But the code was violated on the day of the second Shiba session, and
again immediately after the move to Hakoné.
The move was to take place on June 30, the third day after the second
session. Because of floods it was postponed to July 3 and finally to July 8.
The Kanto was drenched and there were floods in the Kobé region. Even on
the eighth the Tōkaidō line was still not through to Osaka. Leaving from
Kamakura, I changed at Ofuna for the train on which the Master and his
party had come from Tokyo. The 3:15 for Maibara was nine minutes late.
It did not stop at Hiratsuka, where Otaké lived. He promptly appeared at
Odawara Station in summer dress, a dark blue suit and a Panama hat turned
smartly down at the brim. He was carrying the large suitcase he had
brought to the Kōyōkan.
His first business was to inquire about our safety during the floods.
“They still have to use boats to get to the insane asylum down the street
from me. At first it was rafts.”
We took the cable car from Miyanoshita down to Dogashima. The
Hayakawa, directly below us, was roiled and muddy. The Taiseikan Inn
was like an island in its waters.
After we had been shown to our rooms, Otaké went to make his formal
greetings to the Master. In a good mood that evening after his usual cups of
saké, the Master talked about this and that, illustrating his remarks liberally
with gestures. Otaké spoke of his family and his boyhood. The Master
challenged me to a game of chess, and when I seemed reluctant he turned
to Otaké instead. The game took almost three and a half hours. Otaké won.
The next morning the Master was being shaved in the corridor outside
the bath. He was putting himself in order for tomorrow’s session. Because
the chair had no headrest, his wife stood behind him supporting his head.
Onoda of the Sixth Rank, who was serving as a judge, and Yawata, the
secretary of the Association, arrived that evening. The Master livened the
