153 



"27th day. In the' South Court of the Great Temple, the images 

 of Buddha aud of the Bosatsu (Bodhisattvas), and the images 

 of the four Deva Kings, were magnificently adorned. A multi- 

 tude of priests, by humble request, read the Mahayana Sutra. 

 On this occasion Soga no Oho-omi held a censer in his hands, 

 and haying burnt incense in it, put up a prayer". 

 ''28th day. A slight rain fell". 



''29th day. The prayers for rain being unsuccessful, the reading 

 of the Sutra was discontinued". 



"Sth month, 1st day. The Emperor made a progress to the 

 river-source of Minabuchi; Here he knelt down and prayed, 

 worshipping towards the four quarters, and looking up to Heaven 

 [Chinese style, as the Buddhist prayers had been without result]. 

 Straightway there was thunder and a great rain, which eventually 

 fell for five days, and plentifully bedewed the Empire. [One 

 writing has : — 'For five days there was continuous rain, and the 

 nine grains ripened']. Hereupon the peasantry throughout the 

 Empire cried with one voice: 'Bansai', and said: 'An Emperor 

 of exceeding virtue' ". 



Among the eighty five Shinto shrines to which messengers 

 were despatched by the Court to pray for rain , the Engishiki i 

 mentions several river and water-deities, e. g. the gods of 

 Kibune ^ and Nibu no kawakami ^ but also the Wind-gods of 

 Tatsuta *, the Thunder-god of Kamo '^ and many others. The 

 Nihongi^ repeatedly uses the same words in regard to these 

 prayers, namely: "The Emperor sent daihu {'j^^, officials of 

 a high rank) as envoys to the different Shinto temples in order 

 to pray for rain; he also despatched messengers to pray to the 

 god 0-imi of Hirose and to the Wind-gods of Tatsuta (f| ^, 

 'Dragonfield')". Was it accidental that the Wind-gods, who appeared 

 to be also givers of rain, had their shrine at a place called 



1 Ch. Ill (p Ift H, f^ ^ ^), K. T. K. Vol. XIII, p. 142: ff K f| 



^ A + ^ ^ o 



^ fl ffl ft z: ^ „ 



6 Ch. XXX, P, 565: ^ 3^ ^ 1^ ^ ^ 11 if jfl± ff M » X M ^ 



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