Imperial Princes I

[Emperor Jinmu: Four Sons]

¶Under the institutions of the imperial house, a son of the emperor was styled shinnō (Imperial Prince) and a grandson of the emperor was styled niseiō (prince of the second generation); down through the third, fourth and fifth generations all were called shoō (princes), and each was assigned a court rank. This was probably fixed by the Taihō Code. In remote antiquity customs were simple and honorific titles were not yet fully developed. Yet for the command of armies and the government of provinces and districts, sons of emperors and grandsons of princes were for the most part chosen. Their work in protecting the imperial house and pacifying the realm was truly flourishing. When the ages moved on and the middle period began, the power of the regents and chancellors grew heavier by the day, and Imperial Princes and princes no longer took part in affairs of government. Some were granted a surname and descended to the rank of subject; others took the tonsure and entered the Buddhist path. Even when an Imperial Prince held the governorship of one of the provinces, it was always a nominal post held in absentia, and the actual business was entirely entrusted to the Jōsa (deputy, the vice-governor) to manage. Even if they held other offices, these too were in name only. When we come to the reign of Emperor Go-Daigo, matters of war and government multiplied and rebellions arose in force; the Imperial Princes all received commissions as marshals and senior generals, devoted themselves to their duties, and carried out measures of recovery and subjugation. That persons of the exalted imperial blood should have achieved such exceptional merit is something unseen since Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto, and this too is an instance by which one may observe the changes of the age. Such figures as Kasuga, Oka-no-miya, Sudō Jinkyō, and Sudō Tennō were all known by honorific titles conferred posthumously, and by this the intention of particularly recording them with reverence is shown. Here the Biographies of Imperial Princes are composed.

Tagishimimi-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Jinmu had five sons. The Empress, Himetatara-Isuzu-hime, bore Hikoyaimimi-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kojiki. The present work has "Hikoyai," but here the Seishiroku is followed. In the Kuji Ki he is listed as the fourth son, and his mother's name is not recorded. The Seishiroku makes him a son of Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto, but on what basis is unclear), Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto, and Emperor Suizei. The consort Ahiratsu-hime bore Tagishimimi-no-mikoto (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki) and Kisumimi-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kojiki).

Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto

¶Tagishimimi-no-mikoto was born in Hyūga and followed the emperor (Emperor Jinmu) on the Eastern Expedition. When they reached the village of Kumano in Kii, they met a violent storm at sea, and many men and ships were swept away and sunk. Only the emperor and Tagishimimi were unharmed. In the spring of the seventy-sixth year (of Emperor Jinmu) the emperor died. The Crown Prince was in ryōan (the period of deep mourning), and since Tagishimimi was the elder and had long taken part in the affairs of court, the whole conduct of government was entrusted to him. Tagishimimi was by nature perverse, and now that he had come to hold power he did as he pleased; in the end he harbored evil designs and plotted to do harm to the Crown Prince and to Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto. The Crown Prince learned of it and secretly made preparations (Note: according to the Kojiki, when Tagishimimi-no-mikoto plotted to kill his three younger brothers, the Empress Isukeyori-hime learned of the scheme and, by means of a song, made her sons aware of it, singing that clouds were spreading across the Sai River and the leaves on Mount Unebi were rustling, a sign that the wind was about to blow. She sang another song, saying that Mount Unebi sits in cloud by day and that at evening the leaves rustle because the wind is about to blow. The sons, hearing this, were alarmed, and in the end they killed Tagishimimi). When Tagishimimi was in the earthen chamber at Kataoka, the Crown Prince, taking counsel in secret with Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto alone, pushed open the door and burst in. At that moment Tagishimimi was lying alone on a great couch. The Crown Prince shot him with an arrow and killed him. This was in the winter, the eleventh month, of the year of the Great Year Tsuchinoto-no-U. About four years had passed from the emperor's death to this time. In the following year, Kanoe-tatsu, the Crown Prince ascended the throne. This was Emperor Suizei (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

Hikoyaimimi-no-mikoto

¶At the time of Tagishimimi's rebellion, Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto set out with the Crown Prince to shoot him dead. When Tagishimimi was lying alone in the earthen chamber, the Crown Prince said to Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto, "In today's business, only you and I will act. I shall open the door first, and you shall shoot him." So the two went forward together. When the Crown Prince opened the door, Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto's hands and feet trembled and he could not loose his arrow. The Crown Prince took the bow and arrows from him, struck Tagishimimi in the chest with one shot and in the back with a second, and so killed him. Thereupon Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto, ashamed, submitted and said to the Crown Prince, "Your elder brother (myself) was timid and could not complete the deed. You were able to display heroic valor and in your own person put the chief villain to death. You should ascend to the heavenly seat and continue the ancestral work. I shall assist you and serve and oversee the gods of heaven and earth" (Note: the Kojiki says that he said, "I shall assist you and become an imibito, a ritual abstainer"). He died in the fourth month of the fourth year of Emperor Suizei (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). His grandson was called Takeiotake-no-mikoto, who in the reign of Emperor Sujin became Kuni-no-miyatsuko of Shinano. Another was called Hayamikatama-no-mikoto, who became Kuni-no-miyatsuko of Aso (Note: following the Kuji Ki).

Kisumimi-no-mikoto

¶Hikoyaimimi-no-mikoto.

[Emperor Annei: Two Sons]

¶Kisumimi-no-mikoto.

Okisomimi-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Annei had three sons. The Empress Nunasoko-nakatsu-hime bore Okisomimi-no-mikoto, Emperor Itoku, and Shikitsuhiko-no-mikoto (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. Shikitsuhiko-no-mikoto is given according to the notes of the present work).

Shikitsuhiko-no-mikoto

¶Okisomimi-no-mikoto (Note: Okisomimi-no-mikoto is not recorded in the notes of the present work or in the Kojiki, which state that there was an elder brother called Tsunetsuhiko Nanigashi. The Kuji Ki says that Okisomimi-no-mikoto was also called Tsunetsuhiko and left no heir. It is added here for reference) had a daughter named Amatoyotsu-hime, who became Empress of Emperor Itoku (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

[Emperor Itoku: One Son]

¶Shikitsuhiko-no-mikoto had two children. One's name is missing, and the other was called Wachitsumi-no-mikoto. Wachitsumi lived in the Mii Palace in Awaji, and fathered two daughters (Note: following the Kojiki), Yamatokuniga-hime and Hae-irodo, both of whom became consorts of Emperor Kōrei (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki).

Takeshiuchiwake-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Itoku had two sons. The Empress Amatoyotsu-hime bore Emperor Kōshō and Takeshiuchiwake-no-mikoto (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. The Kuji Ki makes Takeshiuchiwake-no-mikoto the youngest son of Emperor Annei).

[Emperor Kōshō: One Son]

¶Takeshiuchiwake-no-mikoto.

Amatarashihiko-kuni-oshihito-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Kōshō had two sons. The Empress Yosotarashi-hime bore Amatarashihiko-kuni-oshihito-no-mikoto and Emperor Kōan.

[Emperor Kōan: One Son]

¶Amatarashihiko-kuni-oshihito-no-mikoto (Note: the Kojiki gives "Ame-oshitarashihiko") had a son, Hiko-oketsu-no-mikoto (Note: following the Seishiroku), and a daughter, Oshi-hime, who became Empress of Emperor Kōan, and Oketsu-hime, who became a consort of Emperor Kaika (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). Hiko-oketsu had a child called Ifutsuku-no-mikoto. A descendant of Amatarashihiko-kuni-oshihito in the third generation was called Hikokunibuku (Note: following the Seishiroku), who has a separate biography.

Ōkibi-no-Morosusumi-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Kōan had two sons. The Empress Oshi-hime bore Ōkibi-no-Morosusumi-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kojiki) and Emperor Kōrei (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

[Emperor Kōrei: Four Sons]

¶Ōkibi-no-Morosusumi-no-mikoto.

Hikosashikatawake-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Kōrei had five sons. The Empress Kuwashi-hime bore Emperor Kōgen (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). The consort Yamatokuniga-hime bore Hikosashikatawake-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kojiki) and Hikoisa-no-mikoto. Hae-irodo bore Hikosashima-no-mikoto (Note: the Kojiki gives "Hikosamema") and Wakatakehiko-no-mikoto (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki. On examining the Kuji Ki, it says there was a younger brother, Wakatakehiko-no-mikoto, but this is a mistake).

Hikoisaserihiko-no-mikoto

¶Hikosashikatawake-no-mikoto.

