We visited a man by the name of Joboji, who was looking after the manor house of the Lord of Kurobane. He was overjoyed at our unexpected arrival, and we talked all day and through most of the night. His younger brother Tosui danced attendance upon us from morning till night and even invited us to his own home, as well as taking us to meet his relatives.

During our stay, we took a walk to the outskirts of the town. There we saw the remains of a stockade where, in ancient times, men on horseback practiced archery by aiming blunted arrows at running dogs. Then wending our way through Nasu's much-sung field of bamboo grass to the old tumulus of Lady Tamamo, we went on from there to visit a shrine dedicated to Hachiman, the God of Battle. when I heard that it was this very shrine whose deity was invoked by Yoichi of Nasu when he cried, "Hachiman, O Guardian God of my native land!" as he aimed his desperate arrow at the fan suspended from the tossing enemy boat, my heart stirred within me. It began to get dark, so we returned to Tosui's house.

There was also a temple there of the Buddhist Shugen sect, called Komyo-ji. We were taken to it and said a prayer before the image and the high wooden clogs of the founder, En the Ascetic, who is said to have traversed these hills in those very clogs, preaching.

In the hills, 'tis May
Bless us, holy shoes, as we
Go upon our way!