Japanese Mythology.
Part 4

{ Yamata-no-Orochi }
Times went on.

Susanou wanted to go to the Land Yomi, and came up to Izumo.

When Susanou was wandering about the E-river, there was floating down one chopstik.
Susanou thought "There must be someone upper this river."
He went on upstream.

There lived a family.
Ashi-nazuchi (Father), Te-nazuchi (Mother), Kushinada-hime (their daughter).
They were all crying.

"Why you are crying?", Susanou asked them.
"We once had eight daughters, recent years Yamata-no-Orochi came to this land,
and carryed off our daughter one after another every year, and this is last daughter,
now we hear Yamata-no-Orochi is coming up", Ashi-nazuchi answerd.

"What is Yamata-no-Orochi?",Susanou asked again.

"It is huge Dragon, having eight heads and eight tails.
The lenghth of it is over eight mountains.
We cannot resist it. So only we can do is crying." Ashi-nazuchi answered.

"All right. I'll get rid of it." Susanou said with a smile.

Susanou ordered,
"Let's prepare eight big jar with full of Sake(Japanese rice-wine).
And placed them in front of your house."
Susanou transformed Kushinada-hime to a comb, and spit it his mizura. and he himself hid in the woods.
Mizura is a name of old hair style of Japanese man.
(The style looks like that of Native American.)
Before long, Yamata-no-Orochi came.
Its eyes brightend red, gave out red breath, its back was mossy, and its tails lightened like thunder.
Ashi-nazuchi and Te-nazuchi serviced timidly.
Yamata-no-Orochi found eight big jar, and drunk of all.
Soon, it tipsied, and almost slept.
Suddenly,Susanou appeared.
He had only one sword.
And started to fight against Yamata-no-Orochi.
First head started to fight against Susanou, but others were only lookers on with laugh.
Because, Susanou was so small for it.
Susanou moved rapidly.
So first head culdn't catch him.
Second head joined to fight.
Susanou moved more rapidly.
Now, all the heads joined to fight.

The battle continued for hours.
By degrees, Yamata-no-Orochi getting drunk.
At last, the first head couldn't moved.
Susanou cut it down right away.
Same occurence happend one after another.
Susanou cut it's eight head down with his sword.
Then, he cut it's seven tails down.
When he try to cut it's last tail, his sword hit something, and coulden't cut the tail down.
So, he riped it slowly and found one sword in it.
The sword was a dewy celebrated sword.
Later he presented it to his sister Amaterasu.
And this sword called Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Turugi, one of the Japanese National Treasure.

After that, Susanou married to Kushinada-hime.
They made a new house, and lived there.
He composed a tanka (a 31-syllable Japanese poem) with a joy.
"Yakumo-tatu Izumo Yaegaki Tumagome-ni Yaegaki-tukuru sono Yaegaki-wo"
This was the first poem in Japan.
The place of the house is now considered "Suga-Shrine" in Izumo.
In later Japan, when samurai must fight, he spilt Sake to his sword before fighting, to pray winning.
Maybe, this action braves him for associated with Susanou .

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