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Lafcadio Hearn - Glimpses of an Unfamiliar Japan, 1
He answers: 'A love-song. "Go forward, straight forward that way, to the house that thou seest before
thee; - the nearer thou goest thereto, the nearer to her [7] shalt thou be."'
Chapter Fourteen Yaegaki-jinja
1
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.
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