Emperors Chūai through Ōjin

Emperor Chūai

¶Emperor Chūai was a grandson of Emperor Keikō and the second son of Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto. His mother was Futajiirihime-no-mikoto (Note: this work refers to his mother as empress, but since there is no record of her having been installed as empress, that title is not adopted here).

¶The emperor was handsome and dignified in bearing, and stood ten shaku in height. In the forty-eighth year of Emperor Seimu's reign, he was installed as crown prince. In the sixtieth year, in the sixth month, Emperor Seimu died. The following year, the year Kanoto-hitsuji, on the sixth day of the ninth month, the day Hinoto-tori, Emperor Seimu was buried.

¶In the first year, the year Mizunoe-saru, in spring, on the eleventh day of the first month, the day Kanoe-ne, the emperor ascended the throne (Note: the Mizukagami, the Gukanshō, the Kōdaiki, and the Kōnendai Ryakki all give his age at the time as forty-four, which agrees with this work's own record that he died at fifty-two. But reckoning back from this, he would have been born in the nineteenth year of Emperor Seimu's reign, a year's discrepancy from the statement, found alike in a note to this work and in the Sendai Kuji Hongi, that he was thirty-one when installed as crown prince in the forty-eighth year of Emperor Seimu's reign; it would also place his birth more than thirty years after the death of Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto. Moreover, the edict of the first year recorded in this work states, "before I had yet reached twenty, my father the king had already died," which plainly shows the error in that figure, and so this age is not adopted here). He was called Tarashinakatsuhiko-no-sumeramikoto. In autumn, on the first day of the ninth month, the day Hinoe-inu, he honored Futajiirihime-no-mikoto with the title of empress dowager. In winter, in the tenth month, he made Ōtomo-no-Takemochi Ō-muraji, grand chieftain. The office of Ō-muraji originates here (Note: the passage from "in winter, in the tenth month" follows the Kugyō Bunin and the Gukanshō. The Sendai Kuji Hongi states that in the winter of the twenty-third year of Emperor Suinin's reign, Mononobe-no-Ōniikawa-no-mikoto was made Ō-omi, grand minister, and that the title was before long changed to Ō-muraji; that account is not adopted here). On the first day of the eleventh month, the day Kinoto-tori, he decreed that the provinces present white swans as tribute, to be kept in the pond within the tomb precinct of Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto. On the fourth day of the intercalary month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, the land of Koshi presented four white swans in tribute. The emperor's younger brother, Prince Ashikami-no-Kamawake, having committed a crime, was put to death.

¶In the second year, the year Mizunoto-tori, in spring, on the eleventh day of the first month, the day Kinoe-ne, he installed Okinagatarashihime-no-mikoto as empress. On the sixth day of the second month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, he made a progress to Tsunuga and built a temporary palace there, called the Kehi Palace. In this month, a granary, miyake, was established at Awaji. On the fifteenth day of the third month, the day Hinoto-u, the emperor made a tour of inspection through the southern provinces, leaving the empress and the hundred officials behind at Tsunuga. Several hundred officials, from ministers and grandees on down, accompanied him as far as Kii, where they stayed at the Tokotsu Palace. Just at that time the Kumaso rebelled, and the emperor personally led a campaign against them, sending the naval force straight toward Anato. On this same day he sent a messenger to Tsunuga to have the empress gather her party and proceed to Anato. In summer, on the tenth day of the sixth month, the day Kanoe-tora, the emperor's ship anchored at Toyura-tsu. When the empress's ship reached Nutanomito, a great many sea bream were swimming alongside it. The empress poured wine out into the water, and the fish rose to the surface as though drunk. The fishermen caught them and rejoiced, saying it was a gift from their sage lord. From this came the saying that every year, when the sixth month arrives, the fish rise to the surface as though drunk. In autumn, on the fifth day of the seventh month, the day Kinoto-u, the empress reached Toyura-tsu. On this day she found a wish-granting jewel, the nyoi-no-tama, in the sea. In the ninth month, a palace was built at Anato, and they stayed there; it was called the Toyura Palace.

