07 Great Prince Yamato Takeru no Mikoto Unification of the people and founding of the nation are more easily said than done. It is an enterprise of great difficulty, and cannot be accomplished by an ordinary person. The toil and endeavour of Emperor Jinmu and his successors must have been immeasurable. But we all build up our character by encoutering hardships, and overcoming them with great effort. According to the myth, Susano-o no Kikoto (Valiant Intrepid Raging Male Deity) was coarse and ill-mannered in the beginning. When he was expelled from the Plain of High Heaven to the Root Land, he suffered through the roughest of storms. In Chronicles of Japan (Nihon Shoki) this is described as "he descended, going through hardships (tashinami tsutsu kudariki)." In other words, in ancient times, "to go through hardships" was expressed with the word "tashinamu," meaning to cultivate. Through this suffering, the personality of Susano-o no Mikoto (Valiant Intrepid Raging Male Deity) changed completely, and he became an exalted Deity revered by the people of later years. Emperor Jinmu must have been impressive from his youth, but his noble character was built through a decade of extreme hardship. As a result, his descendants carried on th lineage, and the nation he built has sustained itself and prospered for 2,000 years. Thus the eternal vow of Amaterasu Ohmikami is fulfilled over time. The succession in the Japanese imperial house has been unbroken for 124 generations, rare in the history of the world. An English aristocrat named Richard Ponsonby-Fane memorized all the posthmous names of the Emperors of Japan, and when in good humour he would recite them without a single mistake. And that was an Englishman. Until recently, many Japanese learned by heart the posthumous names of the Emperors: Jinmu, Suizei, Annei, Itoku, Koushou, Kouan, Kourei, Kaika, Sujin, Suinin, Keikou, Seimu, Chuai, Ohjin, Nintoku, Richuu, Hanzei, Ingyou, Ankou, Yuuryaku, Seinei, Kenzou, Ninken, Buretsu, Keitai, Ankan, Senka, Kinmei, Bidatsu, Youmei, Sushun, Suiko, and so on. In the reign of the thirty-third ruler, Empress Suiko (early 7th century), written records first appeared, and archeological artifacts for the period are abundant. The record for previous eras is not intact, but the important events are known from orally transmitted legends and foreign records. First, during the reign of the tenth Emperor Sujin, the country was in turmoil because of an epidemic that caused many deaths. A civil uprising was imminent. The Emperor had deep faith in the Gods, and believed the calamity was caused by desecration of godly virtues. Until then the three Imperial Regalia had been enshrined at the imperial palace, at the altar for wordshipping Amaterasu Ohmikami. Regarding this as insufficiently reverent, the Emperor moved the Mirror and the Sword to Kasanui village in Yamato Province (Nara Prefecture), where the Imperial Princess Toyo Sukiiri Hime no Mikoto was commanded to serve as Priestess. The Emperor also reconstructed the shrines of the country and supervised the festivals. These measures calmed the people's minds, and the epidemic subsided. The Emperor next planned to increase the territory of the nation, and sent out four generals: Oh-hiko no Mikoto was sent to Hokuriku area (four prefectures centering around Ishikawa Prefecture), Takenu Kawa Wake to Toukai area (fifteen prefectures centering around Aichi Prefecture), Kibitsu Hiko to San'you area (eight prefectures centering around Hiroshima Prefecture), and Taniha Michinushi no Mikoto to San'in area (eight prefectures centering around Tottori Prefecture). These are the famous Generals of the Four Roads. During this reign the governance of the imperial house extended farther and imperial power increased, and thus the Emperor came to be called Hatsukuni Shirasu Sumera Mikoto, which means "The Emperor, The August Founder of the Nation." His son Emperor Suinin inherited the spirit of his father. He revered the Gods, and had his daughter Princess Yamato Hime no Mikoto serve Amaterasu Ohmikami as Priestess, raplacing Princess Toyo Sukiri Hime no Mikoto. Princess Yamato Hime no Mikoto travelled on a journey, protecting the Mirror. She chose the upper reaches of the Isuzu River as the most suitable place to enshrine Amaterasu Ohmikami, and a great shrine was constructed. This is now known as the Grand Shrine of Ise. At this time there was a superb wrestler named Taima Kehaya, who could bend even an iron bar, and who boasted and challenged all comers to a match to the death. Hearing this, the Emperor asked for a challenger to step forward, and Nomi no Sukune, a man of great strength in Izumo Province (Shimane Prefecture) was nominated. The Emperor summoned him, and a kicking match was held, in wich Taima no Kehaya died of broken ribs. Until then the custom of live sacrifice burials had persisted. When the master died, his servants sacrificed themselves by being buried alive, in order to serve the master after death. This was also prevalent in both China and the West, according to records and archeological artifacts. Emperor Suinin decided to terminate this cruel custom, and ordered Nomi no Sukune to produce clay figurines of people and horses. These were placed around the grave, instead of immolating the servants. The descendants of Nomi no Sukune inherited the profession of making clay figurines and other materials, and they came to be called the Haji (Earth-matter) clan. During the reign of the next Emperor Keikou, a rebellion took place in Kyuushuu. THe Emperor himself campaigned and it was temporarily quelled. When it recurred, the Emperor ordered his second son Prince Ousu no Mikoto to punish the rebels. The Prince was then sixteen years old. The Prince went to Kyuushuu, then known as the Land of the Kumaso, who were aboriginal people, and learned that the leader of the uprising was Kawakami no Takeru. At that time, Kawakami no Takeru was holding a banquet with his clan members and friends. The Prince disguised himself as a beautiful maiden and waited on them along with other women-attendants. Kawakami no Takeru took a great liking to this lovely maiden, pulled her close and gave drinks. As night fell, the party ended and people went home, while Kawakami no Takeru was so intoxicated that he could not move. Seizing chance, the Prince took out his sword and stabbed Takeru to death. Dying, Takeru expressed his admiration for the courage of young Prince, and said, "Henceforward in speaking of the Imperrial Prince, let him be styled the 'Imperial Prince Yamato Takeru,' meaning 'The champion of Japan.'" Thus the Prince, now Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, suppressed the uprising in Kyuushuu, and continued his victorious campaign along the way home, finally returning to Yamato Province (Nara Prefecture). Soon after, the Eastern Province became unsettled so he went again on a military campaign. Before setting out, he went to Ise Shrine to worship the Gods. There, in view of his grave mission, the Priestess Yamato Hime no Mikoto gave him the Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven. When Yamato Takeru no Mikoto reached Suruga Province (Shizuoka Prefecture), he was tricked by the enemy, and found himself in the field for deerhunting. The enemy set fire to the field from all sides, but as the flames were about to engulf Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, he pulled out the precious sword, mowed the grass aroind him, and set the fire back towards the enemy to vanquish them completely. As a result of this incirent, this divine sword, originally found in the tail of the Eight-Tailed Dragon and called the Sword of the Gathering Cloude of Heaven, was re-named the Grass-Cutting Sword.

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