東京から水戸・仙台・松島・盛岡を経て青森へ（北海道）

17. From Tokyo via Mito, Sendai, Matsushima, and Morioka to Aomori (Yezo Island).

Joban and Tohoku Main (North-Eastern) Line of the Imperial Gov't Rlys.

To Mito, 73 M. To Sendai, 226 M. To Matsushima, 240 M. To Aomori, 465 M. Frequent and excellent trains equipped with dining-cars, sleeping-cars and all modern conveniences make the run speedily and comfortably. For full information as to fare, time, etc., see the Rly. Time Table. The rly. from Mito to Iwanuma runs (through the provinces of Hitachi and Iwaki) along the shore of the Pacific Ocean, whence its name, Nihonkaigan, or ‘Japan seacoast,' Line. At Iwanuma, in Rikuzen Province, it joins the Tokohu Main Line and continues N. through Rikuzen and the extensive and rich province of Rikuchu before entering Muts'i and proceeding to its terminus on Mutsu Bay, facing the Tsugaru Strait beyond which is Yezo Island. Anciently the region (‘of the Eastern Mountains’) was called the Tosando. The views along the coast are magnificent. Matsushima, with its singularly beautiful islands, is ranked as one of the 'Three Great Sights' of Japan, and few travelers will wish to omit it. Good bento at several of the stations.

Tokyo, see p. 109. The line runs out through the tawdry suburbs over flat but rich and productive lowland where hosts of vegetables and not a few snails (maimai) and turtles (kame) are raised for the metropolitan markets. The prevalence of slim steel chimneys on the ugly factory buildings is due to their comparative safety during earthquakes. Beyond the wide and lively Sumida-gawa the land is so valuable that every inch is cultivated intensively; the fields are cut into round, square, triangular, and ovaliform plots, divided one from another by miniature mud causeways carefully smoothed on the sides and just wide enough at the crest to permit the passage of the farmers, who trot to and fro along them, cut miniature weirs in them, or work thigh-deep in the sticky black mud of

the lower levels. The work is filthy and excessively laborious, but it is necessary to the production of the fields of waving rye, wheat, and barley, and the delicious native rice. In late spring and early summer, iris, lotus, and other gay flowers add charm. The region is splendidly watered, and stately junks with tall, white, crinkly cotton sails move up and down the wider streams and form beautiful pictures in the landscape. Soon after leaving 19 M. Abiko Jct., the Tone River is crossed on a steel bridge 3103 ft. long. The immense hedges 12-15 ft. high, which almost surround certain of the farmsteads, are aimed to protect them from high winds. At 39 M. Tsuchiura, a small steamer may be boarded for the several little ports on the Kitaura Lagoon. The river on the near side of the town is the Sakura-gawa; that on the far side, the Kawauchi-gawa. At 61 M. Tomobe, the line bears to the left and runs due E. to

73 M. Mito (Mito Hotel, opposite the station, ¥3; Shibataya Inn, ¥2.50), capital of Hitachi Province and of Ibaraki Prefecture, was formerly a daimyo stronghold and possesses a ruinous castle built by the Daijo family presumably in the 14th cent. Edo Michifusa occupied it at the beginning of the 15th cent, and it was held by his descendants until 1590, when it passed into the hands of the Satake. The Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu, installed his son Nobuyoshi therein in 1600, Yorinobu in 1603, and Yorifusa in 1609. The latter formed the branch of the powerful Tokugawa family of Mito, one of the three famous families from which a shogun could be chosen. The old 3-storied donjon with a green roof is an interesting reminder of feudal times; as are also the magnificent and patriarchal cryptomerias in what once included the castle domain. The chief attraction of the clean and pretty place is the Tokiwa Koen, or Mito Park, at the W. end of the upper town. Originally a private garden owned by Tokugawa Nariaki (1800-60), a feudal prince of Mito, it was converted into a public park in 1873. The plum blossoms are famed for their beauty, and in March they attract many visitors from Tokyo. From a high point in the garden one commands a splendid view over the lower town, the shallow Semba Lake, (fine lotus blooms in Aug.) and the environing country. The conspicuous monument was inscribed by Nariaki, who played a prominent part in the opening of Japan to foreigners.

‘ Nariaki ’ (says Mr. Papinot) ‘was a stanch supporter of the Imperial Restoration. He caused his samurai to study military art, and had war instruments made. The plausible cause of these preparations was the urgent necessity of repulsing the foreigners, whose ships were then frequently entering Japanese waters. The Bakufu, fearing some disguised designs, became suspicious, and in 1844, Nariaki and his adviser Fujita Toko were confined to Komagome (Yedo). They were liberated only when Commodore Perry’s arrival had brought the anxiety of the shogun’s government to a climax, and Nariaki was entrusted with the preparations for the defense of the country (1853). He then ordered the forts in Tokyo Bay to be erected, established arsenals in Yedo, Osaka, etc., but found a fierce antagonist on ques-

