209
After dinner we made four and a half ri to Ichinosiki, in which distance we passed a good many rough brush-covered hills, higher and with steeper slopes than hitherto. Rice is cultivated wherever possible. Ichinosiki lies in a fine valley, and is a pretty fine town, having been the capital of a small daimio called Tamura, a cadet of the house of Sendai. It is said to be one day’s travel from the sea. The capital of the province, from what I could understand, is Midzusawa, on the coast. The Sendai peculiarity of dialects prevails here, the word used for “yes” being “Nae.” In Nambu this is changed into “Ha,” pronounced very broad.
At Ichinosiki the road strikes the valley of the Kita-kami river, and thence follows up that valley to and beyond Morioka, the capital of the former province of Nambu, where the river takes its rise. Its general course is due South, through a beautiful fertile valley. It seems to break through a mountain mass near Ichinosiki. Its lower course I am unacquainted with, but it discharges into the sea at a place called Ishinomaki in Sendai bay, eleven ri from the town of Sendai. The situation of a staff light at its mouth, is given in a late notification of the Lighthouse Department, as Latitude 38° 26′ and Longitude 141° 15′. This river must consequently have a direct course of about 100 geographical or nautical miles. It has numerous and considerable tributaries and drains a large extent of country, the produce of which is very considerable and for the transport of which the river furnishes ready means. Between this great valley and the Pacific coast, where are the harbours of Miako, Yamada (Nambu), Tanohama, Kamaisze, and others, lies a rugged mountainous country crossed only by inferior mountain roads. In fact this valley is entirely cut off from the coast, so that although these harbours are the best on the whole East coast of Japan, they can never become available for more than quite local trade. The produce of the interior must find its way to the coast by the Kita-kami valley and river, an additional reason why a port opened in the bay of Sendai before advocated,