¶In the eighth year, the year Tsuchinoto-u, in spring, on the fourth day of the first month, the day Mizunoe-uma, the emperor advanced on a progress to Tsukushi. Kuma-wani, ancestor of the agata-nushi, district chief, of Oka, came out to meet him at Sabanoura in Suō, presented him with land yielding fish and salt, and guided the way by sea. As they turned from Cape Yamaga to enter Okanoura, the ship would advance no further. The emperor rebuked Kuma-wani for this. Kuma-wani apologized, saying: "This is no fault of your servant. At the mouth of the bay there are two deities, Ōkuranushi and Tsuburahime, and this must surely be their doing." The emperor had Uda-no-Igahiko worship them, and the ship was at last able to advance. The empress's ship, coming from the Sea of Kuki, was caught by the ebbing tide and could go no further. Kuma-wani, in fear and reverence, made ponds and gathered together many fish and birds for the empress to view, and her anger was somewhat eased by this. When the tide at last rose, the ship advanced and anchored at Okatsu. At this time Itote, ancestor of the agata-nushi of Ito, came out to meet them at Hikishima in Anato and presented the yasaka jewel, the masumi mirror, and the totsuka sword. The emperor praised him and bestowed on him the title Isoshi. On the twenty-first day, the day Tsuchinoto-i, he made a progress to the district of Na and stayed at the Kashihi Palace. In autumn, on the fifth day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, he took counsel with his ministers on the subjugation of the Kumaso. At that moment a deity possessed the empress and spoke through her: "Why does the emperor grieve over the Kumaso's refusal to submit? Theirs is a barren and empty land, scarcely worth troubling an army over. There is another land of treasure, a land rich in gold and silver and brightly colored goods, called Takubusuma-Shiragi, the land of Silla. If you worship me well, and offer up the royal ship together with the paddies presented by Anato-no-Atai-Tateru, that country will of itself submit without so much as staining a blade with blood, and the Kumaso too will yield obedience." The emperor doubted this, climbed a high peak, and gazed far out over the sea, but saw nothing, however far and wide he looked. He therefore declared: "Looking all about me, I see sea, but no land. What god would seek to lead me astray? Moreover, the successive emperors among my imperial ancestors worshiped the gods without exception. How could there be any god left unworshiped?" The deity again possessed the empress and declared: "Why do you call what I myself see nonexistent, and slander my words? Since you speak thus, you yourself shall not obtain that land. But the empress is now with child; it is her child who shall surely obtain it." The emperor in the end would not heed this, attacked the Kumaso, failed to defeat them, and turned back. In this year, Kōman-ō, a descendant of Ying Zheng, the First Emperor of Qin, came and submitted as a naturalized subject (Note: the passage from "in this year" follows the Shinsen Shōjiroku. The Sandai Jitsuroku, in its entry for the third year of Ninna, states that Kōman-ō came and submitted in the fourth year of Emperor Chūai's reign, presenting rare treasures and silkworm eggs. According to the Shinsen Shōjiroku, however, it was Kōman-ō's son, Yuzuki-no-ō, who presented bolts of jeweled silk and silkworm eggs. This is noted here for reference).

¶In the ninth year, the year Kanoe-tatsu, in spring, on the fifth day of the second month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, the emperor was suddenly stricken with pain. On the sixth day, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, he died at the Kashihi Palace (Note: one tradition in this work states that the emperor personally led the campaign against the Kumaso and died struck by an enemy arrow; it also states that the emperor, refusing to believe the divine instruction, was suddenly taken ill and died. The Kojiki states that the emperor, intending to attack the land of Kumaso, played the koto, while Takeshiuchi-no-Ō-omi waited in the sand garden to receive the divine command, and the empress conveyed the god's words to the emperor; but the emperor did not believe them, and at last flung aside the koto and would not play it. The god grew greatly angry, and when Takeshiuchi-no-Ō-omi urged him to play again, before long the sound of the koto ceased; a light was brought, and he was already dead. The various accounts are tangled and contradictory, and it is impossible to say which is correct. Considering the general circumstances of the time, the imperial enterprise was only just then being founded, and the great design of governing the realm had barely begun. To strike westward at the Three Hans ought to have been, at that time, the most urgent task of all. That the emperor should instead have been wholly preoccupied with the Kumaso, and unable to resolve on the distant plan of attacking the Three Hans, is difficult indeed to understand. Moreover, the tribute-bearing visit of Sonakashichi, a man of Mimana, took place in the reign of Emperor Sujin, and the naturalization of the Silla prince Ame-no-Hiboko took place in the reign of Emperor Suinin; these are matters known to everyone. That being so, this work's own statement that the emperor said "there is sea, but no land" is also not beyond doubt. A note in this work and the Kojiki both likewise give his age at death as fifty-two. A note in the Kojiki states that he died on the eleventh day of the sixth month of the year Mizunoe-inu. But since there is no settled account of the year of his birth, this age is not adopted here). The empress and Takenouchi-no-Sukune kept his death secret and did not announce it. The empress ordered Nakatomi-no-Ikatsu, Ōmiwa-no-Ōtomonushi, Mononobe-no-Ikui, Ōtomo-no-Takemochi, and others (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi includes also Mononobe-no-Tajima) to lead the hundred officials in guarding the palace. She secretly commanded Takenouchi-no-Sukune to bear the coffin by sea to Anato, where it was laid in temporary burial, mogari, at the Toyura Palace. The empress, grieving that the emperor had died before his time for failing to heed the divine instruction, sought to atone to the gods and obtain the land of treasure. She therefore had the hundred officials absolve their offenses and correct their faults, and had an abstinence shrine, itsukinomiya, built at the village of Oyamada.

