門司（下関）から鳥栖・熊本（阿蘇山）経由で鹿児島へ

41. From Moji (Shimonoseki) via Tosu and Kumamoto (Aso Volcano) to Kagoshima.

Kagoshima Main Line of the Imperial Government's Kyushu Railways.

239 M. Several trains daily in about 8 hrs. For fares and other information relating to the line and district consult the Railway Time Table. The ferry service between Shimonoseki and Moji is mentioned at p. 644.

The line traverses one of the most beautiful regions of the Empire, and after leaving the province of Buzen, crosses Chikuzen, Chikugo, Higo, and Osumi, before entering the semi-tropical, historic province of Satsuma. The scenery of certain sections is wild and picturesque, with smoking volcanoes in the background. The active volcano of Aso, one of the safest, most interesting, and accessible in Japan, rises not far from Kumamoto, and a trip to it is a unique and unforgettable experience. The journey over its summit and across the fine provinces of Higo and Bungo beyond, to the singularly interesting volcanic region around Beppu, is entirely off the regular beaten track of travel, and it should not be omitted by those who wish to obtain first-hand impressions of rural and volcanic Japan. It entails no real hardship. Women who are only moderately inured to walking can climb Aso-san and make the complete journey without undue fatigue. There are no dizzy heights to scale, and no objectionable precipices to cross. In places the roads are excellent; the going over most of the trails is good; the wayside inns are clean and comfortable; and the scenery is a perpetual delight. Autumn, winter, or spring are the best seasons, as the semi-tropical summers of Kyushu are hot.

The rly. line from Moji to 67 M. Tosu is described in Rte. 39. From Tosu the trend of the rails is S.W. The region is attractive and carefully cultivated, the broad-leaved taro lily, bamboos, flaming vegetable-wax, camphor, and pollarded mulberry trees being the most conspicuous features in the landscape. The Chitose-gawa is crossed on a 9-span steel bridge (1243 ft. long) just before reaching 70 M. Kurume (Inn: Shioya, ¥2), capital (pop. 36,000) of Chikugo Province, and a producing center for a cotton cloth with minute patterns (kasuri) known to the trade as Satsuma-gasuri. Prior to the Restoration the region roundabout was held in feudal tenure by a long dynasty of daimyos of the Arima Toyouji family. - A tram-way runs hence to the locally celebrated (5 M.) Sui-tengu Shrine (Shinto; many pilgrims) which has the spirit of the unfortunate Emperor Antoku for its tutelar deity. The surrounding country is rich and productive. Beyond the Yabe River is (81 M.) Yabekawa, with the Nakayama Agricultural Experimental Station. Five M. to the W. is Yanagawa (Inn: Hiranoya, ¥2), where lie the ruins of a castle built by the feudal baron Kamachi Shigenari in 1560.

90 M. Omuta (Inn: Jugoan, ¥2.50), is the station for the extensive Miike Colliery, near by at the E. We soon glimpse the sea at the right and ere long the train runs along the shore where the primitive huts of the fishermen recall those of the Ainu near Shiraoi (p. 353). Many Buddhist graveyards dot the country, and Unzen Mt. is visible at the right, on the Shimabara Peninsula. The oranges and grape-fruit grown in the neighborhood enjoy a reputation for excellence. At certain seasons the vegetable-wax trees are seen to be full of natives,

who gather the berries and place them carefully in baskets hanging on adjacent limbs. The country is hilly on to 109 M. Konoha, 1 1/2 M. from which is Tawarazaka with a granite monument commemorating the 4000 soldiers who died in defense of the place at the time of the Satsuma Rebellion. The farmers hereabout stack straw in the form of wigwams, and in a crepuscular light the fields resemble sleeping encampments. Strong, stodgy bulls aid in the laborious work in the paddy-fields. The thousands of mulberry trees planted on the hill-slope terraces advertise the extent of the silk industry.

