removed for interment at Ashigita. Later the coast people reported that the Eun-sol's ship had met with a storm and foundered, and that the Associate's ship had not been able to return until it had first drifted to Tsushima.
A.D. 584. 13th year, Spring, 2nd month, 8th day. Kitahiko, Naniha no Kishi, was sent to Silla. He at length arrived at Imna.
Autumn, 9th month. Kafuka no Omi [the personal name is wanting], who had come from Pèkché, had a stone image of Miroku,[1] and Saheki no Muraji [the personal name is wanting] an image of Buddha. This year Soga no Mŭmako no Sukune, having asked for these two Buddhist images, sent Shiba Tattō,[2] Kurabe no Sukuri, and Hida, Ikenobe no Atahe, in all directions to search out persons who practiced (Buddhism). Upon this he only found in the province of Harima a man named Hyé-phyön (XX. 14.) of Koryö,[3] who from a Buddhist priest had become a layman again. So the Oho-omi made him teacher, and caused him to receive Shima, the daughter of Shiba Tattō, into religion. She took the name of Nun Zen-shin [twelve years of age]. Moreover he received into religion two pupils of the Nun Zen-shin. One was Toyome, the daughter of Ayabito[4] no Yaho. She took the name of Nun Sen-zō. The other was Ishime, daughter of Nishikori Tsubu. She took the name of Nun Kei-zen. Mŭmako no Sukune, still in accordance with the Law of Buddha, reverenced the three nuns, and gave them to Hida no Atahe and Tattō, with orders to provide them with food and clothing. He erected a Buddhist Temple on the east side of his dwelling, in which he enshrined the stone image of Miroku. He insisted on the three nuns holding a general meeting to partake of maigre fare.[5] At this time Tattō found a Buddhist
- ↑ In Sanskrit Maitrêya, the expected Messiah of the Buddhists. Vide Eitel, p. 92.
- ↑ A Chinese or Corean name.
- ↑ In Japanese Koma no Keibin.
- ↑ Ayabito is written 漢人, i.e. a man of Han (China). Here it is a proper name, though no doubt indicating a Chinese ancestry.
- ↑ The Chinese character for "maigre fare" is 齋. This the Interlinear Kana renders here and below in many places by Ogami, i.e. prayer. That the meetings here referred to were practically for religious services is unquestionable, and we have seen above, Vol. I. p. 41, that this character when used in connection with Shintō, is equivalent to "worship," although primarily meaning "religious abstinence." Here the proper meaning is, I submit, "the vegetable diet of Buddhist priests." A few lines further down
