the Heavenly Sovereign]. Then the august child wedded Princess Hinaga[1] for one night. So, on looking privately at the beautiful maiden, [he found her] to be a serpent, at the sight of which he fled away alarmed. Then Princess Hinaga was vexed, and, illuminating the sea-plain,[2] pursued after them in a ship; and they, more and more alarmed at the sight, pulled the august vessel across the mountain-folds,[3] and went fleeing up [to the capital]. Thereupon they made a report, saying: “We have come up [to the capital] because thy great and august child has become able to speak through worshipping the Great Deity.” So the Heavenly Sovereign, delighted, forthwith sent King Unakami back to build the Deity’s temple. Thereupon the Heavenly Sovereign, on account of this august child, established the Totori Clan, the Torikahi Clan, the Homuji Clan, the Ohoyuwe and the Wakayuwe.[4]
[Sect. LXXIII.—Emperor Sui-nin (Part V.—His Later Wives).]
Again, in accordance with the Empress’s words, he summoned Her Augustness Princess Hibasu, next Her Augustness Princess Oto, next Her Augustness Princess Utakori, next Her Augustness Princess Matonu,[5] daughters of Prince Michi-no-ushi,—four Deities in all. Now he
- ↑ Hi-naga-hime. The signification of the name is obscure, but it would seem most natural to suppose it connected with the River Hi which figures in the Idzumo cycle of legends. A proposal of Motowori’s to read Koye-naga instead of the traditional Hi-naga seems scarcely to be meant in earnest. If accepted, it would give us the meaning of “fat and long princess,” with reference to the story of her being a serpent.
- ↑ It will be remembered that the Province of Idzumo is a maritime one, and that the fugitives might be supposed to reach the sea-shore in their flight. It is true that this is exactly the reverse of the direction which they would be obliged to take in travelling up to the capital, which was in Yamato.
- ↑ I.e., the depressions or valleys separating one mountain from another.
- ↑ In the original Totori-be, Torikahi-be, Homuji-be, Oho-yuwe and Waka-yuwe. All these “gentile names” have a meaning connecting them either really or apparently with the story above related,—to-tori signifying “bird-catcher” and tori-kahi “bird-feeder,” while the name of the Homuji Clan is of course derived from that of the Prince (Homuchi or Homuji), and Oho-yuwe and Wahu-yuwe signify respectively “elder bather” and “younger bather.”
- ↑ Hibasu-hime, Oto-hime, Utakori-hime and Matonu-hime. The first two of