Hikosashima-no-mikoto

¶Hikoisaserihiko-no-mikoto was also called Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto (Note: the Kojiki gives "Ōkibitsuhiko-no-mikoto." The Seishiroku sometimes gives "Kibitsuhiko-isaseri-no-mikoto"). In the ninth month of the tenth year of Emperor Sujin he was appointed general and sent out along the Western Road. Just then Takehaniyasuhiko rose in rebellion and, with his wife Atahime, divided his forces by two roads to attack the capital, and so Isaserihiko was kept back to put it down. Isaserihiko met Atahime in battle at Ōzaka, cut her down, and annihilated the remnants of her force. Afterwards he went out along the Western Road and pacified the barbarian peoples. In the seventh month of the sixtieth year (of Emperor Sujin), the divine treasures of Takehinateru-no-mikoto, which had formerly been stored in the Great Shrine of Izumo and were in the keeping of Izumo-no-Furune, were now wished for by the emperor, who sent Takemorosumi to demand them. Furune happened to be away in Tsukushi, so his younger brother Iiirine received the order and had his own younger brother Umashikarahisa and his son Ukazukunu present the divine treasures. When Furune returned, he blamed Iiirine, saying, "You should have waited a few days. What did you fear that you so readily granted it?" His resentment did not fade for a long time, and in the end he resolved to kill him. So he lured Iiirine to Yamuya Pool and, pretending to look at the water plants, stood at the edge of the pool and said to Iiirine, "The water of the pool is clear and cold; shall we swim together?" The two unbuckled their swords and entered the water. Furune had made a wooden sword in advance and wore it himself; he came out onto the bank first, drew Iiirine's sword, and pressed upon him. Iiirine was alarmed and took up Furune's sword, but it was wooden. In the end he was killed. Umashikarahisa and Ukazukunu went to court, reported the matter, and the emperor sent Isaserihiko and Takenunakawawake to put Furune to death. Furune submitted to execution. The Izumo-no-omi were seized with fear and awe, and ceased to worship the Great Deity. A man of Tanba, Hikatobe, received a divine oracle and spoke of it to the Crown Prince. When the Crown Prince reported it to the throne, the worship was resumed by imperial command (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. On examination, it is about one hundred and seventy-eight years from the death of Emperor Kōrei to the sixtieth year of Emperor Sujin, and when Isaserihiko died is not known). Earlier, Isaserihiko, together with his younger brother Wakatakehiko, had pacified and governed the province of Kibi (Note: following the Kojiki). In later ages a shrine, the Kibitsuhiko Shrine, was built in Bitchū to worship him (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki and the Engishiki). Isaserihiko had a son called Miinekō-no-mikoto, who in the reign of Emperor Keikō became Kuni-no-miyatsuko of Ashikita (Note: following the Kuji Ki).

Wakatakehiko-no-mikoto

¶Hikosashima-no-mikoto.

Kibi-no-Takehiko-no-mikoto

¶Wakatakehiko-no-mikoto (Note: the Kojiki gives "Wakatake-Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto," or sometimes "Wakahiko-take-Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto") had two daughters, named Harima-no-Inabi-no-Ōiratsume and Harima-no-Inabi-no-Wakiiratsume, who both entered the harem of Emperor Keikō (Note: following the Kojiki. On examination, there is a suspicion that these two ladies were not daughters of Wakatakehiko. Details appear in the Biographies of Consorts). His grandson was called Kibi-no-Takehiko-no-mikoto (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

[Emperor Kōgen: Four Sons]

¶Kibi-no-Takehiko-no-mikoto (Note: his father's name is missing. The Kojiki gives "Misukitomomimi-takehiko"). In the fortieth year of Emperor Keikō, when Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto marched east against the Emishi, the emperor appointed Kibi-no-Takehiko and Ōtomo-no-Takehi as his deputy generals (Note: on examination, it is about three hundred and twenty-five years from the death of Emperor Kōrei to the fortieth year of Emperor Keikō, so Kibi-no-Takehiko was a descendant of Wakatakehiko some generations removed). When the Emishi had been entirely subdued, they came back as far as Usuizaka. When Yamato-takeru was about to go out into Shinano, he sent Kibi-no-Takehiko separately into the province of Koshi to survey the lie of the land and the condition of the people; Takehiko came out round by Mino and joined Yamato-takeru, and followed him all the way to Ise. When Yamato-takeru fell ill and was about to die, he sent Kibi-no-Takehiko to the capital to report to the throne what had happened (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). Kibi-no-Takehiko's son was called Okabehiko-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kuji Ki), and there were also Mitomowake-no-mikoto and Kamowake-no-mikoto (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku and the Seishiroku). A daughter, called Ehime, became a consort of Emperor Ōjin (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. On examination, the present work does not record her father's name, but since it records that she was a sister of Mitomowake, she is listed here). In the reign of Emperor Seimu, Okabehiko became Kuni-no-miyatsuko of Iohara (Note: following the Kuji Ki. The Seishiroku says that in the reign of Emperor Keikō, Kibi-no-Takehiko was sent to the east to subdue the Emishi and reached the province of Abe-no-Iohara, and on the day he reported back, that province of Iohara was granted to him). In the twenty-second year of Emperor Ōjin, when the emperor journeyed to the province of Kibi on account of Ehime, he came to the Ashimori Palace. On that occasion Mitomowake led his sons and younger kinsmen in offering a meal, and the service was most respectful. The emperor commended it and divided the districts of the province of Kibi, granting them as fiefs to his three sons and to his younger brother Kamowake and others. As for Kamowake, after Emperor Chūai personally led a campaign against the Kumaso, failed to win, and died, Empress Jingū ordered Kamowake to attack and pacify them (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). When Emperor Ōjin journeyed to Kibi and climbed Mount Kasame, the wind blew his imperial hat away, and the emperor found this strange. Kamowake reported, "This is a sign that the gods of heaven and earth are offering it to Your Majesty." They then hunted on that mountain and indeed the game was plentiful. The emperor was greatly pleased and bestowed on him the name Kasa (Note: following the Seishiroku). This was the first ancestor of the Kasa-no-omi (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Seishiroku). Among his descendants was a man called Agatamori (Note: on examination, the present work records Agatamori as the ancestor of the Kasa-no-omi but does not give his father's name. Since he seems to have been a son of Kamowake, he is appended here). Agatamori was by nature brave and strong. In the last years of Emperor Nintoku, in the Kawashima River in the middle province of Kibi there was a great water serpent, and many travelers who passed by were poisoned and died. Agatamori stood at the edge of the pool and cast three gourds into it, saying, "You spit poison and harm people. I intend to kill you. If you can make these gourds sink, I will avoid you. If you cannot, I shall cut you down." Then the serpent changed into a deer and tried to drag the gourds under, but the gourds did not sink. Agatamori entered the water, wielded his sword, cut the serpent down, and cut off all its companions to the last, so that the waters of the river were dyed red. For this reason the water is said to have been named Agatamori Pool (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

Ōhiko-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Kōgen had five sons. The Empress Utsushikome bore Ōhiko-no-mikoto, Sukunahikotakeigokoro-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kojiki. The present work makes him an elder brother of Emperor Kaika by the same mother), and Emperor Kaika. The consort Ikagashikome bore Hikofutsuoshi-no-makoto-no-mikoto, and Haniyasu-hime bore Takehaniyasuhiko-no-mikoto (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