questions relating to foreigners, in the person of Ii Naosuke Kamon no Kami, Minister of the shogun. This statesman believed that Japan would meet certain failure in trying to oppose the powers, and therefore favored a policy of conciliation, which conviction he put in practice by signing treaties with the United States, Holland, etc. These two men thus became the leaders of two opposite parties: Nariaki working at the Imperial Restoration and the expulsion of foreigners; Naosuke attempting to save the government of the shogun and to open Japan to external commerce. To attain his ends, Nariaki proposed his son Keiki as successor to the shogun, Iesada (1858), but at this time Naosuke was the most influential and he obtained the election of Iemochi of the Kii branch, and Nariaki was again condemned to seclusion. The Emperor Komei, however, had secretly written to Nariaki asking him to bring about a change in the policy of the shogun and to expel the barbarians. This mark of confidence only increased the hatred of the Mito Clan against Naosuke, who was assassinated whilst going to the Palace, March, 1860. Nariaki's triumph was short: he died in Sept, of the same year.’ — A fine bronze monument stands in Yokohama to the memory of Naosuke, whose castle overlooks Lake Biwa.

A favorite resort of the Mito folks is the seaside town (7 M. rly.) of Oarai, where there are some fantastic rocks over which the ocean breakers dash impetuously and form beautiful pictures. The coast is noted for its charm. A branch rly. runs N.W. to 12 M. Ota, where some of the early Mito daimyos are buried. A specialty of Mito is good paper, and a sweetmeat called mushi-yokan made of red beans (an) mixed with flour, sweetened, and filtered through a cloth.

Northward from Mito the rly. traverses a splendidly wooded country marked by fine groves of feathery bamboos and slim young pine trees. Beguiling sea views are features of the road beyond 85 M. Omika, where the coast is dotted with picturesque fishing-hamlets. The old highroad (good for motor-cars) which follows the shore is flanked on both sides by long lines of grotesque pine trees, which in Japan appear to love the proximity of the sea and the sound of the waves as does Cocos nucifera of the lower tropics. Excellent peaches, pears, and tobacco are raised in the region. A number of tunnels mark the line to 114 M. Nakoso, a small town near the border of Iwaki Province, celebrated in song and story for a barrier which anciently separated Kubota, in Iwaki, from Sekimoto, in Hitachi. All travelers were halted at this barrier and subjected to a searching examination before being allowed to pass. 125 M. Yumoto has hot mineral springs and is 2 M. from the prolific Onoda Coal Mines. — The hills around about are heavy with coal, and many of the neighboring stations have chutes connected directly with small mines. Vitrified bricks are made in the vicinity.

130 M. Taira (Inn: Sumiyoshiya, ¥2), a busy little town with 15,000 inhabs., is the E. terminus of the rly. which diverges left and runs across country to Koriyama (p. 321). Anciently it was an important castle town, and perhaps derives its name from the fact that the castle (erected in the 14th cent.) was long held by the Iwaki, a powerful family which descended from the historic Taira. — The sea views

beyond are charming, and are nearly always supplemented by groves of fantastic pine trees standing near the shore. The pounding of the surf on the shingly beaches rises above the noise of the train; splendid curling breakers rush in ceaselessly to break and spread like sheets of glass over the wide sands. In places, wooded promontories come down to dip their feet in the blue waters, and in the small ravines which gash their sides tidy little fishing-hamlets snuggle restfully. In the spring and summer a riot of red and yellow lilies, delicate blue hydrangeas, harebells, and many other lovely wild flowers deck the slopes. The ringing call of the cicada is incessant, and a tropical charm pervades the region.

183 M. Nakamura (Inn: Mogamiya, ¥4) produces fine fruits and mulberries and is the metropolis for several pretty hamlets that overlook the near-by sea. Prominent among these is (2½ M.) Haragama (Inn: Haragama Hotel, ¥6.50) and (4 M.) Matsukawa-ura, on a big lagoon noted for its charming scenery. A cape called Cormorant Tail is specially selected by the natives for its beauty, as from this vantage-point a dozen exquisite sea-scapes studded with pine-clad islets are visible. At (213 M.) Iwanuma Jct., a town just over the line in Rikuzen Province, the Joban Line loses its identity and merges with the North-Eastern Line. Travelers bound for points on the Ou Line must return S. to Fukushima (p. 322). There are several native inns opposite the station. The traveler who may have planned to make Sendai his point of departure for the lovely Matsushima will do better to proceed direct to that place, where the hotel accommodations are more satisfactory.

226 M. Sendai (217 M. over the main line), capital of Rikuzen Province and of Miyagi Prefecture, one of the most important cities (pop. 150,000; 220 ft. above the sea) in N. Japan, though picturesque in some of its features, contains but little of interest to foreign travelers.

It is a clean, spacious, airy city, not much influenced by western progress and thus retaining most of its Japanese characteristics. As relatively few tourists visit it, the hotels and inns are conducted chiefly in the native style, with native food predominating.

At the Sendai Hotel, immediately across the street from the rly. station (hotel runners meet trains) one can secure a foreign-style room, and certain foreign style dishes (eggs, fish, good bread, coffee, meat, etc.) at an inclusive charge (for meals and lodging) of (about) 7 yen a day. The native food is good and palatable.

