e rid himself of by
strength of arm and sharpness of sword, some by shrewdness of wit. His
line of march lay to Usa, in the district of Buzen; thence to Okada,
where he took ship and made his way through the windings of the Suwo
Nada, a part of the Inland Sea of Japan.

Landing in Aki, Jimmu built himself a palace, and dwelt there for seven
years, after which he sought the region of Bizen, where for eight years
more he lived in peace. Then, stirred once more by his in-dwelling love
of adventure, he took to the sea again with his faithful band and sailed
to the eastward. Rough waves and swift currents here disputed his way,
and it was with difficulty that he at length landed on Hondo, the main
island of Japan, near where the city of Osaka now stands. He named the
spot _Nami Haya_ ("swift waves").

Jimmu Tenno, the name of the conqueror, means "spirit of war," and so
far victory had perched upon his banners as he marched. But now defeat
came. The people of the great island fought fiercely for their homes and
liberties, a brother of Jimmu was wounded, and he and his band of
followers were driven back with loss.

The gods surely had something to do with this,--for in those days the
gods were thought to have little to do besides busying themselves with
the affairs of men,--and the cause of the defeat was sought by means of
sacred ceremonies and invocations. It proved to be an odd one. The
legend states they had offended the Sun goddess by presuming to travel
to the east, instead of following the path of the sun from east to west.
This insult to the gods could be atoned for only by a voyage to the
west. Taking to their ships again, they sailed westward around Kii, and
landed at Arasaka.

Jimmu had expiated his fault, and was again in favor with the gods. The
chief whom he now faced surrendered without a blow, and presented the
conquering hero with a sword. A picture of this scene, famous in the
early history of Japan, is printed on one of the Japanese greenback
notes issued in 1872.

The victor next sought the mountain-defended land of Yamato, which was
to be reached only by difficult mountain-passes, unknown to the chief
and his followers. But the gods had taken him in charge and came to his
aid, sending a giant crow, whose wings were eight feet long, to guide
him to the fertile soil of Yamato. A crow with smaller spread of wing
might have done the work as well, but would have been less satisfactory
to the legend-maker