Nene Yoshitaka Japane... - Hot Springs Pleasure Trip

And as her palanquin began the slow journey back to Kyoto, she felt not the ache of age, but the quiet, flowing strength of the hot springs still moving within her, a secret pleasure for a journey's end.

Nene smiled, her face lined but serene. “Then it shall certainly help an old nun’s knees.”

But Nene waved a dismissive hand. “No private bath tonight. We are not here as nobility. We are here as travellers seeking warmth and rest. I shall bathe with the other women when the hour is late.” Hot Springs Pleasure Trip Nene Yoshitaka JAPANE...

A nightingale sang in the dark forest.

Later, as the moon climbed higher and the others retired, Nene remained. She floated on her back, looking up at the stars, the water lapping at her ears. And as her palanquin began the slow journey

That evening, after a simple meal of river fish, mountain vegetables, and warm sake, Nene slipped off her formal kosode and wrapped herself in a simple yukata . The bathhouse was a large, open-air rotenburo overlooking a moonlit cascade. Steam rose like a living thing, blurring the edges of the pines.

Her palanquin, simple but sturdy, swayed gently as the retinue of a dozen loyal attendants, guards, and her favorite court ladies ascended the wooded path to the secluded hot springs of Yoshino. The leaves were a tapestry of crimson and gold, each gust of wind sending a silent prayer of colour fluttering to the earth. “No private bath tonight

The next morning, before departing, Nene left a simple haiku carved into a wooden post by the spring:

It was for a kyūjitsu —a pleasure trip.

Beneath falling leaves, The mountain’s hidden heart burns— Warmth for weary bones.

Soon, the other women joined her. Their chatter was a soft, comforting melody—gossip about a kimono pattern, a rumour from the capital, a silly poem one of the maids had written. For a single, perfect hour, Nene was not the “Mother of the Nation.” She was just an old woman with sore knees, laughing at a story about a clumsy stable boy.