank is where those who bring tribute from the capital and the provinces graze their cattle and horses. And yet those seeking profit have taken possession of it as farmland, depriving the people of the convenience of pasture. Around the embankments of the Kamo river, cultivation and development should be forbidden, excepting public fields. If even a public field should prove harmful to the embankment, cultivation there too should be forbidden. Let offenders be punished." On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, burial grounds and pastureland for the common people were fixed. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, a shooting star appeared in the southeast and set at Urin. It was about the size of a yuzu citrus, blue in color, and luminous. On the ninth day of the ninth month, the day Mizunoe-uma, the Chōyō festival was cancelled. On the fourteenth day, the day Hinoto-i, a star appeared at Bunshō, passed through the Shibi, and moved toward the southwest. Its length was about three jō, its color reddish-yellow, and its light illuminated the ground. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kanoto-ushi, there was an earthquake. The Grand Empress Dowager Fujiwara-shi died. This month, cherry, pear, peach, and plum trees all put forth blossoms out of season. In winter, on the fifth day of the tenth month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, the Grand Empress Dowager was buried at Gojō. On the eighth day, the day Kanoe-inu, the Governor-General of the Dazaifu, Imperial Prince Kaya, died. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kanoe-uma, there was thunder. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, the Ōtenmon was completed. On the first day of the eleventh month, the day Mizunoto-tori, there was thunder. On the eighteenth day, the day Kanoe-tora, a purple cloud appeared over Mount Aitakara in Hida province. On the twenty-second day, the day Kinoe-uma, there was thunder, and an earthquake. Large birds gathered upon the shibi, the roof ornaments, to the east of the Kenrinden. On the last day of the month, the day Kanoto-ushi, there was an earthquake. This month, the chinkonsai at the Hirano, Kasuga, Umenomiya, Ōharano, and Sono-Karakami shrines, and the Niiname-e, were cancelled. On the first day of the twelfth month, the day Mizunoe-tora, there was thunder. On the third day, the day Kinoe-tatsu, there was hakushoku, a partial eclipse, and Venus entered Ki. On the fifth day, the day Hinoe-uma, the Dazaifu reported that a tree had formed renri in Hizen province. On the fourteenth day, the day Kinoto-u, the Onmyōryō reported that the coming year was bound to bring tengyō, the calamity of epidemic disease. An edict ordered the realm to distribute offerings to the deities within its bounds, and to have sutras read by alternate recitation at the two kokubunji, to forestall misfortune. This year, there was both flood and drought damage in Owari province.

¶In the fourteenth year, the year Mizunoe-tatsu, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Mizunoe-saru, the New Year's felicitations were not received. The several sechie, court festivals, were cancelled. On the fourteenth day, the day Kinoto-tori, three platforms at the provincial office of Iwami province caved in of their own accord. On the twentieth day, the day Kanoto-u — this month, the people of the capital suffered from gaigyaku, and many died. On the twenty-second day, the day Mizunoto-mi, there was an earthquake. On the seventh day of the second month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, the Minister of the Right, Fujiwara-no-Ujimune, died (Note: Ujimune was made concurrently Tutor to the Crown Prince in the second month of the eleventh year, and the Kugyō Bunin notes this every year thereafter, yet makes no such note for this year. Since it records that Minamoto-no-Tōru was made concurrently Tutor to the Crown Prince in the first month of the following year, it would seem that Ujimune had indeed still held the post concurrently; but since there is no explicit statement to this effect, it is not recorded here). On the twenty-first day, the day Kanoto-tori, Sado province reported that a purple cloud had appeared. On the last day of the month, the day Kanoe-uma, since the emperor's shinsō, mourning within the heart, had come to an end, a Great Purification was performed at the Kenrei Gate. On the ninth day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, a general amnesty was proclaimed throughout the realm, on account of the Chancellor Yoshifusa's illness. On the tenth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, there was a great windstorm with rain. Relief was given to the destitute of the capital. On the twenty-third day, the day Mizunoto-mi — since this spring strange portents had occurred repeatedly within the palace and without, and since the previous year the Onmyōryō had submitted a memorial that envoys of Balhae were to arrive at court and that there were bound to be inauspicious vapors, on this day the Councillor Minabuchi-no-Toshina was sent to Kamo; Minamoto-no-Tsutomu to Matsuo and Umenomiya; Ōe-no-Otondo to Hirano; Fujiwara-no-Iemune to Ōharano; the Minor Counsellor Wake-no-Korenori to Iwashimizu; and the Director of the Jingikan, Fujiwara-no-Hiromoto, to Inari, each to present offerings, and each had the Kongō Hannyakyō read by alternate recitation at a place of worship near the shrine. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Hinoto-tori, there was an earthquake. In summer, on the nineteenth day of the fourth month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, relief was given for famine in Owari province. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Kinoe-inu, the Tango festival was cancelled. On this day, Imperial Prince Saneyasu died. On the fifteenth day, the day Kinoe-saru, the kingdom of Balhae sent an envoy to present tribute. On the last day of the month, the day Tsuchinoto-i, a great serpent appeared in Suruga province and swallowed thirty-one scrolls of the Hannya Shingyō belonging to the kokubunji. In Bingo province, a tree formed renri. In autumn, on the ninth day of the seventh month, the day Hinoto-ushi, there was a great shooting star in daylight. On the tenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, a white vapor rose in the northeast and stretched to the southwest, like a bolt of cloth. On the seventeenth day, the day Kinoto-tori, the armory of Tōtōmi province sounded of its own accord. On the eighteenth day, the day Hinoe-inu, the Daihannyakyō was read by alternate recitation at the Daigokuden for three days, in prayer for rain. The emperor abstained from kun, pungent vegetables such as garlic, and from meat and fish. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, rain fell. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Hinoto-tori, the sumo festival was cancelled. On the eighth day of the eighth month, the day Hinoe-uma, a woman of Bingo province gave birth to three children at once. She was granted rice. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Mizunoto-i, the Major Counsellor Minamoto-no-Tōru was made Minister of the Left, and the Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Mototsune was made Minister of the Right. On the first day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. On the second day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, the Chancellor Yoshifusa died. On the sixth day, the day Mizunoto-tori, the moon entered Ki. On the sixteenth day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, the sun turned red and lost its light. On the last day of the month, the day Hinoto-tori, there was an earthquake. This month, on account of Yoshifusa's death, the gotō lamp rite, the Chōyō festival, and the reihei, the regular offerings at the Daijingū, were cancelled. In winter, on the second day of the tenth month, the day Tsuchinoto-i, there was an earthquake. On the twelfth day of the eleventh month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, a purple cloud appeared over Mount Aitakara in Hida province. On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, the sechie was cancelled. On the twenty-third day, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kinoe-uma, there was again an earthquake. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, a sound like thunder was heard in the southern sky. On the third day of the twelfth month, the day Tsuchinoto-i, there was an earthquake. On the thirteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tori, the Ōe mausoleum of the posthumously honored Grand Empress Dowager Takano-shi was removed from the list, and the Nochi-no-Yamashina mausoleum of the Grand Empress Dowager Fujiwara-shi was added, making the Ten Mausolea complete. The Otagi tomb of Fujiwara-no-Yoshifusa was added, making the Five Tombs complete. This year, Yamato and Inaba provinces suffered drought damage in summer, and wind and flood damage in autumn.

¶In the fifteenth year, the year Mizunoto-mi, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Hinoto-u, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of muddy ground. The emperor went to the Shishinden and bestowed a banquet on the assembled ministers. On account of Yoshifusa's death, the music of the Gagakuryō, the fuzoku-uta, folk songs of the Kuzu people of Yoshino, the Tōka festival, the Noriyumi, the wagered archery, and the Naien were all cancelled. On this day, there was a violent storm of rain, wind, and thunder. On the thirteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the Minister of the Left, Minamoto-no-Tōru, was made Tutor to the Crown Prince. On the twentieth day, the day Hinoe-inu, there was an earthquake. On the second day of the second month, the day Hinoto-tori, there was again an earthquake. On the eleventh day, the day Hinoe-uma, a shooting star appeared at Shichisei and set at Ko. Its color was white. On the sixteenth day, the day Kanoto-i, a rainbow appeared at the southeast corner of the Shishinden. On the eighteenth day, the day Mizunoto-ushi, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-third day, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, since the Onmyōryō had submitted a memorial that this year fell under sangō, an inauspicious cyclical conjunction held to bring repeated epidemic and a failed harvest, an edict ordered the provinces to distribute offerings to the eminent deities within their bounds, and ordered the kokubunji and the various jōgakuji to read sutras by day and perform raisan, rites of repentance, by night for three days, to drive this away. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Kanoto-tori, there was a fire at the Tōgū Chōin, the administrative office of the Crown Prince's Palace. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Mizunoto-i, Hida province reported that a purple cloud had appeared over Mount Aitakara. On the last day of the month, the day Kinoe-ne, a Great Purification was performed before the Kenrei Gate, on account of the fire at the Crown Prince's Palace. On the third day of the third month, the day Hinoto-u, the gokessai, the rite of purification, was cancelled. On the sixteenth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, there was an earthquake. A rainbow appeared at the southeast corner of the Shishinden. On the nineteenth day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, since calamitous portents had occurred repeatedly, divination was performed, and it was found that military unrest was bound to arise around summer or autumn. It was held that this would arise from the western frontier or from Hokketsu, the northern gate of Heaven, and Inaba, Hōki, Izumo, Iwami, Oki, and the Dazaifu were made to maintain strict vigilance. On the twentieth day, the day Kinoe-saru, since Mutsu province had suffered poor harvests in recent years, relief was given. In summer, on the ninth day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoto-u, there were two shooting stars; one set at Urin and the other at Tenshi. Both were red in color. On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, the earth shook violently. On the twenty-first day, the day Kinoto-u, the imperial princes Sadakata, Sadamoto, Sadayasu, Sadahira, and Sadatae were made imperial princes, and Naganori, Nagafuchi, and Nagaaki were each granted the surname of Minamoto-no-Ason. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Kanoe-saru, a shooting star set at Yoku. Its color was red. On the morning of the day Kinoe-ne in the fifth month, there was an earthquake. On the third day, the day Hinoe-tora, hail fell, each stone about the size of a hen's egg. On the fifth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, the Tango festival was cancelled. The Jingikan and the Onmyōryō both declared that, on divining the hailfall, it proved to be the curse of the deities of Kamo, Matsuo, and others. Envoys were sent to present offerings and perform sōme, horse racing. On the ninth day, the day Mizunoe-saru, the Councillor Ōe-no-Otondo was sent to present offerings at Kamo, and monks were made to read ten thousand scrolls of the Kongō Hannyakyō. On the seventeenth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, the Daihannyakyō was read by alternate recitation at the Shishinden for three days, in prayer for rain. On the twentieth day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, the period of sutra recitation was extended two more days, and offerings were presented at Kamo, Matsuo, Otokuni, Inari, Kibune, and Niukawakami. On the twenty-third day, the day Hinoe-inu, sutras were read at the fifteen great temples. