Before this, when Ame-waka-hiko was in the Central Land of Reed-Plains, he was on terms of friendship with Aji-suki[1]-taka-hiko-ne no Kami. Therefore Aji-suki-taka-hiko-ne no Kami ascended to Heaven and offered condolence on his decease. Now this God was exactly like in appearance to Ame-waka-hiko when he was alive, and therefore Ame-waka-hiko's parents, relations, wife, and children all said:—"Our Lord is still alive," and clung to his garments and to his girdle, partly rejoiced and partly distracted. Then Aji-suki-taka-hiko-ne no Kami became flushed with anger and said:—"The way of friends is such that it is right that mutual condolence should be made. Therefore I have not been daunted by the pollution, but have come from afar to make mourning. Why then should I be mistaken for a dead person?" So he drew his sword, Oho-ha-kari,[2] which he had in his girdle? and cut down the mortuary house, which fell to earth and became a mountain. It is now in the province of Mino, by the upper waters of the River (II. 7.) Ayumi. This is the mountain of Moyama (mourning mountain). This is why people take care not to mistake a living for a dead person.
After this, Taka-mi-musubi no Mikoto again assembled all the Gods that they might select some one to send to the Central Land of Reed-Plains. They all said:—"It will be well to send Futsu-nushi[3] no Kami, son of Iha-tsutsu no wo[4] and Iha-tsutsu no me, the children of Iha-saku-ne-saku[5] no Kami."
- ↑ No satisfactory explanation of this name.
- ↑ Great-leaf-mower.
- ↑ Futsu is explained by Hirata as an onomatopoetic word like the modern futtsuri for the abrupt snapping sound produced when anything is cleanly cut or broken off. Nushi means master.
- ↑ Iha-tsutsu. Iha is rock, tsutsu probably a honorific=elder. Wo is male; me, female.
- ↑ Iha-saku means rock-split; ne-saku, root-split.
imitation of the Gods dancing and making merry in order to entice the Sun-Goddess from her rock-cave. Compare the following passage from a Chinese History of the Han (A.D. 25–220) Dynasty.
In Japan "Mourning lasts for some ten days only, during which time the members of the family weep and lament, whilst their friends come singing, dancing and making music."
The mortuary house was required for the temporary disposal of the dead, while the sepulchral mound with its megalithic chamber was being constructed. Vide Index—Misasagi.
