and he said:—"I am the God who dwells in the Shrine of Takechi, and my name is Koto-shiro-nushi no Kami.[1] Again, 'I am the God who dwells in the Shrine of Musa, and my name is Iku-ikadzuchi[2] no Kami.' This was their revelation:—'Let offerings of horses and weapons of all kinds be made at the misasagi of the Emperor Kamu-yamato-ihare-biko.[3] Further (XXVIII. 22.) they said:—'We stood in front and rear of the Imperial descendant and escorted him to Fuha, whence we returned. We have now again taken our stand in the midst of the Imperial army for its protection.' Further they said:—'An army is about to arrive by the Western road. Be on your guard.'" When he had done speaking, he awoke (from his trance). For this reason, therefore, Kome was sent to worship at the Imperial misasagi and to make offerings of horses and weapons. He also made offerings of cloth[4] and worshipped the gods of the Shrines of Takechi and Musa.
After this Karakuni, Iki no Fubito, arrived from Ohosaka. Therefore the people of that day said:—"The words of the instructions of the Gods of the two Shrines are in accordance with the fact."[5]
Moreover the Goddess of Muraya[6] said by the mouth of a priest:—"An army is now about to arrive by the middle road of my shrine. Therefore let the middle road of my shrine be blocked." Accordingly, not many days after, the army of Kujira, Ihoriwi no Miyakko, arrived by the middle road. The men of that day said:—"So the words of the teaching of the god were right." When the war was over, the Generals reported the monitions of these three gods to the Emperor, who straightway commanded that the three gods should be raised in rank[7] and worshipped accordingly.
- ↑ See above, Vol. I. p. 76.
- ↑ Live-thunder. Another reading is Ikudama, live-jewel. This is not one of the eight thunder-deities enumerated as having been born from the putrefying body of the Goddess Izanami. See above, Vol. I. p. 30. Kome was apparently inspired by two gods at once.
- ↑ Jimmu Tennō.
- ↑ Nusa or mitegura, now represented by the paper gohei.
- ↑ Referring to the prediction that the Army of the West was approaching.
- ↑ Named Mifuto hime.
- ↑ There were three classes of shrines, Greater, Middle and Lesser. The Greater Shrines included those from the senior division of the first rank to
