Metamorphosis of a Deity.

The Image of Hachiman in Yumi Yawata

Author(s): Ross Bender
Source: Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Summer, 1978), pp. 165-178
Published by: Sophia University
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 Metamorphosis of a Deity
The Image of Hachimanin Yuvi Yawata

by Ross BENDER

ALTHOUGH the Noh play YumiYawata' ('The Bow of Hachiman') is a work

of no great literaryor dramatic interest,it does present a treatmentof the
.
)1 ^Shinto deityHachiman which is importantfromthestandpointofJapanese
intellectual history. Hachiman is commonly identified as the Minamoto clan
deity in particular and, by extension,as the god of the warriorclans, the Shinto
god of war. But the Minamoto cult in fact representsa comparativelylate stage of
development in the belief,and to comprehend the Hachiman cult in its entirety
one must not ignore the differingconceptions of the god's role which were current
in previous centuries. Yumi Yawata is valuable in this context because it demon-
stratesan attemptduring the Muromachi period to reinterpretthe faithin terms
of those earlier conceptions.
The play contains one great surprise,which it reveals almost immediately.An
old man presents a mulberrybow sheathed in a sack to envoys of the emperor
attendingthe JwashimizuHachiman shrinefestival;the envoys,regardingthisas
an auspicious sign, wish to unwrap the bow and worship beforethe god. But the
old man protests: 'Wrapping the bow in a sack, Restoring the sword to its sheath,
These are the marksof an age ofgreat peace.' This may not seem all that astonish-
ing until one realizes that the play is rejectingthe view of Hachiman as a god of
war and the militaryhouses. Throughout the work Hachiman is depicted pri-
marily as a deity who ensures a peaceful imperial reign.
The political message is obvious. The editors of the YJkyoku Taikan comment
that the play 'advocates peace in a time of militaryrule; it lauds the imperial
house at a time of shogunal despotism.'2 Watsuji Tetsuro argues that the call for

1 iERIlJt. The play is generally attributed to
Zeami t!:I JT, 1363-1443, who in his Zeshi
RokujuIgo SarugakuDangi t +S 4*FfiAMR
discussesYumi Yawata as a model of waki-no
J;t. In his NJ: TheClassicalTheatreofJapan,
play' by Zeami, adding, 'The authorshipof
the plays has yet to be establishedfirmly.The
above attributions reflectcurrentscholarshipin
Japan.'
2 Sanari Kentaro ftJMCM, ed., Yokyoku

Kodansha International,rev. ed. 1973,p. 102, Taikan 'RIikt, Meiji Shoin, 2nd ed., 1954,
Donald Keene refersto the work as a 'god v, p. 3222.

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166 Monumenta XXXIII, 2
Nipponica,
peace and the nostalgia for imperial rule evident in Yumi Yawatarepresentthe
ethical values of the lower classes, values which were given articulation through
the medium of the Noh play. He also notes that the play has no referenceto the
Minamoto, and he suggeststhat the view of Hachiman as Ojin is importantto the
play's pacifisticsentiment.3This is an excellent insight, but it requires a more
extensive elaboration than Watsuji provides. The present essay will attempt to
explore more fullythe play's treatmentof earlier dimensions of the Hachiman
belief. Referencesto those dimensions abound, and the followingbriefoutline of
the cult's historyshould aid in understandingthe allusions.
HACHIMAN does not appear in the Kojikior the Nihongi,and the historyofthe belief
beforethe Nara period is obscure. One Japanese scholar has studied the traditions
of the clans known to be associated with the cult by the early ninth centuryand
has constructed a theory of Hachiman's origins. Briefly, Nakano Hatayoshi
believes that the faith was the result of a process of amalgamation of Japanese
animisticand Korean shamanistic cults which finallyfound its center at the Usa
shrine in northeastKyushu toward the end of the sixth century.4Referencesto
Hachiman appear regularlyin the Rikkokushi fromthe ShokuNihongison, and in
later historical works, and three major phases in the cult from Nara to early
medieval times can be discerned.
During the Nara period, the Usa shrine was the center of Hachiman worship.
The pronouncementsof its medium had dramatic impact on state affairsin the
eighthcentury; the oracle approving the casting of the Daibutsu in Nara brought
great wealth and prestigeto the shrine,so that by 749 its officialsheld court rank
higherthan those at Ise, and the god itselfhad been awarded the firstrank. Dokyo
justified his attempt on the throne in 769 with an alleged oracle fromUsa, and
there were other instances during the period when the god's will was claimed as
grounds forpolitical promotion.6 The firsthistorical phase of the cult is charac-
terized by the primacy of Hachiman's oracular function.
Heian Japan saw the growth of a more complicated and sophisticated cult.
Most significantwas the development of the concept that Hachiman was actually
a Bodhisattva; the officialhistoriesawarded him thistitleforthe firsttimein 809.7
This Buddhist conception led to a view of the god as a protector,a guardian deity,
an interpretationwhich differedsignificantly fromthe Nara image of a Hachiman
who rendered decisions on mattersof state througha medium.

