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autumn the drooping ears were abundantly luxuriant, and ripened very well. Also she planted the mulberry-trees on the fragrant hills of heaven (Ame-no-kagu-yama), and reared silkworms, and chewing the cocoons in her mouth spun thread. The arts of silkworm-rearing and weaving commenced from this time.
The secondary deities (aidono) are Amatsu-hiko-ho-no nini-gi no mikoto, Amé-no-koya-né no mikoto and Amé-no-futo-dama no mikoto. The first of these is the grandson by adoption of the goddess Amaterasu ô-mi-kami, and great-grandfather of Jimmu tennô. According to the legend the goddess wished to send her adopted son Oshi-no-mimi no mikoto down upon earth to subdue it, but he put forward his own son instead as leader of the expedition. The goddess then presented Nini-gi no mikoto with various treasures, amongst which the most important were the mirror, sword and stone (afterwards the regalia of the Japanese sovereigns), and attached to his person the last two gods. With reference to the mirror she said: “Look upon this mirror as my spirit, keep it in the same house and on the same floor with yourself, and worship it as if you were worshipping my actual presence.”[1]
The Gékû was founded in the year 478 (the 22nd of Yûriaku Tennô). It was removed from Manaihara in Tamba in accordance with a revelation from Amaterasu ô-mi-kami 482 years after the establishment of that goddess’ temple at Uji in the province of Isé in the 26th year of Suinin Tennô (4 B. C.). The perishable nature of Japanese architecture of course renders it impossible that the original buildings should have lasted down to the present day, and in fact it seems to have been the rule from time immemorial to rebuild the temple once every twenty years, alternately on each of two sites which lie close to each other.
From the Gékû to the Naikû is a distance of about three miles through the localities called Miôkenmachi, Furuichi, Ushidani and Uji, which form a continuous succession of houses. Through the middle of Uji flows a
- ↑ Koshi Seibun Vol. IV.
