THE KOJIKI
Part III.—Amaterasu, The Sun-Goddess, and the Storm-God
INVESTITURE OF THE THREE DEITIES, THE ILLUSTRIOUS AUGUST CHILDREN
At this time His Augustness the Male-Who-Invites greatly rejoiced, saying: "I, begetting child after child, have at my final begetting gotten three illustrious children." With which words, at once jinglingly taking off and shaking the jewelstring[1] forming his august necklace, he bestowed it on Amaterasu, the Heaven-Shining-Great-August deity, saying: "Do Thine Augustness rule the Plain-of-High-Heaven." With this charge he bestowed it on her. Now the name of this august necklace was the August-Storehouse-Shelf deity.[2] Next he said to His Augustness Moon-Night-Possessor: "Do Thine Augustness rule the Dominion of the Night." Thus he charged him. Next he said to His-Brave-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness: "Do Thine Augustness rule the Sea-Plain."[3]
THE CRYING AND WEEPING OF HIS IMPETUOUS-MALE-AUGUSTNESS
So while the other two deities each assumed his and her rule according to the command with which her father had deigned to charge them, the Storm-God, His-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness, did not assume the rule of the dominion with which he had been charged, but cried and wept till his eight-grasp beard reached to the pit of his stomach.[4] The
- ↑ I.e., "the string of jewels."
- ↑ Mi-kura-tana-no-kami. Motowori comments on this name by saying that the necklace was doubtless so precious that it was carefully kept by the goddess on a shelf in her storehouse.
- ↑ This is the Rain-storm god, known to the Japanese as Susa-no-wo, the mischief-maker.
- ↑ Literally, "in front of his heart."