Sukunahikotakeigokoro-no-mikoto

¶In the ninth month of the tenth year of Emperor Sujin, Ōhiko-no-mikoto received the seal and cord and became a general. With his son Takenunakawawake, as well as Hikoisaserihiko and Tanba-no-Michinushi, he pacified and won over the four quarters, and so they were called the Shidō Shōgun, the Generals of the Four Roads. Ōhiko went toward the Hokuriku, and on the way passed Wani Slope (Note: the notes of the present work give as one account Narasaka in Yamashiro). There a young girl sang a song, and when she had finished she suddenly vanished. Ōhiko thought this strange and returned to report what had happened. Yamato-totohi-momoso-hime told the emperor, "This is a sign that Takehaniyasuhiko will rise in rebellion." So the generals were kept back to confer. Takehaniyasuhiko did indeed rebel, dividing his army with his wife Atahime and advancing by two roads. The emperor ordered Ōhiko and Hikokunibuku to attack him. Ōhiko and his colleagues met Takehaniyasuhiko in Yamashiro; on this occasion they set sacred jars (iwaibe) in place at Takesukizaka in Wani, led picked troops to camp on Mount Nara, and advanced to offer battle to Takehaniyasuhiko across the Wakara River. When Takehaniyasuhiko came to the river and loosed an arrow, Hikokunibuku shot Takehaniyasuhiko dead, and his army collapsed in rout. They pursued and broke them north of the river, and the remaining troops all surrendered. In the tenth month Ōhiko and the others, in obedience to the edict, set out for their respective roads and pacified the barbarians (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). Ōhiko had sons named Takenunakawawake, Hikosetate-ōinakori-no-mikoto, Hata-takehiko-no-mikoto (Note: the present work sometimes makes him a grandson of Ōhiko), and Himoyui-no-mikoto (Note: following the Seishiroku). His daughter was called Mimaki-hime, and became Empress of Emperor Sujin. Takenunakawawake became a general in the ninth month of the tenth year of Emperor Sujin and went to the Tōkai (Note: following the Nihon Shoki), and met his father Ōhiko at Aizu (Note: following the Kojiki). In the sixtieth year, together with Hikoisaserihiko, he received the command to put Izumo-no-Furune to death. In the reign of Emperor Suinin he became a Maetsugimi (Great Minister) (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). The son of Hikosetate-ōinakori was called Hikoyanushi-tagokoro-no-mikoto. Earlier, when Ōhiko was on his northern campaign, on reaching Usagida Sumisaka he happened to hear the crying of a small child; he searched, found it, was greatly pleased, and had Usagida-no-Otohime suckle it. When it grew up he took it in as his own son, and its name was Ehiko-no-sukune. Ōhiko's grandson was called Iwakamutsukari-no-mikoto (Note: following the Seishiroku. His father's name is missing). When Emperor Keikō toured the eastern provinces and came from Kazusa to Awa-no-minato, he heard the cry of a kakuka bird and, wishing to see its form, went out to the seashore to look for it, and by chance obtained a white clam. Mutsukari used bulrush as a sash for his sleeves and made a dish of minced clam, and presented it. The emperor was pleased and granted him the surname Kashiwade-no-Ōtomobe (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

Hikofutsuoshi-no-makoto-no-mikoto

¶Sukunahikotakeigokoro-no-mikoto.

Takehaniyasuhiko-no-mikoto

¶Hikofutsuoshi-no-makoto-no-mikoto. He fathered Yanushi-oshio-takeogokoro-no-mikoto (Note: the character for "o" in "ogokoro" is written in one text with the character for "i." On examination, the Kōin Shōunroku and the genealogy of the Ki family, hereditary priests of Iwashimizu, treat Yanushi, Oshio and Itsuogokoro as two separate persons, but this is a mistake). Takeogokoro had two sons, called Takeuchi-no-sukune and Umashiuchi-no-sukune (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. On examination, the Kojiki writes "Umashi" with different characters, makes both Takeuchi and Umashi sons of Hikofutsuoshi-no-makoto-no-mikoto, and also makes Umashi a half-elder brother of Takeuchi, and in all these ways differs from the present work). Takeuchi-no-sukune has a separate biography.

[Emperor Kaika: Three Sons]

¶Takehaniyasuhiko-no-mikoto lived in Yamashiro in the reign of Emperor Sujin (Note: following the Kojiki. On examination, the present work makes Takehaniyasuhiko a son of Emperor Kōgen and also records the emperor Sujin's words, "my half-elder brother," so the two works disagree and there is now no way to verify it). In the tenth year (of Emperor Sujin), together with his wife Atahime, he secretly plotted treason, and raised troops to attack the capital by separate roads. The emperor sent Hikoisaserihiko to intercept and strike Atahime, and killed her. Takehaniyasuhiko faced Ōhiko, Hikokunibuku and the others across the Wakara River, and was shot dead by Hikokunibuku (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

Hikoyumusumi-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Kaika had four sons. The Empress Ikagashikome bore Emperor Sujin. The consort Takano-hime bore Hikoyumusumi-no-mikoto, and Oketsu-hime bore Hikoimasu-no-miko (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). The palace woman Kazuraki-no-Washi-hime bore Taketoyohazurawake-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kojiki. The Seishiroku gives "Taketoyohō-wake-no-mikoto").

Hikoimasu-no-miko

¶Hikoyumusumi-no-mikoto was also called Hikomasusu (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). He had two sons, called Ōtsutsuki-tarine-no-miko and Sanuki-tarine-no-miko. Ōtsutsuki-tarine-no-miko had a daughter called Kaguya-hime, who entered the harem of Emperor Suinin (Note: following the Kojiki).

Taketoyohazurawake-no-mikoto

¶Hikoimasu-no-miko had twelve sons and three daughters. They were Ōmata-no-miko, Omata-no-miko, Shibumi-no-sukune-no-miko, Sahohiko-no-miko (Note: the present work writes this with different characters, but the Nihon Shoki is now followed), Ozaho-no-miko, Murobiko-no-miko, Tanba-no-Michinushi-no-mikoto (Note: the present work gives "Tanba-hiko-tatasu-michi-no-ushi-no-miko," but the Nihon Shoki is now followed. A note in the Nihon Shoki sometimes makes him a son of Hikoyumusumi-no-mikoto, but this is not adopted here), Mizuho-no-Mawaka-no-miko, Kamu-ōne-no-miko, Yamashiro-no-Ōtsutsuki-no-Mawaka-no-miko, Hiko-osu-no-miko, and Irine-no-miko. The daughters were Saho-hime (Note: the present work writes this with different characters, but the Nihon Shoki is now followed), Mizuho-no-Iyori-hime, and Miitsu-hime (Note: following the Kojiki). Saho-hime became Empress of Emperor Suinin (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). Ōmata-no-miko had two sons, the elder Akedatsu-no-miko and the younger Unakami-no-miko (Note: following the Kojiki. The present work says that Mitsuwake-no-mikoto did not speak even when he had grown up, so they were about to go and pray at the Great Shrine of Izumo, and Akedatsu-no-miko was determined by divination to accompany him; as marvelous signs appeared repeatedly, by imperial decree Akedatsu-no-miko was styled "Yamato-wa-Shiki-Tomi-Toyo-Asakura-Akedatsu-no-miko"; then Akedatsu-no-miko and Unakami-no-miko were made to accompany Homutsuwake-no-mikoto to worship the Great Deity of Izumo; before long Homutsuwake-no-mikoto was able to speak, the emperor was greatly delighted, and he sent Unakami-no-miko to build the god's shrine. But because this differs from the Nihon Shoki it is not adopted). Sahohiko-no-miko rose in rebellion in the fifth year of Emperor Suinin and was put to death. This affair is in the biography of the Empress Saho-hime. Tanba-no-Michinushi-no-mikoto became a general in the tenth year of Emperor Sujin and went to Tanba; he had one son and five daughters. The son was called Mikadowake-no-miko, and the five daughters all entered the harem of Emperor Suinin (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. Mikadowake-no-miko is given following the Kojiki). Kamu-ōne-no-miko was also called Yatsume-irihiko-no-miko, and became Kuni-no-miyatsuko of Motosu in Mino (Note: the Kokuzō-ki of the Kuji Ki says "Kuni-no-miyatsuko of Mino-no-michi-no-kuchi." On examination, the Mino Kuni-no-miyatsuko Kamuhone in the Keikō chronicle of the Nihon Shoki is probably this person. "Ōne" and "hone" are close in kun reading). Yamashiro-no-Ōtsutsuki-no-Mawaka-no-miko fathered Kanime-ikazuchi-no-miko, and Kanime-ikazuchi-no-miko fathered Okinaga-no-sukune-no-miko (Note: the present work writes "oki" with different characters, but the Nihon Shoki is now followed. Both the Nihon Shoki and the Kuji Ki make Okinaga-no-sukune a great-grandson of Emperor Kaika, which differs from this). Okinaga-no-sukune-no-miko had two sons and two daughters. The sons were called Okinagahiko-no-miko and Ōtamusaka-no-miko (Note: following the Kojiki). The elder daughter was Okinagatarashi-hime, who became Empress of Emperor Chūai (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki).

[Emperor Sujin: Six Sons]

¶Taketoyohazurawake-no-mikoto.

Hikoisachi-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Sujin had seven sons. The Empress Mimaki-hime bore Emperor Suinin, Hikoisachi-no-mikoto, Yamatohiko-no-mikoto, and Ikatsuruhiko-no-mikoto. The consort Tōtsuayumemakuwashi-hime bore Toyokiirihiko-no-mikoto, and Owari-no-Ōama-hime bore Ōirikinomikoto and Yasakairihiko-no-mikoto (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. Ōirikinomikoto is given following the Kojiki. On examination, the Kojiki has Izanomawaka-no-mikoto but does not record Hikoisachi-no-mikoto or Ikatsuruhiko-no-mikoto. The Kōin Shōunroku lists them all together and makes eight sons).

Yamatohiko-no-mikoto

¶Hikoisachi-no-mikoto.

