ÉARTH(jUAKE OF CEXTüAL JAPAN, 1Ö91. ;5i;; 



depressed on the riuiit yide. and .sliifled liorizuntalJy in tliu usual man- 

 ner, a« wi]I he clearly understood from the annexed wood-cut. Lastly, 

 we arrived at the place called Fujitani. which i.s now tolerubly w-ell 

 known tlirouuh the su.gg'estion of Mr. Jguchi, tliat it was the seat of 

 the source of the earthtpiake. It is a branch AalJey of tlie Ivonokana- 

 dani. circumscribed l)y liills, except on the stjuth. i\t the centre of it, 

 we were told, a hole 1 to 2 metres in diameter had existed, into wl\icli 

 large stones and boulders being thrown were heard for some time 

 striking and e('hoing in their descent to an (?) unfathomable de[)t h . 

 Time had cl<jsed, it was ;aicl. the opeuing. and there remained but 

 u shallow depression in its j>kice. The ground indeed had Ijeen 

 intensely convulsed, and the face of nature entirely changed. The 

 sides of the hills Avliich iianked the valley had slipped down, and the 

 forest upon them still presented a singular scene of confusion ; trees 

 standinu' inclined in every direction, manv with their trunks and 

 branches broken. The course of a small stream was stopped and a 

 new lake were created there. A\dien these marvellouslv U'reat changes 

 occurred, the shakinir nuist base been terrific — inconcei\able — vet I 

 cannot believe that the slight depression in Fujilani to have been the 

 origin of an earth([uake wliich had shaken a great })art of 'lapan. 

 The sunken gully of Fujira.ni, alread}' alluded to, is only a prolonga- 

 tion of the rent which we followed u]) there for about o'2 kih^metres. 



The fissure cuts c,if the rear of the de?)ression of Fujitau i, and 

 comes in siirlit aii'ain Ijevond the hill of iJTevwacke sandstone and 

 clavslate. at the bottom of the main course of the Konokana \ alley, 

 which tei'inijiates at the foot of Front llaku-san. llie valley hereis 

 naî'row and forms a deep gulch, bounded by oxerhaJiging ]ti'cci])i<'es 

 on the east and west. l'>y the earthquake, the smfices <jf hills (;n 

 either side slipped down the valley, and left them almost bare of the 

 fine tindjcr which had clothed them. The fresh verdure of the steep 