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Hinoto-i, rain fell. On the fourteenth day of the sixth month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-second day, the day Kinoto-u, relief was given for famine in the capital. Ten thousand bundles of regular tax rice from Settsu province were used to give relief for famine in Kawachi province. In autumn, on the first day of the seventh month, the day Mizunoto-i, there was a solar eclipse. On the ninth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, envoys were sent to present offerings at Kamo, Matsuo, Inari, Otokuni, and Kibune. On the nineteenth day, the day Kanoto-mi, offerings were presented at the Daijingū, in prayer for rain. On the twentieth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, rain fell. On the third day of the ninth month, the day Kinoto-ushi, the gotō lamp rite and its purification were suspended. On the ninth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, the Chōyō festival was cancelled. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Hinoto-i, the two districts of Inasa and Nagakami in Tōtōmi province were exempted from tribute and labor tax for one year. In winter, on the ninth day of the tenth month, the day Kanoe-ne, a horse chased an ox, and the two entered before the hall of the Benkan and fought. On the twentieth day, the day Kanoto-i, there was a double halo about the sun, with twin ear-like arcs on either side, and below it a cloud-vapor like a dragon. On the thirteenth day of the eleventh month, the day Kinoe-inu, an edict declared: "When a single virtue is shown forth, those who turn against the Way are the first to throw their conduct into disorder. Though the motion of the heavenly bodies is one with Heaven itself, whoever alters its constancy meets with its wrath. Our government knows neither summer's heat nor winter's cold in its evenness, and Our teaching is as though it bore the weight of water and waves; looking up at the great thread of the imperial succession amid this gently declining fortune, We feel nothing but shame. In the summer of the eleventh year, drought struck more severely than usual. Sacrificial beasts and jewels were cast in vain to the spirits of the mountains and rivers, and even fish and dragons nearly lost their watery abode. We have reflected upon this three times over, and know that the fault lies in Ourself alone. We waited in coarse clothing for the realm to know warmth, and thought of the realm's full stomachs even as We took simple meals. And yet you, Our ministers, gauged Our heart and answered in kind, coming and going in righteousness, so that once your memorial was drawn up, its earnest sincerity showed itself of its own accord. In the end the princes and lords had their stipends reduced, and the assembled vassals had their emoluments curtailed. Even were the old system to be followed as before, it would be difficult to sustain the cost of the fukuro, the midsummer and year-end observances; and how much more would the morning and evening stores grow scarcer still, were the constant provisions of the law to be impaired. Our anxious concern has already carried Us through heat and cold alike. We hear that this year's harvest has suffered no damage, and that the people have found some little rest. We do not ask for a surplus of grain left over in the fields; We wish only to hear that the roads are filled with abundant millet. Now, the government of the former kings was ever to relax in times of urgency and to tighten in times of peace. In a year of poor harvest, every effort toward economy is required, for without restraint nothing can long endure; but once the grain has ripened and things have returned to their constant course, there is no difficulty in restoring what was set aside. Let the fuko, stipend households, and fukuyō, clothing allowances, of the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager's Household, and the Crown Prince's Household; the hōroku, stipends, of those of the fifth rank and above; and the kiroku, seasonal stipends, of the imperial princes — all that was reduced last year — be restored henceforth to what they were before, and no longer reduced. As for Ourself alone, however, Our virtue is shallow and Our responsibility deep. Yao wore coarse robes of kudzu cloth, and Shun a plain and simple cap; We cannot yet so much as glimpse within their hedge, and yet now We feel regret even at what is rare and fine in Our own keeping. Indeed, vessels riddled with clustering moth-holes cannot be made sound again by a little patchwork, and a people repeatedly left destitute cannot be made wealthy by a single autumn's harvest. As for Our own clothing and carriage, Our regular meals, and the fodder of the Left and Right Bureaus of Horses, let such matters as have been divided and reduced, or temporarily suspended, remain as previously ordered, and go no further." On the sixteenth day, the day Hinoto-ushi, the ministers petitioned to restore the emperor's clothing and carriage, regular meals, and the fodder of the Left and Right Bureaus of Horses to what they had been. This was granted. Since strange apparitions had lately appeared repeatedly, divination was performed, and it was found that illness was bound to afflict the emperor's person. Envoys were sent to present offerings at Kamo, Matsuo, Hirano, and Ōharano, to drive this away. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Hinoto-i, Fujiwara-no-Kasuko was made a consort. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, a shooting star reached Shin. It was pale blue-white, large in body with a short tail, and burst apart scattering just as it set. On the second day of the twelfth month, the day Mizunoto-mi, a shooting star appeared between Rō and Tensō, reached south of Kei, broke into three stars, and set as it was. Relief was given to the hungry and exhausted people under the jurisdiction of the Dazaifu. On the seventh day, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, Princess Kaneko was made a consort.

