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36 ri from Niigata, and 32 ri from Sendai. Just 16 ri to the south is the famous town of Wakamatsu, and 1212 ri to the north is Yamagata.
Yonezawa itself is a large town of not very prepossessing appearance situated near the south-eastern extremity of the plain. The houses are all thatched, and have no verandahs. The streets are narrow, rough, unpaved and altogether uncared for. Water from the numerous mountain-streams is led along the centre of almost every street in open conduits, which with the addition of two or three wells supply the people with water for all purposes. The late governor put up kerosene lamps, but the people demolished them, as they considered the lighting of the streets an unnecessary expense. The shiro is immense, and as all the houses within its ramparts have large gardens separated by hedges, it presents the appearance of an enormous village. There is no attempt at fortification except the usual three moats. The inner one inclosed the mansion of the daimiô and a temple sacred to the memory of Uyesugi Kenshin his ancestor,—a mighty warrior of the 16th century. The mansion has been razed to the ground, but the temple remains, and a great festival is held on the date corresponding with the 13th day of the 3rd month of the old calendar. The streets or roads in the shiro were formerly very broad, but three years ago the then governor allowed the residents to take in a quarter, and in some instances a third, on each side. This was after the conversion of Han into Ken, and was intended as some sort of alleviation to the kerai in their distressed circumstances. Some idea of the severity with which the changes pressed on the upper classes may be gathered from the fact that the principal retainers, especially those few families from whom the Karô was selected, have pulled down their old mansions in order to grow rice on their sites, and are now living in the out-buildings of their yashiki. One family whose revenue was 1,600 koku now receives a pittance of 40 bags—about 18 koku. The upper class of samurai did not draw an allowance of rice from the daimiô’s treasury, but received it direct from the