¶On the first day of the third month, the day Mizunoe-saru, she chose an auspicious day and entered the abstinence shrine. The empress herself became the shrine priestess, had Takenouchi-no-Sukune play the koto, and made Nakatomi-no-Ikatsu the saniwa, the diviner who interprets the divine word, placing many rolls of silk cloth at the head and foot of the koto, and asked: "Which god was it who earlier gave instruction to the emperor?" After seven days and seven nights of prayer, the gods each revealed their names, and she worshiped them accordingly. Before long she sent Kamowake to subdue the Kumaso, and within about ten days they submitted. At the village of Notorita there was one called Hashiro-Kumawashi, who had a human body with a bird's wings, was strong and flew well, and did great harm through plunder. The empress resolved to put him to death. On the seventeenth day, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, she set out from the Kashihi Palace and reached the Matsuo Palace. On the twentieth day, the day Kanoto-u, she sent troops into the plain of Sosoki and destroyed him there. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Hinoe-saru, she turned and reached the district of Yamato, and put to death the Tsuchigumo Taburatsuhime. Her elder brother Natsuha led his troops out to meet the empress's army, but on hearing that Taburatsuhime had been put to death, he at once fled.

¶On the third day of the fourth month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, the empress reached the bank of the Tamashima River, in the district of Matsura, in the land of Hi-no-michi-no-kuchi, that is, Hizen, bent a needle into a fish-hook, used grains of rice as bait, and used threads drawn from her skirt as a fishing line. Climbing onto a rock in the shallows, she cast her line and made this vow: "If I am to obtain the land of treasure, let the fish of the river swallow this hook." And she did indeed catch a sweetfish, ayu. The empress declared, "The divine instruction has proved true," and resolved upon the western expedition. She further worshiped the gods, established sacred rice fields, and had the Sakuta Channel dug to draw water to them. The empress then returned to Kashihinoura, let down her hair, and, looking out over the sea, declared: "I intend to carry out the divine instruction, rely on the spirits of my imperial ancestors, cross the great sea myself, and accomplish the western expedition. I shall now rinse my hair in the seawater; if there is to be a sign, let my hair divide itself in two." She then cast her hair into the sea to rinse it, and it did indeed divide of itself. The empress accordingly bound it into two looped locks, mizura, and declared to the assembled ministers: "To raise an army and move the people is a great matter of state. Safety or danger, success or failure, must depend entirely on this one undertaking. Now, in carrying out this campaign, were I to entrust the matter to the assembled ministers and it should fail, the blame would fall upon them. This would be a most grievous thing. Though I am but an inadequate woman, I shall for a time borrow the form of a man, to aid in this bold undertaking. Relying above on the gods and below on the assembled ministers, I shall raise troops, cross the perilous waves, fit out ships, and seek wealth and land. If the enterprise succeeds, I shall share its merit with the assembled ministers; if it fails, I alone shall bear the blame." The assembled ministers all responded: "This is what the empress has conceived for the sake of the realm. How could your servants fail to obey the decree?"

