A name acquired through violence
The prince begins as Wo-usu, whose extreme treatment of his brother alarms his father. A western mission leads to his infiltration of a feast in women's clothing. A dying opponent acknowledges his superiority and gives him the name Yamato-takeru. Identity is produced within conflict: the name is both an enemy's recognition and a sign of the court's victorious representative, not evidence of a harmless childhood hero.
Source: Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters, Chamberlain translation · Kojiki §§79–81
Success depends on other people
His aunt supplies clothing for one mission and the sword and fire-making equipment for another. Ototachibana makes a sea crossing possible at the cost of her life. The prince's own complaint that repeated assignments expose him to death adds another perspective to the triumphant reports. He serves a royal project while feeling vulnerable within the family that directs it. These tensions are part of the narrative rather than exceptions to it.
Source: Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters, Chamberlain translation · Kojiki §§80, 82–84
The final opponent is misunderstood
At Ibuki he mistakes the deity itself for a messenger and speaks confidently of overcoming it. Illness follows, and his last journey ends before he reaches home. Songs and the image of a departing white bird conclude his career. The Kojiki's hero is therefore neither invulnerable nor fully informed. His story combines expansion of court authority with a record of costs that cannot be repaired by one more victory.
Source: Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters, Chamberlain translation · Kojiki §§88–90
- 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.
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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