3 Watsuji Tetsur6 Tfnhf5, 'Japanese Rikkokushi /N[ ,

Ethical Thought in the Noh Plays of the Tempy6 Sh6h6
6 ShokuNihongi, P
MuromachiPeriod', tr.by David D. Dilworth, 1.12.27 & 2.10.1;Jingo Keiun * fiT 3.9.25,
in MN, XXIV (1969),p. 473. in Kuroita Katsumi 4;AO, ed., Kokushi
4 Nakano Hatayoshi rPVI, Hachiman Taikei J Kokushi Taikei Kank6kai,
Shinkoshi noKenkyulW-AfXt@7Dt, Yoshikawa 1935,ii, pp. 204, 211 & 369.
K6bunkan, 1967. *'NewJI,Daid6 7k PM 4.
7 Nihon Koki F1

5 tZ *#, coveringthe period 697-791, intercalary2.21, in KokushiTaikei,iII, p. 82.

1i1
is the second of the Six National Histories,or

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 BENDER: Metamorphosisof a Deity 167

In themid-ninth century theIwashimizuHachimanshrinewas established

onOtokoyama, southofKyoto.The myth ofitsfounding thatHachimanat
relates
Usa revealedtoa visitingmonk his desire to proceed to Kyoto to protecttheem-
peror.The monkerecteda hermitage on Otokoyama, whereupon greatlight
a
shoneuponthepeak,andtheemperor andempress haddreamsofa purplecloud
thatdescended fromthemountain to settleoverthepalace.Othertraditions of
theperiodassociateHachiman with the Nihongi legendsof the Jingui
sovereigns
and Ojin.An earlyHeianmythclaimedthatHachimanhad revealedhimself as
theEmperor Ojinduring Kimmei' s reign.8Thesignificance of
oftheidentification
Hachimanas Ojinisnotentirely clear;onesuggestion isthatitwasan attempt to
integratethegod morecloselywiththeimperialinstitution by makinghiman
imperialancestor.9But it is evidentthatduringthisperiod godwasseenas
the
ensuring theprotectionoftheemperor, and theHeiancultmaybe identified as
thephasein whichHachimanassumedtheaspectofa tutelary god.
Duringtheeleventh century theMinamoto clanbeganitsassociation withthe
cultandbythetimeofthefounding oftheshogunate a new center of Hachiman
worship hadbeenestablished at theTsurugaoka shrineat Kamakura.Astheclan
deityoftheGenji,Hachimanhad developeda warlikeaspectand suchworksas
theAzumaKagami andtheHeikeMonogatari depicthimaccordingly. HereHachi-
manis labelledthe'godofbattles',andprayers withbloodthirsty sentimentsare
recorded:'If thygraciousformbe purelymanifested to us, without doubtthe
rebelswillbe putto thesword,and thusdo we eagerlyanticipate thyhelpwith
tearsofjoy."?0
The tale ofthefeatofNasu no Yoichiat thebattleofYashimain thefinal
ofHachimanas
fortheidentification
stagesoftheGempeiWar is thelocusclassicus
a godofwar." WhenBashorecalledthistaleduring a visittotheHachiman shrine
at Kurobane, he was revivingthe memory ofan aspect of Hachiman which had
developed in theearlymedieval period.'2Thismay be characterizedas themar-
tialaspectofHachiman.
TURNING again to YumiYawata, one findsallusionsto eachofthesephases.The
animisticdimension ofthefaithis revealedmostclearly in theconcluding passage
whichproclaims that 'eventhe sound ofthe wind in thepines'is a manifestation
of thegod'sbody.The idea thatHachiman'renewseventhecolorofplants'
theunderlying
reflects meaning oftheshrine'sspring Pervading
festival. theplay
is theanimisticconception oftheholiness ofthemountain.

