— 31 —
descendants still reside in Izumo Province, and some jewels are found among their annual tribute to the Imperial Court. The descendants of Ame-no-Hiwashi-no-Mikoto employed themselves in cultivating hemp and paper-mulberry trees and in weaving coarse cloth out of these materials. In obedience to the Emperor’s command, Ame-no-Tomi-no-Mikoto taking with him the descendant of Hiwashi-no-Mikoto migrated to Awa (49) Province in search of fertile soil suitable for the cultivation of the above plants. The descendants of this family are still living in that district and at the celebration of the first Autummal Harvest Festival after the enthronement of a new emperor, they pay tribute of paper-mulberry, hemp, coarse cloth, and several other things to the Imperial House. The survival of the name O-e (literally, hemp planting) in that locality of Awa Province proves that there was formerly a district where such useful plants as paper-mulberry, hemp, etc., were highly cultivated.
Ame-no-Tomi-no-Mikoto next proceeded to the eastern districts of Japan with some members of the above mentioned Imbe Family of Awa in Shikoku to search for another fertile land wherein to cultivate similar plants. Hence that land, when found being luxuriant for rice, hemp, etc., was called Fusa-no-Kuni (In archaic Japanese “asa,” i.e., hemp is called “fusa,” and we still have “Upper and Lower Districts of Fusa”).
The land where the “yu,” paper-mulberry trees, grew abandantly[errata 1], was called Yu-Ki-no-Kori.
The district occupied by some branches of the Imbe Family is now known as Awa-no-Kori (i.e., the present Awa Province).