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form as the hôden. It is here that the water and food offered up to the gods every morning and evening are set out. These gods are seven in number, namely the principal deity and three secondary (called aidono) of the Gékû, and the principal deity and two aidono of the Naikû. Formerly, that is to say, up to the year 729, as the legend states, the food offerings for the Naikû, after being prepared at the Gékû, were conveyed to the former temple, there to be set out. In that year, as the offerings were being carried thither as usual they were unwittingly carried past some polluting object which happened to be in the road. The consequence was that the Mikado fell ill, and the diviners attributed his sickness to the anger of the goddess of the Naikû. An envoy was deputed by him to carry his apologies to the offended deity, and the mikéden was then erected at the Gékû for the service of both temples. This account would appear to suggest that no mikéden existed at all before this occurrence, but that can hardly be possible.
The offerings made to each of the two principal deities consist of four cups of water, sixteen saucers of rice, four saucers of salt, and food, such as fish, birds and vegetables, offered up by the surrounding villages. The proportion for each of the aidono consists of one half of the quantities offered to the principal deities[1].
The principal deity worshipped at the Gékû is Toyouké-himé no kami, called Ukémochi no kami in the Nihongi and Ôgetsuhimé no kami in the Kojiki. Toyo means abundant: uké, food: himé, lady, and the whole signifies ‘abundant-food-goddess.’ Ukémochi no kami signifies the ‘food-possessing god.’ In the name Ôgetsu-himé no kami, the first element ô (written oho) is simply an honorific like the o in colloquial; gé is uké deprived of its first syllable and with the nigori of composition; tsu is the archaic generic particle, himé as before, and the whole means ‘goddess of food.’ Hirata Atsutané’s compilation of myths from the most reliable sources (Koshi-Seibun) contains the following account of her (Vol. II, p. 1).
- ↑ Gunsho-rujiu, vols. I. and II.