¶On the tenth day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, she ordered the provinces to fit out ships and train troops. For a time, troops did not gather. The empress said, "This must surely be the will of the gods," and had the Ōmiwa Shrine built, where swords and halberds were dedicated and offered in worship. The troops then gathered of themselves, and a day was divined and a date set. The empress herself took up the battle-axe and addressed the three armies: "If gongs and drums lack proper discipline and banners and pennants fall into disorder, the troops will not be well ordered. If men are greedy for wealth and full of desire, and, harboring private aims, look only to their own concerns, they will surely be seized by the enemy. Do not despise the enemy for being few, nor yield to them for being strong. Show no mercy to the wicked, but do not kill those who surrender. Reward without fail those who are victorious, and punish without fail those who flee." At this a divine oracle came, saying: "Let the nigimitama, the gentle spirit, accompany your person and guard your life; let the aramitama, the rough spirit, go before as vanguard and guide the fleet." The empress received this command with reverence and made Yosami-no-Abiko-Otarumi the master of the rites. At this time the empress happened to be in the very month of her delivery. She therefore took a stone and placed it at her waist, making this vow: "On the day I return, when the enterprise is done, may the child be born in this land." That stone is in the district of Ito, and people of later ages have handed it down as the shizumeishi, the heart-stilling stone (Note: the passage "people of later ages" follows the Man'yōshū. According to the Man'yōshū, there are two heart-stilling stones, said to lie at Kōnohara in the village of Fukae, in the district of Ito in the land of Chikuzen; another account places them in the district of Sonogi in Hizen. Old men who hand down the tradition say that "the empress kept it in her sleeve as a comfort to her feelings." The Kojiki states that the stone wrapped in her skirt lies in the village of Ito in Tsukushi. The Chikushi Fudoki and the Chikuzen Fudoki, as cited in the Shaku Nihongi, both place it at Kofunohara in the district of Ito). She then invoked the gentle spirit to still the ship, and made the rough spirit her vanguard.

¶On the third day of the tenth month, the day Kanoto-ushi, she at last set out from Wani-no-tsu (Note: the Kojiki states that the empress, following the divine instruction, put ashes of maki wood into a gourd, and also made many chopsticks and flat leaf-plates, hirade, and set them afloat on the sea as she crossed). Great fish flanked the ships on either side, the wind was favorable and the ships swift, and without need of oar or rudder they went straight to Silla. The ships struck the sea tide with such force that the waves reached throughout the whole of the Silla kingdom. Hasamukin, king of Silla (Note: a variant text cited in a note to this work gives his name as Urusohorichikan), was greatly alarmed and said: "There is no resisting an army of the gods." He then sealed up the household registers and maps, bound his own hands behind his back with white cord, and came forth to beg surrender. Some said he ought to be put to death. The empress declared: "I have received the divine instruction and have thereby conquered this western land. I earlier commanded the three armies that none who submitted of themselves should be killed. Now that the country has already been won and its people have submitted, to kill him would be inauspicious." She therefore had his bonds loosed and released him, making him a keeper of horses, kaibe (Note: the memorial of opinion, ikensōjō, by Miyoshi no Kiyoyuki, included in the Honchō Monzui, states that of all the weapons of our land the powerful crossbow is the finest; it is said that Empress Jingū had it specially devised and made through her own ingenuity, and that although the Tang too possess something called a crossbow, it falls far short of the sharpness of this weapon. It may well be that the powerful crossbow was made at the time of the conquest of the Three Hans; but since this work makes no mention of it, it is noted here for reference). She then entered the Silla capital, sealed the treasuries holding its precious treasures, took possession of its registers and documents, and planted the halberd she carried at the gate of the Silla king's palace, as a mark for later ages. That halberd is said to remain at the gate of Silla to this day. The king of Silla gave his son Mishikochi, of the rank hatorikanki, as hostage, and presented gold, silver, brightly colored cloth, damask, silk gauze, and plain silk, loaded upon eighty ships in all. From this time on, the tribute of Silla was fixed at eighty shiploads. Koma and Kudara, hearing that Silla had surrendered, secretly observed the strength of our army, judged that they could not prevail, and likewise submitted. Bowing their heads to the ground, they said: "From this time forward we shall forever be styled western vassals, and shall never fail in our tribute." She then had government storehouses, miyake, established throughout the land (Note: the Kojiki states that the land of Kudara was made a tributary estate, watari-no-miyake). Thus the Three Hans all submitted, and the aramitama was worshiped to pacify that land (Note: the passage "was worshiped" follows the Kojiki). The army was then assembled and returned home in triumph.

¶In the twelfth month, she gave birth to a prince at Tsukushi; this was the future Emperor Ōjin. In accordance with the divine instruction, the empress built a shrine at the village of Yamada in Anato and worshiped the aramitama of the gods Uwatsutsunoo, Nakatsutsunoo, and Sokotsutsunoo, making Homutachi the master of the rites. The emperor was buried at the Nagano Misasagi in Kawachi (Note: the Engishiki calls it the Ega-no-Nagano-Nishi-no-Misasagi). He was posthumously given the title Emperor Chūai.

