This year Kahabe no Omi[1] was sent to the province of Aki with orders to build ships. On arriving at the mountain, he sought for ship timber. Having found good timber, he marked it and was about to cut it, when a man appeared, and said:—"This is a thunder-tree, and must not be cut." Kahabe no Omi said:—"Shall even the Thunder-god oppose the Imperial commands?" So having offered many mitegura,[2] he sent workmen to cut down the timber. Straightway a great rain fell, and it thundered and lightened. Hereupon Kahabe no Omi drew his sword, and said:—"O Thunder-god, harm not the workmen; it is my person that thou shouldst injure." So he looked up and waited. But although the God thundered more than ten times, he could not harm Kahabe no Omi. Then (XXII. 31.) he changed himself into a small fish, which stuck between the branches of the tree. Kahabe no Omi forthwith took the fish, and burnt it. So at last the ships were built.
A.D. 619. 27th year, Summer, 4th month, 4th day. It was reported from the province of Afumi that in the river Gamafu[3] there was a creature in the shape of a man.[4]
Autumn, 7th month. There was a fisherman of the province of Settsu, who cast his net in the Horiye.[5] Something entered his net formed like a child, which was neither a fish nor a man. Its name was unknown.
A.D. 620. 28th year, Autumn, 8th month. Two men of Yaku were cast away on the island of Idzu.[6]
Autumn, 10th month. The top of the Misasagi[7] of Hinokuma was covered with pebbles. Outside the boundary the earth was piled up into a hill, and each of the noble houses[8]
- ↑ I have omitted here and in several other places a frivolous note of the "Original Commentary," to the effect that "the personal name is wanting."
- ↑ Offerings of cloth.
- ↑ Gamō.
- ↑ A bad omen.
- ↑ Hori-ye is literally an artificial canal. Here it is the name of a branch of the river at Osaka, no doubt originally artificially excavated.
- ↑ Probably Vries Island, or one of the adjacent islands. Or Shima may here mean promontory.
- ↑ At this day several of the misasagi are thickly covered with a layer of paving-stones, loosely put down, probably in order to prevent the earth from being washed away by rains. An example may be seen at Tarumi, near Kobe, and another on the hill above Nara.
- ↑ Uji.
