﻿2 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol. 
  67 
  

  

  this 
  Province. 
  The 
  people 
  ceased 
  their 
  house 
  building, 
  roof 
  covering, 
  enter- 
  

   taining, 
  social 
  gatherings, 
  singing, 
  playing 
  on 
  instruments, 
  and 
  all 
  other 
  kinds 
  

   of 
  business. 
  

  

  This 
  probably 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  tradition 
  of 
  Susano 
  mythology. 
  While 
  Susano 
  

   was 
  killing 
  the 
  Dragon 
  for 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  and 
  woman, 
  they 
  were 
  watching 
  it, 
  

   staying 
  near 
  by 
  until 
  the 
  awful 
  monster 
  was 
  dead. 
  In 
  China 
  and 
  Japan 
  there 
  

   is 
  a 
  widespread 
  tradition 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  dragon 
  has 
  something 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  a 
  dread- 
  

   ful 
  storm. 
  

  

  A 
  fuller 
  account 
  of 
  this 
  story 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  Aston. 
  1 
  

  

  Susa 
  no 
  wo, 
  the 
  deity 
  of 
  rainstorm 
  and 
  brother 
  of 
  Ainaterasu, 
  the 
  sun 
  

   goddess, 
  in 
  coming 
  on 
  his 
  wanderings 
  to 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Idzumo, 
  he 
  observed 
  

   a 
  chopstick 
  floating 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  Hi, 
  so 
  thinking 
  that 
  there 
  must 
  be 
  people 
  

   living 
  further 
  up 
  the 
  stream, 
  he 
  went 
  in 
  quest 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  found 
  an 
  old 
  

   man 
  and 
  an 
  old 
  woman 
  weeping, 
  with 
  a 
  young 
  maiden 
  set 
  between 
  them. 
  

   He 
  asked 
  of 
  them, 
  " 
  Who 
  are 
  ye? 
  " 
  The 
  old 
  man 
  replied, 
  " 
  Thy 
  servant 
  is 
  a 
  

   deity 
  of 
  earth, 
  and 
  his 
  name 
  is 
  Ashinadzuchi, 
  son 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  God 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mountain. 
  My 
  wife's 
  name 
  is 
  Tenadzuchi, 
  and 
  my 
  daughter 
  is 
  called 
  Kushi- 
  

   nada 
  hiine." 
  He 
  further 
  inquired, 
  "Why 
  weep 
  ye?" 
  He 
  answered, 
  saying, 
  

   " 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  eight 
  children, 
  girls 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  eight-forked 
  serpent 
  of 
  Koshi 
  came 
  

   year 
  after 
  year 
  and 
  devoured 
  them. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  its 
  coming, 
  

   and 
  therefore 
  do 
  we 
  weep." 
  " 
  Describe 
  to 
  me 
  this 
  serpent," 
  said 
  Susa 
  no 
  wo. 
  

   " 
  Its 
  eyes 
  are 
  as 
  red 
  as 
  the 
  winter 
  cherry. 
  It 
  has 
  one 
  body 
  with 
  eight 
  heads 
  

   and 
  eight 
  tails. 
  Moreover, 
  its 
  body 
  is 
  overgrown 
  with 
  moss, 
  pines, 
  and 
  

   cedars. 
  Its 
  length 
  extends 
  over 
  eight 
  valleys 
  and 
  eight 
  hills. 
  Its 
  belly 
  is 
  

   always 
  all 
  bloody 
  and 
  inflamed 
  to 
  look 
  upon." 
  Then 
  Susa 
  no 
  wo 
  said 
  to 
  the 
  

   old 
  man, 
  "If 
  this 
  be 
  thy 
  daughter, 
  wilt 
  thou 
  give 
  her 
  unto 
  me?" 
  "With 
  

   reverence 
  be 
  it 
  said," 
  replied 
  the 
  old 
  man, 
  " 
  I 
  know 
  not 
  thy 
  honourable 
  name." 
  

   " 
  I 
  am 
  the 
  elder 
  brother 
  of 
  the 
  Sun-Goddess, 
  and 
  have 
  now 
  come 
  down 
  from 
  

   heaven," 
  replied 
  Susa 
  no 
  wo. 
  Then 
  the 
  deities 
  Ashinadzuchi 
  and 
  Tenad- 
  

   zuchi 
  said, 
  " 
  In 
  that 
  case, 
  with 
  reverence 
  we 
  offer 
  her 
  to 
  thee." 
  Susa 
  no 
  wo 
  

   straightway 
  took 
  that 
  young 
  maiden 
  and 
  changed 
  her 
  into 
  a 
  many-toothed 
  

   comb, 
  which 
  he 
  stuck 
  into 
  his 
  hair, 
  and 
  said 
  to 
  the 
  deities 
  Ashinadzuchi 
  and 
  

   Tenadzuchi, 
  " 
  Do 
  you 
  brew 
  some 
  sake 
  of 
  eight-fold 
  strength. 
  Also 
  make 
  a 
  

   fence 
  round 
  about, 
  and 
  in 
  that 
  fence 
  let 
  there 
  be 
  eight 
  doors, 
  at 
  each 
  door 
  

   let 
  there 
  be 
  eight 
  stands, 
  on 
  each 
  stand 
  let 
  there 
  be 
  a 
  sake-tub, 
  and 
  let 
  each 
  

   sake-tub 
  be 
  filled 
  with 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  eight-fold 
  strength. 
  Then 
  wait." 
  So 
  

   having 
  prepared 
  everything 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  his 
  august 
  bidding, 
  *they 
  waited. 
  

   Then 
  the 
  eight-forked 
  serpent 
  came, 
  indeed, 
  as 
  had 
  been 
  said, 
  and 
  bending 
  

   down 
  one 
  head 
  into 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  tubs, 
  lapped 
  up 
  the 
  sake. 
  Hereupon 
  it 
  became 
  

   drunken, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  heads 
  lay 
  down 
  to 
  sleep, 
  when 
  straightway 
  Susa 
  no 
  wo 
  

   drew 
  his 
  ten-span 
  sword 
  from 
  his 
  girdle 
  and 
  slew 
  the 
  serpent, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   river 
  had 
  its 
  current 
  changed 
  to 
  blood. 
  Now, 
  when 
  he 
  cut 
  the 
  middle 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  tail 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  his 
  august 
  sword 
  was 
  broken. 
  Wondering 
  at 
  this, 
  

   he 
  pierced 
  it 
  and 
  split 
  it 
  open, 
  when 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  within 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   great 
  sharp 
  sword. 
  He 
  took 
  this 
  sword, 
  and 
  thinking 
  it 
  a 
  wonderful 
  thing, 
  

   reported 
  his 
  discovery 
  to 
  the 
  Sun 
  Goddess. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  great 
  sword 
  Kusanagi 
  

   <Herb-queller). 
  

  

  Doctor 
  Aston 
  points 
  out 
  the 
  striking 
  resemblance 
  of 
  this 
  story 
  to 
  

   that 
  of 
  Perseus 
  and 
  Andromeda, 
  and 
  quotes 
  from 
  Sydney 
  Harland's 
  

   "Legend 
  of 
  Perseus" 
  (chapter 
  viii), 
  

  

  i 
  W. 
  G. 
  Aston. 
  Shinto: 
  The 
  Way 
  of 
  the 
  Gods, 
  1905, 
  p. 
  103f. 
  

  

  