07. Howori

The summary

Howori lost the hook of his brother in the sea. So he visited to the palace of the Sea-Deity, and he married Toyotama-Bime, the daughter of the Sea-Deity. After that he returned the land and revenged on his brother, and his wife gave birth to Ukaya-Fukiahezu.
And this child gave birth to the First Emperor Jinmu (Kamu-Yamato-Ihare-Biko).

The translation

1) The Fisherman and the Hunter

So, Hoderi-no-Mikoto(**1), being as Umi-Sachi-Biko (Sea-Products-Fisherman), had caught the fishes with the large caudal fin and the fishes with the small caudal fin, and Howori-no-Mikoto(**2), being as Yama-Sachi-Biko (Mountain-Products-Hunter), had caught the beasts with the coat of coarse hair and the beasts with the coat of soft hair.
One day, Howori-no-Mikoto said to his elder brother, "Would you exchange each tool and use?" and he demanded thrice, but he did not grant. However, he could exchange at long last.

Thereupon, Howori-no-Mikoto fished with the fish-hook, but he could catch no fish after all, and moreover, he lost the hook into the sea. Then, his elder brother Hoderi-no-Mikoto demanded the hook back and said:

Yama-Sachi-mo Ono-ga sachi-sachi.
(The mountain-tool, bow-and-arrows, is your tool originally.)
(The mountain-products cannot be got without your tool.)
Umi-Sachi-mo Ono-ga sachi-sachi.
(The sea-tool, fish-hook, is my tool originally.)
(The sea-products cannot be got without my tool.)
Now, we will return each tool.

Hereupon, the youger brother Howori-no-Mikoto answered, "I fished with your hook, but could catch no fish, and at last I lost it into the sea." But the elder brother demanded to return it unreasonably and censured.
Then, the younger brother broke the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi (ten-fists-length-sword) on which he girt, and made 500 hooks of it to compensate, but he did not receive. Moreover, he made 1,000 hooks of it to compensate, but he did not receive likewise, and said, "Still, return the original hook."

2) The Palace of the Sea Deity

Therefore, the younger brother wept and grieved on the beach. Then Sihotsuchi-no-Kami(**1) came and said, "What is the reason that the Splendid-Prince have wept and grieved?" Hereupon he answered, "My elder brother and I exchanged each tool, but I lost it. And he demanded the hook, and so I made numerous hooks to compensate, but he did not receive them. Moreover he said, --- 'Still, return the original hook.' --- So that I have wept and grieved."

Hereupon Sihotsuchi-no-Kami said, "I will make good plans for you," and at once he made the boat of the bamboo basket which woven compactly, and got him on the boat, and told, "As I will push the boat away, please make progress as it is for some time. Then, it will lead to the good sea-current, and so, please make progress on the current. Then, it will lead to the palace of which the roof is tiled as fish-scales. That is the palace of Watatsumi-no-Kami(**2). When you reach the august gate of [the palace of] the deity, there will be a divine katsura (Japanese-Judas-tree) by a well. If you are on the tree, the daughter of the Sea-Deity will see you and help you."
Thereupon, he made progress for some time as he had been told, then It was just as his words in detail. Therefore he went up the divine katsura and waited.

When the lady's maid of Toyotama-Bime(**3) who was the daughter of the Ocean-Deity, having a jewelled-vessel, was about to draw water, light shone onto the well. On looking up, there was a splendid lad, and so she felt it strange very much.
Then, Howori-no-Mikoto(**4) saw the lady's maid, and requested water from her. At once the lady's maid drew water into the jewelled-vessel, and offered it to him, But he did not drink water, and untied the string of beads with which he wound around his neck, and held it in his mouth, and spat out it into the jewelled-vessel. Then, the bead adhered to the vessel, and so the lady's maid could not severed the bead from the vessel. Therefore, she offered it with the bead to Toyotama-Bime-no-Mikoto.

Thereupon she looked at the bead, and asked to the lady's maid, "Perhaps, is there anyone outside the gate?" Then she answered, "There is a man, and he is on the katsura by our well. He is a very splendid lad, and is more honorable than our king. Then the man requested water from me, and so I offered water, but he did not drink water, and he spat out this bead into the vessel. But I could not severed it, and so I brought it with bead and offered to you."
Hereupon Toyotama-Bime-no-Mikoto felt it strange, and went out and looked at him, and at once, she fell in love at first sight and they gazed each other, and she said to her father, "There is a splendid man at our gate."
Hereupon the Sea-Deity went out personally and looked at him, and said, "This is the Splendid-Prince, the august child of the Heavenly-Prince," and at once he brought him to the inside, and laid the eightfold-rug of sea-lion-skin [on a floor], and laid also the eightfold-rug of silk on it (sea-lion-rug), and set him on it respectfully, and prepared the numerous things (food) mounted on a table and entertained him with them, and at once he married his daughter Toyotama-Bime to him.

Wherefore, he had dwelt at the land for three years.

3) The Revenge on His Brother

Hereupon, Howori-no-Mikoto(**1) recalled the first matter (losing the hook), and heaved a heavy sigh. Then Toyotama-Bime-no-Mikoto(**2) heard his sigh, and said to her father, "Although he have lived for three years, he never heaves a sigh always, but he heaved a heavy sigh last night. Maybe he has reasons, I think so."
Hereupon, her father the Great-Deity asked to her spouse, "On this early morning, my daughter said to me, --- 'Although he have lived for three years, he never heaves a sigh always, but he heaved a heavy sigh last night.' --- she said so. Do you have reasons? And, what is the reason that you have come here?" Therefore, he told the Great-Deity about the circumstances that he had lost the hook of his elder brother and he had been censured in detail.

