Episode 8:
Torn between a Husband and a Brother
From the Kojiki, Volume II
“Conspiracy of Saho-biko no Miko”
Ikumeiribiko-isachi no Mikoto, later known as Emperor Suinin, chose to marry Saho-bime no Mikoto, although she was still in love with her elder brother, Saho-biko no Miko.
One day, Saho-biko no Miko asked his sister, “My dear sister, who do you love the most, your husband or your brother?” When she answered, “Well, I love you the most dearly,” he continued, “If your words are true, let us reign over the country together. For that purpose...” Then, he whispered to her secretively as he handed her a sharp dagger, “With this, stab the Emperor to death while he is sleeping.”
The Emperor did not know of any plots against his life, and he was dozing peacefully with his head resting on her lap. The Empress raised the dagger three times, but she was too overwhelmed with sorrow to kill him. A flood of tears ran down her cheeks, waking the Emperor.
“I just had a strange dream. A sudden downpour came from Saho (now Nara City) and wet my face. Then, a little snake with a brocade-like pattern came to me to wind itself around my neck.”
The Empress realized that he sensed a plot, and confessed everything. The Emperor gathered his army to kill her brother. She was so worried about her brother’s fate and could not suppress her affection for him, so she left the Emperor and fled to Inaki Castle, where her brother and his followers were holed up. In fact, she was pregnant with the Emperor’s child at the time.
The Emperor pitied her and refrained from attacking the castle temporarily. In due course, the baby was born and the Empress sent her husband the message, “If you believe that the baby is your child, take charge of it.” He still loved her and ordered hand-picked soldiers to bring back both mother and child.
The Empress stepped out of the castle holding the baby in her arms, and handed over her dearest child to the soldiers. They immediately reached out their hands to grab her hair and clothing, but in vain. She already anticipated their intention and was ready for that: her hair had been cut short and her clothes fell away easily. The soldiers were not able to capture her. Subsequently, the Emperor’s army attacked Inaki Castle and the Empress perished with her brother.
Being torn between a husband and a brother, Saho-bime no Mikoto lived out her own destiny to die for love. Her attitude towards life profoundly moves us even now, one thousand and several hundred years later.
Related tourism site:
Wakakusa-yama Mountain, Kasugano-cho, Nara
Saho, as part of the names of Saho-biko and Saho-bime, can still be seen today as place-name: in Sahogawa River and Mount Sahoyama, both in the north-west part of Nara City. The mountain top, a place appearing in the legendary story of Saho-bime, is now a recommended scenic spot with a fine view overlooking the outskirts of the city.
