Silla sent specially Mi-mu of Keup-son[1] rank as a hostage, and twelve men as skilled workmen.[2]
Mi-mu fell ill and died.
This year was the year Kinoto U (52nd) of the Cycle.
A.D. 656. (XXVI. 3.) 2nd year, Autumn, 8th month, 8th day. Koryö sent Tal-sa and others to offer tribute. [The Chief Ambassador was Talsa, and the Associate Ambassador I-li-chi. There were eighty-one persons in all.]
9th month. There were sent to Koryö, as Chief Ambassador, Hatsumi, Kashihade no Omi, and as Associate Ambassador Ihasuki, Sakahibe no Muraji, as Senior Hangwan, Shiromaro, Inugami no Kimi, as Second Class Hangwan, Kahachi no Fumi no Obito, and as Junior[3] Hangwan, Maro, Ohokura no Kinunuhi no Miyakko.
In this year a fresh site for a Palace was fixed upon at Asuka no Wokamoto.
At this time, Koryö, Pèkché and Silla together sent envoys to offer tribute. Dark purple curtains were drawn round this Palace site for them, and they were entertained there. At last the Palace buildings were erected, and the Empress removed into them. This Palace was called the later Palace of Asuka no Wokamoto.
Tamu Peak was crowned with a circular enclosure. Moreover on the summit of the Peak, close by where two tsuki trees grew, a lofty building was erected to which the name was given of the Palace of Futa-tsuki.[4] It was also called Amatsu[5] miya.
At this time public works were in favour. Navvies[6] were employed to dig a canal from the western end of Mount Kagu yama as far as the Mountain of Iso no kami. Two hundred
- ↑ Ninth of the seventeen grades.
- ↑ Including artists.
- ↑ For Junior (小) the interlinear gloss is Sunai. Ohoi and Sunai were respectively the Japanese terms applied to Senior and Junior degrees of rank. Sunai would therefore appear to be abbreviated from sukunaki, which now means few, scanty, but which anciently meant also small, as in the case of the dwarf god Sukuna-bikona. Cf. Corean chak-eun, small. From this it would appear that the colloquial abbreviation of the termination of the adjective had already come into use when these glosses were added—long after the time of the "Nihongi."
- ↑ i.e. the two tsuki trees.
- ↑ Palace of Heaven.
- ↑ Lit. "water workmen," a closely parallel expression to our "navigators" "navvies," whose original business it was to dig canals.
