fore they sent the Weaver-God Take-ha-dzuchi no Mikoto also, upon which he rendered submission. The two Gods therefore ascended to Heaven."
Ultimately they reported the result of their mission.
Then Taka-mi-musubi no Mikoto took the coverlet which was on his true couch, and casting it over his August Grandchild, Amatsu-hiko-hiko-ho-ninigi no Mikoto, made him to descend. So the August Grandchild left his Heavenly Rock-seat, and with an awful[1] path-cleaving, clove his way through the eight-fold clouds of Heaven, and descended on the Peak of Takachiho of (II. 10.) So[2] in Hiuga.
After this the manner of the progress of the August Grandchild was as follows:—From the Floating Bridge of Heaven on the twin summits of Kushibi, he took his stand on a level part of the floating sand-bank. Then he traversed the desert land of Sojishi from the Hill of Hitawo in his search for a country, until he came to Cape Kasasa, in Ata-no-nagaya. A certain man of that land appeared and gave his name as Koto-katsu-kuni-katsu Nagasa.[3] The August Grandchild inquired of him, (II. 11.) saying:—"Is there a country, or not?" He answered, and said:—"There is here a country. I pray thee roam through it at thy pleasure." The August Grandchild therefore went there and took up his abode. Now there was a fair maid in that land whose name was Ka-ashi-tsu-hime.
[Also called Kami Ata-tsu-hime or Ko no hana no saku-ya-hime.[4]]
- ↑ The interlinear gloss has idzu, an obsolete word which means awful, holy, sacred. It is, I would suggest, the same root which appears in the name of the province Idzu-mo and in Idzu-shi in Tajima, also a seat of Shintō worship. Mo means quarter, as in yomo, the four quarters, everywhere, and shi is for ishi, stone. See Index—Idzu.
- ↑ It is this word which forms the second part of Kumaso, the general name of the tribes which inhabited the south of Kiushiu.
- ↑ Thing-excel-country-excel. Long-narrow.
- ↑ These names mean respectively Deer-reed-of-princess, Deity (or upper) Ata-of-princess and Tree-of-flower-of-blossom-princess, i.e. blossoming like the flowers of the trees. The last name is that by which she is called in the "Kojiki" (vide Ch. K., p. 115), and is the one best known.
Take-ha-dzuchi is brave-leaf-elder. It is not clear that this Weaver-God is the same as the Weaver star.