8 Miyaji Naokazu IAI-, no

Hachimangu- XLIX, 1 (1921), p. 27.
Kenkyu r Ris6sha, 1956, pp. 6-7. " Sadler, pp. 234-6. Sadler refersto him as
9 Saida Moriuji lMWiXA;,Hachimanjin no 'Yoichi Munetaka', but Nasu no Yoichi
Honshitsuni kansuruKogai JAS$*)*WiCMt 5 (Munetaka) g is his usually
tf*, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shamusho, accepted name.
Kamakura, 1947,pp. 16-8. 12 NobuyukiYuasa, tr., The Narrow Road to
10 A. L. Sadler, tr., 'The HeikeMonogatari', theDeep NorthandOtherTravelSketches, Penguin
in Transactionsof theAsiaticSocietyof Japan, Books,Baltimore,1966,p. 103.

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168 Nipponica,
Monumenta XXXIII, 2

Allusions to the early oracular role of Hachiman are relativelyfew. Accepting

the bow, the envoy inquires whetherthe giftwas the old man's own idea or was
rather inspired by an oracle of the god. Indignantly the man replies that it was
indeed the god's decree that he presenta bow. When the old man reappears as the
the god of the Kawara sub-shrine,he recalls an oracle of Hachiman
nochi-jite,
which is traditionallyascribed to the Nara period: 'Beforeforeignlands, our land;
beforeforeignpeoples, our people.'
Conspicuously absent in the play is the martial aspect of the god. The play-
wrightmakes no referenceto the Tsurugaoka shrine or the Minamoto cult, and
throughthis deliberate oversighthe creates an image of the god which denies the
deity's military function. Although there are allusions to Jingul's conquest of
Korea, these are balanced by longer passages on the reign of Ojin, a pacific sover-
eign under whom 'The countrywas rich, the people prosperous,all under heaven
was at peace.' The fundamentaltensionin the play arises fromthe negation of the
god's martial aspect. References to Hachiman's bow in the title and in the first
scene create martial overtones, and the theme is brieflysounded in the Jingii
sections.But in factthe war god theme is most notable forits absence, and its very
absence constitutesa counterpointto the primarymotifof the play.
From the beginning,ours has been a land
Where the gods protect the emperor.
The vow of this god in particular
Illumines the night
Like the light of the moon.
The waters of Iwashimizu flow ceaselessly,
And as long as the stream runs on
Living beings are released.
How glorious is the god's compassion!
Truly this is an auspicious time.
These lines express the true theme of the play. The work presentsan image
of Hachiman in his tutelary aspect; this is the Heian conception of the god,
and that most closely associated with the Iwashimizu shrine and the protection
of the emperor. Near the end of the play Hachiman is revealed as a Bodhisattva,
the symbol of profound and eternal compassion. But the Bodhisattva is seen as
having a political function:not only does he release living beings, but he protects
the emperor as well.
An importantelementin the developmentof the theme is the play's use of time.
In the firstsection the old man explains the meaning of his giftto the envoys:
'In the August Reign of the Gods, the world was pacified with the mulberrybow
and arrowsof artemisia.' The seriesof legends which followsis ordered in chrono-
logical sequence descending fromthe age of the gods, the primordial time of ori-
gins. The age of the Chou, the time of human emperorsin Japan, the reigns of
Jinguiand Ojin, the era of Kimmei, the foundingof the Iwashimizu shrine-the

