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supposed by Mabuchi to be one of the gods of wind, but Hirata explains it to be one of the hashidate of which mention has already been made. In the Koshi-Den he makes Yaso-maga-tsu-hi and Kamu-nawo-bi to be simply alternative names of Oho-maga-tsu-hi and Oho-nawo-bi. The birth of the first was intended as a mark that Izanagi had purified his body from the pollution which he had brought back with him from Yomi, and he sprang from Izanagi’s strong resolve to get rid of those pollutions. Hence this god utterly detests defilement of whatever kind, and becomes violent in his conduct whenever any unclean thing is done. His name is derived from the calamities (maga) which he causes. Motoöri’s view that this god was actually produced from the filth of Yomi, and is therefore an evil god, is wrong. Apart from the wrath which he manifests on certain occasions, he is disposed to do good, as is evidenced by his having planted the whole of Japan with trees, the seeds of which he brought down from heaven. Nawobi no kami was similarly produced by the earnest desire of Izanagi to remedy the evils which might be produced by the zeal of Mage-tsu-hi no kami. Both gods and human beings have in them the spirit of these two gods, wherefore they are angry with whatever is foul and wicked, and are tempted to act violently. It is Nawobi no kami’s spirit which moderates their wrath, and disposes them to mercy.
Hirata endeavours to prove that awo-una-bara means the whole earth, and that the phrase “multitudinous salt-water” is only added for the sake of emphasis. He derives umi (of which una is only another form) from umu, to beget, to bear, and interprets unabara to mean the ‘just born plain.’ Awo is green, applied either in the sense of young, or because the earth seemed to be of a green colour when viewed by the celestial gods from above. It will be remembered that Izanagi and Izanami dipped the spear into awo-una-bara, and separated the dry land from the sea, so that if Hirata’s etymology were correct the name would be no longer applicable when Tsukuyomi was invested with his kingdom. The safest opinion is that
