It was 1888(Meiji 21), seventy-three years earlier in the time of the restoration of Imperial Rule, when some ladies in the upper class began to strut about dressed in European fashions. That year brought the opening of foreign trade relations and western culture began pouring into every part of the country, transforming politics and education.

I turned seven years old. It was at that time that my mother hit upon the idea of a visit to Zenkōji Temple. My mother was a devout Buddhist, so it would probably have been her wish to hold the first ancestral memorial service for her parents as well as to pray for better fortune for us.

However, she felt there was no way to make the journey with a child of just seven years. She asked her acquaintances and relatives, but nobody could look after me because I was too young. With no other way, my mother left for Shinano in April of that year, taking me with her.

It was a long journey, and there were no vehicles available. Just a few four-seater carriages went through the mountain pass. I, with a mat humped on my shoulder, walked behind my mother carrying a stick and wearing a round woven hat of about 60cm. On dangerous mountain paths or on rainy days, my mother would carry me piggyback.