Emperor Ōjin

¶Emperor Ōjin was the fourth son of Emperor Chūai. His mother was Empress Jingū.

¶He was born on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month of the ninth year of Emperor Chūai's reign, the day Kanoto-i, at Kada in Tsukushi. From his earliest years he was wise and understanding, his insight deep and far-reaching, and even in his bearing and conduct he showed something of the extraordinary manner of a sage. While the emperor was still in the womb, the empress, carrying out the divine instruction, had conquered the Three Hans. When he was born, there was a swelling of flesh on his arm resembling a tomo, the archer's arm-guard worn when shooting a bow, like the one the empress had worn disguised as a man. He was therefore named Homuta (Note: the Kojiki calls him Ōtomowake-no-mikoto, also known as Homudawake-no-mikoto. A note in this work states that in ancient times the arm-guard, tomo, was called homuta. One tradition recorded in a note to this work states that when the crown prince worshiped the great god of Kehi, the god and the prince exchanged names with one another; the god was accordingly called Izasawake-no-kami, and the prince was named Homudawake-no-mikoto. This would mean that the prince's original name was Izasawake-no-mikoto. The Kojiki likewise states that the great god Izasawake exchanged names with the prince. This is noted here for reference). He was also called Taichū-no-sumeramikoto, the Emperor in the Womb (Note: the designation "also called" follows the Chronicle of Emperor Keitai in this work and the Jinnō Shōtōki).

¶In the year Kanoto-mi, in the second month, the empress, bearing the emperor, led the hundred officials to the Toyura Palace, announced the mourning for Emperor Chūai, and sought to bear his coffin back to the capital. At this time the emperor's half-brothers by a different mother, Prince Kagosaka and Prince Oshikuma, raised troops and lay in wait for the imperial army in Harima. Prince Kagosaka happened to die, and Prince Oshikuma withdrew and encamped his troops at Sumiyoshi. The empress thereupon had Takenouchi-no-Sukune bear the emperor and take him by way of the southern sea (Note: the Kojiki states that the empress, inwardly suspicious and fearful, outwardly fitted out a mourning ship and placed the prince aboard it, giving out that the prince had already died). On reaching the harbor of Kii, the empress intended to make straight for Naniwa, but the ship turned about and would not advance, so she returned to the harbor of Muko. On divining the cause, she received a divine oracle, and had shrines built for the various gods and worshiped them there; the ship was then at last able to advance. Prince Oshikuma withdrew his troops still further, to Uji. The empress then met the emperor at Hidaka in Kii, and entered the Shino Palace. For several days running, daylight turned as dark as night. On the fifth day of the third month, the day Kanoe-ne, the empress sent Takenouchi-no-Sukune and Naniwa-no-Nekotakefurukuma to attack Prince Oshikuma. Prince Oshikuma was defeated and died. On the second day of the tenth month, the day Kinoe-ne, the assembled ministers honored the empress with the title of empress dowager, and she took charge of the court as regent, sesshō. Takenouchi-no-Sukune remained Ō-omi as before (Note: the passage "Ō-omi" follows the Kugyō Bunin. The Sendai Kuji Hongi states that on this day Mononobe-no-Tajima was made Ō-muraji).

¶In the year Mizunoe-uma, on the eighth day of the eleventh month, the day Kinoe-uma, Emperor Chūai was buried.

¶In the year Mizunoto-hitsuji, on the third day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, the empress dowager installed the emperor as crown prince, and established the capital at Iware (Note: a note in this work calls it the Wakazakura Palace. The name Wakazakura Palace in fact arose in the reign of Emperor Richū, and at this time that name would not yet have existed. It was probably because Emperor Richū later made his own capital at the same place where the empress dowager had set hers that this name came to be applied, and was then used retrospectively for this earlier time as well. The Sendai Kuji Hongi states that on this day Mononobe-no-Ikoto was made Ō-muraji).

¶In the year Kinoto-tori, on the seventh day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, Silla sent an envoy to pay tribute. Mishikochi asked leave to return home. This was granted, and Katsuragi-no-Sotsuhiko was sent to escort him.

