ThroughouttheprovinceofEchigoIhaveoccasionallyseenapieceofcottonclothsuspendedbyitsfourcornersfromfourbamboopolesjustaboveaquietstream。Behinditthereisusuallyalongnarrowtablet，notchedatthetop，similartothoseseenincemeteries，withcharactersuponit。Sometimesbouquetsofflowersareplacedinthehollowtopofeachbamboo，andusuallytherearecharactersontheclothitself。Withinitalwaysliesawoodendipper。IncomingdownfromTenokoIpassedoneoftheseclosetotheroad，andaBuddhistpriestwasatthetimepouringadipperfullofwaterintoit，whichstrainedslowlythrough。Ashewasgoingourwaywejoinedhim，andheexplaineditsmeaning。
Accordingtohimthetabletbearsonitthekaimiyo，orposthumousnameofawoman。Theflowershavethesamesignificanceasthosewhichlovinghandsplaceonthegravesofkindred。Iftherearecharactersonthecloth，theyrepresentthewell-knowninvocationoftheNichirensect，Namumiohorengekio。Thepouringofthewaterintothecloth，oftenaccompaniedbytellingthebeadsonarosary，isaprayer。Thewholeiscalled“TheFlowingInvocation。“
Ihaveseldomseenanythingmoreplaintivelyaffecting，foritdenotesthatamotherinthefirstjoyofmaternityhaspassedawaytosufferaccordingtopopularbeliefintheLakeofBlood，oneoftheBuddhisthells，forasincommittedinaformerstateofbeing，anditappealstoeverypasser-bytoshortenthepenaltiesofawomaninanguish，forinthatlakeshemustremainuntiltheclothissoutterlywornoutthatthewaterfallsthroughitatonce。
WherethemountainscomedownupontheplainofYonezawathereareseveralraisedbanks，andyoucantakeonestepfromthehillsidetoadeadlevel。Thesoilisdryandgravellyatthejunction，ridgesofpinesappeared，andthelookofthehousessuggestedincreasedcleanlinessandcomfort。AwalkofsixmilestookusfromTenokotoKomatsu，abeautifullysituatedtownof3000people，withalargetradeincottongoods，silk，andsake。
AsIenteredKomatsuthefirstmanwhomImetturnedbackhastily，calledintothefirsthousethewordswhichmean“Quick，here’saforeigner；“thethreecarpenterswhowereatworkthereflungdowntheirtoolsand，withoutwaitingtoputontheirkimonos，speddownthestreetcallingoutthenews，sothatbythetimeIreachedtheyadoyaalargecrowdwaspressinguponme。Thefrontwasmeanandunpromising-looking，but，onreachingthebackbyastonebridgeoverastreamwhichranthroughthehouse，Ifoundaroom40feetlongby15high，entirelyopenalongonesidetoagardenwithalargefish-pondwithgoldfish，apagoda，dwarftrees，andalltheusualminiatureadornments。Fusumaofwrinkledbluepapersplashedwithgoldturnedthis“gallery“intotworooms；buttherewasnoprivacy，forthecrowdsclimbedupontheroofsattheback，andsattherepatientlyuntilnight。