Kojiki (Chamberlain, 1882)/Section 163

by Ō no Yasumaro

[Sect. CLXIII.—Emperor Sei-nei (Part I.—Search for a Successor to Him).]

His Augustness Shiraka-no-oho-yamato-ne-ko dwelt at the palace of Mikakuri at Ihare,^[1] and ruled the Empire. This Heavenly Sovereign had no Empress, and likewise no august children. So the Shiraka Clan^[2] was established as his august proxy. So after the Heavenly Sovereign’s decease, there was no King to rule the Empire. Thereupon, on enquiry [being made] for a King who should rule the sun’s succession, Oshinumi-no-iratsume,^[3] another name for whom was Princess Ihi-toyo, younger sister of Prince Ichinobe-oshiha-wake,^[4] [was found to be] residing at the palace of Tsunusashi at Takaki in Oshinumi in Kadzuraki.^[5]

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1. For Ihare see Sect. XLIII, Note 26. Mika-kuri signifies “jar-chesunt.”
2. Shiraka-be.
3. In Sect. CXXXI (Note 7) this name appears as Awomi-no-iratsume. Both Awomi and Oshinumi are supposed to be names of places. The latter is the name of a district in Yamato. Its etymology is obscure. For Ihi-toyo see Sect. CXXXI, Note 8.
4. See Sect. CXXXI (Note 5), where however the title of wake (“Lord”) is omitted.
5. For Kadzuraki see Sect. LV, Note 1, and for Oshinumi see Note 3 to the present Sect. Takaki seems to signify “high castle,” while Tsunusashi is obscure. (See Motowori’s remarks on these two names in Vol. XLIII, p. 3 of his Commentary.)