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204
SONDA T3E SAMUHAL
ontory on fair days we see just west of us. I Ve
often looked at the place. It is near the Bridge of
Heaven."
" The Bridge of Heaven ! What
do you mean ? "
"
Oh, the
Izanagi,
floating Bridge of Heaven, on which
the first god, stood when he looked down
on chaos, and stirring it up with his jeweled spear,
created the earth. Afterwards the bridge fell down,
and it still lies off Tango."
"
Oh, yes, of course," said Ban. " I remember it
is the great line of narrow rocks running out into
the sea, and one of the three greatest natural won-
ders in all the empire. But as for Urashima, the
tradition goes that he was a native of the province
of Musashi."
" Oh, then it is a local tradition, like our rivers
which do not have one name all aloog their course,
but are known by different names to the people who
live along their bankc."
"Yes; the story goes that when coming up in
Tango from the under-world he set out eastwards
to the home of his parents in this
village, and at
the Hakon Mountains opened the forbidden box,
hobbled to this place, and here fell down dead."
" Well, our artists and bronze-smiths seem never
to tire of picturing him."
Passing on, Honda noticed that nearly every man
at work in the houses or fields, or traveling, had
the skirts of his coat tucked up behind into his
girdle, and he spoke of it to his companion.
" Oh, yes ; that is the Adzuma fashion. You will