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 BENDER: Metamorphosisof a Deity 169
recital of this sequence of historical eras is an attempt to unite the primordial
time with the present age. In the end, the shrinefestivalitselfis transformedinto
an event of the divine age-the festivalis a re-enactmentof the gatheringof the
gods which lured Amaterasu fromthe heavenly rock cave.
Through the celebration the peace and order of the age of the gods are again
restoredon earth. The presenttime is a divine era: 'Truly, truly,in theAge of the
Gods, in our own age, the sign of the god's favor is manifest.' Mircea Eliade's
assessmentof the meaning of religiousfestivalsapplies accurately to the Hachiman
festival of the play: 'To reintegrate the sacred time of origin is equivalent to
becoming contemporary with the gods, hence to living in their presence...
Man desiresto recoverthe active presence of the gods; he also desiresto live in the
world as it came fromthe Creator's hands, fresh,pure, and strong.'13
To recapitulate, Yumi Yawata presents an interpretationof the god which em-
phasizes its tutelaryaspect. All other phases of the cult are subsumed under the
god's guardian function.Although the play was writtenin Muromachi times and
set in the thirteenthcentury, its view of Hachiman denies the contemporary
association of the god with the ruling military house. It rather dramatizes an
earlier conception of the deity, portrayinga Hachiman who is intimatelylinked
with the imperial institution.The sentiment of imperial loyalism in the play
constitutespart of a larger trend,and Wilhelm Gundert points out that through-
out the Noh literatureit is the emperor rather than the shogun who is the focus
of allegiance. 14
Yet the work expressesa desire for an age more perfectthan the reign of any
historical emperor. The play's specificattempt to recover the earlier meaning of
Hachiman must be seen as part of its larger effortto recapture the peace of the
earliest time, the age of the gods. In this sense Yumi Yawata presentsan excellent
illustrationof the intentionof Shinto worship in the Muromachi period.

* * * *

The texts consulted in translating this Noh play were Sanari Kentaro, ed.,
YJkyokuTaikan, v, pp. 3221-35, and Tanaka Makoto, ed., YJkyoku-shu (Nihon
Koten Zensho, 80), Asahi Shimbunsha, 1957, iii, pp. 103-8.'5 The stage direc-
tions are abridged in the translation.
In the firstpart of the play the ancient Japanese reading of the god's name,
'Yawata', is used; in the latter part it is given the Sino-Japanese reading 'Hachi-
man'. It may also be noted that the title of the work contains a play on words,
combiningyumiandya intoyumiya,or 'bow and arrows'.

andtheProfane: Deutschen
13 Mircea Eliade, TheSacred filr Natur-und Volkerkunde
Gesellschaft
The Natureof Religion,Harcourt, Brace & XIX (1925), p. 231.
Ostasiens,
World,New York, 1959,pp. 91-2. 15 ffl p-jI, &A f. For the full referenceto
14 Wilhelm Gundert, Der Schintoismus im Yokyoku Taikan,see n. 2, above.
JapanischenNd-Drama, in Mitteilungender

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170 Monumenta
Nipponica,
xxxiii,2

YzumiYawata
by KANZE MOTOKIYO ZEAMI

Persons
A retainerof the Cloistered Emperor Go-Uda (waki)
Two of his servants (wakizure)
An old man (shite)
The god of Kawara (nochi-jite)
The old man's companion (tsure)

Place
Otokoyama, south of Kyoto (site of the JwashimizuHachiman Shrine)

Time
The reign of the Cloistered Emperor Go-Uda (late thirteenthcentury).
Spring, the second month.

