Page:Nihongi by Aston volume 2.djvu/119

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112
Nihongi.

THE EMPEROR HATSUSEBE.[1]

(SUJUN[2] TENNŌ.)

(XXI. 7.) The Emperor Hatsusebe was the twelfth child of the Emperor Ame-kuni Oshi-hiraki hiro-niha."[3] His mother's name was Wo-ane[4] no Kimi [daughter of Iname no Sukune, as already stated].

The Emperor Tachibana no Toyohi died in the second year of his reign, Summer, the 4th month. In the 5th month the army of the Mononobe no Ohomuraji made a disturbance thrice. The Ohomuraji from the first wished to set aside the other Imperial Princes and to establish the Imperial Prince Anahobe as Emperor. He now hoped to make use of a hunting party to devise a plan for raising him to the throne instead. So he secretly sent a messenger to the Imperial Prince Anahobe, to say:—"I should like to hunt with the Imperial Prince in Ahaji." The plot leaked out.

6th month, 7th day. Soga no Mŭmako no Sukune and other Ministers, on behalf of Kashikiya hime no Mikoto, commissioned[5] Nifute, Saheki no Muraji, Ihamura, Hashi no Muraji, and Makuhi, Ikuba no Omi, saying:—"Do ye with rigorous discipline of arms proceed at once to execute the Imperial Prince Anahobe and the Imperial Prince Yakabe." On this day, at midnight, Nifute, Saheki no Muraji, and his colleagues surrounded the Palace of the Imperial Prince Anahobe. Upon this the guardsmen, having first climbed up into the upper story, smote the Imperial Prince Anahobe on the shoulder. The Imperial Prince fell down from the upper story, and ran away into an outhouse. Then the guardsmen, holding up lights, executed him.

8th day. The Imperial Prince Yakabe was executed.

The Imperial Prince Yakabe was the son of the Emperor
  1. The "Kojiki" calls him Hatsusebe no Waka-sazaki.
  2. Venerable-lofty.
  3. Kimmei Tennō.
  4. i.e. little-elder-sister.
  5. The character used is , generally applied to an edict or order of the Emperor.