heavenly mount Kagu, and secretly take earth from its summit.  Having done so, return hither.  By means of you I shall then divine whether my undertaking will be successful or not.  Do your utmost and be watchful.”  Now the enemy’s army filled the road, and made all passage impossible.  Then Shihi-netsu-hiko prayed, and said:  “If it will be possible for our emperor to conquer this land, let the road by which we must travel become open.  But if not, let the brigands surely oppose our passage.”

Having thus spoken they set forth and went straight onward.  Now the hostile band, seeing the two men, laughed loudly, and said:  “What an uncouth old man and old woman!” So with one accord they left the road, and allowed the two men to pass and proceed to the mountain, where they took the clay and returned with it.  Hereupon the emperor was greatly pleased, and with this clay he made eighty platters, eighty heavenly small jars and sacred jars, with which he went to the upper waters of the River Nifu and sacrificed to the gods of heaven and earth.  Immediately, on the Asahara plain by the river of Uda, it became as it were like foam on the water, the result of the curse cleaving to them.  Moreover the emperor went on to utter a vow, saying:  “I will now make Ame in the eighty platters without using water.  If the Ame is formed, then shall I assuredly without effort and without recourse to the might of arms reduce the empire to peace.”  So he made Ame, which forthwith became formed of itself.  Again he made a vow, saying:  “I will now take the sacred jars and sink them in the River Nifu.  If the fishes, whether great or small, become every one drunken and are carried down the stream, like as it were to floating maki leaves, then shall I assuredly succeed in establishing this land.  But if this be not so, there will never be any results.”

Thereupon he sank the jars in the river with their mouths downward.  After a while the fish all came to the surface gaping, gasping as they floated down the stream.  Then Shihi-netsu-hiko, seeing this, represented it to the emperor, who was greatly rejoiced, and plucking up a five-hundred-branched masakaki tree of the upper waters of the River Nifu, he did worship therewith to all the gods.  It was with this that the custom began of selling sacred jars.

At this time he commanded Michi no Omi no Mikoto, saying:  “We are now in person about to celebrate a public festival to Taka-mi-Musubi no Mikoto, and I appoint thee ruler of the festival, and I grant thee the title of Idzu-hime.  The earthen jars which are set up shall be called the Idzube or sacred jars, the fire shall be called Idzu no Kagu-tsuchi or sacred-fire-elder, the water shall be called Idzu no Midzu-ha no me or sacred-water-female, the food shall be called Idzuuka no me, or sacred-food-female, the firewood shall be called Idzu no Yama-tsuchi or sacred-mountain-elder, and the grass shall be called Idzu no no-tsuchi or sacred-moor-elder.”