ty of California ern Regional ary Facility wRWSj»| ^/M) THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES GIFT OF COMMODORE BYRON MCCANDLESS ^rr. Mandarines Country Seat A Picturesque and Historic Description of these LanJs and Peoples By G. Waldo Browne Author of " Paradise of the Pacific," " Pearl of the Orient," etc. IVitb a General Introduction by EDWARD S. ELLIS, A. M. Author of " History of Our Country," " People's History of the United States," " Youth's History of the United States'," etc. With the followi'ig Special Articles By the Honorable HENRY Cabot LODGE By Major-General JOSEPH WHEELER By His Excellency KOGORO TakaHIRA (Hhhta By the Honorable JOHN D. LONG (Cuba By General LEONARD WOOD JJnrtn Biro Bv the Hononble CHARLES H. ALLEN Illuslratedby about 1,200 Photogravures, Colored Plates, Engravings & Maps MARSHALL f () N 1{ S COMPANY BOSTON Copyright, t<)0' Uy Dana Estes & Comfany All rights reserved Copyright., igoy By Makshali Iones Company 'J V.3 CONTENTS VOJ UME III JAPAN — Continued CHAi^rfm \'lil. XiKKO AND Its Temples IX. Natives ok the Gkeenwoods X. Lakes of the Highlands . XI. In the Wilds XII. The Kden ok the North XIII. .Shadows of Dkpauted Power XIV. The Wonders of .\tami XV. The Rip Va.v Winkle of .Japan XVI. Regio.v of the Great Earthquake XVII. .\lono the Inland Sea XVIII. The Heart of Japan . XI.\. The Flower of Religion .\X. Religious Festivals . XXI. The Pine of the Lovers X.XII. The Market of Mirth XXIII. The Star Lovers XXIV. Pa.stimes of a People XXV. Indoor Recreations . XXV'I. When the Wurld Was New PAQE 3S3 396 403 411 418 427 437 451 400 470 4S0 4 558 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS VOLUME HI Stable, Nikko .... Y.\sH.\.MO.\ Gate, Nikko Monkey Carved Stable, Nikko Temple at Nikko Sacked Post at Nikko . Kanaya Hotel at Kikko A Buddhist Shrine View of Matsushima Tame Deer, Nara . A Public 1'leasure Resort, Kan azawa .... A Cobbler .... A " Tea-house Womax " i.v Jix RIKISHA .... Folding Clothes ... Washing Resting Kago .... YUMOTO Husking Rice .... Fujiyama FujiYA Hotel at Miyanoshita ToRii, Shinto Temple Grounds Country Girls School, Old Style . Rekresh.ment Seller A Fisherman .... Lantern .Makers Feedinc; Silkworms Yo Mei Gate, Nikko Main Street, Tokyo View on the Uluff, Yokohama Road TO THE Temple A Ru.sTic Te.mple Shrine In a Nobleman's Garden Irls Garden View at .Atami In a Temple Court A Shinto I'uie.st Theatre at Osaka PAGE 374 376 377 379 3S0 384 385 387 3SS 3«,)1) 391 393 394 397 399 401) 403 40,0 407 4()S 409 41_> 414 41.') 41(i 419 4_".' 4_'3 424 4J.T 42H 130 131 133 134 43,-) Fujikawa River Looking toward Fujiyama 4.38 Fujiyama 440 Suwa-Yama Mountain, Kosfc . 442 Shiraito Waterfall, Fujiyama . 444 -Mountain View fro.m Monastery Garden, Nikko . . 446 Girls Warming Themselves . 447 Country Road 448 Japanese Physicia.v . . . 449 Girls Dancing .... 452 Threshing Rice .... 454 Carpenters 455 Japanese Tea Trader . . . 457 Fishing with Cormorants . . 458 River View, Nagasaki . . . 461 A Waterfall at Kobe . . . 463 .\ Pleasure Boat .... 464 .Japanese Bedchamber . . . 466 \'iEW of MiYAjnL\ .... 467 Bluff, Yokoha.ma .... 468 Kyoto from Maruyama . . . 471 .A Garden, Kyoto .... 472 \'iEW NEAR Kyoto .... 474 GioN Temple, Kyoto . . . 476 Kiyomizu at Kyoto . . . 478 Temple of Shiba .... 481 Si EPS to the Sacred Gate . 482 Typical View in a Monst^ry Garden 484 Smiranui Te.mple .... 485 Grove Sukrocnding a Shinto- BuDDiii.sT Shrine . . 4S7 Dancing-girl, Tokyo . 489 The Sacred Road .... 490 SniNio Priest 491 \'ii.LAGE Festival .... W, Kdta and Samsin Players . . 495 A Palanuuin 497 Vlll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Toilet 499 A Sacred Retreat .... 500 Great Stone Lantern, Yokohama 501 OiREAN Girl 504 A Wrestling Match . . . 506 Bronze Horse 507 Japanese Doctor .... 509 Types 510 Lake-shore AND FouAGE . .511 Lantern Seller . . . .514 A Wine Cellar . . . .516 Children's FestivaIi . . . 517 Toy Dealer 519 A Flower Girl .... 520 Catching Shell-fish . . . 523 A Country Seat .... 524 A Beautiful Garden of Tokyo . 525 Lantern !\L\kers .... 527 Bracket Bridge, Fukagawa . 52S PAGE i\IlYANOSHITA RiVER , 530 Wrestlers . 634 Acrobats . , 535 Actor as an Old-time Warriob 536 Japanese Kite . , , 538 A Toy Seller . . , 539 Geisha 542 A Flute Player 543 House Cleaning o 545 Tea-house Girl o o 547 An Actor . 548 Actors . e 549 A Broom Seller . . 552 A Cooper . . 554 A Garden Cascade . . . 556 Iris Garden . 557 Garden at Kagoshima 558 An Inland Sea BOO 559 JAPAN -Continued. CHAPTER VITI. NIKKO AND ITS TEMPLES. UNTIL within a few years the traveller to Nikko could get no nearer liy rail than tlie little town of Utsunoniiya, twenty-five miles from his destination, but the beauty and grandeur of this last stage of his journey more than made up for the added inconvenience of travel. The entire way, which is a broad, well-made road, as highways generally are in Japan, is bordered by twin rows of loft}' cryptomerias, some of them risinjr to a height of two hundred feet, their stately bodies free of branches for more than half that distance. These grand old monarchs, excepting a few that have taken the place of the originals, were planted a long time ago by a nobleman to make this road a fitting avenue leading to the resting-place of the shoguns sleeping in their bronze tombs on the hills of the city of temples. Truly no more worthy monument could have been raised, and it is estimated that over a hundred thousand per.'sons annually make their pious pilgrimages to the sacred shrines of Kikko. But the sublime effect has been marred by the modern methods of travel, and a band of pilgrims seeking their Mecca on an express-train lose their devout appearance. All over Japan the railroad is robbing it of much of its old-time grandeur, Nikko nestles at the foot of the Nikko-zan range of mountains, in one of tlie grandest valleys of picturesque Japan two thousand feet above the sea. It has a cool, salubrious climate in summer, so it is a popular resort at that time, as well as being the keeper of the proudest temples hi the land. Among the many sacred treasures of this storehouse of nature, there is none so ancient or so noble as the venerable mountains clothed in their dense growth of forest. The city of temples is especially fortunate in its environments. If the mountains are the noblest in the northland, the waterfalls are the wildest in Japan. One of them leaps a sheer 350 feet into a basin of snow ; another is broken and twisted into a .series of cascades, whose silvery 372 JAI'AN. 373 beauty cannot be conveyed to paper. The ancient forests are hung with rare mosses, that give theui an increased appearance of hoariness. The silence and solitariness of the village of Irimachi, hemmed in by the towering heights, possesses an intensity of loneliness beyond comparison. But everywhere the atmosphere is laden with the sweet perfumes of a thousand flowers, and l)irds of rare plumage and melodious songs STAIII.E. MKKO. enliven the scene. Tlie temperature, too, has a delight liil and invigor- ating tone, both healthful and hopeful. At Nikko is seen a shrine of the oldest religion in .Japan — older than her history, in fact. Beside this emblem of the Shinto faith was erected by the saint Shodo Shonin, in 716, a temple "t Uiiddiia. The later religion was introduced into tiie empire from China, but its priests were wise enough not to attempt to replace the primitive Shinto by it, being content to imite the two. The al)lest and most powerfid follower of Buddha was, no doubt, that great warrior, lyeyasu, who was deified by the emperor as " the great incarnation of Buddha, the Light of the East." Upon his death n74 THE FAR EAST. this noted man was buried at Kiinozan, in the southern country, and noble shrines were built to immortalise his memory. But in time it was felt that sufficient honour had not been done the mighty man, and it was decided to remove his remains to a more fittmg resting-place at Nikko. So in 1617, on the greatest day Nikko ever knew, his body was removed to her exalted protection, with such impressive ceremonies as only the rites of Buddha can afford. Japan has never seen such another burial; it majf never again see its like. The remains of the hero were borne up the Y.\SHAMON GATE, NIKKO. grand avenue lined by stately cryptomerias, to the mausoleum on the cedared mount, by the imperial envoy, made up of a long train of noble- men with two-sworded retainers, many gorgeously decked priests, and the living shogun. The most-sought approach to the temple-tombs of the illustrious dead is over the sacred bridge, which is a wooden structure lacquered a deep red, in vivid contrast to the sombre hue of the pines, and supported by stone piers. Gates are closed at either end, stopping all entrance, except when they are open once a year for the annual festival, and vast crowds pass over the sacred way. Leaving this bridge, the avenue lies under JAl'AX. ;37.j overhanging cr}'ptomerias, and is terraced with stones worn smooth by many footsteps. Midway in the ascent is a small belfry, looking like a huge mushroom under its big sloping roof, covered with bronze plates, and surmounted by the crest of lyeyasu. A bronze bell, rung by means of a big log of wood placed at an angle so that, upon being pulled back by a rope, it will strike the deep- toned instrument as it rebounds, sends forth its clear resonant notes so as to be heard a long distance. At the head of the terraced ascent stands a massive sj-mbol of Shintoism, a granite torii. This is twenty-seven feet and six inches in height, but looks dwarfed beside the handsome five-storied pagoda standing near by. The latter has a beautiful crest, its stories decreasing in size as they stand one above another. The eaves of the lower story are decorated by the painted carvings of the twelve Japanese signs of the zodiac : the rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, ser- pent, horse, goat, ape, cock, dog, and pig. Broad stone steps lead to the entrance, through the " Gate of the Two Kings," to the storehouses containing the precious relics of lyeyasu, and the numerous belongings of the temple. In the great courtyard, with its rows of stone lanterns, beside these two structures, with their large tiled roofs, is another and larger building, with painted carvings of elephants showing their hind legs turned the wrong way. These ornaments are the work of the famous left-handed artist, Hidari Jing(jro, and are considered marvels of artistic taste. This elegant court is lighted, on special occasion, by 118 magnificent lanterns placed on massive stone bases, the gifts of noblemen in honour of the sleeping god lyeyasu. Kept in a small stable near by is a snow-white pony sacred to the use of the god. This building is ornamented by the carvings of three monkeys, supposed to represent the unique trinity of San-goku no saru, the trio that neither see, hear, nor speak any evil. This fact is symbolised by the attitudes of the monkeys, one having his paws over his eyes, the second covering his mouth, and the third his ears. Wherever one goes in Japan he will see these images of blind, dumb, and deaf monkeys. In this .same court is a cistern fashioned out of solid rock, and holding holy water, which comes from a stream on the mountainside, known as the White Thread Cascade, as the water flows over the brink of the precipice in such a delicate layer of the silvery fluid as to look to be a part of the glistening stone. 376 THE FAR EAST. In the midst of his admiration of this scene the tourist hears the soft ting-a-ling of golden wind-bells under the eaves of the buildings, as they are gently swayed to and fro by the breeze. At the head of another flight of steps the visitor comes upon a second court, filled with wonder-works of Japanese skill, and gifts from other coimtries. Among these last are a bronze candelabrum, that belonged years ago to a king of Loochoo ; a huge candlestick sent from Holland, MONKEY CARVED STABLE, NIKKO. and a strange bell wliich was once the pride of a Corean king. These gifts came from those kingdoms when they were considered as vassals of Japan. Another flight of steps ascended, and the visitor pauses before the Yo Mei gate, its two stories decorated with remarkable carvings of the com- mon and the unusual in artistic work. Engraved in intricate tracings of marvelous cunning and grotesque invention are groups of happy children, wise-looking Chinese sages, heads of weird dragons, and beasts that live JAPAN. 377 only in the mythology of a picturesque people. On either .'^ide are clois- ters prodigal of theii- carvings of birds and flowers. As the ponderous gate swings ajar we are ushered into a courtyard con- taining several buildings, one of which was reserved in ancient times for the kagura, or sacred dance, which was performed by priestesses in wide- flowing silken trousers, an overdress of gauzy texture, and a wreath of artificial flowers, while they held in their hands tiny bells, that gave forth soft, bewitching music. They swirled and postured in absurd positions, TK.Ml-I.K AT SIKKO. making ridiculous passes with their fans before amused priests. Near the centre of the court is an enclosure holding the chapel, which contains tliat universal emblem of Shintoism, the golden gohei, attached to a long wand, and a Shinto mirror on a table lacquered a deep black. Save the decora- tions of l)ronze figures on the walls and ceilings, carvings and frescoes in gold and black lacquer, there are no ornaments hero. But the dinniess of the light, the coolness of the atmosphere, and the deep solemnity that per- vades the sacred precinct, with its impressive mementos of the days of old, linger long with the beholder. There is another way leading to this court, through an old gate bearing 378 THE FAR EAST. over its top the ancient carving of a sleeping cat, denoting the tireless sentry, and the work of the left-handed artist already mentioned. This path leads up 220 moss-grown steps to that spot of greatest sanctity, the tomb of Japan' s greatest ruler. In fact, all these preludes of courts, stone stairways, massive gates, and displays of decorations have been only the entrance to the mausoleum. Situated within an enclosure of lofty walls surmounted with a balustrade, and sheltered by stately old cryptomerias, the tomb itself is unadorned, and stands an impressive and fitting resting-place of the mighty shogun. It is constructed of huge blocks of stone, crested with an urn of gold, silver, and copper-bronze raised in the form of a pagoda. A vase of bronze filled with lotus flowers and leaves in brass, a bronze tortoise supporting a stork, an ornament typifying the length of the days, and an incense burner of the same metal, all stand on a table of stone in front of the tomb. Situated on this noble height imder the deathless shade of the pines, and behind the picturesque temples reared in his honour, the great monarch sleeps amid surroundings in keeping with his illustrious record. Truly, in no other land is fame more lasting, or honour more highl}' esteemed. Scarcely inferior to this sublime mausoleum is the monument raised to the memory of his grandson, lyemitsu. This is reached by an avenue turning from the approach to the other. In this direction, courtyards and flights of stone steps, gold and bronze images, grotesrpie carvings, temples to the Shinto faith, the tomb of Yoritomo, the shrewd, ambitious, and un- scrupulous founder of the shogunate, niches filled with figures of m;ytho- logical gods and goddesses, among which ^ve note those ridiculous monsters with prodigious display of teeth that are sujiposed to rule the wind and thunder, gates that show both art and skill in the building, an oratory as impressive as that of lyeyasu, and with more of ornamentation ; all this, and many other beauties, which to describe would call into use every synonomous adjective in the English language belonging to the class mag- nificent, until we stand in our bare feet and with bowed head in the tomb of this noted man. The two temples and their environments have interests that are different, as the first has, in comparatively late years, been shorn of its profuse adornments and rededicated to the Shinto gods, whose surroundings are A Buddhist Temple JAPAN. always of the simplest kind ; while the latter remains in Buddhist hands, and retains the ornate glory of this religion. Its storehouses are filled with works of art and rare paintings, which no pen can adequately describe. The beauty, grandeur, and sublimity of these famous shrines of Nikko must be seen to be appreciated. Art and Nature seem to have joined hands in outdoing themselves. India, famous for her sacred shrines, has nothing to com- pare with the m . Even w hen the Taj Mahal, that " temple-tomb of Asia," has Vjeen placed in compari- son with these seen at Nikko, the be- holder finds all the awe and wonder of the other, placed amid its soleiuu sliadows, revivified with intensified in- terest, until he feels that it was here, in the mountains of the north, art began and temples had their origin. Leaving these splendid sepulchres of the founder of the Tokugawa dynasty, and his quite as illustrious grandson, in the midst of stately mountains, clothed in ancient forests, and invested in storied mysteries of the ages, we soon reach that fla,shing stream Daiya gawa, plunging headlong down the pre- cipitous descent in a frantic race to gain ihc. lowlands, where it is spanned by the Mi Ilasi, or sacred liridge, built in 1G38 A. D., at a spot where leg- end says was made the first pilgrimage to the mountains of the .'iaiiit Shodo Shonin. A lesser temple is raised by the wayside, dedicated to the SACKED I'liM AT MKho. 380 THE FAR EAST. goddess of rice, Inari, and bearing the figure of the fox, which is the per- sonification of this deity. Nikko puts on her best livery at the festival of lyeyasu, and the shrines to this hero are then seen to the best advantage. But the tourist has not seen it all untU he has been present at one of the annual pilgrimages to the mountain shrines. The day is perfect. Nikko has more perfect days, it would seem, than any other spot in Japan. The grand avenue is provided with refreshments KANAYA HOTEL AT NIKKO. for the coming multitude, and a pine, consecrated to propitiate the evil spirits, is dragged furiously up the terraced path. Eager, excited people rusli after it, plucking branch after branch from the tree as charms against evils, until it is bare of leaf and branch. During this performance a con- tinual outcry of voices from a hundred throats rings up and down the val- ley erstwhile so heavy with the silence. Then the broad gate of the sacred Red Bridge is flung open, and the anxious, travel-worn pilgrims move solemnly forward on their march to the holy temples. Sanctimonious priests in robes of gold brocade or silk chasubles and white cassocks, and mounted on ponies selected with religious veneration for this pious occa- JAPAN. liSl sion, are followed by their train of devoted parishioners, clothed in bright yellow gowns, and holding on long poles over their heads huge fans. Behind these marches a long train of warriors, made conspicuous by their ancient trappings and arms of olden styles. Next in this strange proces- sion walk, in double file, men and boys, with masks over their faces and all wearing quaint costumes of other days donned for this especial scene. The last squad wave banners or temple flags of queer device over their heads, or carry live birds or monkej's. In the rear, attired in skins of wild beasts, and to make the imitation more startling, men creep upon their nands and knees, following two and two abreast. Besides these singular bodies of people, at intervals along the marching column zealous adherents of the faith draw sacred cars on wooden wheels, with temple-shaped roofs and bodies of dark lacquer, valances of rare needlework, and rich draperies of red and yellow silk. The entire scene is enlivened, if not rendered more enjoyable, by all sorts of instruments, musical and otherwise, sending forth their medley of sounds. The procession is at least a mile in length, while the avenue is fairly deluged by a flood of spectators who have come from all parts of the country — some hundreds of miles — to witness this famous festival. One day is deemed sufficient for the religious celebration, in which there is an amazing mixture of the profane and divine influences. At eventide the whole affair is closed with an extensive illumination of the temples and surroundings for a long distance. Lights from gay-coloured paper lanterns, swaying from every building and gateway, from the trees, the pagoda, the tomb, dazzle the beholders of the night scene. Lanterns of bronze and stone lend their sparkling blazes from courts and avenues, while smaller lanterns of paper, carried by the surging nuiltitude, look like so many fireflies dodging liither and thither. The wind-bells, swayed gently by the mellow evening air, send forth tlieir trenndous notes with sweet cadence, while the deeper tones of the bronze bell float away in tlio far, misty distance. The crowd finally, witli backward glances, moves leisurely down the avenue wlience it had ascended in the earlier hours, until the silence and loneliness of yesterday fall upon the scene. But the mixed train of prayerful priests and pious pilgrims, of devout people and curious sightseers, moving sublinudy along the nol)le avenue consecrated to the gods of two reliLnons. has nomo and gone ami ntiirni'd 382 THE FAR EAST. again with autumnal regularity for over a thousand years, and who would gaze upon its like again has only to come to Nikko at its next annual matsuri. He may not see the same individuals making up the singular array of marching columns, neither will the forests have on the same vestments as before ; but the solemn mien of the pine, and brilliant colour- ing of the maple still remain unchanged, while the same picturesque pageantry of worshippers will pass before the eye. It may be that JajDan, in its new light of progress, has little use for these relics of romantic paganism, but she will hold upon them 'Avith ancestral veneration for many years to come. CHAPTER IX. NATIVES OF THE GREEX WOODS. NIKKO'S attractions do not end with the temples described, by any means. There are other shrines as full of historic interest if not of religious importance, and one never tires of visiting these holy retreats embodying so happily the combined fascinations of art and nature and religion, romantic valleys and sparkling cascades, hillsides clothed in their variegated coats of bright and dark foliage, with vistas of plains in the distance. Near the hotel, and amid surroundings that have been used at some time as the burial-grounds of an older generation, stands the temple of Jokoji. A stone image of Koyasu-Jizo, the god of children, is found at this place. To this, come the motliers, with offerings and prayers for his conciliation and influence to cure their children of their ills, or if well, to guard them from misfortune. This idol is nearly six feet in height, and continually decked with red and white linen, that anxious mothers have placed upon it for the effect it is believed to have upon their loved ones. As we explore these sacred precincts about Nikko we are continually meeting with some god or goddess consecrated to some worldly object, and the central figure of some temple or shrine. No sjxjt is so isolated or in- accessible that it does not have such an attraction. A hideous idol may stand watch in a snake garden ; a goddess of light may throw her imagi- nary influence for good over some temple, or the god of darkness crouch behind a more dreaded shrine. A memento of Shintoism, or reminder of the rites of Buddha, may be seen ; every sacred object having its devotees, and the roads leading to them lined at all times with pious pilgrims wend- ing their way hither. These solemn scenes are made brighter by occasional vistas of one of the landscape-gardens which seem a part of Japan. On the west of the village, nestling amid the hills, is a corner cut from paradise, and dropped here by a generous Giver. It is famous for contain- ing htnidreds of images sacred to the memory of that powerful deity that 384 THE FAR EAST. once dwelt here, Amida. These time-worn, moss-grown figures, cut roughly from blocks of stone, are jilaced in a long row beside the pathway leading into the sacred vale, A legend the devout Buddhist believes to this day says that these images cannot be counted twice alike, except under the divine incantation of a faithful priest. Its rocky bed lying be- tween two massive walls of mighty rocks, the river of the gods sweeps wildly and triumphantly through the narrow valley. Among the other places sought by tourist and pilgrim, are Rainbow A BUDDHIST SHUINK. Falls, where all the hues of heaven and earth blend in a harmonious colour- ing of water and mist ; and Pillow Cascade, a charming little stream that takes an unexpected leap of sixty feet over the brink of a rocky wall, carpeted with soft moss and covered with ferns, to quickly recover its equilibrium at the base and hie away singing as merrily as ever. Wild azaleas lend their beauty to the scene, pine and bamboo their dignity and solemnity, while the song of birds from the maples awakens the solitude. With a climate similar to that of New England, it is natural we should look for about the same denizens of the green woods. The result is not a JAPAN. 