The busiest quarter of the city stretches away to the left of the station and extends to the turbulent Hirose-gawa, which flows rapidly past. Beyond this is the castle and temples referred to below. The Permanent Exhibit (Hakubutsukwan), where the chief products of Miyagi-ken are sold at fixed prices.

stands in a park along with the Prefectural Office, under a mile from the station, near a pretty spring known locally as the Nonaka-no-Shimizu, One of the specialties of the city is the manufacture of numerous small articles of use and ornament, from a heavy dark-brown lignite called Jindai-boku (lit., ‘mythological-age wood ’) found in quantities in the vicinity; slabs of this imperfectly formed coal are often seen stacked in front of the small workshops or being brought in on the backs of horses. The chests of drawers (tansu¹) seen in many of the shops are also a specialty; some are known to the trade as Sendai Cabinets; prices range from 10 yen (for unseasoned pine wood) up to 100 yen for good, well-seasoned keyaki chests elaborately ornamented with chased or inlaid metal enrichments. As prices are flexible the average traveler will usually do better to buy such articles of reputable curio-dealers in Yokohama, Tokyo, or Kyoto. The iron ornaments, sometimes 8—10 in. in diameter, rust unless protected by a coating of oil. — Features of the Sendai architecture are the massive roof ridges, which sometimes carry several superimposed layers of heavy tiles accompanied by strikingly elaborate antefixes. There is a Catholic Church in Minami-machidori, and several foreign missions elsewhere in the city. Sendai was almost annihilated by the great earthquake of 1835, and it suffered grievously during the war for the Restoration. The Penitentiary is one of the largest in Japan.

The commanding hill on which the Zuiho-den (temple) stands is in the N.W. quarter, beyond the broad and swift Hirose-gawa — which flows between high banks and is popular as a bathing-place. Dense groves of lofty cryptomerias rise in serried, gloomy ranks on the hillside, and impart a curiously mediaeval aspect. The approach (after crossing the footbridge) is around at the right through a handsome avenue of splendid cryptomerias. The incline leads up first to a tall, flat memorial slab commemorating the hundred or more soldiers who fell in the Satsuma Rebellion. Then it turns up left to a flight of moss-grown, shaded steps recalling the great avenues to the Nikko mausolea. The front gate to the temple (left) is locked and weather-boarded: the key to the small, low gate at the right is kept by the custodian who lives in the house at the right of the monument erected (on the same terrace) by Date Masamune in memory of the thousand Sendai men who died in the war for the Restoration.* The inclosed gate (Onarimon) has intricately carved keyaki uprights covered with black lacquer; the tie- and cross-beams are of a handsome

1 The tansu (or dansu) is an important article of furniture in every Japanese household. Those made of light but strong Paulownia wood are considered the best. In the very expensive ones (sometimes costing thousands of yen) gold replaces the iron trimmings. The value of a bride’s outfit is often gauged by the number of tansu (filled with fine silk or linen) possessed by, or given to, her.

brown wood said to have come from China, minutely carved and backed by gilt foil. The 16-petal chrysanthemum crests are retained by special permission of the Emperor. The maze of polychromatic sculptured dragons, flowers, and mythological animals is inferior to similar work at Shiba Park and Nikko. The shrine at the left contains nothing of interest, but the green bronze bell and the laver just within the entrance are worth looking at. At the top of the steps stands the Haiden, of faded black lacquer covered with tawdry decorations. The Karamon, or Chinese Gate, just behind, with carvings of dragons, flowers, tigers, etc., is sadly neglected. Still farther behind is the Oku-no-in, with some polychromatic sculptures in wood of Dogs of Fo, tennin, phoenixes, and what-not. The carved panels above the window openings, at each side of the door, with multi-colored phoenixes in low relief surrounded by foliated flowers and wave patterns, are good examples of 17th-cent. work. Though attributed to Hidari Jingoro, they are not by him. Masamune’s distinguishing crest is seen among the carved lotuses, peonies, and chrysanthemums of the lower panels. Inside the building (closed to all who do not bring a special permit from Tokyo) is an elaborate reliquary enshrining a well-carved figure of Masamune; ranged along the inner walls are some excellently preserved painted and gilded panels ascribed to Kano Tanyu. The several stone monuments in the yard stand above the graves of Masamune's retainers who killed themselves when their lord and master died.

Leaving the main temple we cross the terrace and follow the path uphill at the right of the custodian’s house, to two other buildings, both called Oku-no-in and both dating from 1650; the carvings on the facade of the one at the right are excellent. The glittering interior is conspicuous for an elaborate shrine with a seated wood image of Date Tadamune, son of Masamune and a special favorite of the shogun, Iemitsu. The structure is a maze of gilt, lustrous black lacquer, richly colored carvings and diapering, with a double roof upheld by a complicated system of highly decorated compound brackets, equal in some ways to the best work at Nikko. The tombs at the right and left in the yard are those of retainers who committed harakiri when Masamune died. — The weather-beaten edifice at the left has some curious griffins at the four corners of the tiled roof; the sculptures of the exterior have been almost obliterated by the hand of time. The interior has some gilt mortuary tablets of long-dead notables, and a strikingly spectacular shrine of gold-lacquer and metal. The carved doors are gems in their way. — The entire hilltop is covered with old Buddhist graveyards.

