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wind four or five upwards. The current is strong, and some of the rapids very shoal.
Continuing on we followed the road in the well-cultivated river bottom passing through a small village where there are earthen banks thrown up to mark the boundary of the old province of Nambu. Posts now show that this is likewise the limit of Minzusawa Ken on the South and Iwate Ken on the North. Just beyond this is a rapid river, which being then in flood, we only crossed with considerable difficulty in a narrow boat poled by four men. It was by this time nearly dark, but a short distance more brought us to Kurosawa where we were comfortably lodged in a good large house. My Japanese companions seemed to think they were getting near the end of the world, the people and country being more uncivilized than anything they had been accustomed to. It was with difficulty that they made themselves understood to many of the people, and it was amusing to hear their remarks on these northern savages, as they designated them. On the contrary I felt more at home as I proceeded, and found my imperfect knowledge of the mixed dialects of Hakodadi more and more useful.
On the 4th we made the whole distance of thirteen ri from Kurosawa to Morioka, the old capital of Nambu, and now the chief town of Iwate Ken. Some of the first parts of the road was over uplands, but the greater distance on the level plain of the river valley. The land is well cultivated with rice, wheat, beans, &c., and I particularly noticed some large, long carrots. I have seldom seen a finer and better watered valley. The scenery also is very pleasing, and at that particular season, when the autumnal tints of the hardwoods on the lower slopes of the mountains were intermixed with the bright green of the pines, and the mountain tops snow-covered, it was remarkably beautiful.
Several tributary streams coming from the westward join the main river in this part, the most important one being three ri six chô north of Kurosawa. The town of Koriyama stands partly on a hill which rises in the middle