¶In the sixteenth year, the year Kinoe-uma, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Mizunoe-inu, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of muddy ground. On the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the day Hinoto-mi, the star Bunshō was faint and without brightness. This month, the Kasuga festival was cancelled, on account of ritual defilement. On the first day of the third month, the day Kanoe-saru, there was a shooting star, about the size of a plum, red in color, which set at the second star of Sashippō in the Taibi. On the twenty-third day, the day Mizunoe-uma, a Daisaie, a great vegetarian assembly, was held, celebrating the completion of Jōganji. The imperial princes and all the hundred officials gathered without exception. In summer, on the fifth day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoto-mi, frost fell. On the seventh day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, there was a double halo about the sun, and a white rainbow pierced through it. On the eighth day, the day Hinoe-saru, the kanbutsu rite at the Naiden was cancelled. On the fifteenth day, the day Mizunoto-u, a dark fog spread in all directions. On the eighteenth day, the day Hinoe-uma, the sun turned red and lost its light. On the nineteenth day, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, there was a fire at the Junna-in. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the Kamo festival was cancelled, on account of ritual defilement. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Mizunoe-ne, black clouds covered the sun, and a yellow-red vapor covered the sky. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, the Tango festival was cancelled. On the sixth day, the day Mizunoto-mi, relief was given for famine in the capital. On the first day of the sixth month, the day Hinoto-mi, there was a solar eclipse. On the fifteenth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, a shooting star appeared at Shokujo, red and luminous, and set between Tairyō and Kenzetsu. On the seventeenth day, the day Mizunoto-tori, the Provisional Secretary of Iyo, Ōmiwa-no-Sudei, among others, was sent to the markets of Tang to seek fragrant medicines, and provincial governors were forbidden to take wives from among the women within their own jurisdiction. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kinoe-saru, an edict ordered the fuko, stipend households, of the great shrines of the provinces to repair the small branch shrines subordinate to them (Note: the prohibition on provincial governors, and what follows, is based on the Ruijū Sandaikyaku). On the twenty-ninth day, the day Kinoto-tori, a shooting star appeared at Shitsu, yellowish-white in color, more than one jō in length. In autumn, on the second day of the seventh month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, there was an earthquake. The Dazaifu reported that Mount Kaimon, the sacred mountain of Satsuma province, had burned, its shaking roar heard for more than a hundred ri. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Kinoto-u, the Dazaifu reported: "On the night of the fourth day of the third month, there was violent thunder. The next day, the sky grew as dark as night, and rain laden with sand did not let up all day, accumulating to a depth of four or five sun, and the river water turned turbid. Toward evening the rain stopped, but the rice had all withered, and countless fish and soft-shelled turtles lay dead." On the first day of the eighth month, the day Hinoto-mi, Ise province reported that locusts had devoured the rice, leaving nothing behind wherever they passed. On the thirteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, an envoy was sent to present offerings at the Daijingū, in prayer for the locust plague to subside. On the twentieth day, the day Hinoe-ne, the emperor fell ill. The Councillor Fujiwara-no-Nakamune was sent to present offerings and pray at Kamo. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, there was a great windstorm with rain, which broke trees and destroyed houses; not a single public or private dwelling was left unharmed. The waters rose violently and surged straight toward the foot of the city walls, destroying the gate of the Hōzaibō, and bridges and many people and horses were swept away and drowned. On this day, offerings were distributed to the deities of the home provinces. On the third day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, the gotō lamp rite and its purification were suspended. On the fifth day, the day Kanoe-tora, the Councillor Minamoto-no-Yoshiari, among others, was sent to the Kashiwabara mausoleum, to report the calamity of wind and flood. On the seventh day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, relief was given to more than three thousand one hundred fifty households in the eastern and western capital that had suffered wind and flood damage. On the ninth day, the day Kinoe-uma, the Chōyō festival was cancelled. On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-i — under the old system, when toneri, attendants of the several Guards headquarters, demanded food and drink at a feast for a religious rite or extorted kazukemono, garments given as reward, the penalty had been to shave their heads and fit them with a kan, a neck restraint. This was now revised: a toneri found guilty was to be dismissed from office, and anyone else, to receive eighty strokes of the cane. Those newly appointed to head a Guards headquarters were permitted to hold a single banquet of celebration, and no more. The giving of ryōra kinki, ornate and luxurious weave, to monks and nuns was forbidden. On the seventeenth day, the day Mizunoe-tora, there was an earthquake. This autumn, peach and plum trees put forth blossoms out of season. In winter, on the twenty-third day of the tenth month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, an