Date Masamune (b. 1566; d. 1636) succeeded his father in the daimiate when he was 18, and at that early age began an aggressive campaign against his neighbors in an effort to increase his domains. By 1589 he had made himself master of Aizu and established his residence in the Wakamatsu

castle; but Hideyoshi, who had triumphed over the Odawara Hojo, forced him to be content with the Yonezawa fief. He sided with Hideyoshi in his Korean policy, and in 1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered him to make war on the powerful Uesugi family, which he did successfully and received therefor the 12 districts formerly possessed by them, with a castle at Sendai, which then became his residence. He was, at first, favorable to the introduction into Japan of the type of Christianity brought by the Portuguese, and when the shogun, Hidetada, persecuted the converts at Tokyo he obtained the release of Father Luis Sotelo (a Spanish Franciscan friar who came to Japan in 1606 and was burned alive in 1624) and commissioned him to accompany an embassy he was sending to the Pope and to the King of Spain. This, and other overt aids to the Christians, brought upon him the mild displeasure of the shogun and caused him to become a persecutor of them. He died at the age of 70, renowned as a warrior, a diplomat, a protector of learning, and as a rich and powerful daimyo. His son, Date Tadamune, succeeded him in the daimiate of Sendai, and died in 1658.

Northward from Sendai the train crosses a wide and fertile plain (one of the finest in Japan), level as a floor and famous for the excellence of the rice grown on it. At (231 M.) Iwakiri Jct., a branch line diverges E. to (4 M.) Shiogama.

241 M. Matsushima Station. Two miles at the E. (good road; autos meet trains) is Matsushima Town, overlooking the beautiful Matsushima Bay, one of the loveliest stretches of sea in Japan, and so charming as to be ranked (a great distinction in a land of so much beauty) as first of the Three Great Sights. No traveler should fail to visit this adorable spot, which has been famed for its beauty for centuries. The morning, the twilight, and above all the moonlight views of the graceful islets that rise like bewitching green cameos from a faultless, opaline sea, have to be seen to be appreciated. Its tranquil beauty is of a restfulness indescribable. The excellent and delightful

* Park Hotel (Tel. address, 'Hotel Matsushima') a thoroughly modern, well-managed, exceptionally comfortable (good rooms, baths, fine food, perfect service) hotel, occupies a beautiful site overlooking the bay, and adds greatly to the charm of a visit. Member of the Japan Hotel Association. English-speaking manager (Mr. T. Yoshida) of wide experience. Rates Amer. PI. from 10 to 14 yen. Double room from 22 to 26 yen. Recommended. Accommodations can be secured through the Japan Tourist Bureau, or the Tokyo hotels. The hotel motor-car will await the traveler at the station.

The automobile trips in the vicinity of Matsushima are many and beautiful. They can be arranged at moderate prices with the assistance of the hotel manager.

Matsushima (Pine-island) Bay faces the Pacific Ocean in lat. 38° 22' 40" N., and in long. 141° 5' 28" E., is 8⅓ M. from E. to W. and 7½ M. from N. to S., and is said to contain 808 islands. The region is often referred to as the '808 islands,' albeit there are but about 300. Of these 120 are of more or less importance, and about 80 are visible on the trip from Matsushima to Shiogama. Their average height is from 60 to 80 ft., the highest being about 300 ft. All are of friable volcanic tufa that

once formed a part of the mainland; the constant erosion of wind and water is slowly changing the shape and reducing them, as if Nature were dissatisfied with her beautiful handiwork. Many of the islets are of fantastic shapes, and all bear more or less fanciful names — ‘ Buddha’s Entry into Nirvana; ‘The Twelve Imperial Consorts’; ‘Never Growing Old Island' etc. Many are named after local gods; the sun, moon, animals, and what-not. Some are inhabited; others (notably Hashi-kaki-jima) have tunnels worn through them by the action of the waves. Some are bare, but many are crowned with grotesque pine trees which stretch their gaunt arms overhead or reach them down along their precipitous sides. When the wind whips and sways them, they look almost human as they thrash about as if appealing for help. Like many lovely things Matsushima is capricious, and is subject to moods. The Japanese find beauty in it under all circumstances; when it lies soothed and hushed under golden sunlight; when wrapped in mist, or drenched in rain; or when the moonlight idealizes it and imparts an almost superhuman beauty to it. On a perfect day in June, when white-sailed junks drift lazily over the translucent water and blend their ghostly shadows in the depths with those of the billowy galleons that ride majestically across the airy sea above, the bay seems touched by the magic hand of some transcendent genius, and its beauty is one that lingers long in the mind. On the evening of such a day, when the rose and gold of a gorgeous sunset gilds the summits of the scores of islands and brings the painted pines into sharp relief against the gray-blue eastern sky, the scene is enchanting. The surface of the inner bay is free of islands, and is often streaked with crinkly currents and tide-rips that reflect a different tint for every moment of the day, but always harmonizing with the cloudscapes — now gray and tender and wistful, now blue and winsome and radiant. The native artists are said to love the region best when soft, deep, clinging snows cover all the islets, and envelop the tortured arms of the fantastic pines in thick white rolls like cotton batting. The shallow bay is sometimes sown with reed mazes planted by the fishermen to entrap the fish that swim in from the ocean. The hotel launch takes guests to the prettiest spots, as well as to the high places where one may command vistas of the finest stretches. The prefectural government of Miyagi is spending ¥350,000 to improve the roads and beautify the locality, and maple, cherry, and pine trees are being planted in likely places to enhance the charm.

