In the reign of Omotaru (male) and Kashikone (female), the 6th generation of sovereigns, these two leaders traversed the whole country and worked hard to develop agriculture. Food was abundant, the people lived well, and the nation was well-governed and at peace.
But Omotaru and Kashikone were not blessed with an heir, and after their death the country reverted to lawlessness and disorder.
Then the noble prince Takahito and princess Isako, under command from the "High Plains of Heaven" (Takamagahara), were married at the Isa Palace in Tsukuba and took the reins of government as Isanagi and Isanami, the 7th generation of rulers.
First, they revived the productivity of agriculture in the "Central Land of Reed Plains" (Ashihara Nakakuni, present-day Shiga), using a divine halberd inherited from their ancestors as their symbol of authority. At the same time, they set about standardizing the national language, which had become polarized into barely intelligible dialects.
To do this, they employed a form of song called the Awa no Uta. Singing in harmony to the accompaniment of musical instruments, Isanagi would intone the "upper" 24 sounds and Isanami the "lower" 24. In this way, they tried to standardize the number of sounds in the language and, along with their efforts to diffuse agriculture, this helped them bring the nation back to its feet.
Copyright 2001 (c) Hotsumatsutae Japan All Rights Reserved.
This site is operated and maintained by the Japan Translation Center, Ltd.
The contents of this site may be freely reproduced or published, but may not be used for sale or any other directly commercial purpose.Anyone wishing to reproduce or publish the contents of this site should first contact info2@jtc.co.jp