Himetataraisuzuhime (ヒメタタライスズヒメ)

Himetataraisuzuhime was the empress of Emperor Jinmu.

Emperor Jinmu had already married Ahiratsuhime and had two children in Hyuga Province before his Tosei (eastern expedition); however, after conquering the Yamato region he sought to win over the local ruling families by marrying one of their daughters as his legitimate empress. The marriage between Emperor Jinmu, a descendant of Amaterasu Omikami (the great sun goddess and head of all heavenly kami (kami: deity)), and Himetataraisuzuhime would reunite the branched genealogies of the line of heavenly kami and the line of earthly kami.

Names

Himetataraisuzuhime was written as '媛蹈鞴五十鈴媛命' in "Nihon Shoki" (Chronicles of Japan). Himetataraisuzuhime was written as '比売多多良伊須気余理比売' (pronounced Himetataraisukeyorihime) and '富登多多良伊須岐比売' (pronounced Hototataraisukihime) as another name in "Kojiki" (The Records of Ancient Matters).

It is considered that the empress was from a clan which was involved in iron-making because 'Tatara' in the name of the empress was a device used in tatarabuki iron-making (a method of making iron by using a tatara (bellows)).

Kojiki

According to the "Kojiki," Himetataraisuzuhime was a daughter of the Omononushi (considered as the calm spirit of Okuninushi (great land master), who was a descendant of Susano-O (the storm deity)) and Seyadatarahime.

Omononushi, having heard of Seyadatarahime's reputation as a great beauty, fell in love with her at first sight. Omononushi transformed himself into a red arrow and floated downstream to strike Seyadatarahime in the hoto (genitals) just as she came to the stream to relieve herself. When she took the arrow to her room, the arrow turned back into Omononushi and he married her. A baby born to the couple in due course was Himetataraisuzuhime. The baby was called Hototataraisukihime since her mother had become pregnant with the baby as a result of being startled by being struck in the hoto; however, Hototataraisukihime was renamed to Himetataraisukeyorihime to eliminate "Hoto" from the original name.

Nihonshoki Volume 6 Number 1: Kotoshironushinokami

"Nihon Shoki" Volume 6 Number 1 includes the description of '事代主神化爲八尋熊鰐 通三嶋溝樴姫 或云 玉櫛姫 而生兒 姫蹈鞴五十鈴姫命 是爲神日本磐余彦火火出見天皇之后也,' which means that Kotoshironushinokami had transformed himself into Yahirowani (eight-fathom shark) and paid frequent visits to Mishimanomizokuhihime, also known as Tamakushihime, and that Himetataraisuzuhime was born to the couple. Also "Sendai Kuji Hongi" (The Fundamental Records of the Ancient Matters of Former Ages) Volume 4 Chigi Hongi includes the description of '都味齒八重事代主神 化八尋熊鰐 通三島溝杭女 活玉依姫 生一男一女(中略)妹 踏{韋備-イ}五十鈴姫命 此命 橿原原朝立為皇后 誕生二兒 即 神渟名耳天皇 綏靖 次産 八井耳命是也,' which is equivalent to the description in Nihon Shoki.

Children

Emperor Jinmu and Himetataraisuzuhime had children in the order of: Hikoyainomikoto, Kanyaimiminomikoto and Emperor Suizei.

The Rebellion of Tagishimimi

After Emperor Jinmu died, Himetataraisuzuhime married Tagishimimi, who was a son of Emperor Jinmu and she prevented the rebellion plotted by her husband by notifying her children of her husband's political intrigue.

[Original Japanese]