The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, [1919], at sacred-texts.com
The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, [1919], at sacred-texts.com
Thereupon the eight hundred myriad Deities took counsel together, and imposed on High-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness a fine of a thousand tables, 1 and likewise cut his beard, and even caused the nails of his fingers and toes to be pulled out, and expelled him with a divine expulsion. Again he begged food of the Deity Princess-of-Great-Food. 2 Then the Princess-of-Great-Food took out all sorts of dainty things from her nose, her mouth, and her fundament, and made them up into all sorts [of dishes], which she offered to him. But His-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness watched her proceedings, considered that she was offering up to him filth, and at once killed the Deity Princess-of-Great-Food. So the things that were born in the body of the Deity who had been killed were [60] [as follows]: in her head were born silkworms, in her two eyes were born rice-seeds, in her two ears was born millet, 3 in her nose were born small beans, 4 in her private parts was born barley, 5 in her fundament were born large beans. 6 So His Augustness the Deity-Producing-Wondrous-Ancestor 7 caused them to be taken and used as seeds.
70:1 p. 70 I.e., "an immense fine." The student should consult Motowori's elaborate note on this passage in Vol. IX, pp. 1-5 of his Commentary. Tables of gifts are mentioned in Sect. XXXVII, Note 7 and Sect. XL, Note 13.
70:2 Oho-ge-tsu-hime-no-kami. This personage (but without the title of "Deity") has already appeared in Section V, (Note 8) as the alternative personal name of the Island of Aha.
70:3 Panicum Italicum.
70:4 p. 71 Phaseolus Radiatus.
70:5 Or less probably "wheat."
70:6 Soja Glycine.
70:7 Kami-musu-bi-mi-oya-no-mikoto, the same deity as the one mentioned at the beginning of these "Records" under the shorter title of Kami-musu-hi-no-kami. (See Sect. I. Note 6.)