Ikatsuruhiko-no-mikoto

¶Yamatohiko-no-mikoto died in the tenth month of the twenty-eighth year of Emperor Suinin. In the eleventh month he was buried at Musa-no-Tsukisaka, but his close attendants were buried alive in the precincts of the tomb, and they wailed day and night, died after several days, and their corpses rotted and were eaten by birds and beasts. The emperor heard their weeping and was moved with pity and grief, and by edict forbade the practice of following in death forever (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. The Kojiki says that it was then that the setting up of human fences at tomb precincts was first stopped).

Toyokiirihiko-no-mikoto

¶Ikatsuruhiko-no-mikoto.

Yatsunada

¶Toyokiirihiko-no-mikoto. When Emperor Suinin was still an imperial prince, Toyokiirihiko and Suinin were both favored by the sovereign (Emperor Sujin), and which of them to appoint had not yet been settled. In the forty-eighth year (of Emperor Sujin), the emperor wished to determine the matter by the omen of a dream. The two princes each reported the dream they had had. On the next day Toyokiirihiko reported, "I dreamed that I climbed Mount Mimoro and, facing east, brandished a sword and a spear eight times each." And so he was sent out to govern the eastern provinces (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). His son was called Yatsunada (Note: following the Seishiroku).

Hikosashima-no-miko

¶Yatsunada. In the tenth month of the fifth year of Emperor Suinin, when Sahohiko rose in rebellion, the emperor made Yatsunada a general and had him attack. Sahohiko built a stockade of rice sheaves and did not surrender even after a month had passed. The emperor ordered more troops to be added. Yatsunada set fire to the stockade and burned it, and Sahohiko submitted to execution. The emperor commended his merit and styled him Yamato-Hyūga-Takehimuka-hiko-Yatsunada. The grandson of Toyokiirihiko was called Hikosashima-no-miko (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. On examination, the present work does not record his father, but he seems to be a son of Yatsunada).

Ōirikino-mikoto

¶In the second month of the fifty-fifth year of Emperor Keikō, Hikosashima-no-miko was appointed Governor-General (Totoku) of the fifteen provinces of the Tōsandō. On reaching the village of Anakui in Kasuga he fell ill and died. The common people of the eastern provinces grieved that the prince had not reached his post, and secretly stole his remains and buried them in the province of Kōzuke. Hikosashima's son was called Mimorowake-no-miko (Note: the Seishiroku sometimes gives "Ō-Mimorowake-no-mikoto"). In the eighth month of the following year, an edict was issued to Mimorowake: "Your father, Hikosashima-no-miko, died early without being able to reach his post. You should take sole charge of the eastern provinces." Mimorowake received the command and, wishing also to complete his father's work, as soon as he reached his post he established good government. At that time the Emishi stirred up disturbance, and he at once raised troops and attacked them. The Emishi chieftains Ashifuribe, Ōhafuribe, Tōtsukuraobe and others knocked their heads on the ground, begged pardon for their crimes, and offered up all their lands. So he pardoned those who submitted and put to death those who did not. By this the east was brought to peace (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). This was the ancestor of the Kamitsukeno-no-kimi and the Shimotsukeno-no-kimi (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki). It is said that his descendants each received a surname taken from the place where they lived (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi, the tenth year of Enryaku). A descendant of Toyokiirihiko in the fourth generation was called Aratawake-no-mikoto (Note: following the Seishiroku), who has a separate biography.

Yasakairihiko-no-mikoto

¶Ōirikino-mikoto.

[Emperor Suinin: Eleven Sons]

¶Yasakairihiko-no-mikoto lived in Mino. He had two daughters, called Yasakairi-hime and Oto-hime. Yasakairi-hime became Empress of Emperor Keikō (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

Homutsuwake-no-mikoto

¶Emperor Suinin had twelve sons. The Empress Saho-hime bore Homutsuwake-no-mikoto. The Empress Hibasu-hime bore Inishikiirihiko-no-mikoto, Emperor Keikō (Note: following the Nihon Shoki), Ōnakatsuhiko-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kojiki), and Wakakiniirihiko-no-mikoto. The consort Nuhatani-irihime bore Nuteshiwake-no-mikoto (Note: on examination, the Kojiki has Igatarashihiko-no-mikoto, but this is probably a mistake for Ikatarashi-hime-no-mikoto and so is not adopted). Azaminiirihime bore Ikehayawake-no-mikoto (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). The palace woman Kaguya-hime bore Ozabe-no-miko (Note: following the Kojiki). Karihatatobe bore Mioyawake-no-mikoto, Ikatarashihiko-no-mikoto, and Itakeruwake-no-mikoto. Oto-karihatatobe bore Iwatsukuwake-no-mikoto (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. On examination, the present work writes "Oto-karihatatobe" as "Kanhatatobe," but the Kojiki is now followed. Details appear in the Biographies of Consorts).

Inishikiirihiko-no-mikoto

¶Homutsuwake-no-mikoto (Note: the Kojiki writes "Homuchiwake"; "chi" is sometimes written with the character for "tsu"). The emperor loved him and always kept him at his side. In the fifth year (of Emperor Suinin), the Empress's elder brother Sahohiko rose in rebellion, and the Empress entered the stockade holding Homutsuwake. The emperor called into the stockade and urged that the Empress and the prince be sent out, but he was not heeded. When government troops were about to set fire to the stockade, the Empress at last sent the prince out (Note: the Kojiki says that when the stockade was about to be burned, the prince was named, and that because he was born in the midst of that fire he was called Homuchiwake. On examination, "ho" in "homu" and "ho" in "fire" are the same in sound and reading). Homutsuwake was already thirty years old, and his beard reached eight handbreadths, yet he could not speak, and still only wept like an infant, so that the emperor was always troubled by it. One day when the emperor was standing in front of the hall and Homutsuwake was attending at his side, a swan flew by crying. Homutsuwake looked up at it and for the first time spoke the words, "What is that?" The emperor was greatly pleased and, looking to those about him, said, "Is there anyone who can catch that bird?" Ame-no-Yukawatana (Note: the Kojiki writes "Ōyamabe-no-Ōtaka") said, "I will catch it and bring it." The emperor said, "If you obtain this bird, I shall surely reward you richly." Tana pursued the swan as far as Izumo, caught it, and presented it. Homutsuwake played with it, and in the end was able to speak. So the emperor rewarded Tana by granting him the surname Tottori-no-miyatsuko (Note: on examination, one account in the Kuji Ki makes Homutsuwake the ancestor of the Tottori-no-miyatsuko, but this is a mistake). He also established the Tottoribe, the Torikaibe, and the Homutsube (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. The Kojiki says that even after Homuchiwake-no-mikoto got the swan he still could not speak, and the emperor was troubled by this; by chance a god appeared in a dream and said, "If you repair my shrine as an imperial residence, the prince will be able to speak." On waking he had it divined, and the result was that it was the curse of the Great Deity of Izumo. So he sent Homuchiwake-no-mikoto to the shrine of Izumo, attended by Akedatsu-no-miko and Unakami-no-miko, and at each place where they halted a Homuchi district was established. On their return they lodged at the Hi River, where the ancestor of the Izumo Kuni-no-miyatsuko, Kihisatsumi, entertained them and built an artificial hill downstream. Homuchiwake-no-mikoto looked at it from afar and spoke, and from then on was able to talk. Unakami-no-miko and the others returned to the capital and reported the whole matter in detail. The emperor was greatly pleased and had the god's shrine built, and established the Tottoribe, the Torikaibe, the Homujibe, the Ōyuei, and the Wakayuei. On examination, "Homuji" and "Homuchi" are the same in on-reading).

Ōnakatsuhiko-no-mikoto

¶Inishikiirihiko-no-mikoto once stood in the presence of the emperor (Emperor Suinin) together with Emperor Keikō, and each was asked to state what he wished for. Inishiki asked for a bow and arrows, and was given a bow and arrows. By this the matter of the succession (the crown prince's rank) was decided. The details are told in the Keikō chronicle. In the thirty-fifth year (of Emperor Suinin), in obedience to an edict he went to Kawachi and made the Takashi Pond and the Chinu Pond (Note: the Kojiki says he made the Sayama Pond of Chinu and the Takatsu Pond of Kusaka). In the thirty-ninth year he lived at the Udo Riverside Palace in Chinu (Note: the Kojiki writes "Udo" as "Tottori"), made one thousand swords, named the swords the Kawakamibe and also the Hadakatomo, and stored them in the Isonokami Shrine. Later the emperor ordered Inishiki to take charge of the divine treasures of Isonokami (Note: one account in the present work says that Inishiki-no-mikoto summoned a smith called Kawakami and had him make one thousand swords at the riverside of Udo; that the emperor attached to this some ten shinabe (hereditary occupational groups), the Tatenuibe, the Shitoribe, the Kamuyugebe, the Kamuyahagibe, the Ōanashibe, the Hatsukashibe, the Tamatsukuribe, the Kamuosakabe, the Hiokibe, and the Tachihakibe; and that all those swords were stored in the village of Osaka, and later moved and stored in the Isonokami Shrine). In the eighty-seventh year, Inishiki, now old and no longer equal to his duties, had his younger sister Ōnaka-hime take charge of the divine treasures in his place (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

Wakakiniirihiko-no-mikoto

¶Ōnakatsuhiko-no-mikoto.