Hereupon, the Sea-Deity assembled all the fishes of various sizes, and asked, "Is there the fish which caught his hook?" Then many fishes answered, "The red tai (sea-bream) has complained lately that it has been stuck a bone in its throat and it cannot eat food. Therefore, we think, he caught it certainly."
Thereupon, when he searched its throat for it, there was the hook. At once he pulled out it and washed it to purify, and offered it to Howori-no-Mikoto and told, "When you return this hook to your elder brother, recite the following words (incantation), --- 'This hook is obo-chi (feel-gloomy-hook), susu-chi (feel-irritation-hook), madi-chi (become-poor-hook), uru-chi (become-foolish-hook).' --- recite thus, and hand over it with your backhand [turning your back upon him]. Moreover, if your elder brother makes the rice-field on high ground, make your rice-field on low ground. And if your elder brother makes the rice-field on low ground, make your rice-field on high ground. If you do so, your elder brother will become poor certainly by three years later, because I have controlled water. And if he has the grudge about to the act of yours and attacks you, drown him with the shiho-mitsu-tama (tide-flow-bead), and if he asks for pardon, help him with the shiho-furu-tama (tide-ebb-bead). Thus afflict and torment him."
And he gave him the shiho-mitsu-tama and shiho-furu-tama, two beads in all, and at once he assembled all the shark and asked, "Now the Splendid-Prince, the august child of the Heavenly-Prince, is going to go to the upper land back. Who escorts him to land by few deys and comes back to report?"

Then, among the sharks told each time-required in proportion to each length, the hito-hiro-wani (one-fathom-shark) said, "I will come back as soon as I bring him by one day." Hereupon he said to the hito-hiro-wani, "If so, you will escort him respectfully. When you are making your way through the under-sea, never frighten him," and set him on its head, and showed him out respectfully.

And the shark had escorted him by one day as it promised. When he was about to send it back, he untied the string of the knife with which he girt, and put it on its head and sent it back.
Therefore, the hito-hiro-wani is called Sahimochi-no-Kami(**3) now.

Wherefore, he returned the hook to Hoderi(**4) as he had been told by the Ocean-Deity in detail. Whereupon, Hoderi became poor by degrees after that, and attacked him with rude heart. When he was about to attack, Howori drowned him with the shiho-mitsu-tama, and when he asked for pardon, he Howori helped him with the shiho-furu-tama. Thus, he afflicted and tormented him.
Then Hoderi said lowering his head, "After now, I will serve you respectfully, as your guard of day-and-night."
Therefore, to now, his descendants have performed the various gestures of his drowning, and have always served him respectfully."

4) The Closed Way to the Sea

After that, Toyotama-Bime-no-Mikoto(**1) who was the daughter of the Sea-Deity came over personally and said, "I am already expecting a baby, and the time for my delivery has come now. I think, I should not bear this august child of the heavenly deity in the sea. So that I came here," and at once she built the maternity-palace of which the roof was thatched with the feathers of cormorants on the beach of this seashore.
Although she had not finished thatching the roof of the maternity-palace yet, she began to feel the pains of childbearing, and so she came into the maternity-palace. And when she was about to bear, she said to her spouse, "When all people of the foreign land bear, they transforms themselves into the figures of each own land. So that I will transform myself into my naturally figure and bear. Pray don't look at me."

Hereupon, he felt her words strange, and peeped the scene of her childbearing. Then she transformed herself into the ya-hiro-wani (eight-fathom-shark) and lay prostrate on her stomach and wriggled. Hereupon he was frightened and feared it, and fled away at once. Then, Toyotama-Bime-no-Mikoto noticed him to peep, and was ashamed, and bore and put the august child at once, and said, "I thought that I would come and return always through the road of the sea. But you peeped my figure, and so I am ashamed very much," and at once she closed the una-saka (slope-of-the-sea) and returned into the sea through the slope.
Therefore, the august child whom she bore is called Amatsuhiko-Hiko-Nagisa-Take-Ukaya-Fukiahezu-no-Mikoto(**2).

After that, although she resented his peeping, she could not endure love for him, and so she sent her younger sister Tamayori-Bime(**3) by the reason that she would foster the august child respectfully, and sent a poem by her in order to offer to him.

The red-bead shines. Even the string [of the bead] shines.
But, your figure, as the white-bead (pearl), is more honorable.
[poem08]

Hereupon, her spouse answered, and composed a poem.

I'll never forget you, as long as my lives,
whom I slept together, in the island where the wild-ducks, bird of the offing, fly around.
[poem09]

And Hiko-Hohodemi-no-Mikoto(**4) had dwelt at the palace of Takachiho(*1) for 580 years.
The Imperial mausoleum of his is in the west of this Mt.Takachiho.

This Amatsuhiko-Hiko-Nagisatake-Ukaya-Fukiahezu-no-Mikoto married his aunt Tamayori-Bime and gave birth to Itsuse-no-Mikoto(**5), next Inahi-no-Mikoto(**6), next Mikenu-no-Mikoto(**7), next Waka-Mikenu-no-Mikoto(**8) whose other names were Toyo-Mikenu-no-Mikoto, Kamu-Yamato-Ihare-Biko-no-Mikoto. 4 deities.
Then, Mikenu-no-Mikoto crossed over the waves to Tokoyo-no-Kuni (Eternal-Land)(*2).
And, Inahi-no-Mikoto came into the land of his mother, the ocean.

To be The-Second-Volume.