The First Emperor Jimmu
<Departure>
(Kamuyamato Iwarebiko-no Mikoto/Emperor Jimmu)
Kamuyamato Iwarebiko-no Mikoto (First Japanese Emperor Jimmu) and Itsuse-no Mikoto, both of whose mother is Tamayoribime-no Mikoto, talked about their next mission in Takachiho-no Miya.
Kamuyamato asked his older brother where they should live to rule this Earthly World peacefully. He suggested to him that they should try moving on toward the east of Japan.
Itsuse agreed with his younger brother and they left Himuka (Sourthern Part of Kyushu) for Tsukushi (Northern Kyushu).
First place they stopped by was Usa (Usa in Ooita Prefecture). The local people called Usatsuhiko and Usatsuhime waited for their arrival. They built a special building called Ashihitotsu Agari-no Miya and held a huge banquet to treat both gods to show their subjection.
Next stop was Okada-no Miya (Ashiya Machi in Fukuoka Prefecture), where they stayed for one year. After that, they moved to Takeri-no Miya (Fuchu Cho in Hiroshima Prefecture), where they stayed and ruled for seven years, and to Takashima-no Miya in Kibi (border of Okayama Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture) for eight years.
When they were about to move the eastward, they noticed a man on the turtle flying toward them while fishing at Haya Sui-no To (Akashi Strait).
Kamuyamato found it interesting and invited him to come near him.
He asked him who he was. He answered he was a indigenous god. Kamuyamato asked him if he was familiar with the way of the sea. He answered he was positive about it. Then, Kamuyamato asked him courteously if he was interested in joining Kamuyamato’s jouney. The god humbly accepted Kamuyamato’s offer.
Kamuyamato offered him a pole so he could get on their ship. After he got on board there, he was given a name by Kanuyamato – Saonetsuhiko. “Sao” in his name means “a pole” in Japanese, by the way. Saonetsuhiko became an ancestor of Yamato-no Kuni-no Miyatsuko (among the powerful families in Nara Basin).
Moving on to the eastward, they anchored somewhere at the Osaka Bay by way of Nami-no Hayawatari, where they found Tomi-no Nagasunebiko (or Tomibiko) waiting for them to wage a battle against them. Three gods took out the shields equipped with in their ship to fight Tomibiko’s army. This is the reason that the place where this battle was fought was called “Tatetsu.” “Tate” means “a shield” while “tsu” means “water” in Japanese, by the way. Tatetsu is now called “Tadetsu” in Kusaka.
