UNTO Yaegaki-jinja, which is in the village of Sakusa in Iu, in the Land
of Izumo, all youths and maidens go who are in love, and who can
make the pilgrimage. For in the temple of Yaegaki at Sakusa,
Take-haya-susa-no-wo-no-mikoto and his wife Inada-hime and their son
Sa-ku-sa-no-mikoto are enshrined. And these are the Deities of Wedlock
and of Love--and they set the solitary in families--and by their doing
are destinies coupled even from the hour of birth. Wherefore one should
suppose that to make pilgrimage to their temple to pray about things
long since irrevocably settled were simple waste of time. But in what
land did ever religious practice and theology agree? Scholiasts and
priests create or promulgate doctrine and dogma; but the good people
always insist upon making the gods according to their own heart--and
these are by far the better class of gods. Moreover, the history of
Susano-o the Impetuous Male Deity, does not indicate that destiny
had anything to do with his particular case: he fell in love with the
Wondrous Inada Princess at first sight--as it is written in the Kojiki:
'Then Take-haya-susa-no-wo-no-mikoto descended to a place called
Tori-kami at the headwaters of the River Hi in the land of Idzumo.
At this time a chopstick came floating down the stream. So
Take-haya-susa-no-wo-no-mikoto, thinking that there must be people at
the headwaters of the river, went up it in quest of them. And he came
upon an old man and an old woman who had a young girl between them,
and were weeping. Then he deigned to ask: "Who are ye?" So the old
man replied, saying: "I am an Earthly Deity, son of the Deity
Oho-yama-tsu-mi-no-Kami. I am called by the name of Ashi-nadzu-chi; my
wife is called by the name of Te-nadzu-chi; and my daughter is called
by the name of Kushi-Inada-hime." Again he asked: "What is the cause
of your crying?" The old man answered, saying: "I had originally eight
young daughters. But the eight-forked serpent of Koshi has come every
year, and devoured one; and it is now its time to come, wherefore we
weep." Then he asked him: "What is its form like?" The old man answered,
saying: "Its eyes are like akaka-gachi; it has one body with eight heads
and eight tails. Moreover, upon its body grow moss and sugi and hinoki
trees. Its length extends over eight valleys and eight hills; and if
one look at its belly, it is all constantly bloody and inflamed." Then
Take-haya-susa-no-wo-no-mikoto said to the old man: "If this be thy
daughter, wilt thou offer her to me?" He replied: "With reverence; but
I know not thine august name." Then he replied, saying: "I am elder
brother to Ama-terasu-oho-mi-Kami. So now I have descended from heaven."
Then the Deities Ashi-nadzu-chi and Te-nadzu-chi said: "If that be
so, with reverence will we offer her to thee." So
Take-haya-susa-no-wo-no-mikoto, at once taking and changing the
young girl into a close-toothed comb, which he stuck into his august
hair-bunch, said to the Deities Ashi-nadzu-chi and Te-nadzu-chi: "Do you
distil some eightfold refined liquor. Also make a fence round about;
in that fence make eight gates; at each gate tie a platform; on each
platform put a liquor-vat; and into each vat pour the eightfold refined
liquor, and wait." So as they waited after having prepared everything
in accordance with his bidding, the eight-forked serpent came and put a
head into each vat and drank the liquor. Thereupon it was intoxicated,
and all the heads lay down and slept. Then Take-haya-susa-no-wo-nomikoto
drew the ten-grasp sabre that was augustly girded upon him, and cut the
serpent in pieces, so that the River Hi flowed on changed into a river
of blood.
'Then Take-haya-susa-no-wo-no-mikoto sought in the Land of Idzumo where
he might build a palace.
'When this great Deity built the palace, clouds rose up thence. Then he
made an august song:
'Ya-kumo tatsu: Idzumo ya-he-gaki; Tsuma-gomi ni Ya-he-gaki-tsukuru:
Sono ya-he-gaki wo!' [1]
Now the temple of Yaegaki takes its name from the words of the august
song Ya-he-gaki, and therefore signifies The Temple of the Eightfold
Fence. And ancient commentators upon the sacred books have said that
the name of Idzumo (which is now Izumo), as signifying the Land of the
Issuing of Clouds, was also taken from that song of the god. [2]