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Shelterbelt, Takashinden, Yaizu, Shizuoka, 2025

Japanese Mythology & Deities

Major Gods in the Chronicles (64)

Yamato Takeru (Japanese Warrior)Part 2～Legendary Hero's Conquest of Eastern Province

On the orders of his father, the Emperor, Yamato Takeru defeated Kumaso Takeru in Tsukushi (Kyushu) [See: Part 1], and then conquered the mountain gods, the river gods and the god of Anado (a giant fish that lived in the sea of Kibi), before entering Izumo on his way home.

Yamato Takeru first formed a friendship with the chieftain Izumo Takeru. One day, however, he offered Izumo Takeru a great sword in exchange for a fake one, and defeated him.

Having thus conquered various provinces and countries, he went to the imperial court and was reinstated.

And yet, his father, Emperor Keikou, did not allow Yamato Takeru to settle in Yamato, but continued to conquer the eastern provinces.

Yamato Takeru once again visited his aunt Yamatohime-no-mikoto and lamented that his father wanted him to die. Yamatohime gave Yamato Takeru a sacred sword from the Ise Shrine, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, and a bag, and told him to open it in case of emergency.

In the land of Sagami, Yamato Takeru was deceived by Sagamu Kokuzo, the ruler of Sagami Province, into believing that there was a wild god, and was attacked by fire in the field. He opened a bag given to him by his aunt, which contained a flint stone, and used the Kusanagi sword to cut the grass and sweep it away, and then lit a fire to extinguish the flames. When he returned alive, Yamato Takeru killed Kokuzou and all the enemies and set their bodies on fire and burnt them. So the place was called Yakitsu (today's Yaizu City: literally meaning ‘burn into the ground’).

[to be continued]

日本神話と神様たち

記紀に登場する主な神々(64)

倭健命 (やまとたけるのみこと)その2～伝説的英雄の東国征討

倭建命（やまとたける）は父親である天皇の命で筑紫（九州）の熊曾建（くまそたける）を討伐したのち【参照：その1】、山の神、河の神、また穴戸の神（吉備の穴海住んでいた巨大魚）を平定し、出雲に入った。

倭建命（やまとたける）は、まず首長の出雲建（いずもたける）と親交を結ぶ。しかし、ある日、出雲建（いずもたける）の大刀を偽物と交換して大刀あわせを申し込み、彼を討ちとった。

こうして各地や国を平定して、朝廷に参上し復命する。

それでもなお、父の景行天皇は倭健命（やまとたける）を大和に定住させることなく東国平定を続けさせた。

倭建命（やまとたける）は再び叔母の倭比売命（やまとひめのみこと）を訪ね、父天皇は自分に死ねと思っておられるのか、と嘆く。倭比売命倭比売命（やまとひめ）は倭建命（やまとたける）に伊勢神宮にあった神剣、草那藝剣（くさなぎのつるぎ）と袋とを与え、「危急の時にはこれを開けなさい」と言う。

相模の国で、相模国の支配者・相武国造（さがむこくぞう）に荒ぶる神がいると欺かれた倭建命（やまとたける）は、野中で火攻めに遭う。そこで叔母から貰った袋を開けると火打石が入っていたので、草那藝剣（くさなぎのつるぎ）で草を刈り掃い、迎え火を点けて炎を退ける。生還した倭建命（やまとたける）は国造らを全て斬り殺して死体に火をつけ焼いた。そこで、そこを焼遣（やきづ：現在の焼津市）という。

439. Itsuko Hasegawa /// House in Yaizu 2 (Silver Triangle House) /// Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan /// 1974-77

Yaizu, Shizuoka.

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