Kojiki (Chamberlain, 1882)/Section 158

by Ō no Yasumaro

[Sect. CLVIII.—Emperor Yū-riyaku (Part IX.—Revelation of the Great Deity of Kadzuraki, Lord of One Word).]

Again once, when the Heavenly Sovereign made a progress up Mount Kadzuraki, the various officials^[1] were all clothed in green-stained garments with red cords that had been granted to them. At that time there were people ascending the mountain on the opposite mountain acclivity quite similar to the order of the Heavenly Monarch’s retinue. Again the style of the habiliments and likewise the people were similar and not distinguishable.^[2] Then the Heavenly Sovereign gazed, and sent to ask, saying: “There being no other king in Yamato excepting myself, what person goeth thus?” The style of the reply again was like unto the commands of a Heavenly Sovereign. Hereupon the Heavenly Sovereign, being very angry, fixed his arrow [in his bow], and the various officials all fixed their arrows [in their bows]. Then those people also all fixed their arrows [in their bows]. So the Heavenly Sovereign again sent to ask, saying: “Then tell thy name. Then let each of us tell his name, and [then] let fly his arrow.” Thereupon [the other] replied, saying: As I was the first to be asked, I will be the first to tell my name. I am the deity who dispels with a word the evil and with a word the good,—the Great Deity of Kadzuraki, Lord of One Word.”^[3] The Heavenly Sovereign hereupon trembled, and said: “I reverence [thee], my Great Deity. I understood not that thy great person would be revealed;”^[4]—and having thus spoken, he, beginning by his great august sword and likewise his bow and arrows, took off the garments which the hundred officials had on, and worshipfully presented them [to the Great Deity].^[5] Then the Great Deify, Lord of One Word, clapping his hands,^[6] accepted the offering. So when the Heavenly Sovereign made his progress back, the Great Deity came down the mountain,^[7] and respectfully escorted him to the entrance^[8] of the Hatsuse mountain. So it was at that time that the Great Deity Lord of One Word was revealed.

---

1. Literally, “the hundred officials.” This Chinese phrase has been met with before in the “Records,” and recurs in this Section.
2. The original has the character 傾, out of which it is hard to make sense. Motowori’s proposal to consider it put by error for 頒 has therefore been adopted, though the translator feels by no means sure that it is a happy one. According to the strict Chinese sense of 頒, it would not fit with this passage any better than 傾; but in Japanese we may be justified in understanding 不頒 to mean “not distinguishable.”
3. In the original: 吾者雖惡事而一言雖善事而一言言離之神葛城之一言主之大神者也. The import of the obscure expression “dispelling with a word the good” is not rendered much more intelligible by Motowori’s attempt to explain it. For Kadzuraki see Sect. LV, Note 1.
4. Literally, “that there would be a present (or manifest) great person.”
5. I.e., he kept nothing for himself, but from his own sword and bow and arrows down to the ceremonial garments in which his followers were clad, gave every thing to the god.
6. In token of joy, says Motowori.
7. The characters 滿山末, rendered by “came down the mountain,” are evidently the result of a copyist’s carelessness. The translation follows Motowori’s proposal to emend the text to 降山來.
8. Literally “mouth.”