The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, [1919], at sacred-texts.com
The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, [1919], at sacred-texts.com
Forthwith staying in that country, he wedded Saki-tsu-mi, 1 daughter of Tajima-no-matawo, 2 and begot a child: Tajima-morosuku. 3 The latter's child was Tajima-hi-ne. 4 The latter's child was Tajima-hinaraki. 5 The
latter's children were Tajima-mori, 6 next Tajima-hitaka, 7 next Kiyo-hiko 8 (three Deities). 9 This Kiyo-hiko wedded Tagima-no-mehi, 10 and begot children: Suga-no-morowo, 11 next his younger sister Suga-kama-yura-domi. 12 So the above mentioned Tajima-hitaka wedded his niece Yura-domi, and begot a child: Her Augustness Princess Takanuka of Kadzuraki. 13 (This was the august parent 14 of Her Augustness Princess Okinaga-tarashi.) So the things which Ama-no-hi-boko brought over here, and which were called the "precious treasures," 15 were: two strings of pearls: 16 likewise a wave-shaking scarf, a wave-cutting scarf, a wind-shaking scarf, and a wind-cutting scarf; 17 likewise a mirror of the offing and a mirror of the shore, 18—eight articles in all. (These are the Eight Great Deities of Idzushi.) 19
323:1 p. 324 This name may mean "lucky ears," or "possessor of luck;" but it is obscure, and is moreover in the ''Chronicles" (where it is given as the name, not of the daughter, but of the father) read Mahe-tsu-mi,—a reading which, will not bear either of these interpretations.
323:2 Matawo seems to signify "complete (i.e., healthy or vigorous) male." Observe that the word Tajima enters into the designations of most of his descendants.
323:3 In the "Chronicles" Morosuke, and elsewhere Morosugi. The etymology of these names is obscure except that of the last-mentioned, which signifies "many cryptomerias."
323:4 Hi-ne may perhaps signify "wondrous lord."
323:5 The meaning of this name is obscure, but that of Hina-rashi-hime in Sect. XXVI (Note 19) may be compared.
324:6 See Sect. LXXIV, Note 1.
324:7 Hi-taka may signify either "sun-height" or "wondrous height."
324:8 This name signifies "pure prince."
324:9 As usual, it is not the actual word Deity that is used, but the Auxiliary Numeral for Deities.
324:10 Tagima is the name of a place, not to be confounded with the province of Tajima. The signification of mehi is quite obscure.
324:11 Suga may either be the name of place in Tajima, as proposedp. 325 by Motowori, or identical with the Suga of Sect. XIX. The meaning of Morowo is obscure.
324:12 The signification of this name is obscure. But Suga, Kama, and Yura are apparently the names of places.
324:13 Kadzuraki no Taka-nuka-hime. Kadzuraki is the name of a department, and Takanuka that of a place in that department, in the province of Yamato.
324:14 Literally, "ancestress." But see Sect. XXII, Note 4. It will be remembered that Okinaga-tarashi-hime was the Empress Jin-go.
324:15 Literally, "treasures of jewels."
324:16 Or, "beads."
324:17 I.e., a scarf to raise the waves and a scarf to still the waves, a scarf to raise the wind and a scarf to still the wind. Conf. the magic scarfs mentioned hear the beginning of Sect. XXIII, by waving which the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land (Oho-kuni-nushi) kept off the snakes, the wasps and the centipedes.
324:18 This seems to be the signification of the original terms oki tsu kagami and hi tsu kagami, but we are not hereby helped to a very clear understanding of the nature of the articles which the author meant to describe. The parallel passage of the "Chronicles" tells us of a "sun, mirror." Indeed it enumerates the "eight precious treasures" in a manner that diverges a great deal from the account given in these "Records."
324:19 Or, the "Eight-fold Great Deity." As has already frequently been remarked, the distinction which we so rigorously draw between Singular and Plural does not occupy the Japanese mind, and "eight "and "eight-fold" are taken to mean much the same thing, In the following sentence we find these eight deities (or this eight-fold deity) spoken of in such a manner as to necessitate the use of the Singular Number in the translation. Motowori supposes that they (or he) took the form of a young man (as in several other legends) to become the father of the Goddess mentioned in the text. . . . Idzushi seems to signify "wonderful stone."