We are getting ahead of ourselves. Let us return to the period when Yoshisada was 15 years old. He came of age at the end of that year. Having become a young man, he completed his training and began his apprenticeship as a merchant in Odenmacho of Edo the following year.

Right before he left for Edo, Yoshisada produced a guidebook of his hometown Matsusaka titled Iseshu Iitakagun Matsusaka Shoran. Despite being a small booklet, it was the earliest extant geographical work of Matsusaka. It describes the history of Matsusaka as well as places of interest in the vicinity. This was perhaps Yoshisada's homage to Matsusaka before his departure. This also foreshadowed his praise of Ise Province (Tamagatsuma) in the final days of his life many years later.

In Iseshu Iitakagun Matsusaka Shoran, Yoshisada made a groundbreaking attempt to elucidate the configuration of the town both vertically and horizontally. This eventually gave form to his vision of an ideal town.

His interest in geography and the configuration of the area gradually set the stage for what was to come.

In the end, Yoshisada's stay in Edo ended after one year, although the circumstances remained unclear. Perhaps realizing the vastness of Japan along the way and during his stay in Nihonbashi, he drew a large map called Map of the Four Seas under the Heavens of Japan measuring 1.2 meters in length and 2 meters in width upon his return. This map contains the names of 3,019 places and 254 castle lords. It is also packed with information on fictitious places such as Kankara and Raretsu Province (Meshima) as well as the birthplace of Ono no Komachi. However, there is something frightening about maps. Although the 17-year-old Yoshisada would eventually gain recognition as Norinaga, his world would be bound by this single map that depicts Ezo-chi, parts of Ryukyu Province, and Oyashimaguni (the ancient name for Japan). Do people continue to live within the maps they have drawn?

Following his return from Edo, Yoshisada drew a map of Japan at the age of 17 and began living at home. The son of the Ozu household could not face his late father and the world after having thrown in the towel and returned home after just one year. Yoshisada was told not to go outside as doing so would look bad, but since there were many things he wanted to do, he took this opportunity to remain in his room and began writing Toko Bassho in early autumn.

He also wrote out geographical works of Kyoto and works such as The Tale of the Heike set in Kyoto from cover to cover. He wrote a total of six volumes. This idea of a place (topos) being associated with a history and stories may have been related to chants, but above all, Yoshisada was strongly drawn to Kyoto. He continued to draw the Rakugai Sashizu, a map of the area around Kyoto.

He also began studying poetry on his own at the age of 17 or 18 as he wanted to recite poems. He recorded the annotations in Wakanoura, which he continued to write during his time in Kyoto, and it eventually grew into Norinaga's poetry treatise Ashiwake Obune.

Regardless of the beliefs of those around him, Yoshisada respected continuity and was interested in the configuration of land and towns. He firmly constructed his own world through waka poetry and his attraction to Kyoto, the culmination of which being his creation of works such as Hashihara Castle Town Map and genealogical tables.

Norinaga was on a trip to Kyoto at the time of working on this map.

On one of these days, April 13, Norinaga left his accommodation east of the Sanjo Ohashi Bridge and traveled from the Kodo and Shimogoryo Shrine to Otsuijinouchi, Kinri, the Kyoto Sento Imperial Palace, and the residences of various nobles. He then made his way from Shokoku-ji Temple to Kamigamo Shrine, Midorogaike Lake, Shimogamo Shrine, Hyakumanben, Yoshida, before finally arriving at Kurodani to visit the Hojo, where he also paid his respects before ancestral Buddha statues and visited the mausoleum, which is said to be for Shoseiin. He then rounded off the day's itinerary with a visit to Shinnyo-do Temple. His packed tour of Kyoto lasted more than a month, but of particular interest were his visits to Otsuijinouchi, Kinri, the Kyoto Sento Imperial Palace, and the residences of various nobles. The tour served as an on-site survey for Detailed Map of the Buildings and Gates of the Imperial Palace at the Time of New Construction, but in his mind, he might have also imagined himself walking through the Hashihara Castle Town.

So, what happened to this imaginary world depicted in Hashihara Castle Town Map and the Hashihara family's genealogical table?

Did the world of the Hashihara family vanish without a trace when Yoshisada became Norinaga?

I doubt so. After eventually changing his name to Norinaga, he immersed himself in the world of The Tale of Genji through his experiences in Kyoto, his readings, and his creation of detailed chronologies, and even as he lamented the dearth of historical materials that remained, he created the massive imaginary world of the Kojikiden. This could be seen as building on his previous work by altering its time and place from the reign of the Hashihara family, through the Heian period, to the mythological age.