51. The Emperor Yū-riyaku’s Mausoleum is Disfigured

1The Heavenly Sovereign, deeply hating the Heavenly Sovereign Oho-hatsuse, who had slain the King his father, wished to be revenged on his spirit. So when, wishing to destroy the august mausoleum of the Heavenly Sovereign Oho-hatsuse, he [was about to] send people [to execute this design], his elder brother, His Augustness Ohoke, addressed him, saying: “To demolish this august mausoleum thou shouldst not send other people. None but myself shall go, and I will demolish it according to the Heavenly Sovereign’s august heart.” Then the Heavenly Sovereign commanded: “Make thy progress, then, according to thy decree.” Wherefore His Augustness Ohoke, having proceeded down himself, slightly excavated the side of the august mausoleum, and returned up [to the capital], and reported that he had dug up and demolished it. Then the Heavenly Sovereign, astonished at the quickness of his return up, asked how he had demolished it. He replied, saying: “I slightly excavated the earth at the side of the august mausoleum.” The Heavenly Sovereign said: “Wishing to be revenged on the enemy of the King our father, I had counted on the complete demolition of the mausoleum. Why hast thou [only] slightly excavated it?” He replied, saying: “The reason why I did so was that the wish to be revenged on the spirit of the foe of the King our father is truly just. Nevertheless the Heavenly Sovereign Oho-hatsuse, though he were our father’s foe, was still our uncle, and moreover was an Heavenly Sovereign who ruled the Emprire. So if we now, simply from the consideration of his having been our father’s enemy, were completely to demolish the mausoleum of an Heavenly Sovereign who ruled the Empire, after-generations would surely revile us. Meanwhile the wrongs of the King our father must not be unrevenged. So I slightly excavated the side of the mausoleum. This insult will quite suffice as a token to future ages.” On his thus addressing him, the Heavenly Sovereign said: “This also is very just. Be it as thou sayest.”