Kojiki (Chamberlain, 1882)/Section 74

by Ō no Yasumaro

[Sect. LXXIV.—Emperor Sui-nin (Part VI.—Tajima-mori Brings Back the Orange from the Eternal Land).]

Again the Heavenly Sovereign sent Tajima-mori,^[1] ancestor of the Chiefs of Miyake,^[2] to the Eternal Land^[3] to fetch the fruit of the everlasting^[4] fragrant tree. So Tajima-mori at last reached that country, plucked the fruit of the tree, and brought of clubmoss eight and of spears eight;^[5] but meanwhile the Heavenly Sovereign had died. Then Tajima-mori set apart of clubmoss four and of spears four, which he presented to the Great Empress,^[6] and set up of clubmoss four and of spears four as an offering at the door of the Heavenly Sovereign’s august mausoleum, and, raising on high the fruit of the tree, wailed and wept, saying: “Bringing the fruit of the everlasting fragrant tree from the Eternal Land, I have come to serve thee;” and at last he wailed and wept himself to death. This fruit of the everlasting fragrant tree is what is now called the orange.^[7]

---

1. The meaning of this name, which is written phonetically both here and in the “Chronicles,” has given rise to differences of opinion, some deriving it from the name of the province of Tajima (itself of obscure origin) and from the word mori “keeper,” while others think it comes from tachibana, the Japanese word for orange, with reference to the story here told. The supporters of the former view, on the other hand, derive the word tachibana from Tajima-mori.
2. Miyake no murazhi. Whether miyake is simply the name of a place or whether it should be taken in the sense of “store” or “granary,” is uncertain. If the latter view be adopted, it would be natural to suppose that this family had originally furnished the superintendents of the Imperial granaries. In any case it traced its origin to a Korean source (see the “Catalogue of Family Names,” and the genealogies in Sect. CXV).
3. See Sect. XXVII, Note 12.
4. Written in the parallel passage of the “Chronicles” with characters signifying literally “timeless.” The whole of this circumlocution for the orange has indeed to be interpreted by the help of the “Chronicles,” it being here written phonetically and offering some difficulties as it stands.
5. This corrupt and obscure passage seems to be well restored by Motowori, whose explanation of it is likewise as convincing as it is ingenious. The expression “clubmoss-oranges” signifies oranges as they grow on the branch surrounded by leaves, while “spear-oranges” are the same divested of leaves and hanging to the bare twig. Thus the words “clubmoss” and “spear” came to be used as “Auxiliary Numerals” for oranges plucked in these two different manners.
6. Viz., says Motowori, Princess Hibasu, who however, according to the account in the “Chronicles,” was already dead at this time.
7. The word tachibana (written 橘) in the text should probably be taken as a specific and not as a general term. In modern usage it designates the Citrus japonica. But it is a matter of dispute whether the application of the term has not altered since ancient times, and whether we should not understand by it one of the other kinds of orange now to be found in Japan,—perhaps the Citrus nobilis.