114 M. Ueki is the starting-point for the (10 M.) Yamaga Hot Springs. The region hereabout is agriculturally one of the richest in Japan; the bold mt. which rises at the right is Kimbosan (2100 ft.). 119 M. Kami (upper) Kumamoto.

Kami Kumamoto is the station where south-bound passengers whose destination is Kumamoto proper (2 M. farther on) usually alight from the train, as it is nearer to the chief inns; time can also be saved by one bent on temple-seeing, as the well-known Hommyo-ji is not far from the station (5 min. to the right, cross the rly. track and proceed 1/4 M. up the broad road), and can be inspected on the way to the town (20 min. by jinriki, 20 sen). The tram-cars which leave the station go near the inns, and after connecting with the cross-country line to Otsu proceed to the Suizenji Landscape Garden. The usual jinriki fare from the station to the center of the town via the Hommyo-ji (about 1 hr.), is 40 sen. The country trip, via Aso Volcano to Beppu, is described hereinafter.

123 M. Kumamoto, capital of Higo Province and Kumamoto ken, in lat. 32° 49' N., and long. 130° 42' E. of Greenwich (8° 5 1/2' W. of Tokyo), an attractive city with 62,000 inhabs., stands on a broad plain encircled by mts., in the midst of so many fine trees that it has the appearance of a vast park. The Shirakawa (White River) winds through it and is spanned at intervals by broad foot-bridges of mediaeval aspect. The smoking cone of Aso-san is outlined against the N.E. horizon, 27 M. distant. The main street, with some small but attractive shops, is Togin-machi.

Inns (comp. p. xxxiv); all in the native style. The Togiya is in Semba-machi, 25 min. by jinriki from either station, the Togiya Shiten (a branch of the former) is in Tetori-honcho, 20 min. from the station. The Harukomaya is in Funabashita-machi, and is a resort for wrestlers and such. Should the traveler be obliged to lodge there a clear understanding should be reached before the room is engaged, as an extra charge is usually made for towels, bread, butter, and other requisites. The customary rate at all the inns is from ¥2.50 to ¥3.50 a day according to room and food. Higher if so-called foreign food (eggs, bread, meat, fried potatoes, or the like) are ordered. Certain of the jinriki-men have a private understanding with the innkeepers, and if the traveler expresses a wish to go to a certain inn he is apt to be told that it is not as good as such and such a place. There is a refreshment-stand in the Kumamoto Station.

The Castle (permit from the Kencho; no photographing), at present occupied by the Sixth Army Division, was built originally in the 15th cent. by Ideta Hidenobu, and reconstructed on a larger scale in 1599 by Kato Kiyomasa, who in a fiduciary capacity received it from Toyotomi Hideyoshi. From 1632 until the Restoration it was the feudatory seat of

the Hosokawa daimyos. A mutiny broke out here in 1876, among the samurai dissatisfied with the new Imperial Gov't, but was promptly quelled. In 1877, however, during the Satsuma War, the 3000 defenders under Colonel Tani Tateki were besieged for 50 days by the Saigo rebels, but were finally rescued by General Kuroda. The cyclopean walls are all that remain of the former massive keep: the deep moats have been filled in, but the fine old camphor trees of the park remain. Lafcadio Hearn taught school in Kumamoto in 1894.

The Kumamoto Leper Hospital, a highly deserving (charitable) institution founded in 1895 by Miss Helen Riddell (who still maintains it), stands on the outskirts of the city, amid pleasing surroundings. The New Year postage-stamps issued and sold during the Christmas holidays are in demand by foreigners.

