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made in the first year of Enryaku (A.D. 782). She was entrusted with the same sacred office as her distinguished Imperial predecessors, Toyosuki-Iri-Hime and Yamato-Hime, had been some centuries before.
134. The Ryo-no-Shuge states that in the fifth year of Shinki (A.D. 728), by the Imperial Command, the Seventh Court Rank was conferred on the hierarch Nakatomi, the official priest attached to serve the Imperial Guardian-Priestess at Ise, whilst Imbe in the same Bureau received the Eighth Court Rank, notwithstanding that this was contrary to the ancient customs and usage. At any rate one thing is certain that Nakatomi’s seniority to Imbe by one grade in Court Rank was not first inaugurated in the Enryaku Era of the Emperor Kammu, when his Imperial daughter was appointed to the Ise Shrine, as Imbe-no-Hironari erroneously states here in the text.
135. In medieval Japan, popularly known as “Dazaifu” in Kyushu.
136. Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto was a mirth-provoking figure of an inspired prophetess who danced before the Heavenly Rock-Cave, when myriads of Gods anxiously desired to induce the Sun-Goddess to quit it; and from that time her descendants Sarume-no-Kami played an important part as inspired court diviners in the Ceremony of Quieting the Imperial Spirit (Vide the Sendai-Kuji-Hongi, Japanese edition, Vol. V, the Tenson Hongi and the Tenno Hongi. The Kokushi-Taikei, Japanese edition, Vol. VII, pp. 264, 322).
For the idea attached to “spirit” by the ancient Japanese,
