44. The Cross-sword Sent Down from Heaven

1So when His Augustness Kamu-yamato-ihare-biko made a progress round from thence, and reached the village of Kumanu, a large bear came out of the mountain, and forthwith disappeared into it. Then His Augustness Kamu-yamato-ihare-biko suddenly fainted away, and his august army likewise all fainted and fell prostrate. At this time Takakurazhi (this is the name of a person) of Kumanu came bearing one cross-sword to the place where the august child of the Deity was lying prostrate, and presented it to him, upon which the august child of the Heavenly Deity forthwith rose up, and said: “How long I have slept!” So when he accepted the cross-sword, the savage Deities of the mountains of Kumanu all spontaneously fell cut down. Then the whole august army, that had been bewildered and had fallen prostrate, awoke and rose up. So the august child of the Heavenly Deity asked him how he had got the cross-sword. Takakurazhi replied, saying: “I was told in a dream that the two Deities the Heaven-Shining-Great-Deity and the High Integrating Deity commanded and summoned the Brave-Awful-Possessing-Male-Deity, and charged him [thus]: ‘The Central Land of Reed-Plains is painfully uproarious,—it is. Our august children must he ill at ease. As [therefore] the Central Land of Reed-Plains is a land which thou specially subduedst, thou the Brave-Awful-Possessing-Male-Deity shalt descend [thither].’ Then he replied, saying: ‘I will not descend [myself], but I have the cross-sword wherewith I specially subdued the land. (The name by which this sword is called is the Deity Thrust-Snap; another name by which it is called is the Deity Awful-Snap, and another name for it is the August-Snap-Spirit. This sword dwells in the temple of the Deity of Isonokami.) The manner in which I will send this sword down will be to perforate the ridge of [the roof of] Takakurazhi’s store-house, and drop it through!’ {So the Brave-Awful-Possessing-Male-Deity instructed me, saying: ‘I will perforate the ridge of [the roof of] thy store-house, and drop this sword through.} So do thou, with the good eyes of morning, take it and present it to the august child of the Heavenly Deity.’ So, on my searching my store-house early next morning in accordance with the instructions of the dream, there really was a cross-sword there. So I just present this cross-sword to thee.”