The Hommyo-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to Kato Kiyomasa, - from which circumstance it is often called Seishoko Sama (the Chinese rendering of the name), - dates from the 16th cent. and has a very picturesque approach. Successive flights of stone steps lead up from the terminus of a broad flagged walk flanked by cherry trees (fine blossoms in early spring) to a number of terraces, each with its tottering shrine. Long lines of picturesque stone lanterns overshadowed by lofty trees cut the ascending avenue into one central and two paralleling aisles, at the end of which one gets a comprehensive vista of the main shrine with its fine roof and glistening crests. The dingy structure at the right of the first landing is the Nichiren-sho, and that opposite, the Shaka-do. Just inside the upper gate is a curious old bronze monkey surmounting a bronze cylinder adorned with ideographs in low relief. According to the temple records it was given by Kiyomasa when his favorite monkey (of which this is a graven image) died.

The striking wood-carvings of the porch are worth noticing. The elaborately decorated honden at the rear is closed to the public. Among the stone tombs is one of Kiyomasa and several of the Koreans who followed him to Japan after his invasion of their country. [Because of his success and bravery there, Kiyomasa received from Hideyoshi the Kumamoto fief with an annual income of 250,000 koku of rice.]

The Suizenji Landscape Garden (the sometime private park of the Hosokawa family), 2 M. S.E. from the center of the city (30 sen by jinriki in 1/2 hr.; 12 sen by the tram in 15 min.) is worth seeing if one has the time to spare and is unacquainted

1 Kiyomasa's memory is revered in all the temples of the Nichiren sect because of his generous protection of them (and mayhap because of his relentless enmity against Christianity). This particular temple is the chosen shrine of credulous folks who believe themselves possessed of the fox, and special exorcisms are practiced on them by the Nichiren priests, who are reputed the most successful expellers of these tricksy spirits. It is also a favorite resort of lepers - a point which prudent travelers may wish to keep in mind.

with the usual type of formal landscape garden in Japan. The car stops in front of the entrance, near the big granite torii. The hill in the center of the garden (no fees) is supposed to be a miniature Fuji-san; the bronze equestrian statue commemorates Nagaoka Shoo, an officer who died in the Russian War. The near-by shrine is called the 'Water Shrine,' from the numerous springs which bubble up in the pond. The credulous ascribe miraculous healing qualities to the water. The port of Kumamoto is Hyakkanishi, 5 M. to the W. on the Shimabara Gulf. Communication daily with towns on the Shimabara Peninsula.

Southward from Kumamoto the rly. traverses a rolling country and crosses 3 rivers before reaching 128 M. Uto, where a branch line diverges (right) to 16 M. Misumi, whence steamers leave daily for Nagasaki (about 7 hrs.), and Kagoshima. - 145 M. Yatsushiro (Inn: Obiya, ¥2.50), a busy town (pop. 15,000) on the right bank of the swift Yatsushiro River (known for its rapids), produces a crackled faience which has been manufactured here for centuries and was first introduced by Koreans. For a long time the hill-encircled place was the temporary terminus of the rly., the section hence to Kagoshima having presented engineering difficulties that required great patience to overcome. Several among the 57 tunnels are more than 2000 ft. long, the greatest being the Yatake (just beyond Yatake Station), which is 6877 ft. in length, and is built on a sharp slope 1861 ft. above the sea. There are 20 steel and stone bridges, and a host of culverts. - The rly. plunges at once into the hills and begins to climb through wild and picturesque scenery. The river flanks it on the right, and from the car window one sees lithe bamboo rafts careering down the rapid current, or long-nosed boats being poled or hauled up by perspiring coolies. There is barely room on the mt. side for the rly. and for the few farmsteads which stand near it high above the stream; the people live by fishing and raising a few necessities on their checker-board-like farms. Beyond 152 M. Sakamoto, the canyon becomes deeper and the rapids steeper and more impetuous; the region is wild and primitive, but soft, flower-decked, and pleasing. The mild climate favors the flowers, which flame from every hillside, and the blue-green river that swirls down through the sunshine presents a charming picture of motion and semi-tropical life. Tiny hamlets looking like swallows' nests cling to the bank at certain points in the gorge, and roundabout them happy naked boys shoot the rapids in frail, rakish crafts, fish for mt. trout in cool eddies of the stream, and remain blissfully ignorant of the outer world and its myriad complexities. The train crosses and re-crosses the river, now darting through a darksome tunnel, now edging along the precipice on some daring terrace, or sliding through some densely wooded forest or

valley. The small stations of Setoishi, Shiroishi, Isshochi, and Watari are all in the ravine. Beyond the latter place the hills flatten, the river loses its impetuous character, and the views broaden.

