Way back, when gods and goddesses walked the earth in Japan, there lived a kind young god named Ōkuninushi. Now, Ōkuninushi had a LOT of brothers. Eighty of them, can you believe it? And to be honest, most of them weren't very nice.

One day, all the brothers decided to go on a trip. They wanted to visit a beautiful princess named Yagami-hime, and each one hoped she would choose him. Ōkuninushi, being the youngest and kindest, ended up carrying everyone's heavy bags. He walked slowly along at the back, while his brothers hurried ahead, not even waiting for him.

As they traveled, they came across a little white hare, crying by the side of the road. It had no fur and looked very sore because its skin was all red and painful. The mean brothers just laughed. One said, "Hey, little hare! Go wash in the salty sea water and then dry yourself in the wind!" The poor hare, not knowing any better, did just that. Of course, the salty water stung its sore skin terribly, and the wind made it even worse! The hare cried and cried.

When Ōkuninushi finally caught up, he saw the miserable hare. "Oh, you poor thing!" he said gently. "That was bad advice. Go quickly and wash yourself in fresh water from the river. Then, find some soft cattail pollen from those fluffy plants over there and roll in it. That will help you heal."

The hare did just as Ōkuninushi said. The fresh water soothed its skin, and the soft pollen felt like a cozy blanket. Soon, its fur began to grow back, soft and white. "Oh, thank you, kind god!" said the hare, feeling much better. "Because you were so good to me, I can tell you something important. Princess Yagami-hime will choose you, not your selfish brothers!"

And guess what? The hare was right! When they all arrived at Princess Yagami-hime's home, she looked past all the proud and boastful brothers. She saw Ōkuninushi's kind heart and chose him!

Well, this made his brothers VERY angry and super jealous. They decided to play some nasty tricks on Ōkuninushi. First, they heated a huge rock until it was glowing red, then rolled it down a hill shouting, "Look, Ōkuninushi, a wild boar! Catch it!" Ōkuninushi, thinking it was a real boar, tried to grab it and was badly burned. But his mother, who was a powerful goddess, found him and used her magic to heal him and bring him back to life.

His brothers weren't done. Next, they tricked him into a forest. They cut down a giant tree, then told him to go into a split they made in the trunk to get something. When he was inside, they let the tree snap shut, trapping him! Ouch! But again, his clever mother came to his rescue, healed him, and brought him back.

"This is too dangerous," said his mother. "Your brothers will not stop. You must go to the land of Ne-no-kuni, the underworld, and ask the great god Susanoo for help. He can be a bit grumpy, but he is very wise and powerful."

So Ōkuninushi traveled to Ne-no-kuni. There, he met Susanoo's daughter, the lovely Suseri-hime. They liked each other right away! But Susanoo wasn't so sure about this young god wanting to be with his daughter. He decided to give Ōkuninushi some very tricky tests.

First, Susanoo made him sleep in a room full of slithery snakes! Ōkuninushi was scared, but Suseri-hime secretly gave him a magic scarf. When he waved it, the snakes stayed away, and he slept peacefully.

Next, Susanoo sent him to a room full of buzzing centipedes and wasps! Again, Suseri-hime gave him another magic scarf, and the creepy crawlies and stingy insects left him alone.

Then, Susanoo shot a special arrow far into a huge, grassy field and told Ōkuninushi to find it. As Ōkuninushi searched, Susanoo set the whole field on fire! Oh no! It looked like Ōkuninushi was trapped! But just then, a little mouse popped up. "Quick, hide in this hole!" it squeaked. Ōkuninushi jumped into the hole, and the fire roared safely over his head. Then, the kind mouse brought him the lost arrow!

Finally, Susanoo said, "Come here, Ōkuninushi, and pick the lice from my hair." But when Ōkuninushi looked, Susanoo's hair was full of giant, wriggling centipedes! Yikes! Suseri-hime, who was always thinking, had given Ōkuninushi some red berries and soft clay. So, Ōkuninushi pretended to pick off the "lice." He would pop a berry in his mouth, chew it, and then spit out a little bit of red clay, making it look like he was squashing the centipedes. Susanoo was very pleased and soon fell fast asleep, snoring loudly.

This was their chance! Ōkuninushi carefully tied Susanoo's long hair to the big wooden beams of the house. Then, he gently took Susanoo's magical life-sword, his life-bow and arrows, and his special musical instrument called a koto. He put Suseri-hime on his back, and they started to run!

As they hurried out, the koto brushed against a tree. TWANG! The sound woke Susanoo up! He was furious! He jumped up, but his hair was tied! Rip! He pulled his hair free from the beams and chased after them. He was very, very fast.

Ōkuninushi and Suseri-hime ran as fast as they could and just managed to reach the very edge of Ne-no-kuni, the border between the underworld and the living world. Susanoo couldn't cross it. From far away, he shouted, "Ōkuninushi! With that sword and bow, you will defeat your wicked brothers! Build a grand palace for yourself, with its posts deep in the earth and its roof reaching high into the sky! You will rule this land, and you shall be called Ōkuninushi – the Master of the Great Land! And make sure you take good care of my daughter, Suseri-hime, and make her your queen!"

So, Ōkuninushi returned to his own land with Suseri-hime. He did just as Susanoo had said. He used the magic weapons to outsmart his mean brothers and became a great and wise ruler. He built a wonderful palace and made the land a happy place for everyone. And he and Suseri-hime lived together, looking after the world and all its people.

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