44
town of Maëbashi, important as a silk producing centre, it separates into a network of steams, which unite again near the point where the Karasu gawa falls in. After receiving the waters of the Watarasé gawa, which drains the province of Shimotsuké, it separates into two branches opposite the town of Kurihari on the Ôshiu-kaidô. The Southern branch is called the Gongendô gawa, and passing by Sékiyado, becomes the Yedo gawa, falling into the Yedo Bay at Horiyé. The main stream is here called the Akahori gawa. In passing Sékiyado it throws off a branch which usually falls into the Yedo gawa, during floods its current becomes reversed, thus earning for it the name of Sakasa gawa, or ‘upside-down river.’ After receiving the waters of the Kinu gawa, whose source is at the boundary of Shimotsuké and Iwashiro, and the Kokai gawa, which rises near Utsunomiya, besides the surplus water of numerous meres, such as the Aga numa, Imba numa and Naga numa in Shimôsa, and those of Ô-ura, Kasumi-ura and Sakaura in Hitachi, and attaining a breadth of 1,740 yards, or nearly an English mile, it enters the sea at Chôshi. At Chôshi it narrows down considerably, and passes between some sharp rocks on the Shimôsa side and a long sandy spit which forms part of Hitachi. In stormy weather the bar is completely impassable, even for the strongly built native boats. This part of the coast has been fatal to at least four foreign vessels since the opening of the country to commerce, the last victim being the “Wanja,” whose loss was reported about a fortnight ago.
The Shinano gawa rises in the department of Saku in the southeast corner of Shinano. It flows in a north-westerly direction and then due north past the towns of Komuro, Uyéda and Matsushiro. During this part of its course it is called the Chikuma gawa, probably after the department of that name, though it does not pass by it. A little below Matsushiro it is Joined by the Sai gawa, which rises on Koma-ga-také. After passing the town of Iiyama it enters the province of Echigo, which it traverses in a north-easterly direction, and falls into the sea at Niigata.