edict declared: "We have heard that when a wise king brings the seasons into order, the messengers of Heaven grow calm and harmonious because of it, and that when an enlightened sovereign makes use of his time, the customs of the people grow rich and flourishing because of it. Since We succeeded to the imperial line, the cold and the heat have often shifted out of season, the first signs of gyōhaku, a thinning of human feeling, have gradually appeared, and the fruits of Our teaching have been difficult to attain. We feel shame even in the depths of night, with no leisure for peaceful sleep. Last summer, sweet dew fell repeatedly, and the seedlings and rice grew well. We at first thought that Heaven was bestowing good fortune, and that the people's livelihood would grow rich; We thought that the land would grow fertile, and stores of ripened red grain would be laid up. And yet it never occurred to Us that aged men of a hundred years would so suddenly cease their joyful stamping of the ground, and that children five shaku tall would abandon their songs of a drum-round belly, full and content. We hear that calamities of wind and flood have struck the provinces, that in villages bordering the sea rats now dwell up in the trees, and that in places along the water fish now swim where people once walked; that the old and the weak have lost their lives, unable even to die as they ought, and that farmland has been ruined by submersion, destroying their livelihood. Reflecting quietly on this, Our heart aches deeply. Now, the provincial governor stands as father and mother to the people. How could a father and mother fail to weep, when their children already suffer this affliction? Where corpses lie scattered and adrift, their identities unknown, let the authorities search them out and bury them with care. Let this year's labor service be remitted for the stricken districts. Let those among the people who are destitute and unable to help themselves be relieved and given aid according to their need. May it be that hungry mouths know fullness once again, and that the resentment of wandering, unsettled souls be dispelled. Strive to exhaust the spirit of pity and mourning, and answer to Our sorrowful and compassionate heart." On the thirteenth day of the eleventh month, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, there was an earthquake. On the sixteenth day, the day Kanoto-ushi, the chinkonsai and other rites at the Hirano, Umenomiya, Kasuga, Ōharano, and Sono-Karakami shrines were cancelled, on account of ritual defilement, and a Great Purification was performed before the Kenrei Gate. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Kanoe-inu, the two districts of Oda and Oshika in Mutsu province were granted exemption for two years. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Mizunoe-ne, on account of this autumn's wind and flood damage in Mikawa and Inaba provinces, half of this year's land tax was remitted. On the first day of the twelfth month, the day Kinoto-u, there was a solar eclipse. On the fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, there was a shooting star, red in color, which appeared at Shichisei and set at Chō. Its length was more than one jō. There was a fire at the Right Palace Guards headquarters. On the eleventh day, the day Kinoto-ushi, the moon encroached upon the Pleiades. On the sixteenth day, the day Kanoe-uma, the moon encroached upon Yoki. This year, there was flood damage in Tajima province, and wind and flood damage in Ise province.

¶In the seventeenth year, the year Kinoto-hitsuji, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, the New Year's felicitations were not received. On the twenty-first day, the day Kinoto-mi, there was a solar halo. On the twenty-third day, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, there was a solar halo with ear-like arcs. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Mizunoe-ne, there was a fire at the Reizen'in, which spread to fifty-four buildings and burned its books and treasures. On the ninth day of the second month, the day Mizunoto-i, the Middle Controller of the Right, Tachibana-no-Minatsu, was made Director of the commission for building the Kawachi embankment. On the eleventh day, the day Kinoto-ushi, envoys were sent to have sutras read at the temples near the capital, and at the temples of Heijōkyō, the old capital of Nara. On the twelfth day, the day Hinoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, the emperor moved his residence from the Jijūden to the Kokiden. On the seventeenth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, there was kan'ei, a halo with trailing bands, about the sun. The Major Counsellor and concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards, Fujiwara-no-Tsuneyuki, died. On the twenty-fourth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, the Kujakukyō was read by alternate recitation at the Shishinden, and the Kanjōkyō at the Burakuin. This month, on account of the fire at the Reizen'in, the Ōharano festival, the Sekiten, the Kinensai, and the rites at the Kasuga and Sono-Karakami shrines were all cancelled. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kanoto-mi, the Middle Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Yoshiyo was made concurrently Captain of the Right Palace Guards. In summer, on the fifteenth day of the fourth month, the day Hinoto-u, the emperor moved his residence from the Kokiden to the Ryōkiden. