Kojiki (Chamberlain, 1882)/Section 117

by Ō no Yasumaro

[Sect. CXVII.—Emperor Ō-jin (Part XVI.—Genealogies).]

Again this Heavenly Sovereign Homuda’s^[1] august child King Waka-nuke-futa-mata wedded his mother’s younger sister Momo-shiki-iro-be,^[2] another name for whom was Her Augustness Oto-hime-ma-waka-hime,^[3] and begot children: Oho-iratsuko,^[4] another name for whom was King Oho-hodo;^[5] next Her Augustness Osaka-no-oho-mika-tsu-hime;^[6] next Tawi-no-naka-tsu-hime;^[7] next Tamiya-no-naka-tsu-hime;^[8] next Fujihara-no-koto-fushi-no-iratsume;^[9] next Queen Torime;^[10] next King Sane.^[11] (Seven Kings [and Queens].^[12]) So King Oho-hodo (was the ancestor of the Dukes of Mikuni,^[13] the Dukes of Hata,^[14] the Dukes of Okinaga,^[15] the Dukes of Sakabito of Sakata,^[16] the Dukes of Yamaji,^[17] the Dukes of Meta in Tsukushi,^[18] and the Dukes of Fuse).^[19] Again King Netori wedded his younger half-sister the Lady Mihara, and begot children: King Naka-tsu-hiko;^[20] next King Iwashima.^[21] (Two Kings.) Again the child of King Katashiha^[22] was King Kunu.^[23]

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1. I.e., the Emperor Ō-jin’s.
2. The import of this compound is not clear.
3. I.e., “the younger princess, the truly young princess.”
4. I.e., “the great lord.”
5. Oho-hodo no miko. The signification of Oho-hodo is obscure. Motowori surmises it to have been originally the name of a place.
6. I.e., “the great middle princess of Osaka.” Osaka is the name of a place in Yamato. The word “middle” should by the analogy of other such genealogies indicate the fact that this princess was the fourth child out of seven. Here however she is mentioned second, and the some designation is applied to the two next daughters. There is evidently some confusion in the tradition.
7. I.e., “the middle princess of Tawi,”—a place in Kahachi.
8. I.e., “the middle princess of Tamiya,”—a place in Kahachi.
9. I.e., “the lady Koto-fushi of Fujihara.” But the meaning of Koto-fushi is obscure, and Motowori surmises it to be an alternative or corrupt form of Sotohoshi. (For the celebrated princess of the latter name see Sect. CXXXVII, Note 9). Fujihara is the name of a place in Yamato, and signifies “wistaria-moor.”
10. Torime no miko. This name is obscure.
11. Sane no miko. Motowori believes sane to stand erroneously for sami; but both forms are obscure.
12. The Japanese word includes both genders.
13. Mikuni no kimi. Mikuni is the name of a well-known place in the province of Echizen. It signifies “three countries.”
14. Hata no kimi. There are several places called Hata, and it is not known which of them is here intended. The signification of the name is also uncertain.
15. Okinaga no kimi. See Sect. LXII, Note 31.
16. Sakata no Saka-bito no kimi. This is Motowori’s restoration of an apparently corrupt text. Sakata and Sakabito are both taken to he names of places, the first of a district in Afumi, the second of a place in Settsu. Sakabito (酒人) seems a very curious compound for the name of a place. Moreover the double title is unusual, and it may be thought that the word “Dukes” has fallen out of the text, and that in reality two families were intended to be spoken of.
17. Yamaji ho kimi. Yamaji (“mountain road”) is supposed by Motowori to be the name of a place,—perhaps in the province of Higo.
18. Tsukushi no Meta no kimi. Tsukushi is the old name of the whole of the South-Western island of the Japanese archipelago and Meta the name of a place in the province of Hizen in that island. The etymology of Meta is uncertain.
19. Fuse no kimi. Fuse is a name of uncertain import found in several provinces. It is not known which is meant to be here designated.
20. Naka-tsu-hiko no miko, i.e. “the middle prince,” a designation which would lead one to expect to find mention of an elder brother.
21. Iwashima no miko. Iwashima seems to be the name of a place, but the signification of Iha (not to be confounded with iha, “stone” or “rock”) is altogether obscure.
22. Katashiha no miko. This prince has not been mentioned in the previous genealogies, which is curious. Katashiha is the name of a place in Chikuzen, and signifies “hard rock.”
23. Kunu no miko. Kunu is altogether obscure.