[The retainer
of Go-Udaand hisservants
enter
thestageandface each
other.]
Retainer&
servants: Otokoyama, that prospers the emperor's reign,
Otokoyama, where the god's glory increases,
Let us go to the shrine of the famous god.
[The retainer
facesfront.]
Retainer: I am a retainer serving at the court of the Cloistered Emperor
Go-Uda. It is the second month'6 and today is the Yawata festival
when the sacred chants are recited.As we have been put in charge
of the ceremonies,we have received the imperial command to go
and attend, and now we are proceeding to Yawata Mountain. 7
[Theyturntofaceeachother.]

day of the hare of the

16 Actually,the first 17 OtokoyamaM [LI
secondmonthin the lunar calendar.

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 ZEAMI: YumiYawata 171

Retainer &
servants: In our time
The waves on the four seas are calm,
The waves on the fourseas are calm,
Clouds over the Eight Islands are dispelled.
Along the nine roads fromthe capital,
Coming and going,
Travelers are plentifulindeed.
[The retainerfacesfront and advancesafew steps.]
The sun's rays slant to the south,
They fall on Yawata Mountain;
Now we have arrived at Yawata Mountain.
[He returnsto his originalposition,signifyingtheirarrival.]
Retainer: Because we have hurried, we have arrived at Yawata Mountain.
Let us serenelygo to pay homage to the god.
[Theygo towardthewaki positionand kneeltherein turn.An old man
enters;hecarriesonhisshoulder a bowwrappedin a sackand he is accom-
paniedbyanother man. Theyproceedalongthehashigakari,theoldmanto
thethirdpineandhis companions tothefirst,thenstopandfaceeachother.]
Old man &
companion: It is the second month and the day of the god's festival has
arrived. Can this be the reason forthe genial spring weather?
[ They
facefront.]
Companion: Can it be that the sky reflectsthe flowerycapital?
[Theyfaceeachother.]
Old man &
companion: The clouds are dispelled. There is no wind.
[They enterthestage. The old manstandsat theshite positionand his
companion at stagecenter.]
Old man: 'May the emperor's reign endure
For a thousand years,
For thousands of years,
Till small pebbles become a large boulder
Covered with moss.'18
[Theyfaceeachother.]
Old man &
companion: May it endure forever
Like the color of the pine needles
On EternityMountain.
The azure skyis calm,
The emperor's reign secure;

18 Kokinshlii'4f 343.

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172 Monumenta XXXIII, 2
Nipponica,
The people are kind-hearted,
Passes have not been closed.'9
From the beginning,ours has been a land
Where the gods protect the emperor.
The vow of this god in particular
Illumines the night
Like the light of the moon.
The waters of Jwashimizuflow ceaselessly,
And as long as the stream runs on
Living beings are released.20
How glorious is the god's compassion!
Truly this is an auspicious time.

We shall make our pilgrimage straightaway

In the Way of God and Emperor.
On the mountain the pines rise high,
Row upon row on the Peak of the Doves,
Row upon row on the Peak of the Doves.
The unclouded reign endures,
How brilliantis the moon on Otokoyama!
Praying fora reign of ten thousand years,
We make our pilgrimage to the god.
[The old mangoes tostagecenter,thecompanionto thefrontof thestage.
of Go-Uda risesandfacestheold man.]
The retainer
Retainer: Today is the festivalof this shrine and many people have come.
Among them is this old man, and he is carryingwhat appears
to be a bow, wrapped in a brocaded sack. Tell me, whence have
you come?
Old man: I have been serving for many years at this shrine, praying for
the safetyof the emperor. What I carry is a mulberrybow. As
one of humble rank, I have as yet been unable to offerit up,