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, a comet appeared in the northeast, red in color, with bōkaku, streaming rays of light. On the second day of the fifth month, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, Hōki province reported that a cow had given birth to a calf with one body but two heads, three eyes, three horns, and two mouths, the faces set back to back, its whole body ash-gray. On the fifth day, the day Hinoe-inu, the Tango festival was cancelled. On the tenth day, the day Kanoto-u, Shimōsa province reported that the fushū, submitted Emishi, had risen in revolt. An edict ordered soldiers sent out to subdue them, and the provinces of Musashi, Kazusa, Hitachi, and Shimotsuke, among others, were each ordered to send three hundred soldiers to assist. On the fourteenth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, Venus appeared in daylight and crossed the sky. On the sixteenth day, the day Hinoto-tori, at night cloud-vapor covered the sky, in the shape of a banner. On the eighteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, a comet appeared in the northeast. On the last day of the month, the day Kanoto-i, a shooting star fell in daylight toward the southeast, white in color, about one shaku across and six shaku in length. On the first day of the sixth month, the day Mizunoe-ne, Sagami province reported that the river water of Ōsumi district had turned red. On the third day, the day Kinoe-tora, a star and the moon appeared together in daylight. On this day, offerings were presented at Kamo, Matsuo, Inari, Otokuni, Kibune, and Niukawakami, in prayer for rain. On the fourth day, the day Kinoto-u, a star and the moon again appeared in daylight. Snow fell on the south gate of the Daijōkan Zōshichō. On the fifth day, the day Hinoe-tatsu, a star and the moon again appeared in daylight. On the ninth day, the day Kanoe-saru, an envoy was sent to present offerings at the Daijingū. On the thirteenth day, the day Kinoe-ne, envoys were sent to the fifteen great temples, to have the Daihannyakyō read by alternate recitation, in prayer for rain. Around this time, every night in the two capitals there appeared the tracks of swarming rats, some entering the palace walls and some leaving them. On the fifteenth day, the day Hinoe-tora, the Daihannyakyō was read by alternate recitation at the Daigokuden for three days, and the Daiunrin Shōukyōhō, a rite for calling rain, was performed at the Shinsen'en, in prayer for rain. The Jingikan submitted a memorial that no rain fell because the trees of the Fukakusa mausoleum had been felled. An envoy was at once sent to apologize for this. On this day, prisoners of light offenses were pardoned. On the eighteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, since the prayers for rain had proved without effect, the period of sutra recitation and ritual was extended a further two days. On the nineteenth day, the day Kanoe-uma, Shimotsuke province reported that the rebellious fushū had been subdued. On the twentieth day, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, the Dazaifu reported that two large birds had gathered atop a storehouse in Tamana district, Higo province, and cried facing west. On the twenty-first day, the day Mizunoe-saru (Note: this work gives the day as the twentieth, repeating the date above; it is here corrected to the twenty-first by calculation), Sagami province again reported that the river water of Ōsumi district had turned red. On the twenty-third day, the day Kinoe-inu, envoys were sent to the Shinsen'en, to have song and dance performed and pray for rain over three days. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Hinoto-ushi, the Dazaifu was made to distribute offerings to the deities of Higo province, to drive away the strange portent of the birds. In autumn, on the second day of the seventh month, the day Mizunoe-uma, envoys were sent to distribute offerings at Kamo, Matsuo, Inari, Otokuni, Konoshima, Kibune, and Niukawakami, in prayer for rain. On the third day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, an envoy was sent to the Tatanami mausoleum, to apologize for the people's felling of its trees, and at the same time to pray for rain. On the fifth day, the day Kinoto-tori, Shimotsuke province reported that the fushū had been subdued. On the tenth day, the day Kanoe-tora, there was wind and rain, which uprooted trees and destroyed houses. On the thirteenth day, the day Mizunoto-mi, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-first day, the day Kanoto-ushi, the station bell of the Chōraku Gate sounded of its own accord. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Hinoe-uma, prayers for clear weather were offered at Niukawakami. On the eighth day of the eighth month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, the drum of the Onmyōryō's water clock sounded of its own accord. In winter, on the twelfth day of the tenth month, the day Kanoto-tori, a deer entered the bathhouse of the Tonomoryō. On the fifteenth day, the day Kinoe-ne, the imperial prince Sadatoki was made an imperial prince. On the fourth day of the eleventh month, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, Fujiwara-no-Okako was made the itsukime of Kasuga and Ōharano. On the thirteenth day, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, since Tajima province had suffered flood damage the previous year, a quarter of its regular tax rice was lent out. On the sixteenth day, the day Kinoto-hitsuji, Dewa province reported that the kōteki, the untamed Emishi of Watarishima, had risen in revolt. An edict ordered the provincial governor to subdue them. On the eighteenth day, the day Hinoto-mi, eight-tenths of the previous year's land tax in Ise province was remitted. On the eleventh day of the twelfth month, the day Kanoe-saru, the Tsukinami and Jinkonjiki festivals were cancelled, on account of ritual defilement. On the thirteenth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, since the coming year fell under sangō, an edict ordered the five home provinces and seven circuits to present offerings to the eminent deities within their bounds, and to the two kokubunji and the various jōgakuji, and to read the Kongō Hannyakyō by alternate recitation by day, and recite the names of Yakushi and Kannon for three days by night, to forestall calamity.

