ought respectfully to withdraw, nor will I make any opposition." So he made in the sea an eight-fold fence of green branches, and stepping on the bow of the boat, went off. The messenger returned and reported the result of his mission. Then Oho-na-mochi no Kami said to the two Gods, in accordance with the words of his son:—"My son, on whom I rely, has already departed. I, too, will depart. If I were to make resistance all the Gods of this Land would certainly resist also. But as I now respectfully withdraw, who else will be so bold as to refuse submission?" So he took the broad spear which he had used as a staff when he was pacifying the land and gave it to the two Gods, saying:—"By means of this spear I was at last (II. 9.) successful. If the Heavenly Grandchild will use this spear to rule the land, he will undoubtedly subdue it to tranquillity. I am now about to withdraw to the concealment of the short-of-a-hundred[1]-eighty road-windings."[2] Having said these words, he at length became concealed.[3] Thereupon the two Gods put to death all the rebellious spirits and Deities.
One version says:—"The two Gods at length put to death the malignant Deities and the tribes of herbs, trees and rocks. When all had been subdued, the only one who refused submission was the Star-God Kagase-wo.[4] There-
- ↑ A mere epithet or pillow-word (makura-kotoba) of eighty.
- ↑ The eighty-road-windings are put for a long journey, i.e. to Yomi or Hades, or rather for Yomi itself.
- ↑ i.e. died.
- ↑ Kagase-wo. Wo means male. Kaga is obviously connected with kagayaku, to shine. This is the only Star-God mentioned in Japanese myth, and it may be noted that little honour is shown him. He is described as a conquered rebel, and has neither Kami nor Mikoto affixed to his name. The only stars mentioned in the "Kojiki" or "Nihongi" are Venus, the Pleiades, and the Weaver or Star α Lyrae, the latter being connected with a Chinese legend.
The Weaver-God is literally, if we follow the Chinese character, the God of Japanese striped stuffs. The interlinear "Kana" gives Shidzuri or Shidori, from shidzu, cloth, and ori, weave, which is doubtless correct.
"Went off" is the same character as is translated "withdraw" above. Hirata understands this of his death. The whole episode is related quite differently in the "Kojiki." Vide Ch. K., p. 101.
Enclosures of bamboo are used at the present day to trap fishes, but it is not very clear why one is introduced here.
