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fine garments came down from the mountains to the shore. They came

bearing a beautiful woman in a litter. Then all the women who had come

to the shore returned to the mountains. Only the one in the litter came

close to the boat, and spoke thus: "This land is woman-land. It is a

land where no men live. It being now spring, and there being something

peculiar to this country of mine you shall be taken care of in my house

until the autumn; and in the winter you shall become our husbands. The

following spring I will send you home. So now do you bear me to my

house."



Thereupon the Aino chief and his sons bore the woman in the litter to

the mountains. They saw that the country was all like moorland. Then the

chieftainess entered the house. There was a room there with a golden

netting, like a mosquito-net. The three men were placed inside it. The

chieftainess fed them herself. In the day-time numbers of women came in.

They sat beside the golden mosquito-net, looking at the men. At

nightfall they went home. So gradually it got to be autumn. Then the

chieftainess spoke as follows, "As the fall of the leaf has now come,

and as there are two vice-chieftainesses besides me, I will send your

two sons to them. You yourself shall be husband to me." Then two

beautiful women came in, and led off the two sons by the hand, while the

chieftainess kept the chief for herself.



So the men dwelt there. When spring came, the chieftain's wife spoke

thus to him: "We women of this country differ from yours. At the same

time as the grass begins to sprout, teeth sprout in our vaginas. So our

husbands cannot stay with us. The east wind is our husband. When the

east wind blows, we all turn our buttocks towards it, and thus conceive

children. Sometimes we bear male children. But these male children are

killed and done away with when they become fit to lie with women. For

that reason, this is a land which has women only. It is called

woman-land. So when, brought by some bad god, you came to this land of

mine, there were teeth in my vagina because it was summer, for which

reason I did not marry you. But I married you when the teeth fell out.

Now, as the teeth are again sprouting in my vagina because spring has

come, it is now impossible for us to sleep together. I will send you

home to-morrow. So do you tell your sons to come here to-day in order to

be ready."



The sons came. The chieftainess stayed in the house. Then, with tears

streaming down her face, she spoke thus; "Though it is dangerous,

to-night is our last night. Let us sleep together!" Then the man, being

much frightened, took a beautiful scabbard in a bag in his bosom, and

lay with the woman with this scabbard. The mark of the teeth remained on

the scabbard. The next day dawned. Then the man went to his boat, taking

his sons with him. The chieftainess wept and spoke thus: "As a fair wind

is blowing away from my country, you, if you set sail and sail straight

ahead, will be able to reach your home at Iwanai." So then the men

entered their boat, and went out to sea. A fair wind was blowing down

from the mountains, and they went along under sail. After a time they

saw land; they saw the mountains about Iwanai. Going on for a time, they

came to the shore of Iwanai. Their wives were wearing widows' caps. So

their husbands embraced them. So the story of woman-land was listened to

carefully. All the Ainos saw the beautiful scabbard which the chief had

used with that woman.--(Translated literally. Told by Penri, 17th July,

1886.)