19 An indication that the country is at play HojigawaA&4LJII deals withthe festivalat

peace. Watsuji, p. 471, commentsthat this
also symbolizesa timebeforemilitaryrule was
established.
20 A referenceto the Buddhistho-jo5e
&T.ti
ceremonyat whichbirds,fishand otherliving
creatures are released; Emperor Temmu
orderedthatthe ritebe carriedout forthefirst
time in Japan in 677. The hoj5ecame to be
associatedparticularlywithHachiman shrines;
accordingto tradition,the ceremonywas first
associated with Hachiman when it was
carriedout at the Usa shrinein 720. The Noh
the Iwashimizushrine.Nakano, p. 79, argues
that the ceremonyhad been practicedat Usa
in previouscenturies,and thereare suggestions
that the Hachiman festivalwas actually a
primitiveShinto rite which was later given
Buddhistdesignationbecause of its similarity
to the Buddhistceremony(Saida, pp. 9-10).
The references in thispassage to the moon,
the god's vow, his compassion,and the release
oflivingbeingspresagethe play's laterrevela-
tionofHachiman as a Bodhisattva.

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 ZEAMI: YumiYawata 173
and I have awaited your coming today with the hope that you
will present this giftto the emperor.
Retainer: We are most gratefulfor your gift,and it is indeed auspicious
that it should be a bow of mulberry.But did you yourselfarrive
at the idea of presentinga bow, or was the giftinspired by an
oracle of the shrine? Tell me preciselyhow it happened.
Old man: An ill-advised and irreverentquestion! That I should wait for
your coming today and present a mulberry bow was indeed a
decree of the god.
Companion: In the August
Old man &
companion: Reign of the Gods, the world was pacified with
the mulberrybow and arrows of artemisia.2' This is a precedent
froman age of correctgovernment;please advise His Majesty.
Retainer: Truly thisis an omen of an age of great peace. Unsheath the bow
and let us worship beforethe god.
Old man: No, no, it would be vain to unsheath the bow.
Companion: In ancient China, the land was well ordered in the age of the
Chou.
Old man: They stored away the bow and arrow,
They laid aside the shield and spear.
Following this example,
Companion: Wrapping the bow in a sack,
Old man: Restoring the sword to its sheath,
Companion: These are the marks of an age of great peace.
Old man &
companion: That was the age of the Chou, but this is our country. Our land
is also called the Mulberry Country.
Chorus: Take up the mulberrybow,
Take arrows of artemisia,
Yawata Mountain,
Yawata Mountain,
The god's vow of compassion is vast as the ocean;
The emperor is the ship,
The subjects are the sea.

21 Yomogi g or mugwort.The Li ch'i 4LE geographywrittenperhapsas earlyas theChou

prescribesthat six mugwortarrows be shot
froma mulberrybow upon the birthof a son.
Watsuji,p. 472, remarksthatmugwortarrows
would have been uselessas a weapon and the
symbolismis the same as thatofwrappingthe
bow in a sack.
22 The Shanhai ching
[4AR, a mythological
period,reportsthatin the land wherethe sun
risestwinmulberrytreesgrow fromthe same
root. Fuso 4*a thus means 'the mulberries
whichsupporteach other',butheretheassocia-
tion is with the mulberryas such ratherthan
the idea of twintrees.

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174 Monumenta XXXIII, 2
Nipponica,
In this Land of Fertile Rice Ears
All yield to his authority,
Like grass and treesswayed by the wind.
The god renews even the color of plants,
How auspicious is the oracle of the god,
How auspicious is the oracle of the god.
[The old man lowersthe bowfrom his shoulder.Holdingitforthwith
bothhands,hepresents kneels,and theold
it to theretainer.The retainer
mangoes to theshiteposition;his companion goes towardtheflutepillar
and kneels.]
Retainer: Relate to us furtherhow the realm was pacified with bow and
arrow.
[The old mancomesoutto stagecenter and kneels.]
Chorus: The origin of pacifyingthe world with bow and arrow was in the
time of the human emperorsand it was throughthe divine power
of this shrine.
Old man: Afterthe Empress Jinguihad conquered Korea,
Chorus: The reign of Emperor Ojin flourishedin turn.
His reign was lengthy,
The countryrich and the people prosperous,
All under heaven was at peace.23
Tribute to the emperor has never ceased
Down to our time.
From the nobles, resplendentlike the moon
At the court above the clouds,
To the multitudesof common people below,
The joyful voices never cease.
The god protectsthe emperor;
So profoundis his favor
That in Kimmei's reign
In the province of Buzen
In the districtof Usa
Near the Rendai Temple
The god appeared at the Hachiman Shrine.24
With eightfold-bannerclouds as guide