¶In the eighteenth year, the year Hinoe-saru, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the New Year's felicitations were not received, on account of rain. On the third day, the day Kanoto-mi, a dark fog rose and the sun was red. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kinoto-mi, Etchū province presented a white pheasant as tribute. This month, the Noriyumi and the Naien were cancelled. On the fifth day of the second month, the day Mizunoto-ushi, Shimōsa province reported that a tree had formed renri. On the twentieth day, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, the Minister of Ceremonial and concurrently Governor-General of the Dazaifu, Imperial Prince Tadayoshi, died. This month, the Ōharano and Kasuga festivals were cancelled, on account of ritual defilement. On the ninth day of the third month, the day Hinoto-i, the two villages of Hira and Chika in Matsura district, Hizen province, were separated off to form Chika island, and an island magistrate and district officials were established there. On the thirteenth day, the day Kanoto-u, the imperial prince Sadakazu was made an imperial prince, and the imperial prince Nagayori was granted the surname of Minamoto-no-Ason. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, on account of prolonged rain, relief was given to the hungry people of the capital. In summer, on the tenth day of the fourth month, the day Hinoto-mi, there was a fire at the Daigokuden, which spread to the Koanden, the Sōryūrō and Byakkorō towers, the Enkyūdō, and the corridors on the north, east, and west sides of the north gate, and was not extinguished for several days. The morning government was suspended for three days, and the several Guards headquarters were made to maintain strict watch. On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoto-tori, the Kamo festival was cancelled. On the fifteenth day, the day Mizunoe-inu, the watch was stood down. On this day, the Ryōkiden shook. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kinoe-inu, the Left and Right Palace Guards and Military Guards were sent out to patrol the two capitals every night. On the first day of the fifth month, the day Hinoto-ushi, there was a solar eclipse. On the third day, the day Tsuchinoto-u, the Director of the Jingikan, Prince Munesada, was sent to report the fire at the Daigokuden to the Daijingū. On the fourth day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, the Councillors Sugawara-no-Koreyoshi and Fujiwara-no-Fuyuo were sent separately to the Kamo and Matsuo shrines, to report the fire. On the fifth day, the day Kanoto-mi, the Tango festival was cancelled. On the eighth day, the day Kinoe-saru, the Councillor Minamoto-no-Yoshiari, among others, was sent to the Kashiwabara mausoleum, to report the fire. On the fourteenth day, the day Kanoe-tora, there was an earthquake. On the fifteenth day, the day Kanoto-u, there was again an earthquake. On the twenty-first day, the day Hinoto-tori, there was again an earthquake. This month, prolonged rains continued. On the eleventh day of the sixth month, the day Hinoe-tatsu, the Tsukinami and Jinkonjiki festivals were cancelled, on account of ritual defilement. On the eighteenth day, the day Mizunoto-i, hail fell, and there was an earthquake. On the nineteenth day, the day Kinoe-ne, relief was given to the hungry people of the capital. In autumn, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the day Mizunoe-uma, the pagoda of Kōfukuji shook, and did not cease for three days. On the eleventh day, the day Hinoe-inu, relief was given for famine and epidemic in Tango and Mimasaka provinces. On the fourteenth day, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, the Councillor Minamoto-no-Nobaru caught a rare bird and presented it as tribute. An edict declared: "Release it on the northern hills." On the eighteenth day, the day Mizunoto-mi, the pagoda of Daianji shook. On the twenty-first day, the day Hinoe-saru, the rebuilding of the Daigokuden was begun. On this day, thunder sounded though there were no clouds. On the twenty-third day, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, since Tango province had suffered great drought in recent years and the people were starving, thirty thousand koku of grain were lent to them. On the twenty-sixth day, the day Kanoto-ushi, the Dazaifu reported that a white tortoise had been caught in Higo province. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Mizunoe-tora, clouds of five colors appeared, and the eastern hills looked as though wrapped in a rainbow. That night, black clouds appeared over the eastern hills, in the shape of a hanging curtain, about ten jō in length. On the twenty-eighth day, the day Mizunoto-u, there was an earthquake. On the sixth day of the eighth month, the day Kanoe-inu, red clouds in eight bands rose in the east and stretched to the west, their breadth almost covering the whole sky. On the twenty-first day, the day Kinoto-ushi, Minamoto-no-Nobuko was made a consort. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, the Jingikan and the Onmyōryō declared that the vapor of fire was still strong, and that offerings should be distributed to the shrines of the five home provinces and seven circuits, to drive it away. This was followed. On the third day of the ninth month, the day Hinoto-ushi, the gotō lamp rite was cancelled, on account of ritual defilement. On the ninth day, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, the Chōyō festival was cancelled, and the ministers submitted a memorial of congratulation on the white tortoise. On the twenty-third day, the day Hinoto-tori, a great shooting star appeared at Tōhan in the Taibi, passed through Tairyō, and set between Kakudō and Furo. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, white clouds appeared stretching from east to west. In winter, on the fifth day of the tenth month, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, since divination had foretold military unrest and fire, offerings were distributed to the deities of the five home provinces and seven circuits. On the morning of the day Kinoe-inu in the eleventh month, there was a solar eclipse. On the seventh day, the day Kanoe-tatsu, a rainbow appeared before the Daijōkan hall. On the ninth day, the day Mizunoe-uma, there was an earthquake. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, the imperial princes Sadazane and Sadayori were made imperial princes. On the twenty-seventh day, the day Kanoe-ne, the emperor, intending to cede the throne, made a progress to the Someridono. On the twenty-ninth day, the day Mizunoe-tora, he ceded the throne to the crown prince. In the twelfth month, he was presented with the honorific title of Daijō Tennō, Retired Emperor.

¶In the intercalary second month of the first year of Gangyō, the Retired Emperor sent the Major Controller of the Right, Fujiwara-no-Yamakage, to decline his fuko, stipend households, declaring: "The ways of kingship have failed to flourish; the state is exhausted and the people perish. For this reason I now cast off the konryō, the sovereign's dragon robe, and take delight instead in raheki, the garb of a recluse. How could I again accept the exalted name of Daijō, Retired Emperor, and bring upon the kuge, the court, the troublesome expense it entails? Let all these stipend households and the like be returned." In the third month, he moved his residence to the Seiwa-in (Note: according to this work, on the eighth day, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, he was still at the Someridono, and on the twenty-fourth day a vegetarian assembly was held at the Seiwa-in. From this it is clear that the move took place within this month, and it is accordingly recorded here).