38.-) disappointment. Roaming to-day tiie wilds of Japan are tlie deer, fox, badgei, weasel, and smaller animals of the last type. In tlie north is to be found the bear, while the wild l)oar and the monkey live in the moun- tain ranges of the central and southern provinces. In this group of natives of the woods the fox is ranked at the head by the human family, and he enjoys a sort of charmed life among the agricul- tural people, as the superstitious farm- ers believe he is the reincarnation of that sacred deity of the pastoral pur- suits, Inari. The veneration shown this god is ex- pressed on many a hillside by a ver- milion -coloured shrine, where the farming class are wont to congregate to render homage to their patron di- vinity. In this manner the fox has not only come to be looked upon witli respect, if not fear, but he figures in nearly all ui the fairy tales of Japanese folk-lore. He is often associated with the bad- ger, which is considered an luioanny creature, and is avoided as much as possible by all except tho.se who hunt him for the jmrpo.se of killing him. Deer of a small species are found plentifully, and, in the vicinity of the consecrated grounds of the a>gis of the Hiiddhist religion, he roams at will, unfearing and unharmed, amid the temples or along the village streets. VIKW OK MAT,- 386 THE FAR EAST. But away from the special protection of these sacred places, in the fastness of mountain and valley, he is hunted as in other countries, while his meat is esteemed as a delicacy. The bear, among the Ainos of the north, and the wild boar in the Pyre- nees of the south, are alike hunted and considered ugly customers when brought to bay, as many a battle-scarred hunter will attest. The flesh of either is not looked upon with favour. In fact, the meat of the hog has been considered, until within twenty years, with more than Jewish hatred, as unclean. Of late, however, it has become a part of the national diet, along with beef. Of the domesticated animals, the horse ranks easily at the head, though he is of a small breed and has never been put to severe work. There are the ox, cow, pig, dog, and cat, the sheep being conspicuous by its absence. The last do not thrive anywhere in Japan, the rugged kaya grass and the stout bamboo, upon which they will persist in feeding, proving poison to them. The native horse, if small, is hardy and fleet of foot, and capable of great powers of endurance. Horses are inclined, however, to be vicious, and are not trained to work except as racers and jumpers. Oxen and cows are employed in agricultural pursuits in most parts of the islands, but milk is not generally considered as an article of food. Goats, in some localities, are quite common, while there are two species of dogs which do not belong to any kind that we have, though as a lap- dog one of them has become quite common here. The other is called the inu, and more nearly resembles the wolf than any animal we know. It is quite easily domesticated. Cats are without number, — and also without tails, except in a few cases, when they are of great length. Rats are numerous, and looked upon with something of favour. The rat is one of the Japanese signs of the zodiac. Japanese art has led us to expect much of her bird life, and naturally we look first for the stork, so familiar to us all, through the artist and the decorator, as the king of the feathered tribe. In many respects we are disappointed. The stork, tsuru (Grus leiicau chen), attains a height of nearly six feet when erect, and approaches the size of the ostrich. It has a white, glistening body, with ebony wings and tail-feathers, and head conspicuously marked with a spot of crimson. Appropriately seeking the black, sinuous pines that overhang the old castle walls, and shores of the JAPAN. 387 reedy ponds in the ancient parks, circling around the gnarled arms of the dark evergreeen, or jjosing in graceful and stately manner amid the grottoes and lakelets of these olden pleasure-grounds, if he does not meet the expectations of the foreigner, he richly deserves the admiration the Eastern artist so loves to picture. A companion to the stork, in size if not in public favour, is ihogo-i-scKji, or heron of " noble rank." Then there is the snowv heron of the rice- TAMF. DKF.H, NAKA. fields, more numerous than desirable. There are several otiier varieties of this kind of bird, but of lesser importance. Another of the feathered creatures that stands high in popular opinion is the mandarin duck, also common in China. These ducks have a mag- nificent plumage of a rich colouring, and, shyly seeking the secluded waters of some isolated lakelet or stream, are worthy of the unstinted praise be- stowed upon them. This love is strengthened by the belief that when one of a pair dies, the other remains without a mate the rest of its life, a striking example of conjugal fidelity. A bird of most beautiful plumage and gurgeous tints is that native of 388 THE FAK EAST. Japan, the copper pheasant, very often found in the southern and central islands. Teal, mallards, widgeon, woodcock, snipe, and quail, are all to be found abundantly in the marshes and unfrequented bodies of water. A Japanese sjiring would not be spring without its swallow, which comes and goes here as it does elsewhere in the world, never failing to make its flight to and fro as unvaryingly as the seasons. But here it builds its mud house inside the roof instead of under the eaves, as it does in New A PUBLIC PLEASURE RESORT, KANAZAWA. England. That dusky representative of every zone, the raven, is seen in this clime, the same bold, saucy, cunning mischief-maker. Among the sweet singers of the Land of the Sunrise is the skylark, whose notes in Japanese are just as melodious as in English. Here are also the cuckoo, which for some reason has fallen into ill-repute, linnets and finches, starlings, sparrows and sparrow-hawks, and owls with no more of cheerfulness in a Japanese wood than in a New England swamp. The denizens of the farmyard are the same as in New England, and JAPAN. 389 among the fowls bred for eggs and table are the Black Spanish, Plymouth Rocks, Dorkings, Cochin Chinas, the common duck and goose, with the turkey, or " bird of seven faces," as they call the last. From early times fislung has been a common pursuit, and Japan is extremely fortunate in the nundier and variety of her finny tribe. Every kind of fish known in America, and many that are strangers with us, appear in the menus of Japan. The highest bidder for public favour is that bright pink roach of immense size, called the tai, which is ever to be found at a well-devised banquet, either baked, boiled, or roasted, unless it is preferred raw. Fish is often served without being cooked. It is the rule, rather tlian the exception, to take fish to the market alive. This is done by carrying them in shallow buckets, fitted with lids, and venders of fish go from house to house with their stock still alive. It must not be supposed that this practice is confined to tlie thickly settled districts, for far back in the mountains these fish-i:)eddlers are to be seen going about from hamlet to handet. As has already been said, fish is generally eaten, while beef and pork are only sparingly partaken of. Naturally those fish which are tlie most rare bring the highest price in the markets. Besides these creatures of mortal life that people the green woods now, the forests were formerly, according to legend and traditiijn, the home of many strange races of beings, that still live in the w(jnder tales of Japan. Our little wiry-framed guide, wliose tongue, like his limbs, never seems to tire, is pleased to tell us one of these. Many years ago, while these woods were yet young and the mosses of mountains had not given them their ])atriarchal ajipearance, elves lived in these forests, and held sway over otlii-r forms of life. They had bodies like men, but having been hatched from the eggs of the hawk, had heads like that bird, and two powerful claws on their hairy hands and feet. In early life they had wings and feathers over their bodies, but these fell away as they grew older, until they donned the garli of men, and stalked ationt witli all the majesty of kings, declaring tli.it tlicy were lords of the forest. Tims when a person becomes vain .nnl frivolous it is said of him, "lie has become a TvaUju" which was the name given tliis elfish race of tlie nioinitains by the sons of men. The chief of the strange creatures living in fiie fastnesses of 03'ama, half man and half elf. was the Dai-TenLMi. wlio was prouder* and more 390 THE FAR EAST. vainglorious than any of his followers. He had a long gray beard and moustaches, and he seldom spoke, but continually waved a fan of seven gay feathers, and looked very wise whenever he was addressed. Over his left shoulder he carried in a sling a formidable axe, and this, with his fierce, sombre looks, gave him the reputation of being extremely cruel. These Tengus were fond of passing away their time, which must some days have hung heavily on their hands, in wild, fanciful games, such as leapfrog over steep precipices, fencing with their long, pointed noses, or by A COBBLER. balancing themselves on the tops of high trees and in building bridges in mid-air by locking their noses together, to make their children walk over the narrow way, or spring from one span to another. Once it so happened that the son of a great warrior at the court in Kyoto, named Sakato, fell into the power and teachings of these wild denizens of the green woods of Mount Oyama. His father liad fought the good fight for his chief, and, being defeated, was obliged to flee to the fastness of the forest with his dearly beloved wife. He soon died of a broken heart, but she lived to give birth to a son, whom she named Kintaro, the Golden Boy, because he had such Ijright hair. Though she mm^a^^^Mr JAPAN. 391 was grieved to tiiink of the loss of her noble husband, and her pleasant home that she had been obliged to desert, the mother grew to be happy in the company of her sturdy little boy. The wild beasts of the forest were her enemies, which she feared much at first ; but as Kintaro lay on his bed of ferns he made friends of the birds, while they gathered in the tree-tops and sang him to sleep day after day. Their presence telling the wild animals that no human being 'lEA-IIOlsK Woman in jimukimi a. could be around tlie i)Iace, they served as guardians as well as soothing him to rest. So his mother did not fear to leave him alone with the birds for hours at a time, while she picked berries or obtained vegetables for food. In this way Kintaro grew and played in the companionship of tlie birds. By and by, as he became larger, these, having comnuinication with the other creatures of the forest, one day invited a bear and a sUig to see him. These were so pleased with tlie little felluw that tliey began to come regularly to see him, and Kintaro soon learned to spring un the 392 THE FAR EAST. back of the stag, that would carry him about in the woods. At first his mother was frightened at this, but as some of the birds promised to watch over him, she became reconciled to his trips, which grew longer and longer. On one of these journeys through the wildwood, up and down mountain- sides, and over dizzy heights, the stag came to a leafy spot in the forest, where rippling water made sweet music the day long, and succulent grass tempted the strange steed to stop and get his dinner. Kintaro soon saw with amazement the most elfish creatures he had ever known, for he had been brought to the home of the Tengus. They were playing at rolling small stones across a bridge made by putting their noses together, but instantly stopped at sight of the newcomer. Quickly encircling the Golden Boy, they began to sing a musical song, which expressed pleasure at seeing him. Fortunately for Kintaro, he had been taught by the birds never to be deceitful, and his mother had always made him acknowledge great love for all the creatures of the forest. The stag told this to the Tengus, and they received him with luiboinided delight. The oldest and wisest of them, who never went around without a book in his hand, began to teach the boy all that he knew of birds, beasts, nature, and humanity. He taught him the languages of all the denizens of the woods, until Kintaro could talk with them all, holding conversation with everything that flew in the air, walked on the earth, or swam in the water. When he had tired of his lessons, the stag took Kintaro home, and his mother was told of the many wonderful things he had seen and learned. From that day he was known as the Prince of the Forest. After that Kintaro looked more anxiously than ever for the coming of the stag, and winding his arms around the noble creature's neck, he would be borne swiftly away to the court of the elves in the distant green woods. Here, as he grew wiser from the teachings of the Tengus, the young prince delighted to hold court with the innumerable inhabitants of the for- est. At the call of the Tengu chief, every living creature, would quickly appear : the fox, the badger, wolf and bear, the deer and dog, the marten, squirrel, and many others too numerous to name. Nor were the birds, whether great or small, missing. The hawk and the eagle, leaving their lofty perches, the crane and heron, sweeping from over the plain, the .lAl'AX. 393 stork and wild duck, from the ancient grove of black pinos; in fact, all of the feathered friends alighted on the cedar branches to listen to the tales of the youthful prince they loved so well. But the sun does not always shine, and there came a day when Kintaro found none to attend his court under the cedars. "While at play with some of the Tengus he had got imi)atient at their inattention to the game, when he spoke angrily to them. They were the lirst angry words he had ever sptjken, — except possiljly to his mother, and a mother forgives easily, — and the little Tengiis flt;w u]t to their nests in the lofty pines. Angered still more at this, Kintaro shook the trees, and lie proved so strong that the nests of the Tengus were shaken from their supports and fell \o the ground. This so incensed the mothers of the injured elves that they banisiied the prince from their courtyard, and he was forced to start home on foot, with a feeling of sadness at his heart he had never known before, lie had not gone far before he was reminded of his fallen estate liy the attack of a bear, wliicli threatened to kill him. 15nt tiie little prince of the forest 394 THE FAR EAST. was plucky, and he wrestled with the big bear until he was nearly tired out. He was thinking what nis mother would do, in case he never returned home, when a good and brave man came along. He quickly killed the bear, and took Kintaro in his arms, all bleeding and torn as he was. Kintaro soon told the stranger who he was, and how his father had fought in a lost cause and been exiled to the woods, to die there. There- upon the man wept, and held him closer than before in his arms, saying that he had been a soldier with his father, that at last the tide of battle I WASHING. had turned in their fa^^our, and that Sakato and his wife were free to return to their home. With what joy, tinged with sadness over his father's fate, Kintaro led the messenger to his mother may be imagined. She listened to the story with gladness for the sake of her son, and preparations were begun for the journey home. In the midst of this, the Tengus, who had repented of their hasty condemnation of the boy that they loved so well, came and begged of him not to leave them, but to be their prince always. Their pleadings did not avail, and finding that he was really going away, the Tengus summoned all the creatures of the forest to be present at his JAPAN. • 395 departure. So many tears were shed on that occasion that a stream nm to the sea, and unlike other rivers that dry their founts in summer-time, this never becomes dry. And the story-teller stops here, except to add that Kintaro became a great warrior, wlio ever remembered and kept the precepts taught him by the elves of Oyama while he reigned as Prince of the Forest. (;H AFTER X. LAKES OF THE HIGHLANDS. FEW siglitseers visit Nikko without making an excursion fartlier up the mountains to those lakes of the highlands, Cliuzenji and Yumoto. This trip is made best in one of those basket-chairs called Icago, which is borne on the shoulders of two or four carriers, according to the condition of the route and size of the occupant. Even this is not a comfortable way of riding, on account of the cramped position the occu- pant has to maintain, but where the roads are steep and rough it is better than the jinrikisha. If the tourist is strong of limb and not afraid of exercising his powers of locomotion, he will be inclined to walk, but this mode of travelling, it must be confessed, is not in good favour in Japan. However, we are free to confess that, used to mountain climbing and feats of pedestrianism, we let tongues say what they might, and " took to our heels." This is nature's way, and one cannot improve upon it if he wishes to reap his full reward for his time spent in the rural districts of any country. We may add, however, without fear of contradiction, that the visitors to this region, no matter how they make the trip, are never disappointed by the grandeur and magnificence of the scenery unfolded to the gaze. Some of the party go on horseback as far as the hamlet of Uma-gae-shi, which means " horse-send -back," as this is as far as these sure-footed equines can go. From this point, those of the men who can, climb the precipitous pathway on foot, while the others and the women are carried in the yama-kacjo, or mountain-chair. The ascent is slow, imtil, at last, effort is rewarded by the grand sight of the lake of the mountains in its peerless setting of rock and forest. We are now 4,-375 feet above sea level, and surrounded by cloud-capped mountains, clothed in light .shades of the hard woods at their base and the darker tints of the pine above. Lake Chuzenji is a popular summer resort, and its shores are dotted with the tea-houses occupied during the .I.M'AX. noi warm period of the ^-ear and deserted through tlio winter. A gi'ove of pines, festooned with trailing mosses, stands out Ijoldly on one of tlie distant points of land, while from this rises the sheer, majestic form of Xantai-zan, the sacred mountain. This is over eight thou.sand feet in height, and on its .summit the wind god is supposed to have his dwelling. This brings hither each season a great niunber of pilgrims with mo other errand than to propitiate Avith appropriate tributes this fickle deit}', that l[K:STIN'(i KAlin. lie may remain in good liuminir until the autunni harvests have been safely stored. On the siih^s, broken ranges of hills, covered with den.se growths of forest, fringe the crNstal waters with a border of dark hue. Crossing the lake in a boat, catching many a glimpse of the linny in- habitants of the waters as we pass along, we are soon wending our way under an archway oi gra})e-vines, .*iyringa, azaleas, and r.iniv bambno grass, overtoppeil with ehns, chestnuts, and maples* until wr liually lialt^ at Ryuzu-ga taUi, or Dragon's Head Ca.scade, where dancing waters make 398 THE FAR EAST. merry the livelong day in the midst of their lonely surroundings. Leav- ing this spot with an affectionate backward glance, we plunge into the deeper woods. The flowers and the vines grow scarcer and more puny, we outstrip the maple with regret, while the forest grows denser and darker. Up, up, up, we continue to climb, higher and higher, until even the hardy oak no longer greets us, and we advance under gnarled and haggard pines, that make noonday dark with their shadows. We are wondering if we had not better turn back, when, without any warning, we suddenly find ourselves looking down upon a scene which, for the deep silence and solemnity that hangs over it, fairly takes away our breath. There are still lofty peaks hanging over us with their grim, awe- inspiring fronts, but it is not that which makes the situation so im- pressive and sublime. We experience that sensation which accompanies every spot which seems to lack room. The bright body of water at our feet, made dark by its surroundings, seems compressed into half the space it needs ; but we soon get used to this, and look to our guide for explana- tion. He tells us this is the upper of the highland lakes, famous Yumoto, of which we have been hearing ever since we landed at Yokohama. It has become thus noted as a resort for victims of rheumatism, who fancy they can find here a balm for their suiierings in the numerous sulphur springs in this vicinity. A hamlet of inns and tea-houses finds scanty standing- room on the rim of the lake. At this place are foiind the two extremes of temperature, — the excessive heat of summer and the extreme cold of win- ter. Very beautiful Yumoto looks under the benign influences of sum- mer, and here gay life makes one forget his aches and pains if its warm fountains do not. In the pulilic places of Japan the promiscuous bathing of the sexes is generally forbidden, but here the force of the law is lost, and the old-time custom prevails. But Yumoto's reign each year is brief. A short season of health-seeking and pleasure-finding, and at the warning of the frost a coarse matting is thrown over the dwellings, the people hie away to their respective homes, while Yumoto is left to languish during the long winter in its crystal i^rison, covered with ten feet of snow. The return to Nikko is made over the site of one of the famous battle- grounds of ancient dliys, and we reach the city of temples glad we made this trip to the mountains, — thrice glad it is done. We came to Nikko JAPAN. 