(Apr 22)     And so we went over and crossed the Abukumagawa. To left, high summits of Aizu, and to right, the demesnes of Iwaki, Soma and Miharu, divided by mountain ranges from Hitachi and Shimotsuke. Passed place called Kagenuma, but overcast sky hindered reflection.

At post town of Sukagawa visited one Tokyu and were had to stay four or five days. First thing he did was ask: "Anything come of crossing the Shirakawa Barrier?" "What with the aches of so much travelling, with body and mind exhausted, apart from being entranced simply by the scene and remembering other times, there wasnt much chance for thinking words of my own though.

furyu's
beginning Oku's
rice-planting song

Off on the edge of town, in the shade of a huge chestnut tree, a priest, completely out of things. Perhaps "in mountain depths gathering chestnuts" referred to such an existence, or so to my imagination it seemed and, given something to write on, wrote: "literally kanji for 'chestnut' ( ) read 'west tree,' they say alludes to the Western Paradise, and Gyogi Bosatsu, they say, during his lifetime used it for his walking-stick and the posts of his house."

most folks'
unseen flowers
the eaves' chestnut