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Yatabe is a large dirty place with gates. It was formerly the residence of a Hatamoto. A little way out of the town, the two roads from Fusé by way of Sannon and Mori join. It is a long stage of nearly 5 ri from Yatabe to Hôjô through Karima, Ichinomiya, where is a Miya of great repute, Tatamori, Ozore, and Wakamori, which was at one time the seat of the Ken, and very large buildings were erected here for the Chiji and his officials. Between Wakamori and Hôjô the road crosses the Sakuragawa. Hôjô is a large place at the foot of a little hill on which formerly stood a castle of the Hôjô family. From here to Tsukuba is a walk of 1 ri through the villages of Kagori and Usui. The latter lies in a valley, which was formerly, it is said, an arm of the sea, and here was the harbour of Toyoura. At the foot of the mountain, to the right of the road among some fir trees, is a shrine in honour of Waka-musubi-no-mikoto who came on shore here. Her real name was Konshiki hime, and she landed here during the reign of Kimmei Tennô from a country called Kiuchiu in the North of India. She was the King’s daughter and being hated by her step-mother, she was put into a coffin and cast adrift in a boat which was blown on shore at Toyoura. When the body was taken out of the coffin it was converted into worms which the country people fed upon mulberry leaves and produced silk. Hence, according to the tradition of the place, the introduction of the culture of silk into Japan. The hill to the right of Kagoro is called Kaiko san and here is a Miya, the Kannushi of which exhibits one side of the coffin in which the goddess was conveyed to Toyoura. Here also is a block of stone which is scooped into holes by worshippers at the shrine, who believe that the powder scattered over their farms will ensure a plentiful crop. The village of Tsukuba is about a quarter of the way up the mountain. It consists of a long steep street of steps. The people of the provinces of Mito, Hitachi and Shimôsa congregate here for amusement. There is, however, one respectable inn kept by one of the officials. The houses have all upper stories from which there is a very