399 from Utsu-no-miya behind a wheezy iron horse at the rate of from twelve to fifteen miles an hour. But in doing that we missed hirgely the beauties of the sacred avenue, so we decide to hire a jinrikisha to get back, and the result is most satisfactory. Performing this stage of our journey, we go by rail to OAama, and thence take a westerly course through the great ■wilderness of mountains and valleys which makes this region " the Switz- erland of Japan." Here we find the people living nearer to nature and nature's god. where there is less of foreign and more of the aburiginal inlluence. The plains along this road, as far as the foothills of A.sauiais, are producers of two great staples, rice and mulberry. Ijjirge factories, where silk is Mi)un from cocoons, are to be seen. The food for the silk- worms is obtained by planting a stem from the parent nuilberry-tree. and when this has grown to full leafage, the leaves are plucked or else the whole branch is placed in a basket where the wonna can feed tipon them. Rice is cut by the sickle, as grain was harvested in this country l)efore 400 THE FAR EAST. the invention of the reaping-machine. A labourer follows the reaper to gather the straw. The grain is separated from its stalk l:)y means of a steel blade with a row of teeth along the upper edge. A bunch of straw is held in one hand, while the other pulls the heads over this saw-like instru- ment, and the rice falls on a cloth spread to catch it. The hulling process is even slower and more primitive. The rice, after being put in its basin ■ ''^^^^^^^^^KjE A: ' ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^S*^ ^^^gr^Sj*jg££j^^- ' 1 li^ 'll 1 'Mi — >MWwllllll 1 I ^^^m^ of stone, is beaten from its covering liy the weight of a lever falling into the receptacle. The houses along this route are made of wood, except an occasional stone dwelling, and the roofs are shingled, tiled, or thatched. Outside the large cities the means for keeping warm during the cold periods are primi- tive in the extreme. The princii)al resort is for the sufferer to put on more clothes. The only artificial way of affording heat is the /lihashi. the charcoal brazier, a wooden liox filled with ashes, on the top of which is placed a layer of red-hot charcoal. Around this, muffled in their extra clothing, the family huddle and shiver, for the Japanese are very suscepti- ble to the low temperature. Houses are lighted in the mountain districts by a wick floating in a cn]:i of cocoanut-oil, ))laced in a paper lantern, or JAPAN. 401 by a candle of vegetable wax, stuck in a candlestick of grotesque pat- tern. In the amphitheatre of the northern mountains the toufist suddenly and unexpectedly comes upon a tea-growing province, where he had least expected to tind it. But the plant raised here is not considered of a very good quality, and it is cured in the simplest manner possible by being dried in the sun. It is not offered for the foreign -narket, but finds a ready demand from home consumers. It goes without saying that Japan is greatly interested in tea-growing, and great attention is given that crop, botii in raising and curing, thougli only a small percentage is sent abroad. The soil best adapted to the crop is that composed of disintegrated granite, which quickly partakes of moisture and is easily drained. Green tea with- out milk or sweetening is the universal beverage, and the stranger accepts this the more willingly as the water of Japan, before it is boiled, is less tit to drink than that of almost any other country. Tliis route of travel crosses the backbone of Japan, where two engines are required to draw the coaches up an incline of one foot to each fifteen feet of progress from Yokogawa to Karuisawa through Usui Pass. In a short distance twenty-five tunnels are threaded, having an entire length of about three miles. These tuimels are built of stone or brick. At the summit, four thousjind feet above the sea, is to be found a typical Japanese inn, where the traveller stopping for a brief rest is invariably offered a small tray, called bon, containing a teapot, teacups, a caddy of hot water, and a small charcoal fire with which to light the pipe or cigarette. A charge of ten sen is made. A tea-house contains one large room, which can be divided into ."everal smaller ones by simply drawing .•iliding screens. The.se apartments are wholly unfurnished during the day. At nightfall the bed is made In' first sprinkling a generous amount of flea powder over tlie straw mat laid on the smooth floor. A mattress about four inches tliick is then laid down. Dvi-r this spotless sheets are spread, and over them down quilts, the inunber gauged by the temperature of the weatlier. A mosquito netting is tlicn Imng over the couch, and a paper hiiiti-ni, with a dim light burning frmii ;i wick floating in oil, placed near the head. To this is added, for the women, a wooden head-rest, .*!o they will not disarrange their hair. This is a typicjil Jai>anese bed. without a single article of furniture in the apartment, and separated from that 402 THE FAR EAST. adjoining bj a screen wall, which is moved back against the outer wall of the building when the sleeper arises in the morning. A large tub is convenient, where all of both sexes bathe promiscuously without any feeling of shame. The Japanese live more by washing than eating ; they are a cleanly people, but, as a race, subject to skin diseases. This may be due to exposure, and again disease may be spread by con- tagion, from their habit of public washing. A Japanese, upon reaching an inn where he intends to stop any length of time, doffs his heavy clothing, and puts on a light kuiiono girthed about with a silken sash. This habit not only makes him comfortable, but puts him into good harmony with his Burroundings. 1 * FfJIVAMA. CHAPTER XI. IX Tin; wiLus. MANY stop over night ut tliis lofty station to witness the glory of tin- .sunrise. The reward is ample for lo.ss of time or any incon- venience the delay may have caused, for nowhere in the Land of Sunrise is the day ushered in with greater beauty or magnificence. The surroundings are such as one might pitture for the stepping-stones of the awakening god. as he climhs from his couch in the deep to the rosy lieights of morning. In the midst of the.se colossal benches re.sts that mighty moun- tain boat, Jini-finic-sa/i,^ i\!i if driven in from the distant sea, and stranded on the splintered jjeaks scattered around the lofty monarch, A.sama-yama. This grim sentinel towers nearly nine thousand feet above the ocean, the blue and purple tints that touch the u])per jKirt relieved lower down by the delicate shades of green running from the pine to the maple. Not least among the group of royal giants stands grand old Ikao, while still nearer to us, with its castles of cliffs and jiointed spire, ri.se in bold relief •XiiiiiiMl "Hock-boat Mountain" from tlio Kliapf nf lU pt-iik : Iwa, rock; fune, bout; sun. uiounUiin. 403 404 THE FAR EAST. the castellated ramparts and huge arches of Miyogi-san, or Rocky Moun- tain. In the two lights of the dawning day the silver tower of peerless Fujiyama is pillared in the southern sky. On the west rolls the Sea of Japan, while in the glorified east the broad Pacific lies with unruffled bosom. The clouds that all night have hung ovir the mountains roll slowly away, as the starlight takes on the peculiar transparency' of early morn- ing. Then the mists settle swiftly down over peak and pine-fronded hill, until their soft profiles are but dimly seen. Afar in the east a faint streak of crimson tinges the horizon. The transition that follows is as rapid as it is delicate and glorious. But the pen cannot reveal the sweet incense of the highland breeze and the fragrance of the flowers, for that requires a sense over which the mind is no mediator ; the brush cannot picture the glory of the summer dawn, flecking here and there with gold and pink the green carpet Nature has spread on the landscape, because the eye has no language to impart its treasures ; the imagination cannot bestow the softness of the songs that stir the heavenly air, as fancy has no gift to feel as others feel, and hear as o'^hers hear. But look ! the peerless mountain suddenly stands before us more re- splendent in her dazzling morning robes than at midday. Fleecy clouds fall away from her matchless form, as if the goddess had begun to dis- robe ; the gauze-like veil that has concealed her marble white coimte- nance drops from the snowy forehead, that she may catch the first flash of the golden eye of the east. With jealous haste the hills of the north then tear aside with their long pine arms the mist curtains enveloping them, when their daring profiles stand boldly out against a sapphire back- ground. These detached draperies of more than silken delicacy hang for awdiile tremulous in the airy space, rising and falling with gentle imdu- lations on the soft breath of morning ; now they break apart, and now they cling together ; now they are torn into a thousand shreds, to swim away on the current of air, growing dimmer and dimmer as they float into the distance, or sink slowly, lightly, into the dark valleys, unnum- bered veils of finest gauze wafted whither the wind listeth. A fresh flaw of wind comes rushing up one of the rents In the mountains, the last delicate filaments are torn ruthlessly aside, and the smile of the risen sun illuminates the earth. .lAl'AN. 405 Leaving this station in the mountain pass, the raih'oad winds down the western descent thronjrh what is considered the very heart of picturesque Japan. Deep gullies now yawn constantly on the one hand, while on the other cloud-capped peaks look grimly elt. tin- hrown of the lava tops, and the .shadows of the furrowed valleys. There is no hamlet, however small, in .Ja))an that does not have at least one shrine and a temple. It is e(jualiy true that i-vcry Japanese home contains the gods of Shinto and IJuddha, the first to protect the family in their bodily wants, and the other as a guardian over their spirits when death shall come. The .shrine of the first is easily distinguished from the temi)le of the other by its torii, always placed before it. 406 THE FAK EAST. At Zenkoji is the celebrated temple of Ainicla, dedicated to the sacred three, Amida, Kwannon, and Daiseislii, whose images are all enshrined here. This group is claimed to have been made by the renowned saint, Shaka Muni, from gold that he obtained from Mount Sliuni, the centre of the universe. It is entwined with a tale of wonderful adventures in China and Corea before it was brought to Japan in 552 a. d., as a pledge of friendship fi'om the king of the last country to the Emperor of Japan upon the entrance of the religion of Buddha into this country. It was received with a storm of indignation from the followers of Shinto, and was subjected to all kinds of treatment. But legend says it was in vain that its enemies threw it into the sea, attempted to hew it into pieces, or tried to burn it. It came out of every attack unharmed, until in 602 A. D. it found a peaceful resting-place at Zenkoji. The present temple was erected about two hundred years ago, and is a two-storied structure, 198 feet in length and 108 in width, with a heavy gable roof supported by 136 stone pillars. This roof is claimed to have 69,384 rafters, a number exactly equal to the written characters of the Chinese version of the scripture of Buddha. One thousand and six hun- dred square feet, covered by eighty-eight mats, comprises the kneeling- room for the worshippers praying to the different gods arranged about at every available spot and niche. This ancient temple is rendered more unique and picturesque by the practice of painting upon the shingles the name of each person aiding in the support of the temple. These shingles are fifteen inches long and four wide. Night-watchmen are common throughout Japan, and in the small towns and villages they carry, as in olden times, two sticks made of hard wood called hioshigi, or "tune-blocks." All through the night, at regular intervals, the sharp click of these instruments striking together is heard. The hov;rs are designated by the number of strokes of the sticks, five o'clock being given by five strokes, and the half hour by one click. The roads of Japan are kept in excellent condition, which is more easily done from their hard, smooth bed or bottom. At the wayside farms, that noisy but cheerful occupation of threshing grain is going on as w^e pass along in our jinrikisha, the work being done by both men and women. The well-dried straw has been laid on mats outside the barn, and the ker- nels are pounded out by clumsy-looking flails, which are handled witli a JAPAN. 407 dexterity quite surprising. Another way of getting out the grain is to place the stalks on frames of bamboo and beat them with clubs. In tlie pro%'ince of Echiuo,. on the northwest district of Hondo, the settlements are mostly small villages, and but few houses have thatched roofs. The majority are covered with shingles, which are held in place by cobblestones, as the winds of the winter season are very violent in this section. The women of this province are larger and more nuiscular than in some of the southern districts, which may be due largely to the TORIl, SIMXTii TKMl'I.K tiltOl'NDS fact that they work as hard and as much out-of-doors as tlie men. It is no uncommon sight, but rather the rule, to see young and pretty girls working side by side with weather-beaten men, and the pathetic prospect of no better state in the immediate future lies before them and their children. They soon age and grow stout of figure, their good looks leav- ing them in a few years. Women .smoke as nuich as the men. and in- varialily carry pouches for pipe and tobacco by their sides. This part of the i.sland does not offer the inviting pro.spects of other portions, \inless it be in the number of eliildren. which .seem to be the fruitful crop of this rather cheerless country. The parents are poorly clad, while the 408 THE FAR EAST. younger members of the family are content with little, if an}-, clothing. The price of lal^our, whenever it commands a reward, is a mere pittance, women using the pick and shovel from sunrise to sunset for the paltry- sum of ten cents. An example of this kind is where they are working for some railroad or improvement company, which seems to be about the only avenue open to them to earn money. The island of Sado lies off this coast about twenty miles from the mainland. Sado is forty miles in length and about eight miles in width, and has a population of 135,000. It has mines of lead, cop- per, silver, and gold, the last hav- ing been discov- ered in consider- able quantities in the seventeenth century. The river Shi- nano-gawa, which turns over its floods to the Sea of Japan at Niigata, drains this province from the south, and the river Aka-gawa, from the mountains on the north. The first is a wide, shallow stream, often sluggish in its current. The other is more rapid, and has several pretty falls. This district is noted for the amount of cotton and tobacco it raises. It is a common sight to see young girls spinning, and only these are 1 1)1 .N 1 i;v i,ii;l?. JAPAN. 409 employed at this industry. One of the must frei^uent sights to be seen along tlie roads is a single ox or bull drawing a load of tobacco to the city, the yoke being simply a wooden stick held on top of the neck by a thong running underneath. Owing to a chronic weakness of the eyes, the natives wear huge, mush- room-shaped hats to shield them from the sun, and when the heat is most severe, wear big smoked glasses for further protection. These spectacles are made round instead of oval, and are two inches or more in diameter, M'llUIlL, <>l.l> M^I.K. giving the long, thin countenance of the wearer a peculiar ai)pearance. They still fiu'ther add to the picture.squene.ss of their looks by straw mats suspended from their shoulders. Niigata, with a population of 34.n(M). was made an open iiort in ISf'iO. This town is not particularly interesting to the toiu'ist, and has fewer relics than the average citv. Between Niigata on tlu; west sliore and Fiiku-shima on the eastern boundary of the adjoining province of Iwashiro, stretches north and south the backbone of Hondo, affording a i)ictures(pie scenery. Here are vast 410 THE FAR EAST. forests of cedars and cryptoraerias, the former being used to a great extent for building purposes, nearly all of the floors of the houses being laid in this wood. Planed and finished without paint or varnish, it acquires a beautiful polish after long use. The most attractive mountains are the 0-Bandai and Ko-Bandai, the latter rising to a height of over six thousand feet. As late as 1888 it showed the volcanic influences at work within by breaking forth with great vigour, destroying nearly five hundred people. One of the pleasant features of this country is its schoolhouses, square, substantial stone buildings, where often as many as seventy-five youths of both sexes are taught the principles of knowledge, songs and marching enlivening the course of studies. Modern methods are being adopted to a greater extent than might be expected. A railroad penetrating this coun- try, and running for miles at a stretch along the ancient highway, is nearing completion. IttAIHNti A I.KTTKK. CHAPTER XII. THE EDE\ OF THE XOKTII. SHAPING our course now toward the eastern coast, and leaving beliiud us tlie railroad and all liupe of a railroad, we plunge boldly into a country where the mountains present their grandest peaks, the valleys don their richest verdure, and the sky takes ou that rare wealth of colouring peculiar to this region. As we proceed, signs of life become less apparent, until only the coal huts and smoky fires of the charcoal burners of Japan are scattered over the broken landscape, wherever there is sutii- cient growth to admit of their vocation. For a time the way grows more and more precipitous, the mountains become more bulky ; and then the latter gradually slope off in front into hillsides, the growth becomes dwarfed, stunted pines and bamboos takiug the place of the lofty monarchs of the forests. Over the tops of these scrubs we catch the gleam of water, and soon realise that the sea is on either side and ahead of us. The last is the Strait of Tsugaru ; that on the right hand the Pacific Ocean ; on the left, the Sea of Japan. We have reached the northern shore of the main i.sland of tlie Empire of the Far East, Hondo. Ahead of us lies the second island in size, Hokkaido, which has an area of about thirty thousand square miles and a population of nearly one hundred and fifty thousand. A somewhat boisterous passage across the strait takes us to Hakodate, which was the .second Japanese i»ort opened to American commerce, and the most imirartant city in Hokkaido, — the North Road, or district, — which comprises not only thi.s island, which initil recentl}- has been known as Yezo, but the crooked line of isles to the north of this, tlu! Kuriles, Hakodate has a fine harbour, protected on the .sfnith by a rf)ik\ harrier over eleven hundred feet in height. The town lies at the foot of this, and has become quite a resort for invalids on account of its delightful climate. There is a museum at this place, among its other attractions, where is tn lie found an extensive collection (»f sen shells, birds of many kinds, and 411 412 THE FAR EAST. relics of the stone age. Leaving Hakodate, we soon find that there are few good roads in Hokkaido, and that tlie best mode of traveUing outside of these is on horseback. Much of the interior of this island is a primeval forest, seldom penetrated by man, and then only by the hunter of the bear and other animals having their haunts wdthin the wilds. Before quitting Hakodate we frequently meet with a different type of people from those we have been accustomed to see in Hondo. Tliese we soon learn are the Ainos, as they are now called, and considered the EEFRESHMEXT SELLER. original inhabitants of the more southern islands, but who ha\"e been driven to this less genial clime by their overpowering rivals. The dis- tinction between them and the Japanese is quickly seen, one of the most noticeable characteristics being their great abundance of hair. Except that they are milder in their natures, they Ijoar about the same relationship to Dai Nippon and its present people that the American Indians do to the United States and its inhabitants. They have eyes with the inward fold peculiar to the Japanese, but they have wider countenances, broader shoulders, and more sturdy limbs. The men sometimes reach a height JAPAN. 413 of six feet, though more commonly standing from five feet six inches to eight. With their heavy gruwtli of hair and beard, wliich is never allowed to be shorn, they bear a marked resemblance to the description of Esau. The average height of the women is about five feet, and their costume does not ditfer materially from that of the men, their principal gar- ment being a frock open in front and held about the waist by a girdle. It is usually ornamented simply by embroidery done in some fanciful design of individual invention. Unlike the men, the women keep their hair cut quite short, while they give the appearance of a moustache to the upper lip by tattooing it. The habits of these peculiar people are as simple as their personal appearance. Their dwelling is simply a hut raised on posts, and slieltered by a reed roof. Their slee2)ing-couchi'S are rude benches built around the walls and covered with mats. A hole is left in one wall for a place of entrance, while a second serves fur a window, and affords the only ventila- tion they have. Tlie Ainos, in their religious rites, worsiiip the sun and moon as deities, and the bear as a sort of mediator between themselves and these others. In certain districts Hokkaido has a rich virgin soil, but the Ainos lived solely l)y hunting and fishing, imtil the new government at Tokyo in 1870 decided to try and raise these })eople from their barbarism by teaching them how to raise crops. Accordingly a farm was established patterned after a California fruit plantation. In order to carry out this experiment successfidl}, Sapporo, situated near the centre of the island, was selected as the seat of control here. Tlie first tiling to be done was to cut a road through a trackless wilderness for nearly seventy-five miles from Hako- date, and otiier liighways had to be opened, so that in all nearly one hun- dred and fifty miles of road were built. In addition to this expense large sums were laid out in mills to saw luml)er, and in machinery of one kind and another to run the work of building houses and bridges across the numerous streams intersecting the country. From such a beginning, and with this worthy object, spnnig into existence a capital with houses of boarded walls and shingled roofs, similar to the homes of our own Far West. The l)uilding of railroads next eng.aged the attention of the Japanese, and now Sajjporo has coiuiecticm by rail with Otarunai, on the north cf the list is the shiro^ or castle, wliicli claims a high place on account of the vtust extent of the woik, and the great size of the stone used in its buililing 420 THE FAR EAST. material. The castle of Ozasaka, built by Hideyoslii, contains stones forty feet in length, ten feet m width, and five or six feet in thickness. In the highest part of the citadel of Tokyo are stones over sixteen feet long, six feet high, and three feet thick. What makes the size of these blocks of granite seem most remarkable is the distance from \vhich they have been brought, — as far away as Hiogo, more than two hundred miles distant. They were drawn neither by steam nor Ijy beasts, but by hmnan arms, and were raised to their lofty positions by the same power. The third of these products of Japanese skill, the yashiki, has a unique and striking appearance. This consists of four lines of houses arranged in the form of a hollow square. In the centre of this front wall are erected mansions for the daimio and his ministers, while the outside dwellings are occupied by their retainers. The array on the frontage has the appearance of a single building on foundations of stone, with, rows of grated windows. The hollow interior is filled with gardens, walks, and fire-proof warehouses. A ditch or moat, usually eight to ten feet in width, and varying in depth from three to twelve feet, filled generally with running water brought from a long distance, encircled the yashiki. The lotus-flowers were allowed to grow along the rims of the moats. In case the castle stood on an elevation the slopes were grassed over, while the escarp was faced with blocks of stone. Often miles of frontage of these yashikis were to be seen in the larger towns, under the old r%ime, making a most monotonous appearance. The result to the two-sworded gentry living within tliem can only be surmised. " Some of these yashikis covered many acres of ground, and the mansions of the Go Sanke families and the great clans of Satsuma, Kaga, Choshiu, and Chikuzen are known at once upon the map by their immense size and commanding positions. Within their grounds are groves, shrines, cultivated gardens, fish-ponds, hillocks, and artificial landscapes of unique and surpassing beauty. The lord of the mansion dwelt in a central building, approached from the great gate by a wide stone path and grand portico of keyaki-wood. Long, wide corridors, laid with soft mats, led to the master's chamber. All the woodwork, except certain portions, stood in virgin grain like watered silk, except where relieved here and there by a hard gleam of black lacquer-like enamel. The walls were gorgeously papered with gold, silver, or fanciful and JAPAN. 