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" Yes ;
ME. RAI TALKS POLITICS. 91
but it is difficult to know just how the most
ancient noble families received their names, though
these were originally bestowed by the Mikado. One
of the court families has a name meaning '
Orange,'
another ' '
Wistaria-meadow ; but of Minamoto or
Gen, and the Taira or He'i, the families which had
their origin eight centuries ago, the meaning is lost.
I shall now tell you the story of the campaigns of
Toshi-lye*, which means ' He who raises up our
house,' and you will soon see how he got his name.
" Anciently the empire of Dai Nippon was con-
fined to a comparatively small portion in the central
part of the main island, or Hondo. The land north
and east of Kyoto was comparatively unknown or
unexplored, and filled with tribes of savages who
gave uncertain obedience to the Mikado, and frequently
broke out in rebellion. To subdue them
and extend his rule, the Mikado sent out brave gen-
erals from Kyoto who won great renown in conquering
these tracts of northern country, and paving the
way for the civil governors and the centralized system
of government. These generals were almost
entirely chosen from the great military families of
the Gen and He'i, while the Fuji-wara and other
families were noted for their civil talents. The He'i
generals made conquest chiefly in the south, and the
Gen in the east and north.
" One of the first Gen soldiers who led a victo-
rious expedition into the region north of Yedo,
which was then a wild moor or prairie region, was
Yoriyoshi. On his return to the capital, having won