The distinctive feature of the age of Japanese Mythology is that both of the compliers of the Japanese history books, the Chronicle of Japan and the Kojiki, comprehended it a matter of vertical descent from the Heaven to the Earth by Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanamino-mikoto, and from Takama-no-hara to Ashihara-no-nakatu-kuni by Ninigi-no-mikoto. We can almost recognize two stages of descent in the age of mythology, and that the deities showed human nature as like those in the Greek Mythology.
In the Chronicle of Japan, the age of mythology composed of two volumes was ended with the birth of Kamu-yamato-iware-biko-no-mikoto. In addition to this well-known name, the Kojiki enumerates his two aliases, Waka-mikenu-no-mikoto and Toyo-mikenu-no-mikoto. It was he who succeeded to integrate Japan and came to be the first Tennow, Jinmu Tennow, in B.C. 660.
Afterwards, Hikonagisa-take-ugaya-hukiaezu-no-mikoto wedded his aunt Tamayori-hime. This married couple had four male deities as sons. The eldest son was named Ituse-no-miko, the second son Inahi-no-mikoto, the third son Mikeiri-no-mikoto and the forth son, who would be playing a main part in the nation-building of Japan in future, was named Kamu-yamato-iware-biko-no-mikoto. Later Hikonagisa-take-ugaya-hukiaezu-no-mikoto left this world at Nishi-no-kuni palace and was buried at a mausoleum built on the top of Mt. Atahira in Himuka.
Ashamed of the exposure of her real identity, Toyotama-hime went back to the palace of the deity of sea, angry at her husband’s breach of the promise that he never looked her childbed. Toyotama-hime, however, left her younger sister in so as to foster her new-born baby. The reason why the name of the baby was Hikonagisa-take-ugaya-fukiaezu-no-mikoto was that he was born while the roof of the childbirth cabin had not been yet thatched. Ugaya means a childbirth cabin and fukiaezu signifies that one has not thatched the roof with cogongrasses or leaves of Japanese plum yew.
In spite of the earnest request of Toyotama-hime, Hikohohodemi-no-mikoto could not stand keeping the promise with her and looked his wife in childbed in the light of fire burning the tip of his comb. To his surprise, Toyotama-hime had transformed herself into the large shark or crocodile and was thrashing around the childbirth cabin.
After a while, on a windy day Toyotama-hime came to seashore in order to bear their child as she had promised with Hikohohodemi-no-mikoto before. Toyotama-hime, who had been separated from her husband, asked him never to look at her figure while she was confined in the darkness of the night.
Thus, the deity of sea decided to send Hikohohodemi-no-mikoto to his own country by getting him on a large shark or crocodile. When Hikohohodemi-no-mikoto was just leaving the nation of the deity of sea, Toyotama-hime told reservedly him that she was expecting. She said to him, “I will visit seashore of your country in a windy day when I bear our baby. I would appreciate it if you could build a childbirth cabin for me.”
Furthermore, the deity of sea bestowed Hikohohodemi-no-mikoto two balls called Shiomichi-no-tama and Shiohi-no-tama. With handing over these balls, he said to him, “When you dip this Shiomichi-no-tama in sea, the tide will be in high. With this ball, you will able to drown your elder brother. If your brother feel regret of his transgressions and ask for rescue, dip the Shiohi-no-tama in sea. As the tide will be in low, you will be able to help your elder brother. Thus if you succeed to afflict your elder brother with these balls, you will be able to make him surrender to you.”
Handing over the fishhook, which was found in the mouth of the red snapper, the deity of sea suggested Hikohohodemi-no-mikoto to set a spell on it. The deity of sea said to him, “When you return this fishhook to your elder brother, you shall murmur secretly Majichi.”
After finding out the lost fishhook, Hikohohodemi-no-mikoto married the daughter of the deity of sea, Toyotama-hime. Although he stayed and lived there comfortably with his wife for three years, he had been longing for his own country in his mind. Hikohohodemi-no-mikoto looked so troubled and melancholic.