421 coloured designs, characteristic of Japanese art, — among which the pine, plum, and cherry tree, the bamboo, lily, the stork, tortoise, and lion, or fans, were the favourites. The sliding doors, or partitions, of which three sides of a Japanese room are composed, were decorated with paintings." With the advance of Japan along new lines, these structures, the outcome of the Japanese tent in the early days of Yedo, are growing yearly less frequent in Tokyo. In the light of modem civilisation there is no call to replace those the hungry flames destroy. We are impressed more than ever by the size of Tokyo, which is about equal to that of London. An odd feature to us is the general lack of sidewalks, the pedestrians passing along in the middle of the streets, without particular danger to themselves. The drivers of vehicles of numerous kinds carry horns, which they blow to warn aside any foot- passenger who may be in their way. The Broadway of Japan is the Bund of Tokyo, along which an odd mixture of humanity is constantly passing and repassing, the representatives of many races of men and many condi- tions in life. In the midst of this surging mass we caught sight of an undersized man, dressed in a sort of mixture of Oriental and Occidental fashion. Notwitli.standing his singular dress, a glance showed that he was an American, and the load of books under his arms that he was a scholar. Upon inquiry, we learned that he was the celebrated Lafcadio Hearn, the author of several books ujwn Japan, and at present a profes.sor of foreign literature in the university. In fact, he is the only foreigner left in the Japanese institutions of education, where a few years ago American and European teachers were common. But that was Ijefure the Chinese-Japane.se war, and even this man of letters might not be tiie exception had he retained more of his Americanism and adopted less of his chosen country. The train leaves Tokyo for Yokoliama at 1.30 r. m., and bidding the capital good-bye for another period, which may be longer than our first, two hours later we are again threading the streets of the latter city. Here we plan a tour into the heart of Jajian, intending to visit the historic spots of the empire, which were the battle-grounds of the days of feudal- ism. In order to do this to our greatest sati.sfaction we shall travel little by rail, preferring the jinrikisba, or that still more primitive mode, travel by foot. 422 THE FAR EAST. If not particularly attractive in itself, Yokohama is favoured with beautiful surroundings. Twelve miles from this city is Omori, where Professor Morse discovered mounds of shells similar to those found in Florida, New England, and Denmark. Near by are the temples of Ikegami, which annually are the scene of one of the grandest religious jjageants to be seen in Japan. A popular seashore resort is at Honmoku, on the beach of Mississippi MAIN S.T1;KET, TOKYO. Bay, where is found that famous tea-house of Tsukimikan, which means "Moon House." Another fine bathing place is Yamashita, which is con- ducted in a more primitive manner. Boating is very much in vogue at the former place, which has a fine beach. Twenty miles from Yokohama lies the shadow of that city of sacred memories and relics, Kamakura, which was the capital of the shoguns for nearly three hundred years, beginning in 11 9J. In tlie zenith of the prosperity and military glory, a million inhabitants lived where to-day are plains covered with forest, patches of rice, and fields of tasseled corn- .lAl'AN. 42.S Kamakiira had a most eventful history. In 1333, two Japanese warriors, named Ashikaga and Yoshisada, after a long siege, captured and nearly destroyed the city. Then the former established a new dynasty of shoguns. Among the historic curiosities of this place is the temple of Hachiman, standing on a high plateau, which is reached by a path leading up fifty- eight stone steps. The hero deified here was a god of war. This temple, plain in its architecture, contains many relics of the long and sanguinary vriw IPS iiii HI 1 ( ► . voKiiHAMA. wars of the old regime, and is a treasury of military rDllfctions to be prized. In reaching this sacred spot the visitor passes through a cluster of ancient trees, among which i.s a venerable icho, over twenty feet in circumference, and asserted to be over a thou.sand y«'ars old. This noble patriarch has a wide-spreading foliage that, under the touch of the autumn frost, turns to leaves of gold. r>( yond this spot is a grove of great religious intt're.st, holding within its sacred precincts the best image of the Great Buddiia to be found in Japan. In the park at Kara is a larger representative of the bead of the letding 424 THE FAR EAST. religion of the Far East, but this image is acknowledged to be the better work of art. There are many notable images of Buddha to be found in the Land of the Gods, but not one which can compare with this in its impressive presentation of the principles of Buddhism, in its historic associations, and in its size and work as a masterpiece of art, — sitting here on the deserted plain of Japan's ancient capital, with its mighty but reposeful face turned toward the sea, with a look fitting its august mys- tery. Tliis image was made in 1251, and at that time was covered by a ROAD TO THE TKMPLE. temple, one hundred and fifty feet square. A tidal wave, in 1369, swept away the building, but left the statue uninjured. The temple was soon after rebuilt, but as if the elements held some especial enmity against it, for the second time it v\^as destroyed, 1494, two years after the discovery of America by Columbus, and it has never been reconstructed. Though standing in the open air, the Bronze Buddha remains to-day in an excellent state of preservation, and is surrounded by a park, cared for by individuals. It is a perfect symbolisation of calm resignation and com- plete mastery over all tl e passions and tempests that beset the human frame, while an intellectual light pervades each of its mighty features. J A TAX. 4iirj Buddha is represented to have had great love for all dumb creatures. A noted Japanese warrior and king, named Yoritomo, is credited with con- ceiving the idea of placing here at his capital an image of his god which should outrival that at Nara. He died before he could carry out his plan, but one of the ladies at his court finished the work of collecting funds, and Kamakura's '■ Buddha " was cast in bronze on the spot by Ono Uoroe- mon. Its height lacks onl}- five inches of fifty feet, while its greatest A RUSTIC TKMI'I.E flllKINK. girtii is ninety -seven feet and twu inclies. The widtli from car to ear is seventeen feet and nine inches. The eyes are of unalloyed golil ; the fore- head is embossed with silver that would weigh thirty jjounds. As its name implies, the image is cast of lironzc, tlic parts carefully brazed together, in the hollow of the interior is a small shrine, and a ladder leads up into the head. Amid a .solemn silence, the 8Ui)plicaut enters into the awful presence of tlie graven god, and prostrating himself before tiie .shrine pleads for its 426 THE FAR EAST. favour. How many thousands have here each year offered up their prayers to the divine ruler through this object of worship, there is no way of knowing ; but since the image was first placed here the number must be beyond the most daring calculation of man. A short distance from Diabutsu, the Great Buddha, is a temple standing on a summit overlooking the plain of Kamakura, noted principally for holding a wooden image, gilded and lacquered, and thirty feet in height, known as the goddess of mercy, — Kwannon. This deity has modestly sought shelter from the common gaze behind closed doors, and who wol^ld look upon her must pay a small fee. At this temple there is also a popu- lar idol, the god of money. He does not sit, as an American might expect, upon typical money-bags, but rests on two sacks of rice, the Japanese idea of prosperity, and holds in his hand a mallet. The superstitious believe he has power to helji them in affairs of finance. Another potent image, let the believer tell it, is a god who possesses the power to cure the ills of the human body, providing the afflicted sunply rubs that part of the figure where his ills are located. It requires no great strain of the imagination of the modern visitor, as he wanders amid these relics of other days, — temples of a thousand years looking as if they had been reared yesterday, and images remarkable as works of art though hideous in themselves, — to imagine himself walking along the well-ordered paths of these ancient groves, where so many feet have pressed the sod, and under such conflicting emotions as he of neces- sity 'can know nothing. Everywhere one turns one is confronted with sights and traditions of gods and goddesses, all of whom seem strangely out of time, and yet as miraculously having something to show for the superstition that gave theni being. CHAPTER XIV. THE WONDERS OK AT.V.MI. THE Tokaido railroad swings to the northward, and climbs the rid,f;e reaching away to Fujiyama at Gotemba, in order to pass around one of the most interesting historic points in Japan, Hakone Lake. This charming sheet of water is held, at a height of over 2,300 feet above the sea, in a basin that was once the crater of an active volcano. Shel- tered by the adjacent grassy peaks, the resplendent beauty of the sunny slopes of the Peerless Mountain are clearly reflected in the placid bosom of this Loch Lomond of the Far East, situated in the midst of a scene upon which nature has lavishingly bestowed her treasures. Hakone Hills, as well as possessing great historic interest, have become a noted health resort, on account of the numerous hot springs to be found in this thrice- favoured locality. There is a double chann in lingering about these springs, which the tourist and health-seeker is not apt to deny himself. While some of these outlets of the spongy earth are perfectly clear, others are dense with the sul})liur they contain. The odour several of these emit is detected miles away. Not only is this a beneficial retreat for the invalid, but it affords a profitable location for the innkeeper, while a con- siderable supijly of sulphur is sent to the markets. Formerly this region was known as Kojigoku, or '• Little Hell," Init the emperor, on a visit to the place in 1877, changed this to Ko-waki-dani, which means " little boiling valley." If one at first wearies of the softness of a Japanese landscape and the dreaminess of its atmosphere, and looks back with longing to the rugged vvildnessof an American scene, he eventually learns to admire this languid beauty. It may be a loss of energy in the end, but it is a robbery we do not feel. At Kodzu we turn to the south, to find, at the end of an avenue of noble pines, on the shore of the sea, that silent, dejected town, Odawara, a queen 427 428 THE FAK EAST. sitting in mourning over her departed grandeur. Formerly tliis was the stronghold of the Hojo clan, one of the early factions of warlike power, and it was the last place to hold out against the triumphant forces of lyeyasu. Becoming a part of the territory belonging to this conqueror, when he took up his capital at Yedo, Odawara dwindled into an insignifi- cant town. Eventually its situation made it a promising commercial city, when a second enemy worse than the first, the cholera, left only a handful IN A NOBLEMAN S GARDEN. of its inhabitants, and it has never recovered from this visitation of disease and death. Atami, that strange but popular little village by the sea, next attracts our attention, and we leave Odawara in her gloom to follow a road run- ning in and out of numerous orange groves, but losing sight of the water only at rare intervals. Now and then we catch sight of lines of fine specimens of one of the most interesting trees in Japan, the hamamatsu, or coast fir. These trees seem to have an especial liking for the sea- JAPAN. 4-29 brine, for they press their way down to the very edge of the water, often dipping their arms into the bay. Atanii lies between tlie arms of two verdant hills, that vie witli each other in keeping their charge from slipping into the sea. This delightful resort is noted for two attractions above its minor charms, its lilies and its geysers. Artificially, Japan is the very paradise of flowers and birds. The lead- ing figures in the decorative art so common and highly perfected are these fairest gifts of nature, until the canvas literally glows with the one and awakens with the songs of the other. Japanese fiction abounds with vivid pictures of the plum and cherry bluss(jms ; we see in fancy a land brilliant with the varying colours of flowering buds, and the lives of its people a continual round of floral picnics. The four seasons are those of the chrysanthemum, peony, iris, and wistaria. Thus we are led to expect everywhere the beauty and fragrance of flowers, the sung and mu.sic of birds, which shall make of this fortunate country an Hesperian garden. But the real Japan is remarkably silent of songsters, and barren of the flowering plants. '■ Tliere are no pastures dewed with daisies and starred with buttercups and dandelions and cowslips ; no glades carpeted with bluebells ; no golden plains of orange-scented gorse ; no groves of laburnums and lilacs ; no fields of glowing poppies." Tiie ever pervadinc love fur the beautiful has been inculcated througii a longing for it rather than jMKssession of it. Groves of lir and pine, both red and Itlack, clothe nearly all the slupes of the indenti'd mountain ranges, and, where these hardy trees cannot find sustenance, the clinging azalea carpets rock and jirccipice to the very brink of the tumbling cataract. This shrub is the only fluwering plant that i.s really to be considered of supreme importance. Even this has that love fur its native haunt that it will nut thrive except wliere nature has given it ruot. These favuured spots are few and far apart. Of course wo are speaking now of what nature and not man lias done for Japan. Even in the last situation, when we come to the core of truth, we liiul that the oft-p'-ai.sed cherry is conspicuous fur its want ratlier than for its richness of blo.s.som. What is true of this applies to the plum. Tlie beauty of a wcll-ordereil grove of dierries is not to be gainsaid, liut it is of a loner grade tliau tliat of an Anifrican apple orchard. Tlic fruit 430 THE FAR EAST. being wortliless, and there being a scarcity of flowers, the people bow to the cherry-tree in worshipful adoration. We see this same idea illustrated in the matter of the leading, and. it might almost be said, of the only universal fruit of Japan, the pear, which is really a second-class article. There being no better subject to outrival it, it is eaten everywhere in the empire, and given a conspicuous place on every fruit-stand. It .is carefully cultivated in groves and orchards, whither visitors are invited in the season of riiiening. These orchards litis GARDKX. are objects of beauty in themselves, being planted with checker-board uniformity, and carefully trained, laterally, along trellises of regular height and form. Natural archways, reaching for long distances, are places of great beauty both in flowering and fruiting seasons. So it is, the empire over. Let flowers be scarce or plentiful, the love for tliem is the growth of many generations, and there is no person so high or humble who does not treasure the knowledge and worship of them in his heart. Wherever the floral giver bestows her gifts, she does it with a liberal hand, and if the slopes of Hakone are resplendent during the spring with uncultivated gardens of wild azaleas in their pink, white, and \ ariegated JAPAN. V.U hues, so are the hedges and hillocks, the vales and plauis, of Atami, decked to profusion with miniature groves of hydrangea in their glowing foliage, and blue, white, and lilac blossoms, with lilies of gorgeous colouring burst- ing upon the landscape like waterfalls, whose foam is of many hues. The princess of these floral showers is the magnificent white lily that proudly lifts its snowy crest, nearly a foot in diameter, to the height of a tall man. Its stems are pink, and its broad leaves are splashed with crimson stains. Vll.« Al Of less haughty showing, and of more modest beauty, arc the orange, while, or soft-tinted pink flowers that sccni everywhere present. Not content with beautifying the earth, these lilies venture to the very edge of the seashore, and their sisters, in scarlet dress, spread out over the rocks, until all their bleak barrenness is concealed under a coverlid of daz- zling brightness. While the lily is the object of beauty at Atami, the wonder of this place is its remarkal)le ge38er. This sulphur spring, which has been the 432 THE FAR EAST. source of prosperity where was once poverty, is located near the centre of the village, and within a short distance of the seashore. It is not active all of the time, and occasionally for days it is as silent and motion- less on the surface as if its powers had been spent. Then a low rum- bling, swiftly increasing in volume until it can be heard for a long distance, proclaims its coming ; the earth quivers and shakes for rods around ; and the hot, sulphurous stream bursts forth, rising several yards into the air. This upheaval lasts for ten, sometunes fifteen, minutes, when the power underneath seems suddenly to collapse, and only a dense cloud of white mist remains to mark the scene. These displays come with clockwork regularity every four hours, except during those rare periods when the interior forces seem to be taking a vacation, and, though continuing less than a quarter of an hour, present a vivid and impressive phenomenon the beholder will not soon forget. Baths in this oyu, hot water, are considered very beneficial, and Atami is continually thronged with health- seekers. Atami would not be a Japanese town did it not have its temple. The latter stands just back of the village, embowered in the green woods, whei'e visitors delight to wander on the hot, sultry, do-yo days of August. The first among these ancient trees to attract attention is a venerable camphor, supposed to be the largest of its kind in Japan, and possibly the oldest. Its years and weight have separated its trunk so it has two bodies, looking at first like the trunks of twin trees, whose united girth is over sixty feet. If betraying evidence of its great age in its body, the ancient giant shows a vigorous old age in its huge canopy of dense foliage overhead. As Ave sit under the cooling shadows of this famous tree, accompanied by our inseparable guide, we recall the strange story told us in the moun- tains of the north regarding this king of the greenwood, as well as of the temple on our right, now slowly falling into ruins, and of the geyser in the distance, at this moment sending forth its torrent of steam and hot water. Our companion must be a mind-reader, for he begins to repeat with great fervour of speech and token of faith the story. Not always has Atami been the thriving and happy town of to-day, and away back in the period of its poverty and distress there lived here a very good and pious man, whose one great source of sorrow was the JAPAN. 433 extreme suffering of his people for tlie simple necessities of lift-. In those days there were not the many ways of earning a livelihood that we have now, and the inhabitants were fain to depend on their catch of fish for food. EvL-n the sea was fickle, and often its tides carried the finny tribes of its kingdom to other places, so that the people living at Atami fre- quently went hungry. This holy man had taken up his abode in a temple on this hilltop, so that he might get a wide view of the bay, and warn the people w hen- is A TKMrl.K <<>I1CI. ever the spirits of the deep frowned upon the land. You see yonder the ruined walls of his temple-honie. During the warm .sea.son this devout priest loved to sit here under this ciiniph(»r-tree, whith was then hale and hearty, spreading its wide liranches to the gateway of the temple. One day. while a famine was on his ]>eople. who were groaning aiid ei)m]ilain- ing in their hopelessness, the faithful i)riest, worn witli watching and praying, fell asleep at his \>n>\. While he slept, he dreamed that the .•seashore was heaped with iish of many kinds that wt-re delicious to the palate. In iiis joy he .started 43-t THE FAR EAST. toward the scene, when a great noise and commotion m the water stopped him. Huge clouds of steam filled the air, so that he could hardly see the bay, which was churned into foam l^y some terrible power under- neath. He saw now that the lish all lay on their backs, dead, every one of them having been scalded to death b }■ the boiling water. His distress was so great at this sight that he awoke ; but wath his eyes wide open he looked on the same strange spectacle, only the dead fi s h were piled deeper on the seashore, while the vol- canic forces sent spouts of hot water high into the air. He closed his eyes to shut out the sight, and prayed that this awful visitation of hor- ror and desolation might not be felt by his people. In the midst of this unselfish prayer he heard a terrific crash behind him, and ujjon turning around, in new fright, he saw that the huge camphor-tree had split in twain from root to branch ! As he looked upon it dumfounded, lo ! a beautiful goddess stepped from the heart of the riven tree, and, handing liim a branch from its broad arms, said, in a voice of peaceful intonation : A SHINTO I'HIEST. Japanese Posttnan {Tattooed) .i.\r.