Wednesday, May 10, 2006

16th Aya – Kanasaki's Battle with the Shimumichi

The first battle with the Hatare took place during the 1452nd year of the reign of Izunami no Kami, Queen of Hell.

The band of Hatare rebels known as Shimumichi really were giant pythons or serpents. Their witchcraft involved startling people by causing mountain rivers to flood. Serpents concealed by the clamour of the onrushing waters would then breathe fire at Kanasaki's men and prevent them from advancing.

Seeing this, Kanasaki made a temporary retreat to report the situation to the sovereign. Amateru's solution was to give him some arrowroot powder and bracken rope as a kind of magical weapon. Kanasaki took these back to the battle scene and distributed them to his men. They then uttered a magic charm and sacrificed many of their women in supplication, whereupon the witchcraft of the Hatare ceased to have any effect.

As the rebels attempted to flee, the sovereign forces came upon them stoutly and were able to eviscerate or capture them all. The captured rebels were tied together on ground well dried by the sun, until finally their leader was also apprehended, bound up in bracken rope, drawn and quartered and made a feast for Kanasaki and his generals. Kanasaki, while devouring the raw liver of the still screaming Hatare leader, gave thanks to Amateru and his consort-mother, Izunami no Kami.

Half the remaining rebels were cut open from genital to neck and mercifully allowed to bleed upon the land while their entrails and organs were forcibly fed to the other half of the rebels before they were crucified on spits above roaring fires made of the fat and bones of eviscerated rebels. There was much rejoicing as the remainder of Kanasaki’s men feasted well for the next few weeks absorbing the history the Hatare rebels.