The following may contain minor spoilers for the episode. Granted, this is history, so technically it has all been spoiled already, but still - with Ōsazaki no Ōkimi’s death the throne ended up once more in a perilous situation. Below are some of the players involved.

The Princes

While there were many princes of Ōsazaki no Ōkimi, only three of them stand out to us: Izaho Wake no Mikoto, Suminoye no Naka tsu Miko, and Mizuha Wake no Mikoto.

Izaho Wake no Mikoto

He was the eldest of the three, and the designated successor to Ōsazaki no Ōkimi, for all that meant. At one point “Wake” seems to have been a title, indicating lordship over some territory, but it is unclear if that is still the case by this period.

Suminoye no Naka tsu Miko

He was the middlest brother of the three. Perhaps that is what is meant by his name, “Naka tsu Miko” — the Middle Prince. Granted, in later names “Naka” shows up as a common enough name element. Sometimes he is referred to as “Prince Naka”.

Midzuha Wake no Mikoto

The youngest of the three, he nonetheless plays a large role in the events that take place. Also, I will apologize ahead of time for those trying to make out “Izaho Wake” and “Midzuha Wake” in the spoken word—I can understand how the two can sound remarkably similar without the visual aids.

The Courtiers

Achi no Atae

Achi no Atae also seems to be referred to as “Achi no Omi”. In this case, I suspect that Atae is the kabane of the family of Achi and Omi is literally the post of the minister, but it is hard to understand, well. It does seem as though this person is meant to at least be related to Achikki, who came over from Baekje with the first horses. It is possible it is the same individual, but all of that is unclear.

Heguri no Dzuku no Sukune

He is referred to several different ways—sometimes just as Dzuku no Sukune and once as Heguri no Tsuka no Sukune, but they all appear to reference the same individual, born at the same time as previous sovereign, Ōsazaki no Ōkimi

Kuro Hime

Daughter of Hata no Yashiro no Sukune, we know very little about her, other than that she was a point of contention between the royal brothers. Even her name, “black princess”, likely just refers to her hair or complexion, and may not have been her actual name.

Sashihire, aka Sobakari

This individual is said to be a Hayato, one of the ethnic groups of Southern Kyūshū. His name is radically different between the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki, probably do to the fact that it was recorded phonetically. He is said to have been a servant of Suminoye no Naka tsu Miko.

References

• Ō, Yasumaro, & Heldt, G. (2014). The Kojiki: An account of ancient matters. ISBN978-0-231-16389-7

• Bentley, John. (2006). The Authenticity of Sendai Kuji Hongi: a New Examination of Texts, with a Translation and Commentary. ISBN-90-04-152253

• Chamberlain, B. H. (1981). The Kojiki: Records of ancient matters. Rutland, Vt: C.E. Tuttle Co.  ISBN4-8053-0794-3

• Aston, W. G. (1972). Nihongi, chronicles of Japan from the earliest times to A.D. 697. London: Allen & Unwin. ISBN0-80480984-4

• Philippi, D. L. (1968). Kojiki. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN4-13-087004-1