23 Accordingto the Nihongiaccount,Ojin's blacksmith was transformed intoa goldenhawk,

onlywarlikeattributewas thefleshypad on his
arm which resembledan archer'sarm guard.
24 The oldestversionof the legendis found
in the Usa Engi VtORR, compiledin theJowa
WnThperiod,834-48. An old blacksmithliving
near Usa during the reign of the Emperor
Kimmeiwas visitedby a man who stayedthere
for three years. At the end of this time the
which in turn was transformed into a golden
dove and then into a three-year-old boy, who
announced: 'I am the sixteenthhuman em-
peror, Homuda [Ojin], the broad-bannered
Hachiman-maro.' The referenceto Rendaiji
X@+ does not appear in thisversion.Miyaji,
pp. 6-7; Saida, p. 12.

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 ZEAMI: Yumi Yawata 175

Ascendingto the mountainheights

Southofthecapital;
Manifestedat theholyshrineJwashimizu,
Jwashimizu, whosewatersare pure,
The god vowsto ensurean uncloudedreign.
WhenJingiuprayedforsevendays
For successin theconquestofa foreignland,
It was on a mountainin Kyushu
At the Temple ofthe Four Kings.
In thelong distantpast
The gods playedat the HeavenlyRock Door;
They gatheredand sang,
They tied blue and whiteclothofferings
To thesakaki tree.
Thus theinvocationofdivinespirits
Old man: Is in imitationofthe Age ofthe Gods.25
Chorus: In thisage ofcorrectgovernment
The properfestivals are everywhere
performed.
Withinthesacredprecincts
Golden bellsare tied
To branchesofthesakaki.
The entertainment oftheAugustGods
Continuesforsevendaysand nights.
Surelytheheavenlydeitieswill acceptit;
The favorofthe earthlydeitieswill extend
Wide as theocean, highas the mountains.
The realmhas returnedto an age ofpeace.
How auspiciousare thepronouncements
Of the threegods ofthe Hachiman Shrine26
Who lend theirprotectionto theland.
The god's vow shinesforthbrightlyindeed,
The festivalofthesecondmonth

25 The firstreferenceis to the time when
Jingulwas possessed,while the second is to the
attempt to lure Amaterasu from the cave.
Both are thusprecedentsforthe invocationof
spirits.
26 Ojin, Jinguiand Tamayorihime.Tama-
yorihimewas the youngersisterof Toyotama-
hime and cared for the latter's child by
Hikohohodemi.It is uncertainwhen the iden-
oftheOjin/Jingii
tification cultwithHachiman
occurred.Nakano, pp. 134-40, guessesthat it
may have been as early as the sixthcentury,
but the firstnote in the Rikkokushiof such an
identificationis in 879. The Usa Engi account
has alreadybeen notedin n. 24, above.
The date and significanceof the association
of Tamayorihime with Hachiman is even
more uncertain. A medieval myth depicts
Hachiman as a compositedeity representing
the union of Hikihohodemiand Toyotama-
hime,but it makesno referenceto Tamayori-
hime. Saida, pp. 2-4; NihonSandai Jitsuroku
El Gangyo 5R 3.3.16, in Kokushi
Taikei,iv, p. 449.

