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year of Daido), there had been a law-suit between the Nakatomi and the Imbe when they stated their respective cases as follows; the Nakatomi Family complained:
“ ‘It was the Imbe Family that was wont to manufacture official offerings for the gods but they never enjoyed the privilege of reciting a liturgy, therefore that family should not be sent as Imperial envoys to bring official offerings to any shrine.’
“The Imbe Family, however, protested against the accusation, saying:
“ ‘It is the right of the Imbe Family to present the Imperial sacrificial gifts to a shrine and offer prayer, therefore one or more members of that Family should be appointed as Imperial messengers to offer sacrifices at a shrine and the Nakatomi Family should be entrusted with the expiratory rites.’
“As the arguments of both parties were fairy well founded on historical grounds the final victory still hung in the balance. But on the same day, an Imperial Edict was issued, saying:
“ ‘According to the Hihonshoki (Nihongi) or Chronicles of Japan, when Amaterasu-O-Mikami concealed herself in the Heavenly Rock-Cave, Ame-no-Koyane-no-Mlkoto, ancestor of the Nakatomi Family, and Futotama-no-Mikoto, ancestor of the Imbe Family, both united in offering prayer to Amaterasu-O-Mikami to persuade her to leave the cave, and hung five hundred large jewels linked together by an august string, on the upper branch of a fine sacred Sakaki tree with five hundred branches, which had been brought from the Heavenly Mt. Kagu; an eight-handed mirror on the central branches, and both blue and white-coloured