Nuteshiwake-no-mikoto

¶Wakakiniirihiko-no-mikoto.

Ikehayawake-no-mikoto

¶Nuteshiwake-no-mikoto (Note: the Kojiki writes "Nuobiwake-no-mikoto," but the Nihon Shoki is now followed) had a son called Wakanuteshiwake-no-mikoto. The son of Wakanuteshiwake was called Tamoriwake-no-miko, also called Takemawake. His son was called Otohiko-no-miko (Note: "oto" is sometimes written with the character for "chi"), also called Takeyuiwake (Note: following the Wake genealogy). When Empress Jingū returned from Silla, Prince Oshikuma and others raised troops and lay in ambush at Akashi. The Empress had Otohiko set up a barrier on the boundary between Harima and Kibi to hold them off. This was the Wake Barrier. In recognition of his merit he was granted the Iwanashi district of Kibi and made his residence there (Note: following the Seishiroku).

Mioyawake-no-mikoto

¶Ikehayawake-no-mikoto, when still young, built a palace for the emperor at Ao in Iga, was enfeoffed with it, and his descendants settled there. In the reign of Emperor Ingyō they accordingly received the surname Ao-no-kimi (Note: following the Seishiroku. The Futarasan Ki says that Ikehayawake-no-mikoto, the ninth son of Emperor Ikume-iri-hiko-isachi (Emperor Suinin), received an edict to enshrine the Great Deity of Ise at the upper reaches of the Suzuka River and in connection with that business went to the eastern provinces; that he fell ill and lost an eye, and in the end did not return to the capital; that he lived at Muroyashima in Shimotsuke and his descendants continued for long; but this is not adopted here).

Ikatarashihiko-no-mikoto

¶Mioyawake-no-mikoto.

Itakeruwake-no-mikoto

¶Ikatarashihiko-no-mikoto.

Iwatsukuwake-no-mikoto

¶Itakeruwake-no-mikoto (Note: the present work writes "Itoshiwake-no-miko," but the Nihon Shoki is now followed). Since he had no children, the Itsube was established (Note: following the Kojiki).

Ozabe-no-miko

¶Iwatsukuwake-no-mikoto.

[Emperor Keikō: Fifty-four Sons]

¶Ozabe-no-miko.

Kushitsunowake-no-miko

¶Emperor Keikō had fifty-five sons. The Empress Harima-no-Inabi-no-Ōiratsume bore Kushitsunowake-no-miko (Note: Kushitsunowake-no-miko is given following the Kojiki), Prince Ōusu, and Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto. The Empress Yasakairi-hime bore Emperor Seimu, Prince Iokiirihiko, Prince Oshinowake, Prince Wakayamatoneko (Note: one account in the present work and the Kojiki make him a son of the Empress Ōiratsume), Prince Ōsuwake, Prince Isakiirihiko (Note: these two princes are not recorded in the Kojiki), and Prince Kibi-no-Ehiko (Note: the Kojiki has Wakakiirihiko, who together with Kibi-no-Ehiko is made a son of a palace woman). The consort Ikawa-hime bore Prince Kamukushi (Note: the Kojiki makes him a son of the Empress Ōiratsume. On examination, the Seishiroku says that the Sanuki-no-kimi are descended from Ikatarashihiko-no-mikoto, a son of Emperor Keikō, and that the Sakabe-no-kimi and the Sanuki-no-kimi share an ancestor and are descended from Kamukushiwake-no-mikoto. According to this, Kamukushiwake would have been also called Ikatarashihiko. Kamukushiwake and Kamukushi are in any case one and the same person, and since his mother is said to be Ikawa-hime, it is not wholly without basis that he should bear the name Ikatarashihiko. The Ikawahiko recorded below is probably the same person, whom the Kuji Ki has recorded twice. But the Nihon Shoki does not record that Kamukushi had another name, and it is doubtful. It is added here for the time being) and Prince Inaseirihiko. Takada-hime bore Prince Takekunikoriwake. Hyūga-no-Kaminaga-Ōtane bore Prince Hyūga-no-Sotsuhiko. Sono-takehime bore Prince Kunichiwake (Note: the Kuji Ki has Prince Kunikoriwake, but this is probably a repetition), Prince Kunisewake (Note: one account in the notes of the present work writes "Prince Miyajiwake"), and Prince Toyotowake. Mihakashi-hime bore Prince Toyokuniwake (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). Ikoto-hime-no-mikoto bore Isaohiko-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kuji Ki). The palace woman Harima-no-Inabi-no-Wakiiratsume bore Mawaka-no-miko and Hikohito-no-Ōe-no-miko, and Kaguro-hime bore Ōe-no-miko (Note: following the Kojiki). In addition there were Toyotoirihiko-no-mikoto, Wakayahiko-no-mikoto, Takekunikowake-no-mikoto, Mawakahiko-no-mikoto, Amatarashine-no-mikoto, Ōsoshikowake-no-mikoto, Ikawahiko-no-mikoto, Iwakosowake-no-mikoto, Ōinasewake-no-mikoto, Takeoshiwake-no-mikoto, Shiranuirihiko-no-mikoto, Sonomewake-no-mikoto, Tōchiirihiko-no-mikoto, Sono-obasewake-no-mikoto, Shikosowake-no-mikoto, Kumatsuhiko-no-mikoto, Okisaki-hikohito-no-Ōe-Mizuki-no-mikoto, Kumaoshitsuhiko-no-mikoto, Kushimi-no-miko-no-mikoto, Takeotowake-no-mikoto, Kusaki-no-mikoto, Wakaneko-no-miko-no-mikoto, Ehiko-no-mikoto, Tagotowake-no-mikoto, Ōgatowake-no-mikoto, Toyohiwake-no-mikoto, Mikawa-no-sukune-no-mikoto, Toyotewake-no-mikoto, Yamato-no-sukune-no-mikoto, Toyotsuhiko-no-mikoto, Iokine-no-mikoto, Otowake-no-mikoto, and Ōkosowake-no-mikoto (Note: following the Kuji Ki). The mothers' names of all these thirty-three are not transmitted. The emperor had in all eighty sons and daughters, and of these he enfeoffed them in provinces and districts as Kuni-no-miyatsuko and Wake, or as Inagi and Agatanushi, to the number of over seventy (Note: Kuni-no-miyatsuko, Wake, and Inagi-agatanushi are following the Kojiki. "Wake" in the two reading forms is the same in sound and meaning). The so-called "Wake" of the various provinces are all descendants of these Wake princes (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). Those whose names are listed in the old histories number fifty-five.

Ōusu-no-miko

¶Kushitsunowake-no-miko.

Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto

¶Prince Ōusu was a twin of Yamato-takeru. The emperor thought this strange and, because he had called out into a mortar (usu), named them Ōusu and Ousu. In the fourth year (of Emperor Keikō), the emperor heard that the daughters of Kamuhone, Kuni-no-miyatsuko of Mino, Etōko and Ototōko, were both of surpassing beauty, and had Ōusu go and ascertain their looks. Ōusu thereupon had relations with both daughters himself (Note: the Kojiki says that he himself had relations with the two daughters and, substituting other women falsely, presented those to the emperor). The emperor hated him for it. In the fortieth year, as many of the eastern Emishi had rebelled, the emperor asked his ministers, "Who can put down this disorder?" Yamato-takeru reported, "I have already campaigned in the west. This task should surely go to Ōusu." Ōusu, trembling with fear, fled and hid. The emperor summoned him and rebuked him, saying, "If you do not wish to go, how should I force you? You have not even seen the rebels yet; why are you so afraid?" So he was sent out to Mino and enfeoffed there (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). He had two sons: the elder was called Oshikuro-no-Ehiko-no-miko, born of Etōko, and the younger was Oshikuro-no-Otohiko-no-miko, born of Ototōko (Note: following the Kojiki).