\x. 4.S3 "Take tliis camphur wand, lioly man! and wave it thrice over tl'.e boiling sea ; and ere its final circuit is finished toss it far over the water in the name of Kwannon, the goddess of mercy, when thy prayer shall be answered, and Atami's woe will Ijecome Atami's joy." He took the protfered camphor branch, and as he did so she, as it seemed, vanislied iiitu air. Mindful of liis duty, he ran toward tlie sea- shore, whicli he reached quickly, though an old man. On the shore, with IIIKA I KK AT (ISAKA. the h(jt water liissiug at his feet like many rt'ptilcs, lie waved the charmed wand tlirice over the tide, and tiircw it far out to .sea, witii a prayer for Atami's salvation ringing out clear and strong above the tmnult. that Kwanncju luiglit hear it. Immediately a miglity convulsion sliook the earth all around iiim, followed by a dei-j) rumbling underground, which grew louder and nearer each moment. Then, with a deafening roar and a rush frightful to behold, the earth oi)ened, sending forth a torrent of seething, steaming water, whicii ran down to sea. At the same time, tho 436 THE FAR EAST. water of the bay became calm, and the fish swimming in it had nothing more to sutt'er from its flood. All the people now gathered about the fomitain of hot, sulphurous water, and marvelled, and trembled for the end. But the prophecy of the goddess had come true : Atami's woe had become Atami's joy. The ill soon learned of the wonderful curative powers of the geyser, and came from afar to be healed. If the fish swam shy or bold in the sea, the population of Atami were no longer dependent upon them for their food, and cared not. Wise men have said that the goddess of the sacred camphor-tree was Kwannon herself. Be that as it may, the visitor of to-day sees proof of her coming in the riven trunk of the tree, and again in the living geyser, which is both the wonder and the wealth of Atami I CHAPTER XV. THE Rll" VAX WINKLE OF JAPAN. THE rivers of Japan are short, but their careers are as brilliant as they are brief. Innumerable rivulets, bursting their silvery bonds amid the vild gorges of the Fujiyama regions, unite their volumes to form turbulent streams before the lowlands are reached. What is here lost in number is more than made up in swollen floods. Fed by so many tributaries, the rise of water in this network of rivers is often rapid, so that when the ice and snow melt on the mountains the effect is startling along the cour.ses which are incapable of carrying oft" the increased tide. But these generally subside as swiftly as they rise, though this does not relieve the difficulty of bridging these erratic streams. The Japanese have long understood the art of bridge-making, but the amount of capital required to build the colossal structures necessary to span these mountain rivers has, until within a few years, deterred the people from attempting to reach satisfactory results. Japan has now several bridges of huge dimensions, built with no little engineering skill. The rivers of tlie Tokaido district become almost dry during the winter months, but, swollen by the thaws of spring, they overflow their banks and run wild for a few days. The longest of these streams is the Ten-ru, Heavenly Dragon River, Avhich rises in the Nakasendo, or Middle Moun- tain road, near the thrifty town of Uyeda, and traverses 130 miles of country. The Oigawa finds its source over ten thou.sand feet above sea-level, while the Fujikawa, a stream fifty miles in length, drains the Peerless Mountain. This last giant of sleeping volcanoes, whose prismatic splendours and artistic sublimity have been so often expressed in works of Japanese art, now attracts our intimate attention. Seen from the distant ocean, its truncated crest, wrapped in a robe of snow for three-fourth.s of the time, looks like a pink and white pillar rising abrujaly from the inuneasurable deep. The first land view defines it, some fifty miles away, as a lonely 437 438 THE FAR EAST. sentinel in wliite, the pinnacle of more than fifty square miles of country, every foot of which has helped to rear this gigantic monarch. Seen in the clear light of morning, a mystic halo seems to encircle it, from which it bursts forth like a jewel of purest lustre set in an opaline sky. Under this effect, it is easy to accept the poetical signification of its name. On a nearer approach, its complete isolation is removed, and other satel- lites, one of them Oyama, as high as Mount Washington, in New England, FUJIKAWA RIVER LOOKING TOWARD FUJIYAMA. become visible, one after anotlier, until it is seen that this chief is really the central summit of a court of serrated cones rising from attendant mountain ranges and detached ridges and peaks. Here the monarch holds his court in the realm of glittering mountain-tops, whose dazzling splendours aptly bear out all that tradition has attributed to this grand panorama. The voice of ages says that this vast mountain was builded in a single night, and the earth and substance taken to rear its majestic form were I JAPAN. 4;}9 taken from tliat hollow in the ground, two Imndred miles distant, which is now filled with the water of Lake Biwa. In the light of modern knowledge, this does not seem altogether impossible or iiiii)rohable. Witliin a comparatively sliort time, tliat mighty protuberance which breaks the steady rise of the eastern slope of Mishima has been lifted bodily from a depression in the mountain's lower regions. If it is now inactive, one need not go far to find ample evidence of the terrific upheavals of earth, ashes, and molten masses, which are veiled but not concealed by the thin growth of vegetables creeping over Fujiyama's broad, pumice-covered slopes. What Vesuvius is to Naples, Kilauea to Hawaii, Shasta to California, Hecla to Iceland, Fujiyama is to Japan. It is a source of national pride, of majestic grandeur, of fear but lialf concealed. If Nature created this mountain in haste, she gave it the soft- ness of contour, placidity of aspect, and tenderness of verdure so common to Japanese volcanoes. In fact, this term in Japan loses its meaning of barrenness, desolation, and disruption, for all this is swiftly reduced by climatic influences, or concealed under a dense mantle of vegetation. We have seen, in the north, an alpine wildness and sublimity, but in the heart of Japan " green valleys nestle in the arms of sloping hills, while these are clothed in feathery bamboo or billow-boughed pines, which kiss the fantastic seashore, where the waves seldom raise their cadence above a whisper, as if fearful of breaking the brooding silence, deepened rather than disturbed by the sweet tone of the temple bells." Pilgrimages to the summit of Fujiyama are made with all the religious ardour of similar journeys in India to the holy shrines of Mecca. More than ten thousand pious pilgrims clothed in spotless white garments, with enormous hats on their heads, and long, stout staves in their hands, annu- ally wind their way slowly upward toward the lofty crater of tiiis sacred mountain as if bound to an incen.se-burning altar. Aside from the rev- erential feeling which naturally urges on the visitor to the Peerless Mountain, it affords one of the noblest and most di-lightful tri])s that can be taken in the Sunrise Land. Rising over twelve thousand feet from the plain at one sweep, the view from the top is the broadest and finest in all Japan. Not many years since, the entire distance from any point had to be made on foot, or seated in the mountain-chair borne by four sure-footed coolies. Now a three hours' ride by rail from Yokohama 440 THE FAR EAST. takes one to the village of Gotemba, at the foot of the mountain. If the tourist is able-bodied, he had better complete the journey on foot. Despite his extra exertions he will find this preferable to being carried, cramped up like a jack-knife half closed, in a kago, or that more pre- tentious but scarcely more comfortable Eastern palanquin, the noriinon} Aljove the farm-lands, which reach upward to a height of over fifteen hundred feet, is a wide belt of grassy moorland ; then a girdle of forest, stopping at six thousand feet, succeeds. Above this band of growth the FUJIYAMA. vegetation gradually becomes sparse and sickish in aj^pearance, until finally the ancient paths wind in and out of rocky ravines, around or over huge patches of volcanic deposits. The kago-bearers go no farther than the upj^er rim of the forest, so that all climbers are then obliged to walk. The mountainside is dotted with rude huts built for the accommodation of pilgrims and tourists, who may get caught in one of the snow-storms which break over the scene, often with unexpected fury. On the summit, ' OrigiiuUly the noriraou was the carnage of tlie nohle.s, and the kago a basket for the coa- veyaiice of the middle chiss. JAPAN. 441 two and one-fourth miles above the sea, a stone hut has been raised, a tip-top house for the protection of the comers to that lofty, dreary, and desolate outlook, for such it is until one's immediate surroundings are forgotten by the charm of the view beyond. A short distance from this building is the sacred gateway leading to the crater, which is four hundred feet deep ; and if it has been inactive fur almost two centuries, it has punctuated Japanese history with many lurid periods from time iunnemorial, and still furnishes proof of its living fires by the thin wreaths of sulphurous smoke rising from its secret chambers. In 1707, after a long interval of silence, it suddenly burst on its southern slope, burying the lowlands around deep in ita molten debris, while clouds of ashes were wafted out to sea fifty milch away. Who stands in its awful presence cannot fail to realise, as he may never have before, his own feebleness and the power of that force at work beneath, which the next moment may send him miles into space. But the horrors of the pit are forgotten in the presence of the beautiful and the majestic. Below, stretch the corrugated crests of the inferior mountains, mere hills as viewed from this lofty eyrie, while farther away are the plains and valleys, the dark groves of fir and pine, the cultivated fields, glistening sheets of water, silvery rivers winding across the land- scape toward the sea, hamlets and towns embowered in gardens and way- side trees, the bays indenting the coast, and, beyuml all these, the placid ocean. No view of this kind is without its charms, and the Peerless Mountain of Japan is not surpassed in this respect. It is natural that the aborigines of any country should hold their mountains in awe, and the Japanese believed that it would be contrary to the wishes of the goddess who was 8upi)0sed to have her abode here for a woman to ascend this silver-crested pyramid. So it was left for a foreigner, Lady Parkes of England, to perform that feat. She was watchcil with awe, as she resolutely climbed the ascent. That was in 1807, and many of the gentler sex have since made the arduous journey; so that the spell has been broken, and it is considered nothing remarkable to make the trip. While we rest from this " feast for the eyes," our Japanese friend sur- prises us with a fancy tale of legendary days, when the earth was younger and its inhabitants lived in clo.ser connuuiiion with it. Tlie magic of the 442 THE FAR EAST. narrator's impressive language, and the flash of his eye, as he dwells on the scenes pictured on his vivid mind, had become a mysterious part of his subject, which cannot be conveyed in the speech of tongue or pen any more than the laughter of tlie sunny waters or the song of the summer breeze can be imprisoned in the caverns of the imagination, to be freed at will with all their subtle expression. Shorn of this beauty, his story runs : Over two thousand ^ years ago, long ere the old faitli was shaken, and SUWA-YAMA MOUNTAIN, KOB^. each pathway leading into the forests immemorial led under a massive torii to some sacred shrine, there dwelt in the heart of Old Japan a cer- tain good man named Yisu. With him dwelt a faithful wife and two sons and two davighters, the sunlight of peace and happiness falling like the beams of the sacred sun over his liome. His dwelling stood under the fringe of the forest, so that he looked out upon the broad plain of Suruga. In the summer he was accustomed to tend his growing crops, but with ' 286 B. c. JAPAN. 443 the cuniing of winter, with its legions of wind and snuw, he delighted to toil with his axe from sunrise to sunset under the warm tent of the pine. At nightfall he could l)e seen struggling homeward under a load of logs and branches of trees for the fire. Visa was renowned as a story- teller, and aroinid the cheerful blaze he loved to narrate to his family wonder tales of the deep greenwood and the fairies and elves that dwelt in its midst. The region to the north was wonderland to his listeners, so often did he repeat his strange stories. One night, as he was telling an especially interesting tale of the secrets of the forest, a strange noise startled the little group. As one and all listened, it grew louder and more terrific, luitil it seemed as if the wliole interior of the earth was in convulsion. The cry of " Earthquake ! " rang out shrilly, but Visii quieted his family somewhat by saying that had it been an eartiiquake it must needs have been sooner over. But, before he had finislied speaking, the thunder was .so loud that he could not make himself heard. He was frightened himself, and taking his smaller chil- dren in his arms, while his wife and the other children clung to his side, he ran out into the night. Even in his fright he noticed that the sky had taken on an unusual lirilliancy. Orion's band of jewels hung low in the stellar realm, while the dipper's seven diamond points shone like a glittering finger-board in the sky. Wliat amazed him most was the fact that every tip seemed focused toward the plain of Suruga and the forest beyond. Dazzled and bewildered, Visu looked northward, where the way was shown him, and lo ! he saw a sight he never forgot. Where at sunset had stretched the vast plain, and beyond the green- woods, which had been his pride and boast, rose a mountain ! And such a mountain as he had never looked upon. It ro.se before him like a tower of fire, sending forth, far and wide, storms of stones and molten debris, while Haunting into the air banners of llames that lifted and spread until the very light of the sky turned into darkness. Visu and his family watched the scene, terror-stricken, until another day, wlieii they returned to their home. With the morning light they saw the black folds whicli bad encircled the new-born nioimtain take on the bright and purple hues of the golden roJies of the sun goddess, which told them tliat .she was pleased at tho 444 THE FAK EAST. appearance of the newcomer, wliicli Visu saw was higher and mightier than any mountain he had ever seen, and he had penetrated far into the region of the northern hills. He named it Fujijama, declaring that it was a peerless mountain, which distinction it has borne ever since. As the days passed, and the young giant grew cahner and milder in his appearance, Visu loved nothing better than to sit at eventide, with his day's toil done, and watch the rays of the setting sun, as they played fHIRAITO WATERFALL, FU.IIYAMA. arovuid the still smoKing crest in purple streaks that lapped over into twilio-ht. O In time Visu learned strange facts concernmg the birth of Fujiyama, his mountain, as he delighted to call it, and vfhich he looked upon as a watchman of the plain. In the same hour that it had risen from the heart of the great greenwood, all the sacred hills of the Kyoto district had disappeared with a great hue and luibbub. and where they had stood quickly shone a tranquil sheet of water of a heavenly blue. It was .lAl'AN. 44.-) sliaped like the loved lute, and was named Biwa. The people knew now that tlie Peerless Mountain had travelled nearly two hundred miles under- ground in order to reach its abiding-place. Though he was the guardian of the great greenwood, and the keeper of its secrets,, being on visiting terms with the Tengus, and often met on sacred grounds the gods and goddesses that ruled over tlie things and creatures primeval, it was fully a year later before Visu dared to leave his home so far as to penetrate into the deep forest skirting the foot of Fujiyama Then, as he went farther and deeper into the trackless realm, he was more and more pleased with what he saw. It seemed to him the trees nmer had l>x)ked so friendly and beaming, the sun had not shone so briglit. or the sky looked so blue. Tims he kept on and on, until finally he realised that he must turn lia. action brought a low cry of pain to his lips, and he found himself so sore and stiff in his joints that he could scarcely move. He looked for the fair players, to find to his surprise that they were gone. "Strange they should have slipped away before my eyes^ without my seeing them," he thought. " I must hasten home and tell those there of the rare sight I have seen in the heart of the great greenwood." Leaning heavily on his axe helve, as he started to move away, the wood crumbled from under him. and he fell to the ground. So stiff" were his knees, and there were so many aches and pains in his joints, that it was several minutes before he could regain his feet. lie saw to his further JAl'AX. 449 amazement that his hair reached far down over his shoulders, while his beard hung from his chin wide and flowing. Doth, until now, black as the raven's wing, were white as the snow on Fujiyama's lofty crest ! Not knowing what this all meant, well might he be frightened, and he hobbled homeward with what haste he could. But it was many hours later when the poor, bewildered woodman came to a hut standing near tlic b(ir l>A.\tI.N(; dizzy from watching, and as she finished he reached to grasp the feather robe. At that moment a breeze from tlie sea spread out the precious "■arment like the wings of a bird, and to his amazement she was wafted upward, the last note of the song dying away as she disappeared in the blue space overhead. One of the noted places passed on this route is the city of Shidzuoka, situated on an open plain fifteen miles from the seashore, and especially honoured in being the home of the " last of the tycoons." This Shogun Keiki, having been shorn of his royal poAvers, retired to this city in 1868, where he lived the life of a simple country gentleman of leisure. .I.M'AN. 453 spending his time in fishing and hawking. Japan, Europe, and America, owe more to hira than they will ever acknowledge, as it was mainly due to him tliat the latter government (by the term America we mean the United States in their broad signification), through its representative, Commodore Perrj', succeeded in opening intercourse with this Robinson Crusoe of nations. The real emperor maintauiing his official seclusion at Kyoto, this shogun, as his agent, received the strange visitors, and began negotiations with the new power. In this correspondence he was desig- nated as tai-kun, or tycoon, and as such his name stands in an honoured position in history. Beyond this place an iron bridge fully a mile in length spans a rivei which, except for a brief while in spring, is a narrow, dejected stream It is but an example of rivers in Japan. Streams that for eleven months out of the year are dried up affairs, that seem to i)e withering to nothing, suddenly spring from their beds as the snow melts from the mountains and deluge the country far and wide. The country along this coast for a hundred miles is a vast rice-field, made up of numberle.ss patches devoted to this crop. The division of these little plots, of a quarter of an acre in area, can always be defined by the grass-tufted ridges. A horse attached to a plow of antique design, and with a tooth that turns up a furrow three feet in width, is the means of stirring the sod. But rice culture must be a very disagreeable occu- pation, as the weeding and resetting have to be done in mud and water knee-deep. The mud of Japan is the muddiest kind of mud, too. Much of this work is done by women, and it is no uncommon sight to see mothers, with infants strapped upon their l)acks, working day after day in the rice-swamps. Forty l)ushels of rice to an acre is considered a fair yield. The main article of diet for these workers is millet, wheat, or barley, dried fish, and seaweed. Though we did not pass the marble monument erected to mark the sad incident, we are reminded of the fate of the French .M. M. steamer Nil, in the Yoshida Bay, off the town of Irima. on the night of the 20th of March, 1874. This steamer had on Ixianl 111 persons, and the articles Japan had .sent for exhiliition at Vienna. The night was dark, the tide running high, and her engine getting out of order, the steamer ran upon a rook and .sank. Only four persons escaped. 454 THE FAR EAST. One of the finest reminders of auld lang syne is the city of Nagoya, situated at the head of Owari Gulf, with a castle aud moat of the days of feudalism well preserved. No tourist fails to visit what was once the home of the son of lyeyasu, built in IGIO. Of late ^ears it has been taken for military purposes, and the broad strip of plain between the outer and inner moats has been converted into a parade-ground and a barracks. The moats are dry now, and along them deer roam, amid the surround- ings of war, in peace. The castle is a five-storied stone pagoda, the roof THRESHING RICE surmounted by two golden dolphins eight feet in height and considered to be worth two hundred thousand dollars. A wide view of the country can be had from the top of this pagoda, while its glittering ornaments are prominent objects from all parts of the city. An entrance through a richly ornamented gateway of two stories admits one into the great courtyard of the temple of Higashi Hongwanji. The walls and ceiling of this temple are rich in their carvings. Among the special objects of interest is pointed out a stone with the imprint of Buddha's huge foot. As a matter of uniformity it ought to be large. JAPAN. 455 as it is claimed he stood sixteen feet in height. This place is noted for its five hundred images of the followers of this religiovis founder, painted in bright colours, but no two of the same tint. They are about two feet in height, and show every emotion in their grotesque features, from gay to grave, sublime to ridiculous. A tour of the streets shows the workmen of various classes busy at their toil. If at first their movements and methods seem clumsy and awkward, we are soon forced to acknowledge that there is a certain ease jrv: »-t CARI'KNTEKS. and skill in their workmanship that is hard to equal. In the lightness of touch, the rapidity of motion, and the nicety of completion, they excel any other race. We .see proof of this until we are convinced. Nothing is left unfinished, or with a lack of proper poli.sh. The carpenter is able to build a house with fewer pins or nails than we u.se, because he fits his tenons to mortises with a closeness that makes the joints water-tight. .Tapane.'