¶In the second month of the third year, he declined half of his remaining fuko. Emperor Yōzei submitted a memorial earnestly requesting him to retain them, and also sent the Councillor Minamoto-no-Nobaru to the Seiwa-in, bearing a memorial to renew the request. But he firmly declined and would not accept them. In the fifth month, he moved his residence to the Regent Fujiwara-no-Mototsune's Awata-in, took the tonsure, entered religious life, and took the Buddhist name Soshin (Note: the Buddhist name follows the Ichidai Yōki and the Rekidai Kōki). Emperor Yōzei wished to go to the Awata-in to pay him a visit, and his palanquin had already been made ready, but the Retired Emperor sent Fujiwara-no-Yamakage in haste to submit a memorial and have the visit stopped. Before long, thirty monks were ordained on the Retired Emperor's behalf. The Provisional Governor of Awa, Fujiwara-no-Yasukata, took holy orders and became a monk, attending upon him at the Seiwa-in. In the tenth month, he made a progress through Yamato province, visiting its eminent mountains and ancient temples. Emperor Yōzei sent the Councillor and Captain of the Left Gate Guards, Minamoto-no-Yoshiari, leading one captain, secretary, and lieutenant from each of the six Guards headquarters, together with ten men each from the Palace Guards, the Military Guards, and the Gate Guards, to escort the Retired Emperor. The Retired Emperor sent them all back, and only the Councillor Ariwara-no-Yukihira and Fujiwara-no-Yamakage accompanied him. In all, the places he passed through included, in Yamashiro province, Awata-ji, Jōgan-ji, and Kaiin-ji; in Yamato province, Tōdaiji, Kaguyama-dera, Kamino-dera, Hōrin-ji, Genkō-ji, Ryūmon-ji, Hiso-dera, and Ōtaki-dera; and, in Settsu province, Katsuo-ji, among other temples. He then returned to Mizuosanji in Tanba province.

¶In the eighth month of the fourth year, he moved his residence to the Minister of the Left Minamoto-no-Tōru's Seikakan. In the eleventh month, he moved his residence to the Awata mountain villa and Enkakuji. On the fourth day of the twelfth month, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, he died at Enkakuji. He was thirty-one years of age. He left a testamentary edict declaring: "Let my body be cremated at Nakano, and let no imperial mausoleum be built. Let the hundred officials and the provinces hold no rites of mourning, wear no sofuku, mourning garb, and appoint no officials to oversee the funeral. Let everything used for the funeral rites follow simplicity and economy alone." On the seventh day, he was cremated at Kami-Awatayama in Otagi district, his remains were interred at Mizuo-yama, and he was given the name Emperor Seiwa.

¶The emperor's bearing and appearance were beautiful, and his correctness and gravity were as though divine. His nature was magnanimous and perceptive, deeply compassionate, gentle, and sparing of words; his conduct and deportment accorded with propriety, and he devoted himself wholly to the affairs of government. He was fond of reading, and secretly gave deep thought to the teachings of Buddhism. He never once set his heart on the pleasures of falconry or hunting with dogs. While his maternal grandfather, the Chancellor Fujiwara-no-Yoshifusa, served as regent, the essentials of government were ordered and thorough, and the state was at peace. The emperor humbly looked up to these achievements, holding the kenkō, the laws and statutes of the state, in silence. Only after Yoshifusa's death did he for the first time take the affairs of government into his own hands, conducting himself with kyōken, humility and frugality. Before the Jōwa era, the sovereign had gone daily to the Shishinden to oversee the affairs of government, but from the Ninju era onward this practice had lapsed. The emperor revived it, and the people of his time praised him for it. In time, when Fujiwara-no-Mototsune took charge of the government, officials were praised for their conduct in office, and all within and beyond the court grew solemn and orderly. For this reason, all who spoke of the government of that former age called it the Jōgan no Chi, the Good Government of Jōgan. At that time there was a monk named Shinga, who had always served close at the emperor's side since his childhood. After Shinga died, there was a monk named Shūei, who urged the emperor to form the kōka-no-en, the bond of devotion to the Buddhist path. From the time of his accession, he constantly ate saiso, vegetables, and in the end gave up seishoku, music and female companionship, altogether. After entering Mizuo-yama, he touched neither wine, vinegar, salt, nor shi, a fermented bean paste, and ate only saihan, a vegetarian meal, once every two or three days. He applied himself to austere practice at the rokuji, the six divisions of day and night set aside for devotion, growing so emaciated that he seemed whittled away; deeply weary of the entanglements of the world, he sought to renounce food and cast off his very body. There was no form of ascetic practice he did not undertake. At the moment of his death, he had his attendant monks recite dharani, seated himself cross-legged in the lotus position facing west, and formed the jōin, the mudrā of meditation, with his hands as he passed away. It is said that his form remained unmoving, solemn as though still alive, with his prayer beads still hanging from his hand.