¶Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto was named Ousu-no-mikoto and was also called Yamato-oguna (Note: on examination, the title "Yamato-takeru" was offered by Kawakami-no-Takeru and was not granted by imperial command. For that reason, when the present work records the words of the Keikō emperor's edicts it calls him "Prince Ousu," and only when it narrates later events does it specially write "Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto." One thinks that Prince Ousu had already put down the various chieftains and made his name resound in the world, so that court and country honored him and treated him as special, and the title Yamato-takeru finally came into use in the world. Moreover, because he was the father of Emperor Chūai, the old histories used that title as a way of lodging their intention of honoring and specially marking him). From childhood he had a heroic and outstanding spirit. When he came to manhood, his appearance was imposing, his height was one jō, and his strength was such that he could lift a cauldron. In the eighth month of the twenty-seventh year (of Emperor Keikō), the Kumaso rebelled. In the tenth month (Note: the Kuji Ki says the tenth month of the twentieth year), he was ordered to attack them. He was then sixteen years old. As he set out he said, "I wish to find a man skilled with the bow and go with him." Someone said, "In Mino there is a man called Otohiko-no-kimi, who is skilled with the bow." Yamato-takeru sent Miyatohiko, a man of Katsuragi, to summon him. Otohiko came, leading Ishiura-no-Yokotachi and the Tago-no-inagi and Chichika-no-inagi of Owari. In the twelfth month, Yamato-takeru reached the land of the Kumaso and surveyed its terrain and circumstances. The chieftain of the rebels, Torishikaya, also called Kawakami-no-Takeru, happened to have gathered his kinsmen and was holding a banquet. Yamato-takeru let down his hair and adorned himself to look like a young girl (Note: the Kojiki says that when Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto set out, he asked his aunt Yamato-hime-no-mikoto for clothing, put it on, and so took the form of a young girl), hid a sword in his sleeve, and slipped in secretly to mingle with the women. The chieftain took one look and was pleased with her; he took her hand, made her sit beside him, and exchanged cups in sport and intimacy. When the night was far gone and the company had dispersed, the chieftain was drunk. Yamato-takeru drew his sword and stabbed him in the chest. Before he had quite died, the chieftain said, "Wait a moment; I have something to say. Who are you?" Yamato-takeru answered, "I am a son of the emperor Ōtarashihiko (Emperor Keikō), and my name is Yamato-oguna." The chieftain said, "I am the strongest man in this land, and among men there is none who does not fear and obey me. I have met many brave men, but never one like you, Prince. Though I am a base man, I wish to offer you a title of honor. May I?" The prince allowed it. The chieftain said, "From now on you should be called Prince Yamato-takeru." When he had said this, he was stabbed to death. For this reason he came to be called Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto in the world (Note: the Kojiki says that there were two Kumaso-takeru brothers; that Ousu-no-mikoto first stabbed Kumaso in the chest and felled him, while the younger brother Takeru fled in fear; that Ousu-no-mikoto pursued him, seized the skin of his back and stabbed him from the buttocks; that the younger Takeru said something to him and in the end he was called Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto). Then he sent Otohiko and the others out separately to kill the rest of the villains, and the Kumaso were entirely pacified. Crossing the sea on his way back, he killed the evil god of the Anaumi, the Inland Sea of Kibi, and the evil god of the Kashiwa Ferry at Naniwa (Note: the Kojiki also records the killing of Izumo-takeru, but since this resembles the case in the present work of Izumo-no-Furune killing his younger brother Iiirine, it is not adopted here). In the second month of the following year he returned to the capital and reported, "By the spirit of the emperor, I destroyed the chief of the Kumaso at a single blow, and the western lands are now quiet. The gods of Ana-no-Watari and Kashiwa-no-Watari had long worked uncanny curses and poisoned travelers on the road, so I killed them all and opened the roads by water and by land." The emperor praised his merit and favored him with special affection. In the sixth month of the fortieth year, many of the eastern Emishi rebelled and the frontier was in uproar. In the seventh month the emperor decreed to the ministers, "The eastern provinces are uneasy, violent gods have arisen in great number, and the Emishi have all rebelled. Is there no one who can put down this disorder?" The ministers could not answer. Yamato-takeru reported, "I earlier undertook the labor of the western campaign. This task should surely be Ōusu's." When Ōusu heard this he was afraid and fled. Yamato-takeru, roused, said, "The Kumaso were already pacified, and before many years had passed the eastern barbarians have rebelled again. I do not know when I shall see a peaceful age. I do not presume to refuse the labor. Please let me go in person." The emperor took the battle-axes and handed them to him (Note: the Kojiki says that the emperor gave him a holly spear eight fathoms long) and said: "I have heard that the eastern barbarians are by nature fierce and violent, given to insult and encroachment; their villages have no chiefs, and each covets its own territory and they rob and plunder one another. Evil gods and wicked demons spread harm among the people. Of the eastern barbarian tribes, the Emishi are the strongest. In winter they live in holes and in summer in nests; they wear fur and drink blood; on mountains they climb like birds, and on grassland they run like beasts. They forget a kindness the moment they receive it, and they always repay a wrong. They stick arrows in their hair and hide swords in their clothes, gather their bands to raid the frontier, and watch for the idle seasons of farming and silk-raising to plunder the people. When struck they hide in the grass, when pursued they enter the mountains. From of old, the royal civilizing influence has never reached them. Now you are great in stature and fierce as thunder and lightning; you have no rival wherever you go, and when you attack you must win. In blood you are my son, but in truth you are a divine being. I think that Heaven, pitying my lack of virtue, means you to govern the heavenly task. The realm is your realm, and the throne is your throne. With deep counsel and distant foresight, show them your might, win them with your virtue, and without troubling the army, make them submit of themselves." Yamato-takeru received the axes, bowed twice, and reported, "When I campaigned in the west before, I took up a three-foot sword and attacked the land of the Kumaso, and within twelve days the leader of the rebels submitted to execution. Now again, trusting in the spirit of the gods of heaven and earth and in the emperor's might, I shall go to the lands of the rebels. I shall instruct them by virtue, and if any still do not submit I shall raise troops at once and attack them." When he had said this, he bowed twice again. The emperor sent Kibi-no-Takehiko and Ōtomo-no-Takehi with him (Note: the Kojiki writes "Misukitomomimi-takehiko, ancestor of the Kibi-no-omi." The Atsuta Shrine Engi gives Kibi-no-Takehiko and Takeinadane-no-kimi, and does not record Ōtomo-no-Takehi), and also made Nanatsukahagi his cook. In the tenth month he left the capital, turned aside to worship at the Ise Shrine, and said to Yamato-hime, "I have now received the command to campaign in the east and put down the various rebels. That is why I have come here to take my leave." (Note: the Kojiki says that Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto passed through Ise, worshipped at the Great Shrine, and weeping told his aunt Yamato-hime, "Why does the emperor tell me to die? Not long ago I put down the rebels of the west, and no sooner had I come back than he sent me again to subdue the rebels of the twelve eastern roads, without giving me any troops. From now on I shall only die." This differs greatly from the present work and so is not adopted here). Yamato-hime took the divine sword and gave it to him, saying, "Be careful, and do not be negligent." Yamato-takeru advanced to Suruga (Note: the Kojiki writes "Sagami." The Kogo Shūi too says that he reached Sagami and met the peril of the burning field), where the rebels of the place falsely told him, "The fields are full of great deer, and if you hunt there you will have great sport." Yamato-takeru believed their words and hunted in the field. The rebels set fire to it, taking advantage of the wind. Yamato-takeru knew he had been deceived, struck fire with a flint, and burned back against it, thus escaping the danger (Note: one account in the present work says that the sword Murakumo that the prince wore left its scabbard of itself and cut down the grass around him, by which he was able to escape, and for that reason the sword was named Kusanagi. The Kojiki says that when he first visited the Great Shrine of Ise, Yamato-hime-no-mikoto gave him a sword and a bag, saying, "If matters grow urgent, open this bag"; when the rebels set the fire and he opened the bag, it contained a flint, and so he drew his sword and mowed the grass, took fire with the flint, and burned back and escaped). He struck the band of rebels and wiped them out. For this reason that place was named Yaizu. Advancing through Sagami, he was about to go toward Kazusa; looking out over the sea, he boasted, "This is only a small sea; I could leap across it." But out at sea a violent storm suddenly arose, and the ship, tossed about, fell into peril. At that time his consort Oto-tachibana-hime, a daughter of Hozumi-no-Oshiyama, was with him, and she said, "This must be the curse of the sea god. I shall atone for it with my own body." When she had said this she cast herself into the sea (Note: the Kojiki says that seven days after Oto-tachibana-hime sank into the sea, her comb washed up on the shore; they took it and buried it and made a tomb). The wind then stopped and they were able to reach the shore. Turning from Kazusa into Mutsu, he had a great mirror hung from the ship and floated it on the sea, left Ashi-no-ura, crossed over Tama-no-ura, and reached the border of the Emishi. The Emishi chieftains Shimatsukami and Kunitsukami stationed troops at Taka-no-minato to resist him, but when they saw Yamato-takeru's ship in the distance they were struck with fear and awe, and all threw down their bows and arrows, came out to greet and bow, and said, "Looking upon your appearance, you are of a surpassing, superhuman presence; are you not a divine being? Tell us your name." Yamato-takeru answered, "I am a son of the living god." The Emishi trembled, entered the water and pulled the ship to shore, and with their hands bound behind them begged for pardon. So he took their chieftains as captives to follow him, and the Emishi were finally pacified. Returning from the land of Hitakami, he went southwest through Hitachi to Kai and stayed at the Sakaori Palace. In the night, at a meal, he made a song and asked his attendants how many nights they had slept since passing Niihari and Tsukuba, but none of the attendants could answer. Then one who was holding a torch continued the song and answered that, counting the days one after another, it had been nine nights and ten days. Yamato-takeru praised his quickness and rewarded him generously. And so, since the Emishi had submitted to the penalty but Shinano and the land of Koshi still had not yielded, Yamato-takeru went north from Kai through Musashi and Kōzuke and west to Usuizaka. Yamato-takeru, thinking of Oto-tachibana-hime, climbed Usui Peak and looked to the southeast, sighed three times, and said, "Ah, my wife!" For this reason the provinces east of the mountain came to be called Azuma-no-kuni. He sent Kibi-no-Takehiko off separately to the land of Koshi to survey the steepness or ease of the terrain and whether the feelings of the people were rebellious or obedient. Yamato-takeru went on into Shinano, crossed sheer peaks and deep valleys, and, hungry, rested on a mountain summit and took a meal. A white deer stood in his way, and Yamato-takeru, finding it strange, flicked a wild garlic (hiru) at it and struck it in the eye, and the deer fell (Note: the Kojiki says that he took a meal at the foot of Ashigara Pass, flicked wild garlic and killed the deer, and when he climbed the pass he sighed three times and said "Ah, my wife!", and for this reason the province was named Azuma; thereupon he entered Kai). Before this, those who passed Shinano Pass were mostly struck by uncanny vapors and fell ill, but it is said that afterwards those who chewed wild garlic and smeared it on themselves and their cattle and horses were spared that affliction. Yamato-takeru lost his way and no longer knew the direction. Then a white dog went ahead of him, and by following it he was able to come out into Mino. At this point Kibi-no-Takehiko returned from the land of Koshi and joined him. Yamato-takeru came to Owari and lodged in the house of Miyazu-hime, a daughter of the Owari clan (Note: the Kojiki says that Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto, coming from Ise to Owari, lodged in the house of Miyazu-hime, ancestor of the Owari Kuni-no-miyatsuko, and was pleased with her, and said he would come back for her; on the way back he entered her house again and favored her. The Atsuta Shrine Engi says that when Yamato-takeru first went east, he reached the Aichi district of Owari, and that Inadane then said, "In the village of Hikami in this district there is a place where mulberries and catalpas grow; please, Great Prince, stop your carriage here and rest." Yamato-takeru went to his house, saw his younger sister Miyazu-hime and was pleased with her, and stayed several days. He then set out and went himself by sea, having Inadane go separately by the mountain road to meet him in Bandō. After subduing the rebels, on his way back he reached Owari and learned that Inadane, returning by sea, had lost his ship in the sea of Suruga and died. Yamato-takeru, hearing of the death, grieved, and hurried into Miyazu-hime's house. The Jinnō Shōtōki too says that Miyazu-hime was a younger sister of Owari-no-Inadane-no-sukune). After staying several months, he heard that there was a violent god on Mount Ibuki in Ōmi and went there again (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). He at once unbuckled the divine sword and handed it to Miyazu-hime, saying, "When I return to the capital I shall surely come for you. Keep this sword with care and guard your sleeping place with it." Ōtomo-no-Takehi remonstrated, "Since you are now about to destroy a violent god, you should rely on this sword." Yamato-takeru said, "I shall fight it with bare hands and kick it to death with my foot" (Note: following the Atsuta Shrine Engi). So he went on foot to the mountain. A great serpent lay across the road (Note: the Kojiki says the god of the mountain had changed into a white boar), and Yamato-takeru said, "This is the envoy of the violent god. I am about to kill the god himself, so an envoy is not worth asking about," and he stepped over the serpent and went on. Suddenly clouds and mist arose and it grew dark, rain and hail fell fiercely, and he could not see in front of him, but he pressed forward through it (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). When he reached Tamakurabe, he felt dazed as if drunk, so he rested at the foot of the mountain and drank spring water and recovered. For this reason the spring was named Isamegai. From this time he felt pain in his body (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. The Kojiki was also consulted). He then sighed, "I had always thought my heart could fly through the sky, yet now I cannot even walk." So, leaning on a staff, he barely made progress (Note: following the Kojiki). He returned to Owari but no longer entered Miyazu-hime's house, and moved on to Ise and reached Otsu. Earlier, on his way east, he had taken a meal on the shore at Otsu and had left a sword behind under a pine tree; now it was still there, and he made a song praising the pine. When he reached Nobono his illness grew grave, and so he presented the captive Emishi to the Great Shrine and sent Kibi-no-Takehiko to report to the court: "I received a command from the imperial court and campaigned far against the eastern barbarians. By the grace of the gods and trusting in the imperial might, the rebels have submitted to execution. I had hoped to roll up my armor, put away my weapons, sing a song of triumph and report my victory, but the command of Heaven has suddenly come and I lie alone in the open wilderness. I do not regret it for myself, only that I cannot see you once more" (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). When his illness grew severe, he made a song in which he spoke of the sword he had set beside the maiden's bed, and of that sword, ah, that sword (Note: following the Kojiki). He finally died at Nobono (Note: the Kuji Ki says that he died in Owari. The Engishiki says that the tomb of Nobono is in Suzuka district of Ise). He was thirty years old. This was in the forty-third year of Emperor Keikō (Note: on examination, in the twenty-seventh year of Emperor Keikō, Yamato-takeru was sixteen. If so, by the forty-third year he should have been thirty-two. The "thirty" probably results from the dropping of the character for "two").