¶In the year Mizunoto-mi, on the eighth day of the second month, the day Kinoe-ne, Takenouchi-no-Sukune bore the crown prince to Tsunuga and had him worship the great god of Kehi. On the seventeenth day, the day Mizunoto-tori, they returned from Tsunuga. The empress dowager held a banquet in the great hall, raised her cup, composed a song, and wished the crown prince long life. Takenouchi-no-Sukune replied with a song on the crown prince's behalf (Note: the Wei Zhi, cited in a note to this work, states that in the years Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, Kanoe-saru, and Mizunoto-i, envoys were exchanged with Wei; but since this is not recorded in the histories of our own country, it is not adopted here).

¶In the year Hinoe-tora, on the first day of the third month, the day Kinoto-i, Shima-no-Sukune was sent to the land of Tokujun, and Shima-no-Sukune then went on to pacify and reassure Kudara before returning.

¶In the year Hinoto-u, in the fourth month, Kudara and Silla both sent tribute. At this time Silla threatened the envoy of Kudara and substituted its own tribute for that of Kudara in presenting it. By imperial command the envoy of Silla was questioned and reproached for this. Chikumanagahiko was sent to Silla to hold it to account for its offense.

¶In the year Tsuchinoto-mi, in the third month, Aratawake and Kagawake were made generals and, leading Kutei and other men of Kudara, attacked and defeated Silla, pacifying the seven lands of Hishiho, Arihishinokara, Tokuara, Tara, Tokujun, and Kara, and further attacked and destroyed Tomutare of the southern barbarians, giving that land to Kudara.

¶In the year Kanoe-uma, in the second month, Aratawake and the others returned. In the fifth month, Chikumanagahiko and Kutei came from Kudara, and the fortress of Tasa was further added and given to Kudara. In the year Kanoto-hitsuji, in the third month, Kudara again sent Kutei to pay tribute.

¶In the year Mizunoe-saru, on the tenth day of the ninth month, the day Hinoe-ne, Kutei, the envoy of Kudara, came to court accompanying Chikumanagahiko, and presented a seven-branched sword, nanatsusaya-no-tachi, and a seven-child mirror, nanatsuko-no-kagami, one of each, together with several kinds of precious treasures.

¶In the year Kinoto-i, King Shōko of Kudara died.

¶In the year Hinoe-ne, Kisu became king of Kudara.

¶In the year Mizunoe-uma, Silla failed to send tribute, and Katsuragi-no-Sotsuhiko was sent to attack it.

¶In the year Kinoe-saru, King Kisu of Kudara died, and his son Tomuru became king.

¶In the year Kinoto-tori, King Tomuru of Kudara died, and since his son Aka was still a child, his uncle Shinshi seized the throne for himself (Note: the Jin Qiju Zhu, cited in a note to this work, states that in the year Hinoe-inu envoys were exchanged with Jin; but since this is not recorded in the histories of our own country, it is not adopted here).

¶In the year Tsuchinoto-ushi, on the seventeenth day of the fourth month, the day Hinoto-ushi, the empress dowager died. On the fifteenth day of the tenth month, the day Mizunoe-saru, Empress Jingū was buried.

¶In the first year, the year Kanoe-tora, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Hinoto-i, the emperor ascended the throne. He was seventy-one at the time (Note: this age follows the Mizukagami, the Gukanshō, and the Kōdaiki, and this work's own record of his birth year). He was called Homuda-no-sumeramikoto. He made his capital at Karushima, at what was called the Akira Palace (Note: that he made his capital at Karushima follows the Sendai Kuji Hongi and the Kojiki. The Sendai Kuji Hongi calls it the Toyoakira Palace).

¶In the second year, the year Kanoto-u, in spring, in the third month, on the day Mizunoe-ne (Note: this work gives the date as "spring, third month, first day Kanoe-inu, the day Mizunoe-ne," but reckoning the sexagenary cycle now, the third month begins on Kanoe-tatsu, and there is no day Mizunoe-ne within it, while the fourth month begins on Kanoe-inu, and Mizunoe-ne falls on its third day. There is an error in the recorded sexagenary date, but there is no way to confirm the correction), he installed Nakatsuhime as empress.