177 M. Hitoyoshi stands on a broad upland plain delimited by bulky hills; from it a long, stiffish grade pierced by many tunnels leads to 182 M. Okoba (1065 ft.), on a spur track, where, before the train has time to back out, one gets a superb view over the ridge (left) to the deep valley hundreds of feet below. The stone monument in the triangle here stands to the memory of the valiant ones who left this region to die for the fatherland on the Manchurian plains. As the train proceeds along another track around the shoulder of the hill, the delighted eye gazes over a thousand square miles of deep, peaceful valley-land walled in by tumbled mts. Another stiff upgrade marked by tunnels and a series of inspiring views carries the train to 189 M. Yatake, whence it descends through the long Yatake Tunnel and several shorter ones, to a beautiful valley sentineled at the left by the sacrosanct Mt. Kirishima, a smoking volcano astride the border of Hyuga and Osumi Provinces. It is greatly revered by the Japanese, who believe that Ninigi no Mikoto, grandson of Amaterasu, and great-grandfather of Jimmu Tenno, set his foot here first when he descended (see below) from heaven to Japan.

Higashi (E.) Kirishima, the only active vent of the twin peaks, is the highest (5570 ft.) and is often called Takachiho. Nishi (W.) Kirishima, a less sharply pointed mass about 8 M. distant on the sky-line, is usually referred to as Shiratori-take. Since the great eruption of 1895, Takachiho has been classed as one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. Steam and sulphurous gases rise from it constantly, and its huge crater presents an awe-inspiring manifestation of volcanic energy. Colossal fumaroles characterize it, and numerous hot springs burst from its lower flanks. It is the terror of the surrounding villages, and particularly of Kirishima village, 1500 ft. above the sea, on its slope. Many parts of the environing country are undergoing a steady sinking process, particularly in the neighborhood of Yatake Station. - On a pile of stones on the E. side of the summit stands the famous 'Heavenly Spear' (Ama-no-nuhoko) which tradition associates with the descending to earth of the divine Ninigi. Its extraordinarily clumsy form points to a great antiquity. In shape it is a cylindrical shaft of forged copper-bronze, with several blunt projections, and toward the top is sharpened on one side. Its entire length is about 50 in.; the length from point to hilt, about 40 in.; the circumference, 8-10 in., and the thickness of the handle, 2 1/2 in. It is fixed in the blunt cone hilt upward. - The mt. slopes spared by the fire which rained from Takachiho in Aug., 1903, are covered in places with chestnuts, oaks, mt. cherry, and splendid evergreen and deciduous trees intermingled with various conifers. The ascent of the mt. is usually made from Kokubu Station (Inn: Enrikan, ¥2), 12 M. from its foot, though a trip (2 days) can be arranged to better advantage from Kagoshima, where a guide (¥10), etc., can be obtained through the good offices of the innkeeper. - The way from Kirishima village leads through a fine semi-tropical forest, thence over an old lava-field covered with stunted firs and alders to a fork in the path, the right branch of which leads to Takachiho. From this point the ascent (1 hr.) is over ashes and scoria to the lowest margin of the crater. The view from the summit is very extensive.

More tunnels mark the wild but beautiful region through which the train runs after leaving 194 M. Masaki; for a while

the smoking crater sentinels us, then it dips and disappears behind the horizon. 198 M. Yoshimatsu is a shipping-point for the timber cut from the surrounding hills.

