Kojiki (Chamberlain, 1882)/Section 94

by Ō no Yasumaro

[Sect. XCIV.—Emperor Sei-mu.]

The Heavenly Sovereign Wata-tarashi-hiko dwelt at the palace of Taka-anaho at Shiga^[1] in Chika-tsu-Afumi and ruled the empire. This Heavenly Sovereign wedded the Lady Oho-takara,^[2] daughter of Take-oshiyama-tari-ne,^[3] ancestor of the Grandees of Hodzumi,^[4] and begot an august child: King Waka-nuke^[5] (one Deity). So [the Heavenly Sovereign] raised the Noble Take-uchi^[6] [to the office of] Prime Minister,^[7] deigned to settle the Rulers of the Great Countries and Small Countries,^[8] and likewise deigned to settle the boundaries of the various countries, as also the Departmental Lords of the Great Departments and Small Departments.^[9] The Heavenly Sovereign’s august years were ninety-five, and his august mausoleum is at Tatanami near Saki.^[10]

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1. Shiga no Taka-anaho. Shiga is the name of a well known district, and is of uncertain signification, as is also Taka-anaho. For Chika-tsu-Afumi see Sect. XXIX, Note 20.
2. Oto-takara no iratsume. Oto signifies “younger [sister],” and takara is “treasure.”
3. Oshiyama is the name of a place in Ise, take signifies “brave,” and tari and ne are Honorifics of frequent occurrence.
4. Hodzumi no omi. See Sect. LXI, Note 4.
5. Waka-nuke no miko. This name is of doubtful signification, and Motowori suspects that it is corrupt, and that the true reading would be Waka-take, “young-brave.”
6. See Sect. LXI, Note 25.
7. 大臣. Motowori tries to prove that in the earliest times this official title was simply an Honorific surname formed by prefixing the Adjective 大, “great” to 臣, a surname read “Omi” (the character signifies properly “attendant,” “subject.”) Probably like other “gentile names” it combined both characters, and had a tendency to become hereditary.
8. Oho-kuni wo-kuni no kuni no miyatsuko.
9. Oho-agata wo-agata no agata nushi (大縣小縣之縣主). Their duties are supposed to have consisted in supervising the government farms.
10. For Saki see Sect. LXXV, Note 5. Tatanami may perhaps signify “putting shields is a row.”