^e workmen use their feet as extra hands, and the great toe rivals the tliunib in usefulness. Another place, located on one of the sounds of Owari Gulf, which 456 'i"HE FAR EAST. indents the island so that its width is narrowed to less than seventy miles, is the village noted as holding the revered shrine of Ise, erected on the sacred spot where the early ancestor of the emperor first set foot on Dai Nippon. If we are to follow tradition, the tenshi, as his loyal people love best to know him, is a direct descendant from Ama-ga-terasu, the sun-god, who came down to the earth in primeval days to dwell for a time in what is now the province of Ise. This town of itself is an attract- ive spot, embowered in umbrageous groves, and surrounded by a beautiful landscape of hillocks and valleys. The Uji Province, noted for its tea-raising since an early day, lies between Ise and Kyoto on the west. A tea plantation, consisting of acres of evergreen bushes, from two to three feet in height, is one of the pret- tiest sights of this region. Except the better grade of tea, the plants are left exposed to the rays of the sun, Isut those that produce the highest qualities are covered with mats thrown over bamboo frames. The soil and climate of this locality combine to make the cultivation of this herb particularly successful. Throughout this large district every swell of land, be it hill or mound, is terraced and planted with the tea-shrub, which looks at first sight like the myrtle. It bears a yellow and white blossom, resembling the wild camelia. It is from this region the tea comes which we get in the United States. North of Nagoya, we pass through the central region of the great earth- quake of 1891, and the evidence of its awful visitation is still to be seen. Before reaching Gifu, a considerable ascent is made witli Ibukiyama frown- ing down upon us, with its bare sides rising over four thousand feet into E id-air. Gifu, -situated at the angle of the railroad threading this coun- try, suffered horribly from the earthquake just mentioned, not less than ten thousand people losing their lives, while twice that number were made destitute. Fishing with cormorants, which seems to be the principal vocation of the people here, has served to give tlie place world-wide notoriety. The cormorant, which figures so prominently in this sport, belongs to the web- footed species of birds, of the migratory order, and lives on fish, wliich it catches with remarkable dexterity, and devours with an equal voracity. It is caught bj the Japanese when, as a young bird, it lingers on the coast of Owari Gulf on its migration southward from its summer haimts on the JAPAN. 437 northern shores of Hokkaido. This difficult part of the work is usually done by placing a wooden image of the bird in a conspicuous position, partially covered with leaves, and generously sprinkled with bird-lime. The young captive then has to be given a course of training for future usefulness. This requires great tact and patience on the part of the owner, and the expense of keeping the cormorant through the winter, when no fishintr is done, is considerable. There are cases where the owner JAl'ANKSK IKA TKADKH. actually deprived himself of needed I'uod in order to keep his prize in good shape for the summer season's fisiiing. Cormorant fishing is generally done l)y a party of fishermen making up a series of boats, with four men to each boat. The chief or leader of each stations himself in the bow, and has under his management at least twelve birds, and sometimes iis many as eighteen. The way he and his feathered helpers ply their trade is what has given this locality its wide- spread reputation for this peculiar enii)loyment. Tliis man is distin- 458 THE FAR EAST. guished by his hat from a second fisherman in the boat, who handles four birds. A third person, seated in the stern, tends strictly to navigating the boat, while the fourth, seated in the forepart, keeps up an incessant noise by striking bamboo sticks together, and in shouting to encourage the birds. He is called Tcako, and is quite as indispensable as the others. Each cormorant has had a metal ring placed around its neck, fitting close enough to prevent it from swallowing the larger fish, and suffi- >4ir.- ' '\^.. ^t ■ )^ iM liafe. ISHING WITH CORMORANTS. ciently loose to allow the small ones to pass down its throat. A sort of harness is rigged about the body, to lower and lift the cormorant at the will of its master. This contrivance is somewhat after the style of a shawl-strap, a piece of whalebone answering for the handle on its back, while a stout cord is fastened to this to keep the bird from straying too far, and to guide its movements. This is made of spruce fibre, and is usually about a dozen feet in length. The details carefully arranged, the steersman allows the boat to drift down the river, its course lighted by rows of torches on each side, for .lAI'AN. 459 cormorant fishing is always done at niglit. Upon reaching the fishing- ground the master lowers one after anotlier of his birds into the water; and when the entire lot has been let down, he gathers the reins in his left hand, keeping his right for the recajfture of the cormorant and removal of fish as often as the occasion demands. He in control of the four birds follows the example of the leader, and the sport opens in earnest. The fish are attracted toward the boat by the torchlights, and the birds begin to gorge themselves with members of the finny tribe. The creatures that seemed so clumsy on land dart hither and thither with astonishing swiftness, diving whenever they catch sight of a fish. These feathered fishers are managed by the fishermen with remarkable skill, and a lively time ensues. The moment one of the cormorants has filled its capacious mouth, it has to be pulled in and disgorged, when it returns to the scene with renewed zest. It has brought in perhaps half a dozen good fish, and in an hour it will catch from a hundred to a hundred and fifty. As soon as the catch is considered sutficiently large, the run is made back to Gifu, with the birds resting in rows in the boat. Tiie willingness and intelligence with which these birds enter into the work is surj)rising. One of each set, lusually the oldest, an old. grizzled warrior, is leader, and he goes by the name of ichi, or captain. The oth- ers, arranged in numbers according to their age and size, are put into the water in regular order, the ichi last, being taken out first. So clearly do the creatures understand this rule, that, if by mistake or intention it is broken, there is a rumpus at once. CHAPTER XVII. ALONG THE INLAND SEA. THE Tokaido is the main artery of Hondo, running from the heart of Japan, and through it courses the life-current of the empire. It runs through the most populous cities, and the richest lands for agriculture. It is along this route that the spirit of modern enterprise, as well as ancient glory, has been most potent in shaping the affairs of the realm, and with this is connected the better part of its history. Leaving Gifu, we soon after reach the sliore of that sheet of water whose beauty and legendary origin we have already heard told in glowing language. It is really the lake of Omi, though more often called Biwa, on account of its resemblance to a Chinese guitar. Two small steamers now ply between two towns on its historic .shores, Otsu and Hikone, the latter a castled city on the north end. Not far from here is that notable place on the west shore of Hondo, Fukui, the " well of blessing." Biwa is the only lake of any size in Japan, and its setting is worthy of the gem. It lies only 340 feet above the Inland Sea, and has a length of nearly forty miles. We are now on the direct route to Kyoto. The country is compara- tively level. On our left we see series after series of rice-plantations, with the labourers bending over their tasks completely hidden under their huge hats. On the road we meet many Japanese farmers, either going to market or returning. They carry their produce, or the product of manufacture, suspended from long poles, nicely balanced on their shoul- ders. Some of the loads thus carried are enormous. Once we overtook what looked like a huge pile of baskets moving slowly along the highway. A closer inspection disclosed a man under the load. Again we met another, evidently moving, for he was bowed beneath a load of mats and household utensils. We are still on the line of the railroad, and at Kusatsa we take the train for Kobe on the shore of the Gulf of Osaka. This will take us 460 JAPAN. 461 through the ancient capital, but we shall not stop there to look around, as we purpose to finish our tour of picturesque Japan with a voyage down the Inland Sea to Nagasaki. Later, with ample leisure, we will return to note the many interesting scenes and history of this renowned " city of peace," the soul of ancient Japan. We shall pass through another city of even more modern interest, Osaka, which shall occupy its share of attontion at the proper time. Itl\KIt VIKW, XACASAKI. We follow quite closely the course of tlie river Yudo, whitli lluws leisurelv l^etween banks covered with reeds, and throuLi;i. liuA r. to have an island for every day in the year. There are certainly enough of them for the comfort of the naviscator. The name by which this Eastern Mediterranean is known to-day seems to have originated with foreigners. The Japanese designated it as Seto TJchi, but were accustomed to give it as many as six names, all taken from the nada, or provinces, that bordered it at different parts. This was according to the prevailing method of the Japanese prior to the coming of the foreigners. Instead of giving a general name to a river, they would give the stream as many different local designations as it passed through districts. What was true of the rivers applied with equal JAPAN. 465 force to all other natural features of the islands. In fact, the island of Hondo was without a name for centuries, while Shikoku and Kyushu awaited a christening by strangers. The tourist who has seen everywhere evidence of the work of the deso- lating volcano, covering fertile plains with ashes and pumice-stone until they are capable of bearing nothing better than bamboo grass and the stunted scrub, realises more than ever, amid these picturesque scenes and charming sea \'iews, that Japan is not a land blessed superficially with a richness of earth. It is true no spot of arable soil, whether surrounded by some volcanic debris, or by the rocks of some precipitous hillside or sea- girt isle, has escaped the mattock of the industrious inhabitant, who has snatched a precarious living where one less frugal must have starved. No cove, however bleak or sheltered, but affords a hamlet of peo^^le, who manage, somehow, by sea or soil, to eke out a cheerful existence. This slate of things may be better understood by the fact that nearly nine- tenths of the territory of Japan at present yields no part in the supply of food for its inhabitants. The percentage of area in cultivation is slowly but steadily increasing, however, where that great modern king of develop- ment, the iron horse, penetrates. As the remote regions are thus brought within reach of the markets, new land in the interior fastness is being taken up. By this it is not to be supposed that Japan is really a country of poverty, any more than that its people lack the finer tastes and apprecia- tion of the better things of life. We have shown that where there is a paucity of flowers, they have a love and trained taste for them of the highest order, which is prodigal in its display. If the Japanese show an utter lack of business display about their centres of trade, if their dwell- ings are flimsy, wooden structures with iimer walls of paper, if they hover over charcoal braziers instead of coal or wood fires, if at night their heads repose on blocks of wood rather than pillows of feathers, it nuist not be concluded that they do this through ignorance or lack of culture, or even that they consider it an indication of jioverty. Naturally the stranger to this idea of life, who enters one of these primitive homes for the first time, is surprised at the complete absence of what he considers necessary to the comforts of a home. The house that has no furniture, not even the common contrivance of a chair, none of the appliances of ordi- 4G6 THE FAR EAST. nary comfort, no pictures on the walls, no books on the tables, — because there are no tables, — no bric-a-brac or any movable ornament ; the room where he must eat his dinner from the floor, and sleep on the same plane, and whose walls are silently folded away in the morning, mvist seem to the stranger barren and inartistic. Gradually he comes to imderstand that this very simplicity denotes a superior taste^ and an artless education of which he has known nothing, a finer conception of true art because more closely concealed inuler an exterior of studied plainness. Nowhere does JAI'A.NKSK l!l.DC]IA.Mlii;K, the tourist find picturesque cottages embowered in sweet-scented flowers of many-hued foliage, but everywhere the plain dwelling ; the love of flowers in the heart, the absence of flowers in the surroundings ; the love of the beautiful in the soul, the modest concealment of this in the dwell- ing — the body. , The naval station of Hiroshima is reached, and the sacred island of Miyajima is pointed out by our Japanese friends, and we look upon shores lined with stone lanterns and wistaria-entangled groves, where deer roam at will. A prominent feature is a torii, Imilt so far out into the water that, at high tide, it is cut off from the land. We are told that there has JAPAN. 467 never been a birth or death in this fairy-hind, tliough it is inhabited. Temple Ishind is the definition of its name, but the Japanese hne best to call it " the enchanted isle of Princess Sayori." This hints of romance, and we are prepared to expect what follows. Shintoism still prevails here, and formerly devotions were paid to the' spirits of the mountains; but this was changed when a lovely god- dess, like Aphrodite of Cyprus, sprang from the sea to receive the homage VII-.W • 'J M 1 "■ \.IIM A. ol I lie people in place of the invisible beings of yore. The sailors look upon tiiis divinity as their especial protectress, and this veneration is held all over the i.sland empire. Everywhere here, gentleness is supposed to be an attribute of the godde.ss, so that beautiful tame dci-r waiidi-r where they will unmolested, and ])ut their soft noses into the hands of strangers, asking for their caress or for food. Lest this peacefulness be disturl)ed, dogs are not permitted to live in this Eden. A (pieerer custom is not to let any death occur here, and the dying are kindly and an.xiou.sly ferried over to the mainland to breathe their last, for fear the hallowed 468 THE FAK EAST. spot may be touched by sorrow. On tlie other hand, no hfe is allowed to begin its solemn journey in this sacred precinct, for fear it may bring struggles and hardships. Sayori is honoured with three temples of great beauty, appearing to rest at high tide upon the bosom of the placid sea. The galleries of these notable structures are siipported by columns standing on three islets, and the water nearly ovei'flows them and flows under the arches. The first BLUFF, YOKOHAMA. shrine is said to have been built in the seventh century, but the distinc- tion belonging to it dates from 1156, when Taira Kiyomori won that victory over his enemies which gained him the throne beyond dispute. As he came to rise to the pinnacle of his greatness he remembered his scene of triumph here, and did nuich to enhance the attractions of the place. Many chapters might be written upon the beauty and pleasure of this ti'ip on the Inland Sea, until at Shimonoseki the steamer passes the last narrow gateway, and steams majestically out into the open ocean. The JAPAN. 469 course from this i)oint, however, is close in to the shore dotted with villages, and set with a hackground of terraced landscape. The noted Arched Rock is seen and admired, the long, narrow bay leading to the fine harbour of that San Francisco of the Far East is reached, and we are at Nagasaki. We find this one of the busiest places we have seen. Men-of-war lie at anchor surrounded by lesser craft, not forgetting the gondolas of Japan, the sampans, which seem everywhere present. On account of the frequent rains, their cal)ins are covered. The town has many places of interest to the sightseer. It has its great temple, the O'Suwa, surrounded by a beau- tiful public park. As at Yokohama, foreign residents choose their building sites on a hill, w'hich commands a wide view of the city. A little removed from the town are the hot springs, which call a generous number of tour- ists hither. There are quaint villages lying under the du.st and rust of ages scattered along the coast ; and there is that historic castle of Kumamoto, which we nnist not fail to see. In the midst of our attempt to decide which way to turn first, the steamer's whistle blows, and we know that the journey to China is resumed. Let them keep on who will, we will give a week to this vicinity, and then return, most ot ilie way by rail, to ancient Kyoto. CHAPTER XVm. THE HEART OF JAPAN. IN Kyoto, the Moscow of Japan, one treads on hallowed ground. To lier credit belong unnumbered sacred shrines, the beautiful fulfilment of Japanese art, centuries of classic memories, and a thousand years of imperial life. This ancient capital, with a population not far from three hundred thousand, has, to a less extent than most Japanese cities, become the victim of the antagonistic ideas of conflicting ages. The seat of Eastern imperialism for 1,074 years, and during three centuries the strono-hold of " the Tokugawa regents," it might be expected to possess the grandeur and magnificence supposed to be a part of an ancient and imperial capital. Kyoto does not hold these attractions, though she atones for this lack in oth6r ways. The explanation for this absence of royal splendours is found, in part, m the tact that tlie emperor was nov tne real ruler, the administrative power being actually held by the regent, or shogun, and nis followers, the feudal chiefs who held the greater amount of wealth. The nobles of the emperor, with- lineages running "back to kingly ancestors, on the other hand, were comparatively poor, and their abodes were marvels of modesty and plainness. The former resided in the Eastern capital, Tokyo, while the latter lived in the Western capital, Sai-kyo, or Kyoto. Here even the simplicity of the imperial castle was noticeable. A few decorations from the brush of some gifted painter relieved the bare- ness of its walls, and the timbers were of fine grain without knots, — this is all that can be said regarding royal display. Kyoto became the capital in 794 A. d., and the plan for the new city, where the emperor was expected to be absolute, was one upon which all historians delight to dwell in glowing language. It was laid out with streets running with particular precision in regard to the points of the compass, until a network of communication was formed that was a marvel of perspicuity. At the divergence of these lines, a citadel, becoming the 470 APAX. 471 l>ropused splendour of the capital, was built. The Ijuildiugs that followed must have been grand for those remote times, and there is little doubt of the refining civilisation which existed then. But the power of the rulers centred here soon bet^an to weaken, and that arch-eiiemv to the accuinula- tion of wealth, fire, stepped in, time and agam, to destroy the structures on street after street. Each time that new buildings were raised to take tiie place of those destro3ed, they were smaller and cheaper than those before them. Feudalism was expanding and strengthening, the revenues KYOTO FROM MAItTYAMA. of the imperial city were l)eing turned into anutlier channel, ami tlii^ residt was inevitable. The emperor and his nobles were comi)elled to .^et this example, and the citizens could not do otherwise than follow. So Kyoto grew poorer and poorer, weaker and weaker, the faithful people bowing meekly to the will of their imimveri.shed chiefs. Wiiile the sub- stance of it all went to Tokyo, the greatness and grandeur of the actual capital became a shadow. Seventy-seven em|)erors held their courts in Kyoto, each succeedin ;; generation showing diminishing jiomp and pageantry, it is true, but with no diminution of grace paid to them by tiieir followers. In the cour.se of 472 THE FAR EAST. so long a period of time, many changes must have been made in the gen- eral appearance of the city, and yet the original outlines of its plan are to be seen now. The scheme was suggested by Nara, with certain modifica- tions borrowed from the Tang dynast}- in China. It had the form of a rectangle, and was surrounded by moats and palisades. The imperial palace, with its citadel, halls, and auxiliaries, standing in the north sec- tion, was gained by a main gate on the south, which opened upon a long broad street (280 feet in width) running north and south through the city, and cutting it into two equal parts. The division on the east was kno^^'n A (iAl;l)KN". KViiKl. as Sakyo, or "left metropolis;" that on the west as Ukyo, or "right metropolis." Taken together, the two parts were divided into nine dis- tricts, separated from each other by wide streets, varying in width from eighty to 170 feet. These passed through the city east and west, and were numbered, instead of being named, from one to nine, as icM-jo, one ; ni-jo, two ; san-jo, three, and so on. These names, or significations, are retained to this day. As would be naturally expected where the residences of the nobility presented a marked simplicity, the dwellings of the common class were low, and devoid of ornamentation. This gave a monotonous and inartistic JAPAN. 