¶The emperor, hearing of his death, grieved and wept day and night, so that his sleeping and eating were disturbed, and said, "My son Prince Ousu, on the day the Kumaso rebelled, led an army and attacked them. After that he was always at my side and helped me where I fell short. When the eastern barbarians stirred up trouble there was no one able to subdue them, and though he was my beloved son I sent him out again, and there was not a moment that I did not think of him. How is it that through such a calamity I have suddenly lost my son? From now on, with whom shall I govern this great work?" He at once decreed that the ministers and officials bury him at Nobono. Then a white bird emerged from the tomb precinct and flew away, and when they opened the coffin and looked, only the funeral garments remained. So they sent envoys to search for it, and the bird settled at Kotohiki-no-hara in Yamato, and so a tomb was built in that place. The white bird flew on again to Kawachi and stayed at the village of Furuichi (Note: the Kojiki writes "Shiki"). So a tomb was built again at Furuichi, but the white bird again flew away and its whereabouts were unknown. The people of the time called these three tombs the Shiratori Mausoleum (Note: the Kojiki says that Yamato-takeru's consorts and children, hearing of his death, all went to Ise and, around the tomb, sang songs of mourning; that his spirit turned into an eight-fathom white plover and flew away; that the consorts and children wailed bitterly and made four songs; and that in later ages these were used as funeral songs for emperors). The court recorded his merit and established the Takerube. In the fifty-third year (of Emperor Keikō) he decreed to the ministers, "Thinking of Prince Ousu, I wish now to tour the lands that he pacified." So he journeyed to Ise, and from there went round the provinces of the Tōkai and returned. In the tenth month of the sixtieth year of Emperor Nintoku, on the ground that the Shiratori Mausoleum was not the original burial place, he decreed that the tomb guards be abolished and for the first time sent laborers. When the emperor came to the work site, the tomb guard Meki suddenly turned into a white deer and ran off. The emperor, seeing this, was alarmed and awed, and decreed that the tomb guards be restored as before. He then handed them over to the Haji-no-muraji (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