A popular excursion is to (30 M.) Kinkazan (‘Golden Flower Mt/), a quasi-sacred island on the sea side of the Matsushima group, off the extreme S. point of the protecting Toshima Peninsula. This trip should be taken in the hotel launch in preference to a smaller boat, as the channel which

separates the island from the mainland can be rough and decidedly uncomfortable. Travelers may wish to bear in mind that the innkeeper at Aikawa, the fishing-village whence small boats put out for Kinkazan, customarily charges foreigners ¥5 a day for the same accommodations given to Japanese for ¥1.50; also that the boatmen demand 50 sen of the latter and accept 10 sen from the former. Likewise that whosoever sleeps on the island must lodge in the temple, and that although ¥2 is ample for 3 meals and a bed, the covetous priests have been known to demand 100 yen of foreigners. When accompanied by someone from the hotel such extortions are not attempted upon the stranger. The highest point of the island is 1470 ft.; the deer are considered sacred. The regular steamers of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha’s Kobe-Otaru Coast Line touch frequently at Oginohama (277 M. from Yokohama; fare, ¥6, 1st cl.), N. of Aikawa, and the company’s launch lands passengers at (26 M.) Shiogama. There is a wireless telegraph station at the lighthouse at the S.E. end of Kinkazan, whence the red and white light which flashes alternately every 10 seconds is visible 19 M. at sea. N.E. of Kinkazan lies the great Tuscarora Deep, one of the profoundest sea-depressions (5 M. deep) in the world. — A boatload of fishermen who were swept out to sea in a storm off Kinkazan in 1912, drifted to the California coast, near San Diego, in 40 days, and added weight to the belief that the Japanese visited the American continent many years before Columbus dreamed of it. (See p. cxlvi.)

The Temple of Zuiganji at Matsushima stands at the far end of a finely shaded avenue of lofty cryptomerias and is dedicated to Date Masamune, its founder. His sculptured figure (with one eye) may be seen in the reliquary. At the back of a grove of pine trees near the entrance to the building are some curious caves patterned after the rock-caves of India, and called Yezo-ana — perhaps from the belief that they were excavated by the Ainu of Yezo. At the left of the outer temple court is another cave with two stone slabs and figures of Kwannon incised on them. The old iron lantern (left) near the big bronze Jizo is made of imported iron, and is remarkably preserved to have been exposed to the salt air for upward of two centuries. The most conspicuous features of the interior of the temple, once magnificent but now sadly faded, are the panels of the inner doors painted to resemble shell-work. Shells and other marine products are the specialties of the numerous little shops near the steamer landing. Several of the small islands near the shore are linked thereto by picturesque bridges. There are a number of pretty walks in the vicinity, and from the adjacent hills one can get splendid panoramas of the bay and its multitude of islands. The best of these is seen from Tomi-yama (3 M. from the hotel; jinriki for the round trip, ¥1), at the left of the town as we face the sea. The last part of the climb must

be made on foot. The Taikoji Temple on the summit is uninteresting, but the view from it is delightful. A smaller hill, Shin-Tomi-yama, 10 min. walk from the hotel, also affords a wide view. The best of the near-by excursions is to the picturesque and some-time popular port of (5 M.)

Shiogama. The hotel management will plan a sailing excursion, and this will prove the best way to see the attractive shore and the reaches of the inner bay. With a gentle breeze and a blue sky such a trip down the bay is delightful. Facing the landing, near the rly. station at Shiogama, are several inns (Shiogama; Yebi, and others; all in the native style; ¥2.50 and upward). An inn popular with the better-class natives is the Shiogaro, the one-time dwelling of a daimyo, on a hill 10 min. to the right of the landing; Japanese beds with semi-foreign food, from ¥4 a day.

The Shiogama-jinja, a Shinto shrine in a fine situation amid towering cryptomerias and other trees (follow the main st. at the left of the S.S. landing to a big torii), stands on a lofty terrace reached by 199 steps and has some good bronzes in the outer court. The huge laver upheld by 4 crouching demons is noteworthy. The unattractive iron lantern in the 2d court is more than a hundred years old. Its unusually ugly, squat counterpart, on a pedestal at the right of the temple entrance, is a curious relic, made of iron said to have come from India and to have been presented to the shrine in 1187 by Izumi Saburo (or Fujiwara Tadahira, 3d son of Hidehira). The priests are emphatic in their statement that the relic is original. Metallurgists have yet to explain its remarkable preservation. The lantern at the left is a copy of the above. The quaint old cherry tree at the right, the Shiogama-sakura, is said to be 400 yrs. old. The stone sun-dial incised with Roman letters dates from 1783. The shrine was founded by Date Masamune and is dedicated to the ancient deity referred to below.