¶In the third year, the year Mizunoe-tatsu, in winter, on the third day of the tenth month, the day Mizunoto-tori, the Emishi of the east paid tribute. The emperor then ordered the Emishi to build the Umayazaka road. In the eleventh month, the fisherfolk, ama, of the various regions rose in disturbance and would not obey the imperial command. Ōhama-no-Sukune was sent as overseer, miya-koto-mochi, of the fisherfolk, to pacify and govern them. In this year, King Shinshi of Kudara having committed an act of discourtesy, Ki-no-Tsuno, Hata-no-Yashiro, Soga-no-Ishikawa, and Heguri-no-Tsuku were sent to Kudara to call him to account. The people of that country killed Shinshi and offered their apology, and Ki-no-Tsuno and the others installed Aka as king before returning home.

¶In the fifth year, the year Kinoe-uma, in autumn, on the thirteenth day of the eighth month, the day Mizunoe-tora, he ordered the provinces to establish the Amabe and Yamamoribe guilds. In winter, in the tenth month, he had the province of Izu build a ship ten jō in length. When it was tried on the sea, it moved lightly and swiftly, as though running; it was named Karano.

¶In the sixth year, the year Kinoto-hitsuji, in spring, in the second month, he made a progress to Ōmi.

¶In the seventh year, the year Hinoe-saru, Koma, Kudara, Mimana, and Silla all together sent envoys to court. He ordered Takenouchi-no-Sukune to lead men of Kara in building a pond; it was accordingly named Karahito Pond (Note: the Kojiki calls it Kudara Pond).

¶In the eighth year, the year Hinoto-tori, in spring, in the third month, King Aka of Kudara having been discourteous, the lands of Tomutare, as well as Kennan, Shichin, Kokuna, and Tōkan, were taken from him. Aka, in fear, sent his son Toki to court to offer his apology (Note: a note in this work cites the Kudaraki, the Paekche Annals).

¶In the ninth year, the year Tsuchinoe-inu, in summer, in the fourth month, Takenouchi-no-Sukune was sent to inspect Tsukushi (Note: the Teiō Hennenki states that in the tenth year, the year Tsuchinoto-i, the Karu market was established; it is not clear on what this is based, but it is noted here for the time being).

¶In the eleventh year, the year Kanoe-ne, in winter, in the tenth month, the Tsurugi Pond, the Karu Pond, the Shishigaki Pond, and the Umayazaka Pond were built.

¶In the fourteenth year, the year Mizunoto-u, in spring, in the second month, Kudara presented a seamstress, kinunuime, in tribute. In this year, Yuzuki-no-kimi requested to be naturalized, and Katsuragi-no-Sotsuhiko was sent to Kara to receive him.

¶In the fifteenth year, the year Kinoe-tatsu, in autumn, on the sixth day of the eighth month, the day Hinoto-u, King Aka of Kudara sent Achiki as envoy to present two fine horses in tribute (Note: the Kojiki states that King Shōko of Kudara sent Achikishi as envoy to present one stallion and one mare, together with a long sword and a great mirror). Aratawake and Kannagiwake were sent to Kudara, and Wani was summoned to come.

¶In the sixteenth year, the year Kinoto-mi, in spring, in the second month, the king of Kudara sent Wani as envoy, leading to court the smith Takuso, the weaver Saiso, and the sake-brewer Nihō, and presented ten scrolls of the Analects and one scroll of the Thousand Character Classic (Note: the passage "leading the smith" onward follows the Kojiki. The Kojiki also states that Nihō was also called Susukori). In this year, King Aka of Kudara died. The emperor decreed to Toki, "Return to your country and succeed to the throne," and granted him the land of Tōkan that had earlier been taken away. In autumn, in the eighth month, he decreed that Heguri-no-Tsuku and Ikuha-no-Toda be sent leading troops to attack Silla, and then had them lead Sotsuhiko and the people of Yuzuki back with them.

¶In the nineteenth year, the year Tsuchinoe-saru, in winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, he made a progress to the Yoshino Palace. The people of Kuzu presented sweet sake, amazake, and performed songs for him. From this time on, they frequently presented tribute.

¶In the twentieth year, the year Tsuchinoto-tori, in autumn, in the ninth month, Achi-no-Omi, a descendant of Liu Hong, a sovereign of Han, together with his son Tsuka-no-Omi, came and submitted as naturalized subjects, leading with them the people of seventeen districts (Note: that Achi-no-Omi is recorded as a descendant of a sovereign of Han follows the Shinsen Shōjiroku).

