13. Nihon Shoki I — 13
1In one writing it is said:—"Sosa no wo no Mikoto wished to favour Kushi-nada-hime, and asked her of Ashinadzuchi and Tenadzuchi, who replied, saying:—'We pray thee first to slay the serpent, and thereafter it will be good that thou shouldst favour her. This serpent has rock-firs growing on each of its heads; on each of its sides there is a mountain; it is a very fearful beast. How wilt thou set about to slay it?' Sosa no wo no Mikoto thereupon devised a plan. He brewed a poisonous sake, which he gave it to drink. The serpent became drunk, and fell asleep. Sosa no wo no Mikoto forthwith (I. 56.) took his sword, called Worochi no Kara-sabi, and severed its head and severed its belly. When he severed its tail, the edge of the sword was slightly notched, so he split the tail open and made examination. He found there another sword, which he called Kusa-nagi no Tsurugi. This sword was formerly with Sosa no wo no Mikoto. It is now in the province of Ohari. The sword with which Sosa no wo no Mikoto slew the serpent is now with the Kambe of Kibi. The place where the serpent was slain is the mountain at the upper waters of the river Hi in Idzumo."
2In one writing it is said:—"Sosa no wo no Mikoto's behaviour was unmannerly. A fine was therefore imposed on him by all the Gods of a thousand tables, and he was driven into banishment. At this time, Sosa no wo no Mikoto, accompanied by his son Iso-takeru no Kami, descended to the Land of Silla, where he dwelt at Soshi-mori. There he lifted up his voice and said:—'I will not dwell in this land.' He at length took clay and made of it a boat, in which he embarked, and crossed over eastwards until he arrived at Mount Tori-kamu no Take, which is by the upper waters of the river Hi in Idzumo. Now there was in this place a serpent which devoured men. Sosa no wo no Mikoto accordingly took his sword, called (I. 57.) Ama no Haye-kiri, and slew this serpent. Now when he cut the serpent's tail, the edge of his sword was notched. Thereupon he split open the tail, and on examination, found within it a divine sword. Sosa no wo no Mikoto said:—'I must not take this for my private use.' So he sent Ama no Fuki-ne no Kami, his descendant in the fifth generation, to deliver it up to Heaven. This is the sword now called Kusa-nagi.
3Before this, when Iso-takeru no Kami descended from Heaven, he took down with him the seeds of trees in great quantity. However, he did not plant them in the land of Han, but brought them all back again, and finally sowed them every one throughout the Great Eight-island-country, beginning with Tsukushi. Thus green mountains were produced. For this reason Iso-takeru no Mikoto was styled Isaoshi no Kami. He is the Great Deity who dwells in the Land of Kiï."
4In one writing it is stated:—"Sosa no wo no Mikoto said:—'In the region of the Land of Han there is gold and silver. It will not be well if the country ruled by my son should not possess floating riches. So he plucked out his beard and scattered it. Thereupon Cryptomerias were (I. 58.) produced. Moreover, he plucked out the hairs of his breast, which became Thuyas. The hairs of his buttocks became Podocarpi. The hairs of his eye-brows became Camphor-trees. Having done so, he determined their uses. These two trees, viz. the Cryptomeria and the Camphor-tree, were to be made into floating riches; the Thuya was to be used as timber for building fair palaces; the Podocarpus was to form receptacles in which the visible race of man was to be laid in secluded burial-places. For their food he well sowed and made to grow all the eighty kinds of fruit.
5Now the children of Sosa no wo no Mikoto were named Iso-takeru no Mikoto, with Oho-ya tsu hime, his younger sister, and next Tsuma-tsu-hime no Mikoto. All these three Deities also dispersed well the seeds of trees, and forthwith crossed over to the Land of Kiï.
6(I. 59.) Thereafter Sosa no wo no Mikoto dwelt on the Peak of Kuma-nari, and eventually entered the Nether Land."
7In one writing it is said:—"Oho-kuni-nushi no Kami is also called Oho-mono-nushi no Kami, or else Kuni-dzukuri Oho-na-mocha no Mikoto, or again Ashi-hara no Shiko-wo, or Ya-chi-hoko no Kami, or Oho-kuni-dama no Kami, or Utsushi-kuni-dama no Kami. His children were in all one hundred and eighty-one Deities.
8Now Oho-na-mochi no Mikoto and Sukuna-bikona no Mikoto, with united strength and one heart, constructed this sub-celestial world. Then, for the sake of the visible race of man as well as for beasts, they determined the method of healing diseases. They also, in order to do away with the calamities of birds, beasts, and creeping things, established means for their prevention and control. The people enjoy the protection of these universally until the present day.
9Before this Oho-na-mochi no Mikoto spake to Sukuna-bikona no Mikoto, and said:—'May we not say that the country which we have made is well made?' Sukuna-bikona no Mikoto answered and said:—'In some parts it is complete and in others it is incomplete.' This conversation had doubtless a mysterious purport.
10(I. 60.) Thereafter Sukuna-bikona no Mikoto went to Cape Kumano, and eventually proceeded to the Everlasting Land.
11Another version is that he went to the island of Aha, where he climbed up a millet-stalk, and was thereupon jerked off, and went to the Everlasting Land.