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CHAPTER XII.
SCENES AT A HERO'S SHRINE.
ABOUT a mile out from the city of Fukui, on
the road to the north, stands a neat memorial
shrine to the memory of Nitta Yoshisada, a lineal
descendant of the great Yoshi-iye*, the founder of
the Genji family. Around the shrine, which is
built of granite and roofed with copper, were pinetrees.
The approach from the road was a neat stone
path bordered on either side with those peculiar
dark-blue pebbles which are brought from the seaside
of the province of Kii and being laid on sand
prevent the growth of weeds and straggling grass.
Fronting the sacred fane, in which was a tablet or
inscribed square stone column, was the usual grooved
granite block containing water for fresh flowers,
and drilled at each end to hold a bamboo tube containing
bouquets. Here on certain days came certain
of the samurai to make their floral offerings in
honor of the brave hero whose blood centuries ago
dyed the earth of the battle-field.
For over five hundred years the memory of Nitta
had been honored by scholars throughout Japan, and
the story of his life was familiar to all the children
of Fukui. There were at the time of our
story special reasons for the increased visitation and
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