trusting to their valour, refused to present themselves at Court. The Emperor therefore sent detachments separately, and put them all to death. There were, moreover, Tsuchi-gumo at the village of Taka-wohari, whose appearance was as follows:—They had short bodies, and long arms and legs. They were of the same class as the pigmies. The Imperial troops wove nets of dolichos, which they flung over them and then slew (III. 28.) them. Wherefore the name of that village was changed to Katsuraki.[1] It is in the land of Ihare. Its ancient name was Kataru, or Katatachi. When our Imperial forces routed the enemy, a great army assembled and filled that country. Its name was accordingly changed to Ihare.[2]
Another account says that when the Emperor on a previous occasion tasted the food of the sacred jars, he moved forward his army on an expedition towards the West. At this time the eighty bandits of Katsuraki were encamped together there. A great battle with the Emperor followed, and they were at length destroyed by the Imperial army. Therefore that place was called the village of Ihare.[3] Again, the place where the Imperial troops made a warlike stand was called Takeda.[4] The place where he built a castle was named Kita.[5] Moreover, the place where the enemy fell in battle, their dead bodies prostrate, with their forearms for pillows, was called Tsura-maki-da.[6]
The Emperor, in Autumn, the 9th month of the previous year, secretly took clay of the Heavenly Mount Kagu, with which he made eighty platters, and thereafter performing abstinence in person, sacrificed to all the Gods. He was thereby at length enabled to establish the world[7] in peace. Therefore he called the place where the clay was taken Hani-yasu.[8]
- ↑ Dolichos Castle.
- ↑ The interlinear Kana gives for "fill," ihameri, a word which I do not know.
- ↑ The "original commentary" says that the Japanese word corresponding to the Chinese characters rendered "encamp" is ihami, a word not otherwise known to me.
- ↑ Brave-field.
- ↑ Castle-field.
- ↑ Face-pillow-field.
- ↑ "World" is not quite a merely rhetorical expression for the Empire of Japan. Hirata justifies Hideyoshi's invasion of Corea on the grounds that the sovereigns of Japan are de jure lords of the whole earth.
- ↑ Clay-easy or clay-peace.
