A mission received with tears
Soon after returning from the west, Yamato-takeru is sent east. He visits his aunt Yamato-hime at Ise and interprets the repeated dangerous assignments, without an accompanying army, as evidence that his father wants him to die. He departs in tears. His aunt gives him Kusanagi and a closed bag, instructing him to open it in an emergency.
The lament makes the campaign more than an effortless march of conquest. The prince has useful gifts but does not feel secure in the household whose commands he serves. His aunt's support answers that insecurity through equipment and timely instructions, not by canceling the mission.
Source: Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters, Chamberlain translation · Kojiki §82
Two rescues use different means
In Sagami a ruler directs Yamato-takeru toward an allegedly dangerous deity in a grassy area, then sets the surrounding vegetation alight. The prince opens the bag and finds a fire-making implement. He cuts the grass with his sword, lights a counterfire, and escapes before turning violently against the ruler's party.
At a later sea crossing, a deity raises waves that stop the boat. Ototachibana declares that she will enter the water in the prince's place so he can complete his commission. She arranges layers of mats upon the waves and sits on them. The water becomes calm and the vessel proceeds. Her comb reaches the shore seven days later and receives a funerary setting.
Source: Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters, Chamberlain translation · Kojiki §§83–84
An outward victory carries loss
The return through the eastern country includes a white deer, a pass, songs, and acts of remembrance. Yamato-takeru eventually reaches Miyazu, whom he had promised to marry before continuing his campaign. The narrative allows a temporary domestic arrival, but it carries the death of Ototachibana within the completed journey.
These episodes distribute the means of success among several people. A famous sword works with a practical fire tool; a companion makes passage possible where weapons have not solved the problem. Ototachibana's words belong to a story of exceptional sacrifice and royal service, not a general obligation for women to die for partners. The account's emotional power depends on recognizing the cost of the progress it celebrates.
Source: Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters, Chamberlain translation · Kojiki §§84–87
- Period / witness
- Kojiki presented in 712 CE; Chamberlain translation 1882. Narrative time is not a historical date.
- Recording context
- Kojiki, a Japanese court compilation attributed to Ō no Yasumaro from material recited by Hieda no Are; cited by Chamberlain’s numbered sections, not asserted as the origin of the tradition.
A recording location is not necessarily a story’s origin. Dates of texts, copies, and translations answer different questions.
Explore time & place →Read the sources
These references support the explanation above. Rights and edition notes are recorded individually.
Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters, Chamberlain translation ↗
Ō no Yasumaro (compiler, as identified in the preface); translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain (1850–1935) · Court compilation presented 712 CE; translation published Yokohama, 1882
Edition & rights note