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Show Determined to see Korean paper made I started out from Tokyo alone as Mr. Yamada, who had been with me while visiting the Japanese mills could not spare the time for the long, tedious journey. X was well supplie with introductions, but I did not have the slightest conception of where th ‘Papermaking villages were located. The absence of this information did no perturb me or lessen my enthusiasm as I felt confident tha I could "scent the handmade paper mills, even in so vast a country as Korea. The journe rmmT kyo to Shimonoseki, at the tip end of Japan, where the ship is take for Korea, occupx s a day and a night, over territory that I had alread tmwflLd invisiting the Japanese mills. After a rather rough crossing throug the Tsushima u..mua the ship arrived in Fusan, Korea, the followin morning. T was met by Mr. U. Nakamura, of the Japan Secret Service, wh had been informed of my arrival; the Manchurian development was at it height and the few foreign visitors were watched with polite scrutiny, thi being the direct route to the new state of Manchukuo. Mr. Nakamura ha been informed that my sojourn in Korea was to investigate the kami o the country; that Thad been a persistent student of this substance for man years, and that I had come to Korea to collect specimens of every variety both old and modern. Mr. Nakamura was skeptical and incredulous an could not believe that the collecting of kami was really my mission. could sce plainly that he had misgivings regarding my sanity, but in th gracious Japanese manner I was allowed to proceed on my journey, th indly secret service officer wishing me every success in my quest. A mont or 0 later, when I was again in Fusan, I had the pleasure of renewing m acquaintance with Mr. Nakamura and he was most profuse in his apologie for having previously treated me with so much skepticism. On my firs appearance in Fusan the secret police had been informed that I was i Korea to investigate kami which, of course, means both paper and fair Mr. Nakamura explained to me that when I originally arrived in Kore it was his idea that I had come to examine all of the hair in the country Al rights reserved |