473 frontage, thougli the rear was relieved by that happy gift of the people of converting bare grounds into fantastic gardens. The roofs of the houses, as a rule, were covered with rived shingles, thougli occasionally tiles of a slate colour were used. Tlie palace was conspicuous by its green roof, made so by tiles imported expressly from China at great expense. The difference between Kyoto and Tokyo is now easily distinguished. The latter has its dissimilar parts : its official and commercial Tokyo, the pomp and glory of its nobility, the poverty and plainness of the common people. It was so in the days of feudalism ; it is so to-day ; only the simple, meagre huts of the reedy moors are being slowly replaced by better dwellings. On the other hand, Kyoto stands to-day, as it did when royalty and its willing subjects associated in the fraternal bonds of univer- sal brotherhood, as a happy example of an ideal capital of the Land of the Gods. Here we see by the cosmopolitan idea of the plan of the city, and the respectful attention given to the abodes of the common class, the capital of a nation rather than the stronghold of a military head. If the first appearance of the streets was that of sombre austerity, there was no dwelling so poor which was not flanked by a miniature park beautified with tiny hills terraced with grassy slopes, dwarf forests, and babbling waterfalls. There still remains evidence of the high quality of the education and civilisation of Japan as disseminated here under Eniporor Kwamnm a century before England liail become a nation under Alfred the Great, and a thousand years before Columbus discovered the Western world. Unlike some of the other Japanese cities, Kyoto is not yet dominated by the industrial arts, and if the streets are filled to a certain extent with the bustle and confusion of modern manufacture, there is still to be seen many an artist following his decorative craft after the manner of oM, ill imitation of nature, from leaves and flowers that overhang the windows of his workshop. The city n.sed to lie in constant dread of volcanic eruptions, but this fear is gradually dying out. It has now been sixty-five years since it last felt the shock of the internal forces. Kyoto lies on a productive plain, embowered by mountain ranges that are covered with the deep greenwood of a semitropical clime. As well as lioing the centre of an agricultural distrirt and the home market for 474 THE FAR EAST. tlie tea of the Uji coimtry, it is famous for its manufactures of silken goods, its porcelain wares, brocades, and embroideries. In yet another direction it is noted as being on a large scale what Nikko is on a smaller, the " city of temples," holding within its circuit twenty-five hundred Shinto shrines, and thirty-five hundred temples dedicated to Buddha. The bronze Buddha of Kamakura, the finest work of its kind in Japan, has been described, but here in Kyoto is to be seen the largest image of \iK\V M Al: hVi that god, though it is made of wood and consists of head and shoulders only. But these parts are of such enormous dimensions that the top reaches into the temple loft. The image is gilded, and made hollow, numerous beams and cross-timbers keeping it in position. Formerly a bronze statue occupied the place, but both fire and earthquake seemed to have especial grudges against it. In 1662 the temple and its sacred contents were piled promiscuously upon the earth. lemitsu was the reigning shogun at that time, and his treasury being low, lie seized upon Bridge at ylrashiyjtna JAPAN. U,) the opportunity to fuse the bronze into coins, some of which are in circulation to-day. Located in a building near by is an object of greater interest to the general visitor, the ponderous bell made of bronze and weigliing over sixty-three tons. Its walls are nine' inches in tliickness, and it has a height of almost fourteen feet. This is larger than the Ta-shung-szu in Pekin, which has been considered the largest suspended bell in the world. As mighty as this bell appears, it has a companion that outrivals it. A broad avenue lined with cherry-trees leads to the temple of Chion-in, standing upon a hill in eastern Kyoto. This edifice was erected in 1211 A. u., by a sort of wandering priest, who had organised a new creed known as " the Road to the Pure Land." This temple is the principal monastery of the sect. The edifices of this religious order, now called Jodo, are always jjlain and unostentatious, though full of interest. This one at Chion-in, if nothing else gave it fame, is noted enough for its massive bell, in reality the largest in the world. It hangs in the big bell tower erected in 1618, is ten feet and eight inches in height, nine feet in diameter, nine and one-half inches in thickness, and weighs but a fraction under seventy-five tons. For almost three hundred years it has regularly pealed forth its melodious calls to prayer. Japan has many other big bells of which she may well be proud, all of them producing a musical, voluminous sound, which falls on the ear with a softness and depth of tone that is wonderfully delightful. Russia is justly famous for her bells, — the bells of holy Mo.scow, the bells of St. Petersl)urg, the bells of lonely Ural Pass, whose mellow cadence has fallen like a funeral knell upon so many sad-hearted bands of exiles marching to a fate worse than death, the merry bells of festive Novgorod, — but the White Empire is outrivalled by the Sunrise Land, for nowhere do the bells of evening send forth sueh sweetness and volume of melody as in Japan. Here, in Kyoto, if ynu ])lease, ring out those clear, .solemn, massive tones, vibrating on the mellow air and through the ancient forests, swelling into grand t)f'taves to which the atmosphere seems to lend wings, as they float far and wide, rising and falling with tremulous power ; now fleeing into space, until .ippan-ntly gone for ever, anon retiiriiiiiLr with 476 THE FAR EAST. reinforced melody ; again retreating, returning softer, sweeter, fainter, until languishing in space their beautiful cadence lingers long with the listener after the massive bell itself has become silent and motionless. The freedom from harshness distinguishing the bells of Japan is ob- tained by the different method taken in ringing them. Instead of having the metal tongue strike sharply against the l)owl, a heavy wooden shaft is arranged to fall against the bell, which does not break in upon the deep- GION TEMPLE, KYOTO. volumed sound, which reverberates in an increasing circle, until the melody dies away in the distance with a gentle murmur. In the grounds of the great bell of Kyoto is an unpleasant reminder of war in the shape of an ancient mound, raised to commemorate the burial- plot of the trophies of a struggle with Corea in the sixteenth century, these mementoes being nothing less than the ears and noses of the slain, brought home by the triumphant army because it couldn't very well bring the bodies. JAPAN. 477 One of the spots of ancient interest is the shrine of Inari, which word signifies '' the rice man." This plain, austere structure was founded in 711 A.I)., over eighty years before Kyoto was Imih u|) as a cit}!, and it is supposed to stand upon the spot where the goddess of rice first appeared in thi.s vicinity. She was met by an old man carrying a sheaf of this grain on his back, and this .symbol was accepted as the deity of the shrine. Like all sacred resorts of this aTicient faith, the entrance is made under a great red torii standing on the main road, and then through a massive gate flanked by stone fo.xes. Reaching tlie haiden, or court, one comes to the principal chapel, witli plain portals, and walls painted red and white. As well as being a shrine to this goddess, this place is the memo- rial of many followers of this religion, their monuments being parallel colonnades of red wooden torii, aggregating nearly five hundred in num- ber but varying in size. M0.SC0W, the ancient capital of Russia, with its semi-Oriental and pic- turesque native grandeur, is to the Russians what Jerusalem is to tlie Jews, what Mecca is to the Mohammedans ; and Kyoto is all to Japan that the first is to the White Empire. Here Shintoism found its strongest adherents, and here it knew its greatest power. In later years it has become the headquarters of Buddhism, and the sects which have sprung from this religion. The former is called by the Japanese Kami no michi, which means '• the way of the gods." The word Shinto comes from the Chinese, and is the form adopted by all foreigners. Shintoism treats of the universe as simply Japan. It knows no other land, and its legends belong solely to the people of that narrow range of country. The religion is a mystery in itself. Its most devout followers do not appear to understand it. It appeals to the people from its very simplicity. It has no written doctrine, proclaims no moral code, pretends but vaguely to immortality, and knows no heaven nuv hell. Its gods an; nature'.s attributes personified, or national heroes deified. The first are the glorious sun, the mysterious .sea, the swift-flowing river, the gray rock, the deep forest, the migiity mountain, and other forms and .sounds, with their accompanying hosts of lesser powers. The majority of its deities however are historical per.son- ages, with the main principle ever in sight, that the emperor is the de- scendant of the gods who created the world, as Sliintoism knows it. Thus, 478 THE FAR EAST. the one great object of the religion is to obey the royal representative in all things. This religion is the natural product of the country, but it is not unconunon to find a person born under that faith who dies under that of Buddha. As has been said, the Shinto shrines are severely plain, and alike at all places, illuminated by stone lanterns, and reached under massive stone or wooden torii. They are classified under four official grades : state, prov- K.YO.MIZr AT KYOTO. ince, prefecture, and district. The first are mostly dedicated to " divine ancestors," the exception being wliere deified rulers or subjects have won especial distinction that gave them this honour. This list embraces two sovereigns, Ojin and Kwammu. Between these shrines and those of the district, the difference is not so much in the deities worshipped, but in the manner under which they are sought. The latter of necessity must be simpler, poorer, and less respectful. This comparison is illustrated by the shrine of Isfe dedicated to Daijin-gii, the goddess of the sun, which is Fujiyatna, the Sacred Mountain of Japan JAPAN. 471) the highest in rank of all, and the Myo-jin, an inferior form of the same image, to be found in almost every hamlet. Few of these shrines receive more than a paltry support, say a couple of hundred yen a year, while others are more highly favoured. There are in the vicinity of one hundred and ninety-five thousand Shinto shrines in Japan, over which fifteen thousand shinkwans, Shinto officials, or priests as we should call them, perform the rites. The explanation, as to how so many shrines can be officiated at by so few priests, is explained by the fact that at many of them only one service is held during a year. The rest of the time the structure may stand open, but empt}' of visitors, save that at irregular intervals a straggler may enter in solemn silence, sound the gong by pulling upon a hempen cord dangling conveniently near, and thus summoning the desired deity, to whom he mutters his supplication, pay his small fee, and leave with a hopeful heart. The salary of the priest is a mere pittance — perhaps thirty yen; or he ma}', however, receive as high as one hundred yen, which would mean a hundred dollars a month, providing a yen were worth par value. Unfortunately for him it is not. The lives of these religious men are simple in the extreme, but they are allowed to marry. CHAPTER XTX. THE FLOWER OF EELIGION. OUR Japanese associate and corapanion must have been under tlie influence of the spell of Shintoism, when he guided us with becom- ing gravity to that sacred spot, Yomega-shiraa, " the island of the Young Wife." Tradition claims that except at bright noonday, or under a bright moon, this holy retreat consecrated to Benten, the goddess of beauty and eloquence, lies swathed in vapours. It was neither noon nor night when we reached the hallowed place, but we never gazed on clearer waters or a more entrancing landscape. We cheerfully forgive the gods for any omission they may have been guilty of on that particular occasion. What tradition lost we gained. Our companion, whose fund of legends touched with history, and tradition tinged with romance, never seems exhausted, quickly breaks in upon our revery of other days. We cannot well imagine where fact blends into fancy, but it is all very pretty. Sometime, no matter when, so long as it is over, a beautiful young woman disappeared from her home. Everybody believed that she had been treated ill, though very pious and good. The river was searched in vain by those who sought for her body, and the people despaired of ever solving the mystery of her fate. Then, at the still hour of midnight, this island was lifted noiselessly from the bed of the stream. When it was discovered in the morning by tlie amazed people, the drenched form of the beautiful but unhappy woman was seen lying prone on its bosom. This was accepted as an omen from higli heaven that she was well in her new sphere. Her body was buried on the island, and the islet conse- crated to Benten. A torii was then set up, surrounded by huge stones of marvellous shapes. The torii, with its stone lions, and the shrine stand yet, while overhead towering pines, grown gnarled, knotty, tortuous, with the years, fling their long, twisted arms over the place. We see all this, and we take our last look at the rugged trees, which remind us of so many Druids standing guard at this hallowed ground, in silent acceptance of the stor}-. 480 I'll M llI.ii-.«.iiM>. JAPAN. 481 On our way home we are reminded of another religion, that has tried for twelve hundred years to master this simple faith of Shinto, by a visit to the temple of San-ju-san-gen-do, first built in 1132, and rebuilt in 12G6 by the Emperor Kameyama. This is noted as Ijeing the depository of the 33,333 images of Kwannon, the thousand-handed goddess of mercy so often seen in Japan. Outside, the building has little to attract the eye. TKMITK l>K but, unce inside, the sight is dazzled In the vast collection of gilded deities. The central figure in the big hall of nearly four hundred feet in length is tlie large image of Kwannun, resting upim an enormous lutu.s-leaf. The goddess is attended liy twenty-eight followers. Tlie altar is decked witli numerous symbols of Buddhism, while rows of the, images of this particular goddess, cut five feet in height from solid wood, and gilded, are placed one above another on eitlier siile of the throne. In the mitck halo enrireling the forehead, and in the hand of each figin-e, are smaller images. 482 THE FAR EAST. There are a thousand large figures, and the rest made up of smaller ones, all representing the same original, but with no pair exactly alike. Glittering in their gilded vestments, they make a bewildering array. The gallery behind this strange display was formerly taken as a shooting- ground, and there are many arrows yet left sticking in the woodwork, that were sent hither by archers long since gathered to the dust of their fathers. Like the creed of Shinto, Buddhism was at first given to the inhabi- STErS TO THI-. SACUKD GATE. tants in a simple manner. In its simplicity lay its invading power. Its teachers nmst have foreseen this. A people that had lived longer than history, and in the dreamy atmosphere of an Oriental clime, imder Shin- toism, were not prepared to receive a radical change. Tliis new creed from the West, by the way of Corea, simply sought to teach that it was evil to take life, to steal, to be an enemy to woman, or to partake of stimulants. The cardinal virtues, which might have been expected to complete such a discipline, Avere to be gentle to all dimib creatures, pure in mind, truthful, moral, patient, charitable, peaceful. It is easy to see that these precepts carried out would make a person a model moral being. JAPAN. 483 It is not difficult to understand that a race raised upon the code of Shin- toisni could not be expected to take at a single draught even this simple remedy for their salvation. It will be seen that no revelation was attempted. While the old creed was silent in regard to the future, this new doctrine dared not venture at first into the mysteries of the unknown. The patrician, who had been given to believe, under the ancient plan, that he might eventually reach the dignity of becoming a deity, failed to accept to any particular degree the first tenets of Buddhism, which did not hold out to him this possible reward. Even the plebeian desired some more certain promise of promo- tion after deiith than he could see in this. So the high priests of Buddha went to work and gave to the religion its first touch of Japanese spirit. One Dengyo Daislii, in 805 a. n., under imperial sanction, if not encour- agement of the Tended, that is, " the heavenly command," taught the beatitude which declared the " Lotus Law," or that the covenant of the Buddha was the manifestation of the ancient deities Japan had been worshipping under the old creed. With this innovation, which restored to the patrician all of his old dreams, with pleasant surroundings, and gave to the plebeian what he had looked in vain for before. Buddhism became a naturalised subject, and immediately won favours and followers. Yet the new religion met with opposition from many sources on account of the deep mysteries about it, which even its teachers dared not or could not interpret, and becaii.se it required an absolute separation from worldly duties on the part of its di-sciples. It was commanded that the faithful follower should neither tarry by the way to ailmirc the beautiful, covet the treasures about him, give any thought to business, or ajiplication to work. The average Japanese might readily accept the primar}' precepts of morality, abstemiousness, and care for his family that it taught, but lie could not den}- himself the busy world. Singularly enough, the cloister from whence emanated this doctrine was yet alive with the noise and tumult of strife not fairly over, fi)r the monastery of Hiyei-zaii, where these overzealous priests haA^lKl;V GAK1)1-.K. tion of worldly affairs called for different religious teachings. Strife and contention had run such a wild riot over the land, that the country was deluged in blood, and sorrow bound the hearts of the people in such dis- tressing bonds that a brighter prospect for future salvation was desired. In the midst of this hopeless plight, Honeu Shonin, in 1174, relieved the spiritual despair in a large measure by the foundation of the sect of Pure Land, Jodo, the underlying principle of which was faith. We have seen the temple of this sect at Kyoto. The beguiling tenet, that trust in Amida, the Buddha of endless life and happiness, gained for the disciple .lAl'AX. 485 admission to the garden of peace and jjerpetual joy, found many fol- lowers. Half a century later, this system was enlarged to accept love as an abiding element, and the new sect, whicli really became a supplement to tliat of the Pure Land, strengthened and beautified the whole. It was now taught that not only did Amida stand Avaiting at the golden gate to admit his disciples into paradise, but that he actually took \ip his abode in SIflKANUI TEMPLE. tile lieart of hi.s wor.sliipper during his mortal life. Many of llie jiriests now married, ate meat, and learned in the home what they could never acquire under the old regime. Much of the superstition whicii ii.ul pre- viously entered into the forms of worship was abolished. This became the "Spirit Sect," and is to-I.N(J A 8HISTO- BrDDIIIST SIMM.N'K. ami whi'ie before had been rhaos, a blank space in the passage of time, .so far as written history is concerned, gave them a record, and existence among tlif nations. It need not bo suppo.'*chools were establi.shed to educate its jiriests, who had too long been suffered to rest in ignorance. Thus the old religion was revivified and given new life by a rival. So the sui)porter3 of this ancient faith, hnported hither from India by the way of Corea about six hiiiidnil years after the birth of Christ, are making earnest efforts to give greater power to their religion. New and imposing temples are being built, when' art and nature coml)ine at tiicir liest to make them attractive. IVoplo from over the country are contributing to their support, and an example of DANCIXIi-lilltl.. TOKYO. 490 THE FAR EAST. their liberality is the offering of women's hair from those who are too poor to contribute money. To understand the sacrifice made by these donors, one must know the high value placed on a head of good hair in Japan, where these ornaments are none too jjlentiful, and where the fair sex wear no covering for their heads which might conceal their loss until the shorn tresses have grown again. It means six months of retirement ; six months of seclusion. Here in Kyoto is a temple built in 1895 bj- the disciples of the sect of Monto, which cost in its construction over 8,000,000 yen. TlIK SA<_i4KIJ ItUAU. The cables, used to draw the huge timben, were made of women's hair, and there is a gift here by the women of one province, of a huge rope of hair nearly three hundred feet in length. During the first half of the eighteenth century, when the tidal wave of ancient tradition swept over the country, an attempt was made to drown out the tenets of Buddhism and Confucianism. This had much to do with the political revolution of 1867. The Buddhist temples were shorn of their rich appendages, and religion suffered the loss of vast estates belonging to it. But it was too deeply engrafted into the beliefs and inspirations of the people to be uorooted by official and political JAPAN. 491 interposition. It soon began to reassert its fallen prestige, and by the Constitution of 1869 it was firmly declared that Japanese subjects should be free to enjoy religious belief according to their wislies. Buddhism has never been more thoroughly ali\e in Dai Nippon than it is at the present time. It has 108,- 000 temples in Japan, and fifty-five thousand priests. These last, unlike the Shinto, have no oflicial rank, neither are their temples classified. They obtain their means of sustenance from c o n t r i h u - tions paid by their parishioners, and from the income derived from lands belonging to relig- ious organisations. This last source of revenue was greatly reduced when gov- ernment took away a large portion of this landed iiroj)- erty. No native-born Christian has risen to the jmsitiun of prelate, though ihere are several bishops and archdeacons l)elonging t3 494 THE FAIl EAST. worshipped. The effect of this intervention was not lasting, for a httle over a hundred years later official intervention had to be made in the very capital of the nation to moderate, if not control, the wild passions of the overzealous performers, whose ungovernable claims of the body outweighed their spiritual inspiration. To-day we discover evidence of this human weakness where we had hoped to find a stronger sentiment prevailing, and even at the sacred groves of Ise, within sight of the gods and goddesses of religious renown, stands the Temple of Temptation, with doors wide open to those who would enter. Religious festivals are the most striking features of native life, and mirror the very soul of Japan. The most imiaortant fete of this kind is the Gion-matsuri, held annually in Kyoto, which it is our good fortune to see. The most important distinction of this, like many another, is the magnificence of its pageantry. The foremost daslii, or car, carries upon the top of a mighty upright, rising a hundred feet into the air, a glaive forged from the ;^Gharmed anvil of the wonderful sword-maker, Sanjo Munechika, and credited with possessing the virtue of curing the ague at a single touch of its blade. Behind this dashi follow twenty-three cars, bearing the effigies of as many noted scholars and j^hilosophers, a mock moon, a mantis, and a stealer of flowers. One of the most prominent per- sonages of this elaborate procession is a dancing-girl, who postures in the centre of the dais on the foremost da.shi. Upon her the city has lavished its richest and finest display of clothing, nothing considered too good or beautiful. She is accompanied by a maid of honour on either side, though they reap small share of the glory showered upon the car. Upon reach- ing the portals of the temple of Gion, the " little goddess " is given a glass of holy wine, and an amulet supposed to have l)een blessed by the god, whereupon she at once Ijecomes a " sacred child." Each special district, at the time of its matsuri, or festival, given in honour of some particular deity whose shrine has been reared in that place, feels at liberty to worship as manj" other deities as it likes. Thus these fetes are often marked with a singular mixture or combination of divinities, summoned at the will of the people from the mystic fountains of the material and spiritual world. Each of these deities is allowed a separate palanquin, a shrine on wheels, the principal god being given the place of honour at the head of jinrikishas JAPAN. 