Episode 2:
Following the Thread

From the Kojiki, Volume II
“The Legend of Mount Miwa”

Long ago there was a very beautiful young woman named Ikutamayoribime. One night, a very handsome young man visited her. Before long, she became pregnant.

Her parents were greatly surprised. “You do not have a husband, so how could this have happened to you?” they asked her.

She said, “Though I don’t know his name, a beautiful young man has been visiting me every night to spend time with me and I have naturally become pregnant.”

With their daughter impregnated, her parents were anxious to know what kind of person the young man was. They told her, “The next time he comes, be sure to scatter red soil in front of your bed. Also, thread a needle with hemp string and leave it attached to the spool.Then, pin the needle to the hem of the man’s clothes.”

The daughter did as she was told.

The next morning they found that the hemp thread pinned to the hem of his kimono had somehow strangely passed through the keyhole of the door and there were only three turns of thread left on the spool.

Following the thread, she found that it ended at the shrine of Mount Miwa, coming to realize that the young man who was visiting her was the deity of Mount Miwa, Ōmononushi.

Since there were three threads left around the spool ( 三巻, pronounced miwa in Japanese), people began to write of this place as Miwa (三輪). It is said that Ōtataneko, a descendent of Ikutamayoribime, became a priest of Ōmiwa-jinja Shrine which is dedicated to Ōmononushi.

In ancient times, it was believed that red soil protected people from evil. So scattering red soil might have been used as a protection talisman.

But in this story, the girl’s partner was identified, leading to the deity. The hemp thread and red soil led to the deity. This reminds us of the red string of fate concept, which allows us to feel more familiar to the lovers in this myth.