Even stubborn rocks lose their
wildness
maybe in the orient; so wrote Percival
LOWELL in the Soul of the
The Tenryu
is however not simply made: it very winds and its width varies. We supposed
LOWELL who re-started from Shimo-no-Suwa after
getting down the Shiwojiri-toge soon found the Ina
Valley spread widely out before him as if it were no valley but a prairie.
Really the valley was not formed by erosion and is made from several complex terraces
sandwiched by two high mountainous masses and ridges, so that it could soon
lead to a narrow valley.
The Tenryu
at Iijima wherefrom he enjoyed his floats is
located at a gorge, but I suppose he must have soon been irritated or bored because
the wider part soon comes and the boat must have become made quite slower.
The narrow portions of the
winding river rather reject artificial modification, and so a bit before Iijima the winding road that still exists was supposed to have
been remaining very the same as
The photo here was taken by
me near the lower place: It’s not any rock, but may be made of Mukugé (althaea) blooming in summer, just like one
of those “clipped into the most fantastic shapes” as
The wider terrace has easily
been cultivated, and the Valley has now a lot of other roads as well as a slow
winding rail way.
Mn