Umisachihiko and Yamasachihiko

Umisachihiko and Yamasachihiko

Hoderi-no-mikoto became Umisachihiko and was catching various fish, and Hōri-no-mikoto became Yamasachihiko and was catching various animals.

One day, Hōri-no-mikoto suggested to exchange each others sachis. Hoderi-no-mikoto refused, although Hōri-no-mikoto begged for it. But finally, Hoderi-no-mikoto agreed on the exchange.

Thus, Hōri-no-mikoto went fishing using umi-sachi, but he couldn't catch a single fish. Moreover, he lost the fishhook.

At that sort of time, Hoderi-no-mikoto asked for his fishhook saying that, to hunt in the mountain, Yamasachihiko should use yama-sachi, and to fish at sea, Umisachihiko should use umi-sachi, so they should restore their sachis. Hoderi-no-mikoto answered that be used his fishhook and gone fishing, but wasn't able to catch any fish, and also he had lost the fish hook.

Hoderi-no-mikoto strongly asked for his fishhook, so Hōri-no-mikoto melted down his totsuka-no-tsurugi and made 500 fishhooks to compensate for him, but Hoderi-no-mikoto refused. Hōri-no-mikoto made 1000 more fishhooks but yet Hoderi-no-mikoto refused and demanded for his fishhook.

The palace of the Sea god

When the troubled Hōri-no-mikoto was crying by the sea, Shiotsuchi-no-kami came along, and asked why a Soratsuhiko is crying here. Hoderi-no-mikoto answered that he is crying because, he exchanged his brother's fishhook, lost it, and although he made many fishhooks to compensate for him, his brother says to return his fishhook.

Shiotsuchi-no-kami said that he would give him a good idea. Then he made a bamboo-woven boat and put Hōri-no-mikoto on it. Shiotsuchi-no-kami said that he would push the boat to put it adrift, in a while, he should by able to find a good current and it should take him to a palace made of scales, that is the palace of Watatsumi-no-kami, and if he would wait sitting on the yutsu-katsura by the well besides the entrance, the daughter of the Sea god shall look after him.

Hōri-no-mikoto did as he was told and found a palace, so he sat on the katsura. Then, an attendant of the Sea gods daughter, Toyotama-hime, came to to draw water from the well into a gyokki. When she was about to draw water, she saw light in the well, and she looked up to find a beautiful man. Hoderi-no-mikoto asked the attendant for water, so she put water in the gyokki. Hōri-no-mikoto, without drinking it, took one of the beads from his neck ornament, put it in his mouth, and spit it into the gyokki. The bead god attached to the gyokki, and the attendant couldn't take it off. So she went to show Toyotama-hime.

Toyotama-hime saw it and asked her attendant, if their is someone outside. The attendant answered that their is a beautiful man on the katsura by the well, and he seems to be noble than our king. And that the bead that the man spit out into the gyokki got attached so she brought it here. Hoderi-no-mikoto thought it strange and went to see outside. Once she saw Hōri-no-mikoto, she fell in love, and told her father that there is a beautiful man outside. The Sea god went to see by himself, and seeing Hōri-no-mikoto, he said that this person is Soratsuhiko, the child of Amatsuhiko. Watatsumi-no-kami greeted Hōri-no-mikoto into his palace, layed some michi-no-kawa, layed some kinu-tatami on top, and let him sit on it. He treated Hoderi-no-mikoto with momotori-no-tsukue-no-shiromono and let him marry his daughter, Toyotama-hime.

Then, Hōri-no-mikoto lived here for 3 years.

The spell of the Sea god

One day, Hōri-no-mikoto though back how this began, and gave off a sigh. Hearing this sigh, Toyotama-hime asked her father, that Hōri-no-mikoto never sighed like this in the 3 years that he lived here, but what could be making him sigh like tonight. The great god, who is Toyotama-hime's father, asked Hōri-no-mikoto about what he heard from his daughter. And also, he asked why Hōri-no-mikoto came here in the first place. Hōri-no-mikoto talked about him losing his brother's fishhook, and being accused for it.

The Sea god gathered various fish and asked if someone has this fishhook. The fish said that the tai is troubled because of a small fish bone stuck in it's throat, so this might be it. The fishhook was found in the throat of the tai, and returned to Hoderi-no-mikoto after it was washed clean. Watatsumi-no-kami told Hōri-no-mikoto to return the fishhook to his brother after making this chant, this fishhook brings depression, this fishhook brings irritation, this fishhook brings poverty, this fishhook brings foolishness, and handing him backwards. Watatsumi-no-kami also told him, if his brother made his rice field in a high place, he should make his rice field in a low place, and if his brother made his rice field in a low place, he should make his rice field in a high place, and then, since Watatsumi-no-kami can control water, his brother would suffer from poverty in three years. Watatsumi-no-kami gave Hōri-no-mikoto a Shiomitsu-tama and a Shiofuru-tama and told him, when his brother comes against him, he should use the Shiomitsu-tama to make his brother drown, if his brother apologizes, he should use the Shiofuru-tama to help his brother from drowning, and in this way he should make his brother suffer.

