palace of Wokada[1] in Tsukushi. Again making a progress up[2] from that land, they dwelt seven years at the palace of Takeri[3] in the land of Agi.[4] Again removing, and making a progress up from that land, they dwelt eight years at the palace of Takashima[5] in Kibi.[6] So when they made their progress up from that land, they met in the Hayasuhi[7] Channel a person riding towards them on the carapace of a tortoise, and raising his wings[8] as he angled. Then they called to him to approach, and asked him, saying: “Who art thou?” He replied, saying: “I[9] am an Earthly Deity.”[10] Again they asked him, saying: “Knowest thou the sea-path?” He replied, saying: “I know it well.” Again they asked him, saying: “Wilt thou follow and respectfully serve us?” He replied, saying: “I will respectfully serve you.” So they pushed a pole[11] across to him, drew him into the august vessel, and forthwith conferred on him the designation of
- ↑ This name signifies “hillock rice-field.”
- ↑ Q.d. towards Yamato, the province where the capital was eventually fixed. In Japanese, as in English, people are said to go up to the capital and down to the country.
- ↑ Etymology uncertain.
- ↑ Etymology uncertain. This name is better known (without the nigori of the second syllable) as Aki. Aki is one of the provinces on the northern shore of the Inland Sea.
- ↑ This name signifies “high island.”
- ↑ Etymology uncertain. Kibi is the name of a province.
- ↑ This name signifies “quick sucking.”
- ↑ I.e., as Motowori supposes, beckoning by waving his sleeve.
- ↑ The First Personal Pronoun is represented by the humble character 僕, “servant.”
- ↑ See Sect. I, Note 11. Motowori wishes us here to understand this expression to mean “I am a Deity (i.e. a person) of the country-side.” But there is no sufficient reason for departing from the precedent of rendering the characters 國神, which are constantly used antithetically to 天神, by “Earthly Deity” (as opposed to “Heavenly Deity”). Motowori likewise proposes to append to this sentence the clause “and my name is Udzu-biko,” which is found in the “Chronicles.” The name may be taken to signify “precious prince.”
- ↑ The characters 槁機 evidently, as Motowori says, meant to represent the Japanese word sawo, “pole,” though they do not properly convey that meaning. Probably they are corrupt.
