[Sect. XXX.—The August Deliberation for Pacifying the Land.]
The Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity commanded, saying: “The Luxuriant-Reed-Plains-the-Land-of-Fresh-Rice-ears-of-a-Thousand-Autumns,—of Long-Five-Hundred-Autumns[1] is the land which my august child His Augustness Truly-Conqueror-I-Conquer-Conquering-Swift-Heavenly-Great-Great-Ears[2] shall govern.” Having [thus] deigned to charge him, she sent him down from Heaven.[3] Hereupon His Augustness Heavenly-Great-Great-Ears, standing on the Floating Bridge of Heaven,[4] said: “The Luxuriant-Reed-Plains-the-Land-of-Fresh-Rice-ears-of-a-Thousand-Autumns,—of Long-Five-Hundred-Autumns is painfully uproarious,—it is.”[5] With this announcement, he immediately re-ascended, and informed the Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity. Then the High-August-Producing-Wondrous-Deity[6] and the Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity commanded the eight hundred myriad Deities to assemble in a divine assembly in the bed of the Tranquil River of Heaven,[7] and caused the Deity Thought-Includer[8] to think [of a plan], and said:[9] “This Central Land of Reed-Plains is the land with which we have deigned to charge our august child as the land which he shall govern. So as he deems that violent and
- ↑ Toyo-ashi-hara-no-chi-aki-no-naga-i-ho-aki-no-midzu-ho-no-kuni, i.e., freely rendered, “ever fruitful Japan with its reed-covered plains and its luxuriant rice-fields.”
- ↑ See Sect. XIII, Note 18. Henceforward this tremendous name is mostly abbreviated to Ame-no-oshi-ho-mimi (probably signifying “Heavenly-Great-Great-Ears.”)
- ↑ So in the original. The sense, however, is rather “told him to descend from Heaven;” for he did not actually go further than the top of the “Floating Bridge,” and never came down to earth.
- ↑ See Sect. III, Note 3.
- ↑ The words “it is” stand for are keri in the original. Conf. Sect. X, Note 1.
- ↑ Taka-mi-musu-bi-no-kami, first mentioned at the very commencement of the work. In this legend this god’s name is constantly coupled with that of the Sun-Goddess, who alone, up to this point, had appeared as the ruler of Heaven.
- ↑ See Sect. XIII, Note 12.
- ↑ See Sect. XVI, Note 7.
- ↑ The meaning must be, as Motowori suggests, that the story was told first, and the Deity Thought-Includer asked for his advice after he had heard it.
