The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, [1919], at sacred-texts.com
The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, [1919], at sacred-texts.com
The Heavenly Sovereign searched for the old boar-herd who had seized his august provisions at the time when he first met with adversity and was fleeing; 1 and, having sought him out, sent for him up [to the Capital], beheaded him in the bed 2 of the River Asuka, 3 and cut the knee-tendons of all his kindred. Wherefore down to the present time his descendants, on the day when 4 they [285] come up to Yamato, always limp of their own accord. So the man's abode had been well seen and divined. 5 So the place was named Shimesu. 6
419:2 Motowori would have us understand the text to mean "in the neighbourhood of the river." There is, however, no difficulty in accepting the author's statement literally, as any one who is acquainted with the broad, stony beds of Japanese rivers will readily admit.
419:3 p. 420 Asuki-gaka. For Asuka see Sect. CXXXIII. Note 11.
419:4 I.e., probably "whenever."
419:5 I.e., "discovered by augury," or else simply "found and pointed out,"—by whom does not appear.
419:6 The real etymology of this name is obscure, but the author's intention is to connect it with the "dividing "or "pointing out" mentioned in the preceding sentence, which is given phonetically as [mi] shimeki.