In the ancient times when the boundaries between the heavens and the earthly realm of Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni were still soft and permeable, there lived in the province of Izumo a young deity named Onamuji. He was the youngest among a vast host of brothers, collectively known as the Yasogami—the eighty deities. Unlike his boisterous, proud, and aggressive brothers, Onamuji was gentle, reflective, and possessed a quiet spirit that communed deeply with the natural world. This difference in character did not earn him the respect of his siblings; instead, it drew their scorn and mockery. They treated him as little more than a servant, forcing him to carry their heavy baggage and tend to their whims as they traveled across the rugged, forested landscapes of ancient Japan. Yet, hidden beneath Onamuji's humble exterior was a profound spiritual destiny, one that would eventually crown him as Okuninushi, the Great Master of the Land, after surviving many harrowing trials.
The great rivalry between the Yasogami and Onamuji reached a boiling point when news spread of the ethereal beauty and wisdom of Princess Yakami, who resided in the neighboring land of Inaba. Each of the eighty brothers harbored a fierce desire to claim her as his bride, believing that such a union would elevate their prestige and solidify their power. Blinded by their ambition, they resolved to journey to Inaba to present their suits. They forced Onamuji to accompany them as their bag-bearer, loading his shoulders with an enormous, crushing sack that contained all their worldly possessions, armor, and courtship gifts. As they marched along the coastal paths, the brothers ran far ahead, eager to reach the princess first, leaving the exhausted Onamuji to trudge far behind, his feet bruised by the stones and his back bent under the immense weight.
It was during this arduous journey that the famous encounter with the Hare of Inaba occurred. As the eighty brothers reached the cape of Keta, they came upon a small, white hare lying on the shore, its skin completely flayed, shivering in excruciating agony. The cruel Yasogami, amused by the creature's suffering, mockingly advised the hare to bathe in the salty waters of the sea and then expose itself to the harsh winds on the mountain slopes to dry. The naive hare followed their malicious advice, but the salt crystallized in its raw wounds, and the biting wind caused its skin to crack and split, magnifying its torment tenfold. When Onamuji finally arrived at the cape, dragging his heavy burden, he found the hare weeping in unbearable pain. Filled with genuine compassion, the young deity knelt beside the creature, washed its wounds with pure, fresh water from a nearby river, and instructed it to roll in the soft, pollen-laden catkins of the local sedge plants. The soothing pollen adhered to the hare's skin, instantly healing its wounds and restoring its soft, white fur.
In gratitude for this miraculous deliverance, the Hare of Inaba, who was in truth a divine messenger, spoke a prophecy to Onamuji. The hare declared that none of the eighty cruel brothers would ever win the hand of Princess Yakami. Instead, despite his current low status and the heavy burden he carried, Princess Yakami would choose Onamuji as her husband. When the Yasogami arrived at the palace of Inaba and presented themselves to the princess, she indeed rejected them all, announcing that her heart belonged solely to Onamuji, whose kindness to the hare had proven his noble character. Upon hearing this, the eighty brothers were consumed by a white-hot rage and humiliating jealousy. They realized that their humble bag-bearer had bypassed them all, earning the ultimate prize. They resolved then and there that Onamuji must die, plotting a dark and treacherous scheme to rid themselves of their younger brother forever.