Now Ama-terasu no Oho-kami heard this, and said:—"Since I have shut myself up in the Rock-cave, there ought surely to be continual night in the Central Land of fertile reed-plains. How then can Ama no Uzume no Mikoto be so jolly?" So with her august hand, she opened for a narrow space the Rock-door and peeped out. Then Ta-jikara-wo no Kami forthwith took Ama-terasu no Oho-kami by the hand, and led her out. Upon this the Gods Nakatomi no Kami and Imibe no Kami[1] (I. 41.) at once drew a limit by means of a bottom-tied rope[2] (also called a left-hand rope) and begged her not to return again (into the cave).
After this all the Gods put the blame on Sosa no wo no Mikoto, and imposed on him a fine of one thousand tables,[3] and so at length chastised him. They also had his hair plucked out, and made him therewith expiate his guilt.
Another version is:—They made him expiate it by plucking out the nails of his hands and feet.
When this was done, they at last banished him downwards.
In one writing it is said:—"After this Waka-hiru-me[4] no Mikoto was in the sacred weaving-hall, weaving the garments of the Deities. Sosa no wo no Mikoto saw this, and forthwith flaying a piebald colt with a backward flaying, flung it into the interior of the hall. Then Waka-hiru-me no Mikoto was startled, and fell down from the loom, wounding herself with the shuttle which she held in her hand, and divinely departed.[5] Therefore Ama-terasu no Oho-kami spoke to Sosa no wo no Mikoto and said:—'Thou hast still evil intentions.[6] I do not wish to see thee face to face.' So she entered the Rock-cave of Heaven and
- ↑ These Gods' names were properly Koyane no Mikoto and Futo-dama no Mikoto (see above), but here the names of their human descendants are substituted.
- ↑ Shiri-kume-naha, now called shime-naha, a rope made of straw of rice which has been pulled up by the roots. See Ch. K., p. 59.
- ↑ By tables are meant tables of offerings, as in the illustrations.
- ↑ Young-Sun-female, a younger sister of the Sun-Goddess.
- ↑ i.e. died.
- ↑ Lit. a black heart.
simply the numerals from one to ten cannot be denied, but this, he argues, is a later application. The "Kojiki" gives other details of the conduct of this Goddess which the "Nihongi" draws a veil over.
