The six provinces of Oshu and the 6.3 million inhabitants do not neglect the industries developed by their predecessors and develop them further. Migratory birds wander for eternity. The simple people of Tohoku no longer wander but grow rice, sell apples, and let splendid foals with fine hair run through the expansive green plains lined by beautiful luxuriant forests. And fishing boats loaded with dancing silvery fish enter the harbors.
There was no spontaneous running up for a polite handshake to express appreciation. The next day, I traveled north to Sotogahama in Oshu accompanied by N. Before setting out, the first problem was sake.
"Would you like some sake? Can a couple of bottles of beer fit in your backpack?" his wife asked. I felt ashamed. I wondered if I was born a man into the disgraceful race of heavy drinkers.
"Oh no, I'm fine. If there's none, it's fine," I said vaguely stumbling over my words while picking up my backpack and hurried out of the house, almost running away.
N followed me out. I honestly said to him, "Sorry. I feel a chill when I hear sake. It's a straw mat of needles."
He appeared to have the same thought and blushed as he chuckled.
"I don't have the strength by myself. When I see your face, I have to drink. M in Imabetsu gathered sake rations a little at a time from his neighborhood, so why not stop at Imabetsu?"
I released a complicated sigh and said, "It'll put everyone to too much trouble."
Our plan was to first go straight to Tappi from Kanita and return by walking and by bus. However, strong easterly winds began in the morning. The weather could be described as rough. The ferry we planned to board was canceled. Our plans changed and we went by bus. The bus was unusually empty, and the two of us could stretch out in our seats. After going north for about an hour along the Sotogahama Road, the winds gradually subsided and blue skies peeked out. With weather in this state, I believed the ferry probably would not depart.
If we dropped by M's house in Imabetsu and the boat was running, we would have a drink and return by boat from the port at Imabetsu. I thought that going the same route by land both ways was smart and of no consequence. From the bus, N pointed out and explained various landmarks. We were approaching a fortified zone, and I probably should have been discreetly writing down N's kind descriptions.
Few Ezo dwellings from long ago were seen in this area. Was the weather clearing up? Which villages were visible? The travel diary Toyuki (Journey to the East) of the famous doctor Tachibana Nankei published during the Kansei era states:
Since the beginning of heaven and earth, times have never been as peaceful as now. From the Kikai and Yakyu islands in the west to Sotogahama in Oshu in the east, laws must be scrupulously obeyed. During ancient times, the island of Yakyu sounded like the foreign country of Yakyu. Oshu was partly inhabited by the Ezo people and was seen as the home of foreigners until recently. There are many different names for the place names in the southern region and in Tsugaru. The villages along the Sotogahama Road have names like Tappi, Horozuki, Uchimappe, Sotomappe, Imabetsu, and Utetsu.
These are all Ezo words. Even today in areas like Utetsu, there are customs and Tsugaru natives who are related to the Ezo people, but they have come to disdain being called Ezo. Not only the Utetsu area, the villagers in the southern part and in Tsugaru are probably Ezo. In some places, these people rapidly changed their customs and language as they came under imperial rule and have become more like the Japanese than their ancestors. For this reason, manners and refined civilization, understandably, may still need to advance.
These words were written one hundred and fifty years ago. If Dr. Nankei now underground could ride a bus today on level concrete roads, he would be dazed and snapping his head all around to see, or he may lament as in Kozo no Yuki Imaizuko (Where are the snows of yesteryear).
Nankei's Toyuki and Saiyuki (Journey to the West) are counted among the masterpieces of the Edo era. The legend notes read like a confession:
If I travel for medical knowledge, although I will chat about medical matters, I will record them elsewhere and show them to like-minded people. Although these writings record my observations during my travels, I have not verified the facts of these observations, and there are probably many errors.
It's fine to say an article resembling nonsense achieves little but is adequate to stimulate the reader's curiosity. I will not mention other regions and limit my examples to articles about the Sotogahama region. Without raising doubts, he also writes:
Minmaya, Oshu includes the port for the Matsumae sea crossing, Sotogahama in the Tsugaru domain, and Tohoku in Japan. Long ago, Minamoto no Yoshitsune escaped the Takadachi fortress and came here to cross over to Ezo (now Hokkaido). Unfavorable winds for a crossing delayed him for a few days. Unable to bear it, he placed his Kannon statue on a rock on the seafloor and prayed for favorable winds. The winds shifted immediately, and he safely crossed to Matsumae. Today, this statue is kept at a local shrine and is known as the Kannon of Yoshitsune's Wind Prayer. A large rock at the water's edge was pierced by three holes in a line like in a stable. That was the place where Yoshitsune's horses were hitched. This is the origin of the name of Minmaya (three horses stable) for this place.
He continues.
There is a place called Tairadate in Sotogahama in Tsugaru, Oshu. A place jutting into the Iwaoishi Sea north of here is called Ishizaki. A short time after passing over Ishizaki is Shudani. Narrow mountain streams flow from the towering mountains and drop into the sea. All the soil and