Leaving the temple grounds by the path at the right, descending a series of steps and turning again to the right, we pass beneath a big stone torii, cross the main street, and come to a small and tawdry structure called Kama-no-Yashiro, or Iron Pot Shrine. Within a double inclosure at the left (fee, 1 sen) are 4 rusted iron cauldrons about 1 ft. high, 5 ft. in diameter, and said to be the original vats (kama, or gama) in which (more than a millennium ago) the first salt (shio, or shiwo) was evaporated from sea-water — a statement which many travelers will perhaps wish to take with a grain of the original article! A legend relates that a famous deity once used to make salt here in 7 such pans, which he secured from the Riugu-jo, a beautiful castle at the bottom of the sea. Thieves came by night, and endeavored to carry them off in a boat, but barking dogs gave warning to the god. He said that as the pans had come from the bottom of the sea, they should return thither; whereupon he raised a great storm that overwhelmed the robbers and their loot. The entrance tickets are usually retained by pilgrims as evidence that they have seen the wonderful pans that remain.

Northward from Matsushima the line runs far from the sea over a pleasing and productive country marked by many fantastic pine trees; soon we leave Rikuzen Province and enter the wide and rich Rikuchu, anciently one of the greatest fiefs in Old Japan. 282 M. Ichinoseki (Inn: Ishibashi, ¥2.50), in a pretty valley drained by the Iwai River, was until 1671 the residence of Date Munekatsu, a son of Date Masamune.

From 1695 to 1868 it was the chosen retreat of the powerful Tamura family. For many miles the rly. follows the valley of the important Kitakami River, which rises in the Nasu

Mts., flows past Morioka, Hanamaki, and Mizusawa, — serving as a fluvial highway between these and other towns, — then, after traversing Rikuzen Province, empties (after a run of about 175 M.) into the sea at Ishinomaki (near Matsushima). When it overflows its banks, the ambitious fishermen take great scoop-nets which they push before them and comb the submerged land for small fish and eels. Considerable hemp (asa) is grown in the region, the stout fibers being made into linen. 287 M. Hiraizumi is recorded in history as the place where Fujiwara Kiyohira erected (in 1094) a huge castle that was occupied by his descendants until 1189, when they were dispossessed and the structure razed. A relic of the early prosperity of the place is the widely known Chusonji Monastery (1½ M. from the station; jinriki, 15 sen), founded in 850 by Jikaku-Daishi and made prominent by Kiyohira — by whom it was rebuilt in 1105. A long dynasty of princes (who now lie buried there) aided to sustain the reputation of the temple, whose annexes (many of which were burned in 1334) at one time numbered 40 and were presided over by 300 priests. Though now mere shadows of former greatness, the remaining buildings — the Konjiki-do, or Golden Temple, the Kyodo, etc. — are revered by the Japanese for their enshrined relics of the warrior Yoshitsune and his faithful Benkei who died near by. Among them are pictures of these worthies; Benkei's sword; some excellently carved images of several of the deities worshiped by the Buddhists of the Tendai sect (to whom the structures belong); and some handsome and well-preserved Buddhist sutras. The one-time splendid decorations of the temples have succumbed to the assaults of time and are now devoid of beauty. The fine cryptomeria avenue which marks the approach to the main shrine, and where the high dignitaries of ancient times, as well as the modern traveler, must descend from his jinriki, recalls certain of the superb avenues of Nikko.

A short distance beyond Hiraizumi the train crosses the Koromo River, celebrated as the place where the intrepid Yoshitsune died fighting. The larger stream at the right, the Kitakami-gawa, reminds American travelers of the Arkansas; many miles of the valley land is devoted to rice-growing. Some of the farmsteads are rendered picturesque by being surrounded by artificial hedges of great pine trees. The nondescript town of 298 M. Mizusawa was for many years the seat of the government (Chinjufu) of the great Mutsu Province, which during the early days embraced all of N.E. Japan. The fine fruit orchards in the region hereabout were grown from American trees. The Waga River, a tributary of the Kitakami, is crossed just before reaching 309 M. Kurosawajiri — a shipping point for iron, copper ingots, and charcoal. At 317 M. Hanamaki, a basha meets trains to convey passengers to (9 M.) a group of hot springs (alum water) up the Toyosawa Valley. The lofty

mts. visible at the right (E.) are Rokkakuushi and Hayachine; and the left, Iwate-yama. Three rivers are seen to blend their waters just before we arrive at Morioka, and the rly. crosses the Shizukuishi-gawa at its junction with the Kitakami.

339 M. Morioka (Inn: Mutsu-kwan and several others near the station; all from ¥2.50 and upward), capital of Rikuchu Province and of Iwate Prefecture, an important town on a tree-studded plain near the geographical center of the province, has 36,500 inhabs., a School of Forestry, a number of weather-beaten Buddhist temples (of no great interest), and is known for its fine fruits and preserves. Prominent among the latter is a delicious midzuame flavored with grape and sold in boxes at 20 sen. The apples, peaches, pears, quinces, and many of the fine vegetables are of trees and plants of American origin. The city and former fief of its daimyo is often called Nambu. After having defeated Fujiwara Yasuhira in 1189, the militant Yoritomo divided the great provinces of Mutsu and Dewa among several of his favorite officers; Nambu Mitsuyoki thus became the feudatory of 5 districts; in 1596 his descendants built the castle of Morioka wherein their successors remained down to the Restoration. Morioka is often made the starting-point for the (18 M.) Mt. Iwate (6,800 ft.) or Ganju-san (at the N.W.), known to botanists for its beautiful Alpine plants. The graceful, conical peak recalls that of Fuji. Guides and outfits procurable from the innkeeper.