Watatsumi-no-kami gathered the wani, and told them that Soratsuhiko, the child of Amatsuhiko, is going back to the upper world, and asked how many days it would take to take him there. The wanis answered within their abilities, but Hitohiro-wani said that he can take him there in just one day. So Hoderi-no-mikoto ordered Hitohiro-wani to send him back, and told him that he should not frighten him while going through the sea. Then Hoderi-no-mikoto put Hōri-no-mikoto on the wani and sent him off.

The wani took Hōri-no-mikoto back within the day, as he had said. When the wani was about to go back, Hoderi-no-mikoto took the himo-gatana he had, and placed it on the neck of the wani, to express his gratitude. This Hitohiro-wani became to be called Hoderi-no-mikoto.

Hōri-no-mikoto gave Hoderi-no-mikoto back his fishhook, as the Sea god told him. As a result, Hoderi-no-mikoto became to struggle by poverty, making his mind go wild, and attacked Hōri-no-mikoto. Hōri-no-mikoto used the Shiomitsu-tama to make Hoderi-no-mikoto drown, and then used Shiofuru-tama to help him from drowning. Hoderi-no-mikoto punished Hoderi-no-mikoto in this way, finally, Hoderi-no-mikoto said that he would serve Hōri-no-mikoto, and become a guardian protecting him day and night. Therefore, the Hayato-no-ata-no-kimi became to serve, performing the scene of Hoderi-no-mikoto drowning.

Gods

Hoderi-no-mikoto (火照命)

Ninigi-no-mikoto and Konohanasakuyahime's child.

Hōri-no-mikoto (火遠理命)

Ninigi-no-mikoto and Konohanasakuyahime's child. Also called Amatsuhiko-hikohohodemi-no-mikoto (天津日高日子穂穂手見命), or Hikohohodemi-no-mikoto (日子穂穂手見命). The god of fire, or harvest.

Shiotsuchi-no-kami (塩椎神)

Said to be the god controlling the tide.

Watatsumi-no-kami (綿津見神)

The god of the sea. Seen as the same as Ōwatatsumi-no-kami (大綿津見神), born in kami-umi.

Toyotamahime (豊玉毘売)

Watatsumi-no-kami’s daughter.

Sahimochi-no-kami (佐比持神)

The wani that took Hōri-no-mikoto back from Watatsumi-no-kami's palace.

Tools

Totsuka-no-tsurugi (十拳剣)

Means a sword 10 tsukas long. A tsuka is the length of one fist.

Gyokki (玉器)

A vessel made of jade.

Shiomitsu-tama (塩盈珠)

A ball Watatsumi-no-kami gave Hōri-no-mikoto, that has spiritual powers to bring high tide.

Shiofuru-tama (塩乾珠)

A ball Watatsumi-no-kami gave Hōri-no-mikoto, that has spiritual powers to ebb the tide.

Himo-gatana (紐小刀)

A knife with a string.

Other terms

Umisachihiko (海佐知毘古)

A fisherman in the sea.

Yamasachihiko (山佐知毘古)

A hunter in the mountain.

Sachi (佐知)

The tools for fishing and hunting. What is caught are also called sachi, and since tools were believed to have spiritual powers to bring a catch, the tools were called sachi.

Umisachi (海佐知)

The tool of a fisherman. Here, a fishhook.

Yamasachi (山佐知)

The tool of a hunter. It is not described, but it is said to be a bow and arrow.

Soratsuhiko (虚空津日高)

An Amatsukami. This term is only used for Hōri-no-mikoto.

Yutsu-katsura (湯津香木)

A sacred katsura tree.

The Sea god

Here, Watatsumi-no-kami.

Amatsuhiko (天津日高)

A poetic name for a god that has relations with Takamagahara. Here, it is said to be a term for Ninigi-no-mikoto.

Michi-no-kawa (美智皮)

The skin of a sea lion.

Kinu-tatami (絁畳)

A rug made of silk.

Tai (赤海鯽魚)

A sea bream.

Wani (和邇)

Said to be a term for sharks. But other theories say it is some other animal, such as crocodiles, as in modern Japanese.

Hitohiro-wani (一尋和邇)

A wani 1 hiros long. A hiro is the length of about 1.8m.

Momotori-no-tsukue-no-shiromono (百取の机代物)

Means, many food and drinks on a table. Betrothal gifts offered from the bride's side to the groom's side.

Hayato-no-ata-no-kimi (隼人阿多君)

The Ata-hayato (阿多隼人), an ancient tribe, who worshipped Hoderi-no-mikoto as an ancestral god, who lived in the western part of modern Kagoshima prefecture. Later called Satsuma-hayato (薩摩隼人).