. The mikado's empire. f theirsearch had already gone by. Kojimas followers, being now disheart-ened, returned, leaving him alone. He, however, cautious, followedon, and for several days attempted in vain to approach the palanquinand whisper a word of hope in the ear of the imperial exile. Thevigilance of the Hojo vassals rendering all succor hopeless, Kojimahit upon a plan that bafiled his enemies and lighted hope in the bosomof the captive. Secretly entering the garden of the inn at which the THE GLORY AND FALL OF THE HO JO FAMILY. 153 party was resting at night, Kojima scraped off the bark
. The mikado's empire. f theirsearch had already gone by. Kojimas followers, being now disheart-ened, returned, leaving him alone. He, however, cautious, followedon, and for several days attempted in vain to approach the palanquinand whisper a word of hope in the ear of the imperial exile. Thevigilance of the Hojo vassals rendering all succor hopeless, Kojimahit upon a plan that bafiled his enemies and lighted hope in the bosomof the captive. Secretly entering the garden of the inn at which the THE GLORY AND FALL OF THE HO JO FAMILY. 153 party was resting at night, Kojima scraped off the bark of a cherry-tree, and wrote in ink, on the inner white membrane, this poetic stanza, Ten Kosen wo hordbosu nakareTold ni Hanrei naki ni shimoaradzu. (O Heaven! destroy not Kosen,While Hanrei still lives.) The allusion, couched in delicate phrase, is to Kosen, an ancient kingin China, who was dethroned and made prisoner, but was afterwardrestored to honor and power by the faithfulness and valor of his re-tainer, Kojima Writing on the Cherry-tree. (Vignette upon the greenback nationiil-biuik notes.) The next morning, the attention of the soldiers was excited by thefresh handwriting on the tree. As none of them were able to read,they showed it to the Emperor Go-Daigo, who read the writing, and itssignificance, in a moment. Concealing his joy, he went to banish-ment, keeping hope alive during his loneliness. He knew that hewas not forgotten by his faithful vassals. Kojima afterward fought torestore the mikado, and perished on the battle-field. The illustrationgiven above is borrowed from a picture by a native artist, which nowadorns the national-bank notes issued under the reign of the presentmikado. 154 THE MIKADOS EMPIIiE. This darkest hour of the mikados fortune preceded the a hero was emerging from obscurity who was destined to bethe destroyer of Kamakura and the Hojo. This was Xitta Yoshisada. The third son of Minamoto Yoshi-iye, born 1057, had twoso
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