Morioka came into considerable prominence June 15, 1896, when the coast of the province of which it is the metropolis received the full and unexpected force of one of the greatest tidal waves of modern times. According to a published (verbatim) report (by a Japanese): ‘This dreadful event happened at half-past eight o'clock in the pitch-dark night, as soon as the people heard a sound like a railway is coming, the great waves as a hill about one hundred foot hiegh boiling and rolling down with rapid course and retired in a few minute repeating its violence for several times, and washed away all the seashore villages with the peoples and the houses even the firms, it was so furious that there were few men escaped but exception of those in a village who was fortunately out of the houses. Its damage extends more than four hundred miles over Miyagi Iwate, and Aomori Prefecture counting the drowned nearly thirty thousand peoples and more, mostly in Iwate Prefecture, it is reported about twenty three thousand, so fine villages has suddenly changed like a wild wet plain, all precious jewels, money, and clothes were all buried under the mud or flowed away with their food. The peoples who escaped or was saved from this danger now are again afflicting of great lacking of the provisions and they have no houses to shelter them from the rain and no clothes to wear. Though there are some who remainds but they are too young to work or too old, even the young men are also unable to work for some of them were almost severely hurt and some are so wearied for they were in water for a long while with out any food. The place appears like a field after battle, the muddy corpse painfully lays here and there, the wounded mothers are searching for theirs children’s corpse with tears, and pall-looking infants are crying for the lose of their parrants, the pleasant-looking houses suddenly changed to the sorrowful houses, indeed like a hell at present.’

Northward from Morioka the rly. crosses a superb plain on a rising gradient; fine hills belted with somber conifers dot the horizon. The excellent auto road is flanked by rows of stately

pine trees; white birches are conspicuous features. The plain soon merges into rugged hills through whose silent vales swift rivers run, and above which lofty mts. brood solemnly. Near 352 M. Koma, the squat cone of Himegami-dake rises at the right and recalls the fussy Asama-yama near Karuizawa. The Kitakami-gawa is crossed before 355 M. Kawaguchi is reached, and beyond it the Yafuka-gawa. The valleys hereabout are beautifully wooded, and considerable tan-bark is shipped from the stations. Nakayama Tunnel, bored 1593 ft. through the crest of the Nakayama Pass, marks the dividing line between Rikuchu and the northernmost province of Mutsu, as well as the highest point on the line between Tokyo and Aomori. The high slopes of the hillsides hereabout are used as horse-breeding farms (Australian stallions) by the War Department. The line now runs downward through the fine valley of the Mabechi River, where many of the splendid trees (conifers in great variety, cryptomerias, Spanish chestnuts, birches, lacquer-trees, etc.) for which Japan is known grow in profusion. In the summer the dense forests are festooned with climbing wistaria, wild grapes, clematis, spiraea, hydrangea, and a host of other flowers. Many tunnels and many rivers are features of the line. Some of the hillsides are cultivated with such precision that the plots look as if they had been raked with an immense comb.

378 M. Ichinohe ('First outpost') was anciently the site of a fortress aimed to check the progress southward of the fighting Ainu. Beyond the Torigoe Tunnel (3461 ft. long) we get wide and beautiful views of plains and mts., conspicuous among the latter (right) Sue-no-matsuyama (lit.; 'forever pine mt.'), often referred to in poetry as symbolical of eternal affection. On the far side of 382 M. Fukuoka, the line traverses a lovely region dotted with quaint farmsteads, pretty orchards, rounded hills, and productive valleys. Many pollarded mulberry trees advertise the silk industry, while the numerous bundles of charcoal awaiting shipment at the stations explain the tiny huts and the smoke spirals on the higher mt. slopes. Tobacco is raised in quantities. 394 M. Sannohe ('Third outpost') was from 1189 to 1597 the residence of the daimyos of the ancient Nambu District, before they moved to Morioka. The lofty peak at the right is Naguidake (2600 ft.). Many plantations of hops and flax are seen as we proceed northward. The country soon takes on a more rugged aspect. Of the several rivers which wind through it, the most conspicuous is the now sluggish Mabechi-gawa. From 406 M. Shiriuchi Jct. the Hachinohe ('Eighth outpost') Line leads E. to 5 M. Hachinohe (Inn: Wakamatsu Hotel, ¥2.50) on the coast. The country is now but a hundred or more ft. above the sea and as level as a table; rice is the great staple. At the far edge of the plain, the crumpled ridges give way to hillocks whose untilled slopes are covered

with naked pine trees. Beyond 413 M. Furumaki the train crosses the Oirase River which drains Lake Towada, a pretty mt. lake (7 sq. M.) 1500 ft. above sea-level, on the border-line between Mutsu and Ugo Provinces. The splendidly watered, rolling country which the line now crosses reminds Americans of a section of Iowa; droves of fat cattle (an unusual sight in Japan) browse on the meadows and form pleasing pictures to foreign eyes. Herds of horses add life to the land near 426 M. Numasaki, where the marshy shore of the wide Ogara Lagoon bends in from the sea, and suggest the vast wealth which might be gathered from the thousands of square miles of splendid but hitherto unused grazing-land of this northern region. The prairie-like country continues to 430 M. Otsutomo, where the soil is rich, black, and deep; where hosts of morning-glories deck the unfenced pastures, and where big locust trees recall the sunny southland of the United States.

