Having taken our leave of the kind Guji and his suite, we are guided to
Inasa-no-hama, a little sea-bay at the rear of the town, by the priest
Sasa, and another kannushi. This priest Sasa is a skilled poet and a man
of deep learning in Shinto history and the archaic texts of the sacred
books. He relates to us many curious legends as we stroll along the
shore.
This shore, now a popular bathing resort--bordered with airy little inns
and pretty tea-houses--is called Inasa because of a Shinto tradition
that here the god Oho-kuni-nushi-no-Kami, the Master-of-the-Great-Land,
was first asked to resign his dominion over the land of Izumo in favour
of Masa-ka-a-katsu-kachi-hayabi-ame-no-oshi-ho-mimi-no-mikoto; the word
Inasa signifying 'Will you consent or not?' [19] In the thirty-second
section of the first volume of the Kojiki the legend is written: I cite
a part thereof:
'The two deities (Tori-bune-no-Kami and Take-mika-dzuchi-no-wo-no-Kami),
descending to the little shore of Inasa in the land of Izumo, drew their
swords ten handbreadths long, and stuck them upside down on the crest
of a wave, and seated themselves cross-legged upon the points of the
swords, and asked the Deity Master-of-the-Great-Land, saying: "The
Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity and the High-Integrating-Deity have
charged us and sent us to ask, saying: 'We have deigned to charge our
august child with thy dominion, as the land which he should govern.
So how is thy heart?'" He replied, saying: "I am unable to say. My son
Ya-he-koto-shiro-nushi-no-Kami will be the one to tell you." . . . So
they asked the Deity again, saying: "Thy son Koto-shiro-nushi-no-Kami
has now spoken thus. Hast thou other sons who should speak?" He spoke
again, saying: "There is my other son, Take-mi-na-gata-no-Kami."...
While he was thus speaking the Deity Take-mi-na-gata-no-Kami came up
[from the sea], bearing on the tips of his fingers a rock which it would
take a thousand men to lift, and said, "I should like to have a trial of
strength."'
Here, close to the beach, stands a little miya called
Inasa-no-kami-no-yashiro, or, the Temple of the God of Inasa; and
therein Take-mika-dzu-chi-no-Kami, who conquered in the trial of
strength, is enshrined. And near the shore the great rock which
Take-mi-na-gata-no-Kami lifted upon the tips of his fingers, may be seen
rising from the water. And it is called Chihiki-noiha.
We invite the priests to dine with us at one of the little inns facing
the breezy sea; and there we talk about many things, but particularly
about Kitzuki and the Kokuzo.