¶Yamato-takeru had seven sons and one daughter. The eldest was Inayoriwake-no-miko; then came Emperor Chūai, Wakatake-no-miko, Taketsuzumi-no-miko (Note: the present work sometimes writes this "Takekahi-no-miko." The Kojiki writes "Takemiko-no-miko," and the Kuji Ki writes "Takekogai-no-mikoto"), Tōkiwake-no-miko, Wakatakehiko-no-miko, Ashikami-Kamamiwake-no-miko, and Nunoshi-irihime-no-mikoto (Note: the Kojiki writes "Ashikami-Kamamiwake" as "Ashikagamiwake," and the Kuji Ki writes it "Ashikama-kamamiwake," but they are the same in on-reading. On examination, the Kojiki has Okinagatawake-no-miko, and the Kuji Ki records Inairiwake-no-mikoto, Okinagatawake-no-mikoto, Inomehiko-no-miko-no-mikoto, Igahiko-no-miko, Taketa-no-miko, and Saeki-no-mikoto, and treats Takekahi-no-miko and Takekogai-no-mikoto as two separate persons, but this is probably a mistake). The son of Inayoriwake-no-miko was called Kuramiwake. When the two princes Kagosaka and Oshikuma raised troops, he, together with Isachi-no-sukune, was attached to them, and both became generals and raised the troops of the eastern provinces; but when they were defeated, his whereabouts became unknown (Note: following the Nihon Shoki. The Keikō chronicle of the present work says that Inayoriwake-no-miko was the ancestor of the Inukami-no-kimi, and the Jingū chronicle says that the ancestor of the Inukami-no-kimi was Kuramiwake. If one now reckons by the dates, it is clear that these two were father and son). Wakatake-no-miko fathered Sumeiro-Ōnakatsuhiko-no-miko, and Ōnakatsuhiko-no-miko fathered Kaguro-hime (Note: following the Kojiki. On examination, the present work has a Kaguro-hime as a consort of both Emperors Keikō and Ōjin, and details appear in the Biographies of Consorts). Ashikami-Kamamiwake-no-miko: in the eleventh month of the first year of Emperor Chūai, the emperor decreed, "Before I had even reached manhood, my father the king had already died, and his spirit turned into a white bird. My longing to gaze upon it does not cease for a day. I wish to obtain white birds and release them in the pond of the tomb precinct, and to look at them from time to time and comfort my heart." So he had the provinces send white birds as tribute. In the intercalary month the province of Koshi presented white birds, and the envoys lodged by the riverside at Uji. Kamamiwake asked them, "Where are you taking them?" The envoys replied that it was by imperial command. Kamamiwake said, "Even a white bird, if roasted, becomes a black bird," and took them by force. When the envoys reported this, the emperor hated his lack of respect and sent troops to put him to death (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). The Ōtori Shrine of Ōtori district in Izumi and the Yoshida Shrine of Naka district in Hitachi both enshrine Yamato-takeru, and in later ages were entered in the register of state rites.

Iokiirihiko-no-miko

¶Iokiirihiko-no-miko: at the time when Emperor Keikō had not yet named a crown prince, all the princes were enfeoffed in provinces and districts, but Iokiirihiko remained at court together with Emperor Seimu and Yamato-takeru and was considered a candidate for the position of heir (the crown prince's rank). He had a son called Homuda-no-Mawaka-no-miko. Homuda-no-Mawaka-no-miko had three daughters (Note: following the Kojiki), and all entered the harem of Emperor Ōjin (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki).

Wakayamatoneko-no-miko

¶Oshinowake-no-miko.

Ōsuwake-no-miko

¶Wakayamatoneko-no-miko.

Isakiirihiko-no-miko

¶Ōsuwake-no-miko.

Kibi-no-Ehiko-no-miko

¶Isakiirihiko-no-miko.

Kamukushi-no-miko

¶Kibi-no-Ehiko-no-miko.

Inaseirihiko-no-miko

¶Kamukushi-no-miko.

Takekunikoriwake-no-miko

¶Inaseirihiko-no-miko. He had a son called Mimorowake. In the reign of Emperor Seimu the province of Harima was divided in two and given to him, and so he was styled Harimawake. The son of Mimorowake was called Karatsu-no-mikoto, also called Ikojirowake. When Emperor Ōjin wished to fix the boundaries of the provinces, he toured in his carriage to the province of Harima and reached a hill to the east of Kawara village in Kanzaki district. At that time greens were floating in the stream beside the hill, and the emperor said, "There must be people upstream." So he sent Ikojirowake to investigate, and indeed there were inhabitants, who said, "When Yamato-takeru campaigned in the east, the Emishi he took captive were divided and sent to the provinces of Harima, Aso, Awa, Sanuki, Iyo and others. We are their descendants, and have lived here ever since. Later we took Saeki as our clan name." When Ikojirowake returned and reported, the emperor decreed to him, "You should govern them as their lord (kimi)." So he granted him the surname Harimawake-Saeki-no-atai. In ancient times "kimi" was called "atai," and for that reason this surname was granted (Note: following the Seishiroku).

Hyūga-no-Sotsuhiko-no-miko

¶Takekunikoriwake-no-miko.

Kunichiwake-no-miko

¶Hyūga-no-Sotsuhiko-no-miko.

Kunisewake-no-miko

¶Kunichiwake-no-miko.

Toyotowake-no-miko

¶Kunisewake-no-miko.

Toyokuniwake-no-miko

¶Toyotowake-no-miko.

Isaohiko-no-mikoto

¶Toyokuniwake-no-miko.

Mawaka-no-miko

¶Isaohiko-no-mikoto.

Hikohito-no-Ōe-no-miko

¶Mawaka-no-miko.

Ōe-no-miko

¶Hikohito-no-Ōe-no-miko. His daughter was called Ōnaka-hime (Note: the Kojiki makes her a daughter of Ōe-no-miko), and entered the harem of Emperor Chūai (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

Toyotoirihiko-no-mikoto

¶Ōe-no-miko. He had a son called Ōnakata-no-miko (Note: following the Kojiki).

Wakayahiko-no-mikoto

¶Toyotoirihiko-no-mikoto.

Takekunikowake-no-mikoto

¶Wakayahiko-no-mikoto.

Mawakahiko-no-mikoto

¶Takekunikowake-no-mikoto.

Amatarashine-no-mikoto

¶Mawakahiko-no-mikoto.

Ōsoshikowake-no-mikoto

¶Amatarashine-no-mikoto.

Ikawahiko-no-mikoto

¶Ōsoshikowake-no-mikoto.

Iwakosowake-no-mikoto

¶Ikawahiko-no-mikoto.

Ōinasewake-no-mikoto

¶Iwakosowake-no-mikoto.

Takeoshiwake-no-mikoto

¶Ōinasewake-no-mikoto.

Shiranuirihiko-no-mikoto

¶Takeoshiwake-no-mikoto.

Sonomewake-no-mikoto

¶Shiranuirihiko-no-mikoto.

Tōchiirihiko-no-mikoto

¶Sonomewake-no-mikoto.

Sono-obasewake-no-mikoto

¶Tōchiirihiko-no-mikoto.

Shikosowake-no-mikoto

¶Sono-obasewake-no-mikoto.

Kumatsuhiko-no-mikoto

¶Shikosowake-no-mikoto.

Okisaki-hikohito-no-Ōe-Mizuki-no-mikoto

¶Kumatsuhiko-no-mikoto.

Kumaoshitsuhiko-no-mikoto

¶Okisaki-hikohito-no-Ōe-Mizuki-no-mikoto.

Kushimi-no-miko-no-mikoto

¶Kumaoshitsuhiko-no-mikoto.

Takeotowake-no-mikoto

¶Kushimi-no-miko-no-mikoto (Note: it is suspected that the character for "ko" has dropped out beneath the character "miko").

Kusaki-no-mikoto

¶Takeotowake-no-mikoto.

Wakaneko-no-miko-no-mikoto

¶Kusaki-no-mikoto.

Ehiko-no-mikoto

¶Wakaneko-no-miko-no-mikoto.

Tagotowake-no-mikoto

¶Ehiko-no-mikoto.

Ōgatowake-no-mikoto

¶Tagotowake-no-mikoto.

Toyohiwake-no-mikoto

¶Ōgatowake-no-mikoto.

Mikawa-no-sukune-no-mikoto

¶Toyohiwake-no-mikoto.

Toyotewake-no-mikoto

¶Mikawa-no-sukune-no-mikoto.

Yamato-no-sukune-no-mikoto

¶Toyotewake-no-mikoto.

Toyotsuhiko-no-mikoto

¶Yamato-no-sukune-no-mikoto.

Iokine-no-mikoto

¶Toyotsuhiko-no-mikoto.

Otowake-no-mikoto

¶Iokine-no-mikoto.

Ōkosowake-no-mikoto

¶Otowake-no-mikoto.

¶Ōkosowake-no-mikoto.