¶In the twenty-second year, the year Kanoto-i, in spring, on the fifth day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, he made a progress to the Ōsumi Palace at Naniwa. In summer, in the fourth month, his consort Ehime returned home to visit her family in Kibi. In autumn, on the sixth day of the ninth month, the day Hinoe-inu, he hunted on the island of Awaji, then toured and inspected Kibi, and made a progress to the island of Shōdoshima. On the tenth day, the day Kanoe-tora, he reached the Handa-no-Ashimori Palace, where Ehime's elder brother Mitomowake presented him with food; he accordingly enfeoffed Mitomowake's sons and younger brothers over the various districts of Kibi (Note: the Shinsen Shōjiroku states that the emperor, intending to fix the provincial boundaries, made a circuit by carriage as far as Harima; this was probably in this same year. It is noted here for reference).

¶In the twenty-fifth year, the year Kinoe-tora, King Toki of Kudara died, and his son Kunishin became king.

¶In the twenty-eighth year, the year Hinoto-mi, in autumn, in the ninth month, the king of Koma sent an envoy to pay tribute. Since his memorial contained discourteous language, the envoy was called to account, and the memorial was destroyed.

¶In the thirty-first year, the year Kanoe-saru, in autumn, in the eighth month, he issued a decree, saying: "The government ship Karano, presented in tribute by the province of Izu, has rotted and can no longer be used. Yet it has long served the needs of the state, and its merit must not be forgotten. How might we keep its name from perishing and hand it down to later ages?" The assembled ministers, in obedience to the decree, had officials break up the ship for firewood, and used it to boil five hundred baskets of salt, which were distributed among the provinces. He then ordered that new ships be built, and the provinces presented five hundred ships in all, which were gathered at the harbor of Muko. Just at that time the tribute envoy from Silla happened to be anchored at Muko, and a fire broke out and spread to the gathered ships. The envoy was reproached for this. The king of Silla, in fear, sent skilled craftsmen in tribute.

¶In the thirty-seventh year, the year Hinoe-tora, in spring, on the first day of the second month, the day Tsuchinoe-uma, Achi-no-Omi and Tsuka-no-Omi were sent to Wu to seek skilled seamstresses (Note: by this time Wu had already fallen and been absorbed into Jin, but the old name was probably retained in speaking of it; the same applies below).

¶In the thirty-ninth year, the year Tsuchinoe-tatsu, King Toki of Kudara sent his younger sister Shisetsuhime to serve at court (Note: this work states that Toki died in the twenty-fifth year and that his son Kunishin became king. According to the Donguk Tonggam, this year corresponds to the fifth year of King Biryu of Kudara, and it seems likely that the name Toki given here is an error).

¶In the fortieth year, the year Tsuchinoto-mi, in spring, on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, the day Kinoe-ne, he installed Prince Uji-no-Wakiiratsuko as crown prince, and had Prince Ōsazaki assist him. Prince Ōyamamori was placed in charge of the mountains, rivers, forests, and moors (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi states that Mononobe-no-Inaba was made Ō-muraji).

¶In the forty-first year, the year Kanoe-uma, in spring, on the fifteenth day of the second month, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, the emperor died at the Akira Palace (Note: one tradition recorded in a note to this work gives it as the Ōsumi Palace). He was 111 years old (Note: this work gives his age as 110, which agrees with the note to the passage recording his installation as crown prince, which states that he was "three years old at the time." But this work plainly states that the emperor was born in the ninth year, the year Kanoe-tatsu, of Emperor Chūai's reign, which would in fact make him 111 in the year Kanoe-uma. We therefore follow the Mizukagami, the Kōnendai Ryakki, and the Teiō Hennenki. The Kojiki gives his age as 130, and states that he died on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year Kinoe-uma). In this month, Achi-no-Omi and the others, leading the skilled women Ehime and Otohime, together with the weavers Kurehatori and Anahatori, arrived from Wu. He was buried at the Ega-no-Mofushi-no-yama-no-oka Misasagi in Kawachi (Note: this work contains no record of his burial; this account now follows the Kojiki, the Engishiki, and the Kōnendai Ryakki). He was posthumously given the title Emperor Ōjin. In the fifth year of Wadō, in the reign of Empress Genmei, the emperor was enshrined in the district of Usa in the province of Buzen, and given the title Hachiman Daijingū (Note: this follows the Usa Takusenshū). Emperor Seiwa founded the Iwashimizu Shrine on Mount Otoko in the province of Yamashiro, and annual rites were offered there (Note: this follows the Iwashimizu Hachiman Engi and the Jinnō Shōtōki).