439 M. Noheji, a port of little consequence at the S.E. corner of Mutsu Bay, is visible just over the rise at the right, and faces a strip of water called Noheji-wan. Snow-sheds and groves of somber firs, then long lines of other evergreen trees and other sheds, dot the country to 443 M. Karibasawa, a nondescript station in an idyllic situation whence there is a beautiful view over the smiling land and placid water. Long lines of whispering pine trees flank the shore; white-sailed junks dot the bay; the winsome blue of the water is as tender as that of the Ionian Sea, and the outlines of the distant hills as soft as those of Sicily or Greece. 450 M. Kominato is the station for several tidy little hamlets tucked away on tiny bays with crescent shores. The distant hills which shelter the bay make the water as calm as that of a pond, and few views in Japan are more pleasing than those which now break in succession as the train follows the contour of the shore. Directly across the bay, near Ominato, is a naval station of the War Department, and pictures taken with telephotographic lenses are inhibited. 456 M. Asamushi (Tookan Hotel, ¥2.50) has hot springs and is a favorite suburban resort of the Aomori folks. The train runs on a sort of trestle above the houses, many of which have clean tin roofs, — The rly. now turns inland (S.W.), traverses a tunnel cut through a promontory leading down to the sea; passes Nonai tunnel and station; crosses the Nonai River; runs through some pretty orchards and the suburban town of Uramachi; and stops at the northernmost terminus of the railways on the main island of Japan, 1170 M. from their southernmost terminus at Shimonoseki.

465 M. Aomori (or Awomori), in Aomori-ken, Mutsu Province, has 48,000 inhabs. and stands at the southernmost point of Mutsu Bay (often called Aomori-wan), in lat. 40° 50' N. and long. 140° 45' E. of Greenwich. The scattered, unpicturesque and uninteresting town has unusually wide streets — the out-

come of many destructive fires — and it covers a wide area. The mottled lacquer-ware sold in the shops is a local specialty and is known as Tsugaru-nuri.

Arrival. Prices of everything in this section of Japan are cheaper than in Tokyo and the western places. At the Rly. Restaurant upstairs in the station, an acceptable meal can be had at a moderate price. There is a semi-foreign style hotel across the street, and near by a native inn, where a room can be secured for from 3 to 5 yen. Meals at moderate rates.

The Steamer Dock is about 5 min. walk beyond the rly. station. Autos and jinrikis are available. A rly. porter will carry one’s hand luggage. The Rly. Co. will check trunks through to points in Yezo at no extra charge.

The ships that run daily to (100 M. in about 5 hrs., fare about 10 yen) Hakodate, and (200 M., in about 12 hrs.; fare about 20 yen) Muroran (usually an all night run), are clean, comfortable, steady and safe. English is spoken, the (foreign style) food served is good and the voyage usually is a keen pleasure. There are no discomforts. The people one meets are friendly and helpful; hotel and other porters on the Yezo side meet ships to help the traveler to his hotel or train. The different and peculiar phases of the island life are of unfailing interest.

Full information about hotels, rly. fares, the chief cities and sights of Yezo can be had for the asking of the Japan Tourist Bureau, or the Traffic Bureau of the Imperial Japanese Government Railways, at Tokyo.

Travelers planning a trip to Yezo will find the Japan Tourist Bureau of very material help. The (willing) service is free. It saves strangers time and money, and makes travel easier for them. No fees.

Aomori Bay is well protected by the mts. which almost surround it, and the deep water close inshore makes the harbor one of the best in Japan, The rice-fields seen in places are among the northernmost of Japan, since the short summers and long cold winters of Yezo make rice-growing difficult there. It marks the northern limit of the range of the pheasants, monkeys, and black bears. The latter are replaced in Yezo by the true grizzly, a fierce monster which the courageous Ainu attack and slay with skill. Fogs prevail over the bay in May, June, and July; while the N.W. winds of Jan.-March sometimes blow with sufficient force to make the channel rough. Deep snows fall in Dec., Jan., and Feb.

The Tsugaru Strait, which separates the main island of Japan from Yezo, is nearly 60 M. long from E. to W., 10 M. wide at both entrances (the narrowest parts), and about 30 M. wide within them. It is well lighted and there are no difficulties to navigation. A strong ocean current called the Nakano-shiwo, which is constantly directed from the Japan Sea to the Pacific Ocean, runs through the strait, in the direction of its axis, and sometimes kicks up a choppy sea that reminds one of the English Channel. Its velocity is usually about 3 knots, being greatest in mid-channel. Drift-ice is not unfrequently encountered in the winter months, and fogs occasionally retard traffic in summer.