The Kojiki (selections) · Condensed English retelling
Emperor Suizei
1After the death of Emperor Jimmu, his son Kamununakawa-Mimi-no-Mikoto ascended the throne as Emperor Suizei, the second emperor of Japan.
2Before his ascension, there was a plot against him by his half-brother Tagishi-Mimi, who had married their father's widow and sought to seize the throne for himself.
3The young prince, warned by his mother in a poem encoded with secret meaning, discovered the plot and acted swiftly to protect the rightful succession.
4With the help of his brother, he confronted and defeated Tagishi-Mimi, securing the throne and honoring his father's legacy.
5Emperor Suizei ruled from his palace in Kazuraki, governing with wisdom and maintaining the rituals and customs established by his divine ancestor.
6During his reign, the foundations laid by Emperor Jimmu were strengthened, and the worship of the kami — the divine spirits dwelling in all things — was formalized throughout the land.
7Thus the chronicles record the early emperors, each adding to the sacred history that connects the Japanese people to the age of the gods and the eternal light of Amaterasu.
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