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176 Nipponica,
Monumenta XXXIII, 2

Expresses thanksforthe god's favor

Old man: Awaiting the dawn
Of the thousand-yearreign,
Let us present dances under the moon,
Praying forthe emperor deep into the night.
Chorus: With our prayersthe vow will surely be fulfilled.
'I have been servingsince ancient times.
Old man: The ages have passed
Chorus: 'Until this year has arrived.'
Old man: Releasing living things,
Chorus: 'I am the god of Kawara,27
Now I have come here
Thinking to watch over the present age.'
[The oldmanrises.]
'This is the divine pronouncement
Of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.
It is not to be doubted.'
So saying, as though meltingaway,
His formis lost to sight.
followedbyhiscompanion.
[The oldmanexits, At thispointthereis a
kyogeninterlude theplaythus
explaining far andrecountingother
myths
oftheshrine.]

Retainer &
servants: 'Let us returnto the capital with this divine decree,
Let us returnto the capital with this divine decree;
We shall presentit in its entiretyto the emperor.'
When they say this,
Music is heard on the mountain,
A rare fragranceis diffused.
Wondrous indeed are the works of the god,
Wondrous indeed are the works of the god.
[The old man,revealedas thegod of Kawara, re-enters
and proceeds
alongthehashigakaritothefirst
pine.]
God of Kawara: 'Before foreignlands, our land;
Beforeforeignpeoples, our people.'28
From beginning to end

27 The Kawara shrineis a sub-shrineof the Attributedby the TodaijiHachimanGenki

28

Iwashimizu shrine; Takeuchi no Sukune At'kPo aMV, 1294, to the Nara period. The
AtVgjff,the long-livedministerwho served ShokuNihongirecordsno such oracle, and in
Ojin and Jingiu,among other sovereigns,is factthe militanttone is unlikethe oraclesthat
enshrinedthere. the ShokuNihongidoes record.

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 ZEAMI: YumiYawata 177
The god's vow shines bright
Like the moon of absolute reality.
The bow and arrow endure foruncounted ages.
I am the god of Kawara
Who protectsthe emperor.
Chorus: How delightfulare the dances
Of the festivalof the second month.
thestage.]
[Thegodenters
God of Kawara: Sing, sing, until dawn's light.
Chorus: The sleeves of white cotton
Flutteringand returning,
The voices raised in song
Acclaim the thousand-yearreign.
Truly, though these be the Latter Days,
Truly, though these be the Latter Days,29
The god's power and gloryincrease.
How exalted a thing
To worship the manifestgod.
[Thegoddances.]
God of Kawara: The providence which protectsthe emperor
Is unchanging fromthe beginning of time.
But in particular
The gods guard this emperor
Whose divine virtue unites the realm.
Chorus: Truly, truly,
In the Age of the Gods,
In our own age,
The sign of the god's favor is manifest.
God of Kawara: The foundingof the shrine on this mountain
Chorus: Was in divine antiquity.
God of Kawara: Throughout the long ages
Chorus: The moon illumines Otokoyama,
This is the place of brilliantlight.
So sacred is this place that
Beast and bird,
The cooing of doves,
Even the sound of the wind in the pines-

29 A rather
paradoxical statementin view
of the themeof the whole play stressingthat
this is an auspicious time. Gundert,p. 216,
commentson the juxtapositionof the 'Latter
Days' (mappi &iX)withthe 'Age of the Gods'
(kamiyoOft) in other plays, remarkingthat
the concept of kamiyoformsa joyfulcounter-
point to the resignedemotionsof mappJ,that
the generalatmosphereof doomsdayinvolved
in the mappobeliefproduceda religiousdesire
foran experiencewhichwould makeit possible
to forgetthe currenttimeofdecadence.

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178 Monumenta XXXIII, 2
Nipponica,
All are manifestations
Of the bodyofthegod.
We relyon the deity'swill
Manifestedas a god,
The GreatBodhisattvaHachiman,
How profoundare his revelations,
How profoundare his revelations.

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