[Saiyu Ryotan / Shiba Kokan] (19) From Shimonoseki by sea to Okayama, and by land to Osaka and Uji
"Saiyu Ryotan" (Travels to the West) is a travelogue of Nagasaki written by the late Edo period Rangaku scholar and painter Shiba Kokan. It is a very enjoyable read, filled with illustrations of historical sites, local customs, and especially the things he saw and heard in Nagasaki, such as Chinese ships, Dutch ships, Dejima, tuna fishing, and whaling. He departed from Shiba-mon on April 23, 1788 (Tenmei 8). It consists of five volumes.
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On the 17th, I departed from Akama and traveled four ri to Koyanose. On this road, there are many cranes in the wide fields (these are hooded cranes, black-necked cranes, and white cranes; there are no red-crowned cranes, which are said to be numerous in Ezo).
During this time, coal is excavated. Stones are extracted from within the coal. They all have wood grain patterns and are fossils of pine and cedar. I surmise that coal emerges from the mountainside. It is like the Jindai cedar of Mount Hakone. Perhaps trees were buried in the ground, turned into stone, and then caught fire after acquiring sulfurous vapors (there is a strong odor, the smell of oil and sulfur). Those that do not have the sulfurous vapors penetrate them still have wood grain patterns and are fossils. There are very large stones. They have branches and knots, just like trees. Koyanose is the main road to Nagasaki.
From here, I went out to Kurosaki and arrived at Kokura. From Kokura, I crossed the sea for three ri. This is Shimonoseki (also called Akamagaseki).
* "Gyoji" means traveling.
* "Ka" is written as 欤.
* The reading "waukhan" for "main road" is "okan." It refers to a major road or highway.
* "Akamagaseki" is the old name for Shimonoseki.
Najima Benten, Oshima, Aishima, Hakozaki Hachimangu Shrine, the middle path of the sea, Kame-shima
Nadaham
Hakata town has 108 blocks
Shika-no-shima, Genkai-shima, Okatsukue-shima, Ugu-shima, Lantern
Toshogu Shrine, towards Fukuoka
On the 21st, I boarded a ship from Shimonoseki. A west wind blew, and we sailed 35 ri across the Suo Sea (Suo-nada). We anchored the ship at a small island called Nuwa. There are only about 18 or 19 houses. Again, we raised the sails in the west wind and docked at an island in Geishu called Mitarai to stay the night. There are many houses along the coast.
On the 23rd, we set sail and brought the ship to a place in Bingo called Tomo. It is the territory of Fukuyama. There are about 8 or 9 blocks of houses. It is a port that makes a living by waiting for ships to pass through, and there are many shops selling sake and meat.
At dawn on the 24th, we raised the sails and traveled 25 ri. At 7 o'clock, we arrived at Ushimado in Bizen Province (territory of Okayama). I got off the ship here and traveled 7 ri by land. I arrived at Okayama in Bizen.
On February 13th, I departed from Okayama, passed through Fujii, Hitoichi, crossed the Yoshii River, passed through Inbe, Katakami, and Yagiyama, and reached Mitsuishi and Une.
* "Boshu" is Suo Province.
* "Hashiru koto" means to travel/sail.
* The "small island called Nuwa" is thought to be Nuwajima (Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture).
* The "island called Mitarai" is thought to be Osakishimojima (Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture). Mitarai is its port town.
* The "place called Tomo" is thought to be around Tomonoura (Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture).
During this time, I was deep in the mountains. Une River, ferry, Shojo, Himeji, from Kakogawa to Okubo. In this area, 50 cho make one ri. Akashi, Maiko Beach, and Awaji Island are visible; it is a superb view. In Hyogo, there is the grave of Kusunoki Masashige. Entering the mountains, there is the Nunobiki Waterfall, and at the foot of the mountain, there is a village with many plum trees. At that time, the flowers were in full bloom, like snow. Ikuta Shrine stands on the main road. From there, I climbed Mount Maya. It is very high. When I descended the mountain, I was in Nishinomiya. From here, it is 5 ri to Osaka.