From Yoshimatsu the Miyazaki branch line runs N.E. to (32 M.) Kobayashi-machi, where it turns S.E. to (21 M.) Miyakonojo, thence runs N.E. again to (29 M.) Miyazaki, a small port on the Bungo Channel. Here it connects with the Hoshu Main Line running through Beppu to Moji (and Shimonoseki), Rte. 43, p. 692. - A pike excellent for motor-cars runs through the valley hereabout.

222 M. Kokubu, known throughout the Empire for its fine tobacco, is sometimes the starting-point for the ascent of Kirishima. The views become more extensive and are full of romantic charm. The rly. slopes downward on an artificial stone terrace high above the placid Kagoshima Bay, and the views of this, thence over and beyond to the holy Kirishima at the far left, flanked by a score or more lesser peaks and ranges, and the fine Sakurajima rising from the harbor of Kagoshima just ahead, combine to form a picture as charming as any one will see in Japan. The benignity of the climate, which brings a myriad flowers and flowering trees into glorious life, is of a genial 'sunny south' character, and a pervasive joyousness seems to brood above the landscape. The tiny villages which dot the lovely shore, and the children who splash and gambol in the tepid water look happy, clean, and inviting, while the white-sailed junks that drift languidly over the unruffled surface of the lapis-lazuli bay impart a dreamy magic that recalls Ionian scenes.

239 M. Kagoshima (pop. 64,000; 11,500 houses), the most important southern city of Japan, capital of Satsuma Province and of Kagoshima Prefecture, is clean, attractive, and stands amid delightful surroundings. At the lower edge of Kyushu, in lat. 31° 35' N., and long. 130° 33' E. of Greenwich, it is 943 M. from Tokyo, and 1617 from Wakkanai, the topmost point of Yezo. No figures could give a better idea of the length of densely populated Japan - a country which a one-time great European Power formerly regarded as too insignificant to be considered seriously from a military standpoint!

Kagoshima has a number of attractive Inns where good foreign-style food can be had, and foreign beds. The Yamashiroya Hotel, near the steamer landing, is clean and comfortable. The usual rates are from 5-6 yen for supper, bed, and breakfast.

A Branch Rly. Line runs from Kagoshima via (13 M.) Ijuin to (31 M.) Sendai-machi, on the W. coast, thence through (63 M.) Izumi and (73 M.) Minamata, before joining the Main Line at (103 M.) Yatsushiro.

Steamships ply between Kagoshima and (162 M.) Nagasaki, and (411 M.) Kobe.

The Nishi Hongwanji, an immense Buddhist temple (Monto sect) inclosed by a high stone wall near the Prefectural Office, besides being the bulkiest structure in the port is the finest fane in Kyushu. It is marked by all the splendor and luxury which usually characterize the temples of this sect, and is surrounded by the customary bronze and stone lanterns, lavers, fountains, etc. The wide porch, with some passable carvings in the natural wood, is supported by four handsome square keyaki columns set in fine bronze sockets resting on granite

bases. The splendid old gray tiled roof with its imposing antefixes is one of the most satisfying things in the town. The six immense supporting pillars of the interior are supplemented by numerous pilasters of beautifully grained keyaki, sculptured in low relief, with decorations that extend over on to the massive cross-beams. On these, at intervals are chiseled groups of foliated chrysanthemums, and alert Dogs of Fo with ivory eyes. Eighty mats are required to cover the vast central nave, 48 for each of the side aisles, 12 for the ambulatory, and 20 for the chancel. The outer doors are finished in the natural wood, heavily studded with iron bosses, and carved with Paulownia imperialis crests. The panels of the coffered ceiling are finished in dull gold lacquer. The high altar, a marvel of rich brocade, gold, and shining metal, is decorated after the style of the Nikko mausolea, with a maze of polychromatic diaper-work, cloisonne, and intricate arabesques. The seven superbly sculptured and gilded tennin in alto-relievo work are noteworthy expressions of Buddhist art. The central one, above the middle door facing the shrine, holds in her hand an exquisite little golden Amida backed by a tiny mandorla, a copy of that in the reliquary, and which, by its excellence, recalls certain of Churriguera's finest work. Some of the figures are portrayed in the characteristic attitude of evoking celestial music, while others appear enraptured by the Buddhistic symbols which they hold before them. Below, but still above the doors, are 7 other excellently carved and gilded ramma showing lotus flowers and leaves in high relief, along with graceful peacocks, mythological phoenixes, waves, etc. The numerous rich and historic kakemono differ but little from those in other temples.

