まあちゃまの今語り

Origins of Place Names in Ancient Japan

The editor of the Chronicles of Japan, moreover, introduced other origins of place names with regards to the eastern expedition of the Sumera-mikoto. He described that the place where the soldiers of the Sumera-mikoto yelled war cries came to called Take-da, the place where they built a fortress Ki-da and the place where killed enemies rested their heads on their own arms as pillows Tura-maki-ta. Take means “yelling,” Ki “fortress,” Tura “head” and Maki “pillow” in ancient Japanese respectively.

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The Second Explanation concerning the Origin of Iware

On the other hand, someone said that in old times the Sumera-mikoto went on the warpath after eating an offering and defeated his enemy at Nishikata where Isoki-no-yaso-takeru had concentrated his soldiers. Because the word, concentration, pronounced “iwami” in old Japanese, the place came to called Iware after this victory.

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The Name of Iware

Firstly, he [the editor of the Chronicles of Japan] introduced two theories which explained the origin of the name of Iware. One said that though that place had been called Katai or Katatachi, its name was changed to Iware, because the royal army defeated the enemy and there was flooded with the soldiers. According to this theory, Iware means overflowing in old Japanese.

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Legends concerning Place names

Tuti-gumo was the last enemy against which the force of Sumera-mikoto had fought thus far. Thereafter, the editor of the Chronicles of Japan enumerated some legends concerning place names in the vicinity of the future capital.

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Kazuraki

Furthermore, in the village of Taka-owari, there were the resisters called Tuti-gumo, whose bodies were short and the limbs were long. They resembled with Shujyu, who were an unidentified ancient tribe. The soldiers of the Sumera-mikoto set a net of vines, in which they caught, and slew them. The name of the village was changed from Taka-owari to Kazuraki, because vine tree was called Kazura in Japanese.

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Hafuri in the Ancient Age of Japan

Two of these three powers had names which included Hafuri. Hahuri has signified a priest of Shintoism since the ancient age of Japan, even though at present this title came to be nearly disused except several shrines, for example Suwa shrine, Ooyamatumi shrine and Aso shrine. The existence of Hahuris, however, suggests that there would have been some systems of theocracy among ancient small polities in those days.

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The Sumera-mikoto and Three Native Powers

The first power was Niiki-tobe, a female chief, who had dominated over Hata-no-okazaki in Soho-no-Agata. The second one was Kose-no-hafuri at Wani-no-sakashita and the third one I-no-hafuri at Nagara-no-okazaki in Hosomi. The Sumera-mikoto dispatched his corps and annihilated them. 

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The Command of the Sumera-mikoto

The following year, B.C. 662, on the twentieth of February, the Sumera-mikoto commanded generals to conscript soldiers and to train them well in preparation for expected battles. At that time, there were three native powers who had not yet submitted to him relying on their own forces.

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After the Deligation of Nigihayahi-no-mikoto

The scene of the submission of Nigihayahi-no-mikoto is certainly the final climax of the eastern expedition which the Sumera-mikoto made. However, this had not been the last scene of it yet. Thereafter, the force of the Sumera-mikoto had to fight against several native powers for a while.

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Nigihaya-hi-no-mikoto and Nagasune-hiko

While the editor of the Chronicles of Japan suggested that there would have been a diarchy established between Nigihayahi-no-mikoto and Nagasune-hiko in the capital of the nation, that of the Kojiki described only that Nagasune-hiko was a brother in law of Nigihayahi-no-mikoto, because Nigihayahi-no-mikoto had married his sister, Tomiya-heme[Mikashikiya-hime]. Furthermore, according to the description of the Kojiki, Nagasune-hiko seemed to resident separate from Nigihayahi-no-mikoto.

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