1910. The desire of the author is to guide her readers faithfully along this time honored, half-obliterated Way of the Gods, clearing the path with reverent, not iconoclastic hands, because recognizing it as the way by which the Japanese were divinely led to their present mental altitude. The path is traced in threefold aspect - ethical, philosophical and romantic. The story trends towards a sensational crisis in order to emphasize life portraits known to the author while resident in the country.