On February 23rd, I crossed the Naniwabashi Bridge in Osaka and took the Ikeda road. I arrived at the village of Ikeda. The Ikeda River flows there, and there are four or five streets in the town. Everyone makes sake. After traveling a little over one ri, I arrived at Tada. There is a Tada Shrine. Hot spring water gushes from the pond.
On the 24th, I left Tada and entered the deep mountains. I arrived at Mount Minoo. I gazed at the waterfall.
The waterfall falls straight down for several dozen jo, and it is said to be second only to the Nachi Waterfall. The path up the mountain to the right of the waterfall is very narrow, and I finally managed to climb over by grabbing onto rocks. There is the Katsuoji Kannon-do Hall. It is a pilgrimage site of the Saigoku Thirty-three. Looking toward Osaka from the top of the mountain, it is 5 ri away. The castle is visible in the distance. From there, I descended the mountain and walked through the fields. Since this road is not a main road, there are no food shops (tea houses). I crossed the river at two fords by boat. One is called the Nagara Ferry. Shortly after crossing, I entered Osaka.
* "Zen" means finally/at last. I may have misread it.
* "Saigoku Thirty-three" refers to the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage. Katsuoji is the 23rd temple on the pilgrimage.
* "Fu yori" means from there.
On February 28th, I left Osaka, crossed the Kuragari Pass, and arrived in the direction of Fushimi. Then, I crossed the Bungo Bridge in Fushimi, and there is a Kyoto town. The back of that town is all fields, and many plum and peach trees are planted between the fields. It is six cho square. It is named Momoyama. In the past, it was the road to Nara, called the Yamato Kaido. The names of the daimyo in the fields still remain today.
Ujimi-dai is a slightly elevated place. It is said to be the site of an old castle and garden. Looking from that small hill, there is a levee in the middle of the lake. It is called the Ogura Levee. Lord Hideyoshi built this levee. When going to Nara, it is far to go around Uji. Therefore, the levee is 30 cho long. There are many willow trees on the bank (willow baskets are all crafts from this area).
Looking from the platform, on the left is the village of Uji, the Uji River flows, and the Nara Mountains are visible in front, with Mount Kongo and Mount Yoshino visible in the distance. To the right, the Kuragari Pass, Mount Moronoki, and Mount Hachiman are visible, and in the lake, fishing boats move their oars, and there is a fishing village in the middle of the levee. At that time, the peach blossoms were in full bloom, and the valleys and mountains were all like brocade.
In the village of Sumizome, there is a pleasure pavilion. Near there, at a temple, there is a Sumizome cherry tree. In Shumoku-machi, only a little of the pleasure district remains now.
* "Sate" means well/now.
* "Shoko" means feudal lords.
* "Dai" (platform) is a stand.
* The lake in "There is a bank in the lake" refers to Ogura Pond. Ogura Pond was reclaimed in the early Showa period.
* "Ogura-tsutsumi" (Ogura Bank) is a bank built to cut through Ogura Pond to shorten the distance between Kyoto and Nara.
* "Yanagi-gori" is a willow wicker trunk.
* "Moronoki-yama" might refer to Moroki-yama (497m above sea level, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture). Reference: "Kinki no Tozan (Moroki-yama) (National Diet Library Digital Collections).
* "Hachiman-yama" might refer to Hachiman-yama in Kyoto (171m above sea level, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture) or Hachiman-yama in Shiga (284m above sea level, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture).
* "Kaji" (oar) refers to a rudder.
* "Ugokashi" means to move.
* "Shumoku-machi" is Shumoku-cho (Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City).
View from the Uji observation platform
Hachiman-yama, Kurakari Pass, Kongo-san, towards Yoshino-yama, Kasuga-yama, Uji-yama, Obaku-san
No fish or meat, sake and dengaku available, tea shops open during the flower season
Reference: "Saiyu Nikki" (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
● indicates characters that could not be deciphered, and □ indicates missing characters. I will update this as I decipher new characters or notice typos/misreadings. For details, please read the "About Me / Disclaimer" section. 📖