Kagoshima is mentioned in history as far back as A.D. 764. The ruins of the present castle - the feudal keep of the powerful Shimazu daimyos until the Restoration - occupy the site of an earlier structure razed by Shimazu Iehisa in the 16th cent. St. Francis Xavier landed here in 1549, and in Aug., 1863, the English Admiral Kuper bombarded the port and practically destroyed it in retaliation for the refusal of the reigning Lord of Satsuma to make redress for the murder of C. L. Richardson, an Englishman, killed by one of his vassals at Namamugi (near Yokohama) in 1862. The city was the center of the historic Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, at which time - after 8 months of desultory fighting - it and its castle were again reduced to ruins. Here the hapless Saigo Takamori (monument in Uyeno Park, Tokyo) the leader of the insurrection, committed seppuku when he saw that the uprising had failed of its purpose. - A multiplicity of canals cross and re-cross the town, and many quaint stone bridges are features of them. It knows little or nothing of the winters which bury N. Japan under 10 ft. of snow, for here fruit-trees bloom in

Oct. alongside ripening grape-fruit, oranges, and other semi-tropical products. The fine crackled porcelain known as Satsuma-yaki (which has carried the name Satsuma to all parts of the artistic world), though still made here is now surpassed in beauty and excellence by Kyoto products (comp. p. ccliv). Dainty sets in which tea is served by yet daintier Satsuma maidens are among the alluring features of the inns, and many of the shops are dedicated to the sale of the local productions. The superior grass-cloth (called Satsuma-jofu, because it was first imported through Satsuma Province) sold in some of the stores is woven (from hemp bark) and dyed in the Loochoo Islands. Satsuma-rosoku, a superior kind of wax-candle is made here.

A host of delightful walks are possible in the neighborhood, and weeks would be needed to trace them all out. The big wooded hill at the right of the town (W.), called Shiroyama ('Castle Hill'), and Tsurumaruyama, is the site of the old castle and Shiroyama Park, the most popular of the near-by resorts. From the ruins of the sometime fortress rises the new Kagoshima Middle School. Lotus-choked moats flank the lower edge of the inclosure and from them rise cyclopean old walls almost covered with the myriad tiny flora of a semi-tropic region. In the early morning the twisty, upward-sloping avenue is thronged with bright-eyed, neatly clad, chattering school-girls, equipped with books and slates, and with squat bottles of ink swinging from strings tied to their little fingers. - Following the zigzag path leading past the school one soon comes to a shaded woods-road which bears up the slope to the left and affords charming views over the town to Sakurajima and the sea beyond. The many monuments and graves commemorate the misguided men who perished in the Satsuma Rebellion. By-paths conduct one to other and higher eminences whence the views are yet more extensive, and embrace the twin peaks of Kirishima, and other lofty ranges.

Kagoshima Gulf, about 40 M. long from N. to S., and 5-10 M. wide, is very deep (127 fathoms near the middle), and has practically no anchorage for large vessels except near the city. Blocking the channel 10 M. from its head, with deep water passages on either side, abreast of the city, and but a short distance from the steamer-landing, is the bulky and lofty Sakurajima (Cherry Tree Island), the highest peak of which, Mitaka (3000 ft.), in the center of the island, is an active volcano (great eruption in Jan., 1914). The terraces on its lower slope are planted with vegetable-wax and orange trees, while the carefully tilled fields, warmed below by subterranean fires, and above by a tropical sun, produce the fine vegetables (chiefly radishes and big daikons), the sugar-cane, and what-not for which the region is celebrated.