4!»rj the sacred van. The carriage is hicquered a deep black, relieved by golden ornaments. On the roof a golden phenix perches with wings outspread, while a roof-tree glistens in decorations of copper. Inside this slirine is placed the effigy of the god who calls forth this train, a torii in front and one behind, made conspicuous by their red lacquer. The otlier deities are not placed inside the car, but mounted in gorgeous panoply high over the heads of the crowd riding upon it. The first car is not decorated, but this one, called the dashi, "■ a car of gentle motion," can be KUTA AXl> .SAMSIX PLATERS. described as a wooden house on four wheels, but having a mass of carving, decoration, and elaboration tliat defies description. An attempt of tlii.s kind WMulil lie useless, as far as concerned its representation of a class, for no two of these strange cars are ever made alike. The carvings on this one represent, in part, flights of phenixes rising on wide-spreading wing.s, trains of tortoises, and cohnnns of marching dragons. Among the deities included are to be seen the zodiacal conceptions, the goddess of matriiimny, the goddess of the sea, the seven gods of fortune, the conquering empress ; in fact, the deities supposed tfj govern every trade and craft which most affects tliat particular locality. On a platform raised fiimi twelve to 496 THE FAli EAST. twenty feet above the ground, encircled and entangled amid the drapery of silk and brilliant brocades, snow-white gohei, and wreaths of gold and silver flowers, stand half a hundred people, while over their heads rises, on a high pillar, the carved head of the sacred object to which the car has been dedicated. The host of images, and the dashi on which they are transported, are kept in the dwellings of chosen citizens and it is, perhaps, needless to say that they are watched over with zealous care. Not one of these objects is without its special interest as well as personality, and every bit of his- tory connected with it is known to its guardian, who relates it with great pride and piety. As may be imagined, these festivals scintillate with romance and tradition. Not one is barren of some wonder tale, some strange and interesting incident connected with its career, and the occasion of the fete is regarded as a day of uncommon importance in the annals of the place. But along with the crumbling of the institu- tions of old Japauy the glory of these festivals is gradually wearing away, and in the light of modern thought and enterprise will soon live only in memory. Perhaps our Japanese companion is thinking of this, and vividly con- trasting the old way with the new, for he suddenly bursts forth into a strain of eloquence over a description of one of the famous Sano trains as it wound through the one hundred and sixty streets constituting that parish not so very long ago. Preparations were begun for the festival by the citizens two days before the grand event came off, when the dwell- ings were made as gay and attractive as possible by many-coloured mats thrown over corner, lattice, and lintel ; in fact, every spot where a show could be made. The tops of the buildings were made as good sites for watching the procession as possible. The rooms of the houses that fronted upon the street were fitted up with screens of gold-foil for a background, and from poles hung up, and from the eaves of the buildings, were hung paper lanterns of bright hues and fantastic paintings. Everywhere no pains were spa''ed to enliven the coming event with the grandest display that could be made. The dashi was drawn by six black oxen decorated in red and white, and moving with becoming slowness, stopping at frequent intervals. At these pauses the music of flutes and drums filled the air, while the merry I .lATAN. 497 spectators applauded roundly. When moving, the chant of the dashi drivers kept time in a sort of rhythmical order in keeping with the decorous advance of the train. The procession was led by two small ami two large banners, or hata, made of .strips uf white cotton cloth strung from bamboo poles, and bear- ing the names of the tutelar}' deities. The carriers of these were followed by a spearman, a dozen men carrying a big drum, two men with wooden blocks, which they smote together at regular intervals, two men with A PAI.AXlil I.S. flutes, twenty-four men bearing above their heads the image of the sacred S/iishi-no Kfis/iira. or Dog of Fo, a inounted Shinto priest, thirty-two men carrying three heavy spe;irs, another pfiest on horseljack, the sacred steeds of tiie gods, a sacred sword, three inomited Shinto ])rie.sts, the guards of the shrine, a couple of musicians disguised with masks of the Tengii. or forest genii, fifty men bearing the saired ])alani|uin, two men with the rice-box of the ])rinci])al deity. si,\ men bearing the bancpiet Uible of the deity, half a dozen attendants on tlie shrine, liody (if pruminent citizens in costumes bi'littiii',' the occasion, thirty inferior Shinto priests in sacer- dotiil costume, two men carrying the gohei (an emblem of Sbintoisin u.sed 498 THE FAR EAST. in the temples), a young girl attired in attractive costume and riding in a richly decorated palanquin, two men with hyoshigi, a second palan- quin borne by fifty men, followed by the same retinue as the first ; a third palanquin carried by fifty men, and succeeded by attendants with rice-box of the deity, table of the deity borne by six men, mounted Shinto priest, ten Buddhist priests in armour and riding war-steeds, the Lord High Ablaot in canonicals, riding in a palanquin, the four-doored palanquin of the deity, ox-carriage of the god, spears- men, and glaivesmen, followed by vast crowds of people ready to pull or push on any of the carriages, to shout or sing, as the occasion might demand. Alternating with the Sano festival is that of the Kanda, which occupies the attention of the capital city for nearly a month. This is considered of greater consequence than the other, and greater preparations are made for it. With the gorgeous display, a generous amount of food and drink is furnished, the national beverage, sake, being freely offered. But the main feature is the dress. The }'Oung daughters of the city are decked out in most elaborate manner, without regard to cost, the one object in view being to outshine any previous attempt of that kind. A prominent feature of the Kanda matsura is a bevy of geisha, dancers, who follow the procession and exhibit from time to time examples of their art in ancient dances, which consists principally of waving the hands in a most graceful manner. It must seem strange to the foreign observer to see these dainty, pretty little maids dressed, not in the bright costumes that it vi^ould be natural to exnect on this festive occasion, but in the som- bre hued, and unbecoming garments of the common labourer, the tighv- legged trousers and small-sleeved tunic. The dancing-girl has sacrificed her glossy raven hair, imitating in this part the fashion of her brother. But here she stops, and the plainness and darkness of her garb is con- cealed beneath fairy grounds of embroidered blossoms and foliage, in the brightest colours of nature. So while she sacrifices something for her religion, she gains much in display, and a surfeit of applause from her admirers. And somewhere in that vast crowd of seekers after pleasure and religion is one who has perhaps spent half of his year's earnings that she may win the honours of this fete. He is, moreover, willing to spend another six months' wages that she may remain in indolence until JAPAN. 490 tlio.se sacrificed tresses shall again become a respectful adorniueut fur her shapely head. The more prominent deity worshipped in this festival is a descendant of the sun-goddess, but there is another who shares its glory whose name, according to the moral code of any other country, would seem to invite oblivion and obloquy rather than this respectable prominence. He was an arch-traitor to a ruling sovereign of Japan in the sixth century, the only man in the history- of the country to imdertake a rebellion against his rult'r. Ik' paid ftjr his rebellious ambition with bis life on the j)lain3 of Sininiosa, d\ing in tiie midst of battle, and his head was taken in wild exultation to Kanda for interment. Later, the stigma belonging to his memory was sup])lanted \)y loud praises, and his efligy was borne with divine honours at the festival of Kanda. Why was this done ? Do the Japanese love treachery, that they would deify such a man, and hold him up as an ol)je('t of divine adoraticm ? Xo. It is not because of this; but it is done as an expression for their love of heroism. If Massakado, the rebel, died as a traitor, he fell lighting like a hero. It is the liravery of that undaunted spirit, which dared defy his very sovereign, that afforded 500 THE FAR EAST. an example of heroism which, they -worsliip ; not Massakado, whose name is ahhoiTed and detested. There is another example of this kind at Sano, where a deity is held up for admiration and honour, whose very name is covered with shame and ignominy. This is Kumassaka Chohan, burglar of ancient times, but a man of such audacious recklessness that his effigy is held in religious veneration, and his bravery extolled in song and story and religiuus rites. It will thus be seen that the Japanese possess such a high sense of A< Kill liKTREAT. courage — an attribute we are not prepared really to understand — that they can overlook the low-born nature of the hero while they worship that divine spark of heroism inherent in him. A case of this kind has had a more recent origin. In 1889 the Viscount Mori, minister of education, and one of Japan's most enlightened states- men, was stabbed by a young man on the steps of his home, in sight of a crowd of people, just as he was starting on his way to the palace on that occasion which was to witness the acceptance of the nation's first Consti- tution. Scarcely had the assassin struck his terrible blow before he fell, pierced by the swords of half a dozen f)f the minister's attendants. The JAl'AN. 501 body of the murderer was buried without ceremony, and it seemed that lus memory would be speedily relegated to the caverns of obloquy. But soon after, in reply to the inquiry- set afoot as to what had led the rash youth to commit such a flagrant crime, under sucli daring circumstances, and at a time of such approaching honours, it was said he had been prouipted to the act under the fanatical belief that he was the chosen agent to avenge what he considered an insult committed at the great shrine of UlIKAT sTU.NE LANlll:\. ^ i .K . iir v \1 \. Is|.| I.I CHAriER XXI. THE PINE OF THE LOVERS. AWAY from the centres of population the reHgious festivals often partake of singular features, and common objects are frequently made the subject of desire or adoration. In the province of Omi is a form of worship intended to encourage fidelity in married women. This takes place in the month of April, on " the first day of the horse." In Japan the faithful wife is a person of high esteem, and it is the aim of the truly conscientious woman not only to be true to the marital bonds, but to keep the memory of her husband after his death by remain- ing in the single stiite. By being faithful in the marital bonds it is not to be understood to be merely faithful in outward appearances, l)nt for her to adapt her.self to the whims, caprices, and temper of her husltand, though he is not expected to do as much on his part. When it is taken into consideration that the wife assumes these vows without any previous acquaintance with her future master, something of the responsibility she takes upon herself may be imagined. It might be thought that man}' of them would shirk this exacting and trying part, but it belongs to woman's glory to be married once, and to show to the world lur faitlifulinss in conjugal life. On these festivals mentioned, the wives and widows are expected to parade themselves before the public, carrying ujion their heads as many earthenware pots as they have had husbands, the fewer the greater the honour. One might conclude that they would hesitate in thus publicly proclaiming their record, for in Japan marriage and divorce are close companions, but they have another motive in view. This is tlie belief, that the goddess of matrimony will puni.sh any insincerity, which prompts them to carry the full nimiber of pots, let the tongues of the gossipers wag as they may. There is a legend that one woman, more crafty than wise, managed to have her pots graduated in size, so that, while their number was not small, she presented the appearance of carrving but one. As is often the ca.se with such triflers, slie was ovcrt.ikt'u in 504 THE FAli EAST. her deception, for she tripped and fL-ll. Avlien her trne character was shown, to lier lasting disgrace. In tile ])rovince of Kisliu there has been and is to-day, among the more superstitious, the belief that all the deities repair every year in the tenth month to hold a festival of rejoic- ing, which is called the '• lausrhins; fes- tival." This takes place at the great shrine of Izumo, and the period is known elsewhere, on account of the fact that all the gods gather here to the neglect of their usual duties, as " the month of the godless moon." Here and then, amid a scene of im- common mirth, are arranged the nup- tial plans for the coming year. The name and peculiar signification of this festiA-al originated with the incident of a belated god. One of those who was to meet there, in the days of yore, started in season, but, mistaking the date, and thinking he had more than ample time to reach the sacred place, dallied by the way, so he did not arrive until the last debate was over and the exercises closed. It is supposed the other deities laughed long and heartily over the discomfiture of their comrade, and thus the fashion of the festival was set for all time. OIKEAN GIRL. •lAI'AX. 505 Tlie manner of observing this divine parliament is quaint. As the time draws near, old and young collect, the latter forming in front of the pro- cession, the others falling into line in the order of their ages, each one, from the first to the last, carrying two boxes of oranges and persimmons held aloft on bamboo sticks. Ui)on reaching the shrine, the march hav- ing been made with proper solemnity, the children are commanded by the eldest man to lauijh. No sooner has the first child started the j^lee than others catch up the merriment, the men following the example, until, the entire train keeping up the merrymaking, the whole district rings with the laughter of the occasion. In this way it is believed the gods like to have their people meet and make merry, as well as to bear cheer- fully the heavy cares of life. Other festivals follow various methods of proceeding, and among these athletic competition is held in high favoui-. Here in Kyoto we have seen the annual wrestling tournament, which decides the national champion- ship as to muscular strength and skill. In the Ugo Province stands a shrine of this nature, where regularly, on the fifth day of the first month, the athletes of the province, often to the number of thousands, used to gather to decide the mettle of their arn)s and bodies. As this spot was situated at the top of the mountain of Kinipo-zan, where at that season the snow lay to the depth of a dozen feet, and often deeper, it was no small part of the undertaking to reach the scene of the trial. It was expected that the rivals should all repair to a snow-cave a quarter of a mile distant the night before the trial. At the break of dawn, stripped to their loin-cloths, they were expected to rush from the rendezvous to see who could reach the shrine first. This victor, who won oiilv after a stern race up the snowbound cliffs, was sujiposed to be favoured with the protection of the god throughout the year. Following this race, the whole party got as near to the shrine as possible, when the great wrestling trial began. The object was really not to see who .should remain the longest on his feet, but rather to oust one after another out of the en- closure. As fast as the sjjace was partly cleared, newcomers, who had been behind in the race to the summit, joined in, it being the rule for the strongest to aid the weakest. The excitement and confusion of this wild sport, in which several thousands joined, may be well imagined, but aci'ord- ing to legend no one was ever seriously injured in the melees. This i.s 506 THE FAR EAST. accounted for mainly by the utmost good-feeling which, prevailed through- out the whole affair, until the last man, the champion of the year, was left alone on the sacred ground. Then he was caught up on the shoul- ders of his companions, and bearing him thus the entire crowd marched down the mountain in good order, singing and shouting as they moved along. A festival is given at Ono-machi in honour of the Susa-no-o, that high- tempered god who drove his sister into one of the caverns of the earth. I A WRESTLING .MATCH. This ceremony does not call for any regal processions, any elaborately carved and decorated dashi, or artistically dressed dancing-maidens, but is performed by a band of lusty men dragging the chariot along the road at a furious pace. Upon reaching the seashore, they plunge in breast- deep, holding above the briny tide their burden; then they rush back to the shrine at the top of their speed. Should any one fall by the way, there is another to take his place, every one running and striving as if his life depended on his activity. Once the shrine is reached, all this wild tumult instantly ceases; the horde that a moment before seemed so anxious to rend each other to pieces in the mad struggle JAPAN. 507 now chat and drink as if dull care and strife were unknown to them. Other objects at other shrines are as zealously catered to in the wild fashion of the people. At Hakozaki is the shrine of the " god of war," where it is believed the bountiful offerings made in the thirteenth century caused that god to raise a storm on the sea, which destroyed the power- BKUMZE IIOKSK. ful armada of the Monguls, then on its way to conquer the country of Dai Nippon. At the temple of Kwannon a scrabble for pieces of wood thrown to the multitude by the priests is made in commemoration of the "goddess of mercy." This is at Saidai-ji, in the province of Bizen. These blocks are not credited with any supernatural attributes, but are emblematical of the benevolence of the giver. As it is considered of importance to get one of these annilets, the rush for them grew from year to year, until it became neces.sary to limit the number of the rivals. Again athletic exer- cises were resorted to in order to regulate the matter. So everything is arranged to open at a specified time. At ten o'clock at night, on the fourteenth day of the first month, the 508 THE FAR EAST. 8th of February corresponding to tlie calendar now, the competitors hav- ing taken their places, at the beat of a drum they dash madly through the grounds of the temple, and running at breakneck speed, reach the river flowing through the town. Here a swift bath is taken to purify themselves, and they enter the sacred enclosure by a way hitherto untrod by them. A second tap of the drum at midnight warns another bod}- of contestants to follow in the track of the first. Two hours later the drum sends forth its deep-toned note, as a signal that the first part of the contest is over. During the four hours a steady stream of rushing men has been passing through the court, the constant tread of so many feet, rising and swelling in volume, making a roar similar to the breaking of waves on the seashore, so that the echo of these footsteps can be heard twenty miles away. The last drum-beat has not died away before the shinrji, a round stick of pine wood, consecrated by the prayers of the priests, is flung from a temple window into the midst of the crowd. At the same time a hundred lesser tokens, called kushigo, are made to accompany the other, and the mad struggle of the mob begins. As the main prize is tlie shingi, every one bends all his energies toward capturing that as long as lie has any reason for hoping to obtain it. The second scramble comes for the smaller prizes, and fortunate is he who gets one of these in a crowd of tens of thousands, of whom only a hundred can win. That the contest is a furious one goes without saying, and the noisy battle of the naked men striving there in the temple grounds is a sight to be long remembered by the witness. In all these religious festivals, and we have only men- tioned a small part, it will be seen that the more educated class has little to do, it being left for the more ignorant and superstitious to keep alive the spirit of their existence. Wherever one goes in Japan he is unpleasantly reminded of the practice of burning the body and limbs by doctors to cure the ills of the flesh, or by the person himself, if he belongs to the athletic class, to produce muscles where strength is desired, or else by officials as a way of punish- ing criminals. The result is many ugly, repulsive scars on men, women, and even children. In Kyoto are many specialists of this sort, who, for a trivial sum, practice this ancient method of treatment on their patients. In the ofl&ces of these physicians hang life-size charts of the human form, JAPAN. 500 with dots and dashes showing where certain diseases must be Iruuted. Tlieir outfit consists of two hirge iron pots containing sluuibering fires, over which are placed sticks of rcd-liot charcoal. Over the spot to be treated on tlie patient, a small piece of combustible substance lilie punk or sponge is laid, and the fiery end of the stick of charcoal is held on it until the object begins to burn. The fire thus fed is allowed to eat into the flesh a suflicient depth, when the burning mass is removed. The odour of burning flesh is apparent, and sometimes these wounds are as .IAI'A.SK.--I-. large as a silver dollar. Jinriki.sha men, whose limbs require strength, often resort to this method of gaining the required muscle, until tlieir liml)s are covered with these hideous .scars along the sinews and ligaments. We have been on a trip to the shore of the Inland Sea, and a royally good time we have had, too. Among the places of interest that we visited was that hallowed tree on the bank of the Takasago, known in romance as the " Pine of the Lovers." Whoever pas.se3 that way on a moonlit night can see the shadowy forms of the ancient lovers step forth frnm the heart of the pine, and hear in the whispering coast wind their renewed pledges of love and fidelity. If the fortunate comer looks closer, he will soon see 510 THE FAR EAST. tlie maid and her lover, with bamboo rakes in their hands, draw together the fallen needles of the ancient tree. If the time was not auspicious for us to behold this pretty sight and listen to the oft-repeated murmurs of love, this was partly made up for by the mellow voice of our dreamy com- panion as he told in lano-uacre that bore unmis takable impres- sions of other days the legend of the tree, which was planted in the last days of the god of sacred trust. No man was living in this country then, but later a humble fisher- man and his wife took up their abode on the sandy shore not far from the Great Pine. In time there was born to them one child, a beautiful daughter, whose eyes were as clear as the silvery pools of the Inland Sea, and whose countenance shone as brightly as the sunshine on Lake Biwa. 0-Matsu, for that was the name given her by her parents, havmg no playmates, loved to sit by the hour under the pine, knitting the fallen needles into strange and fanciful shapes. At one time she wove herself a JAPAN. 511 mantle uf .suoli Ix-auty tlial her father and motlier marvelled much. Again she braided a fantastic sa.'*u had been plying her shuttle, a youth across the bay w'as watching LAKE -BROIll \ ■- 1 1 I • 1 1 I U . H . the flight uf the far-flying heruu, and wondering what laud lay beyond the broad sea plain. The more he thought about it the stronger became his determination to visit the unknown country; so one day he started to swim the long di.stance. Well was it for him that he was a .stalwart swimmer, else had he never been cast up by the waves at the very feet of 0-Matsu, as she wove her fancy work and dreamed her dreams. If she was at first st^irtled l»y this unexpected stranger, coming in this strange manner, she soon recovered herself. She saw tiiat he wa.s both 512 THE FAR EAST. young and good looking, and she dragged him to where she had raked together a goodly layer of pine-needles. Lying on this soft conch, the newcomer speedily returned to consciousness. His joy upon awakening and seeing who was watching him need not be told ; neither need it he repeated how the twain immediately felt for each other that love which is as changeless as the pine. The lovers hailed it as a good omen that they exchanged their vows of constancy beneath the old sacred tree, and the parents of 0-Matsu were very much pleased, for they looked on Teoyo, as the lover gave his name, as a model youth. So the happy couple were wed, and Teoyo, having no desire to recross the sea, remained to help his new father, who was becoming aged now. 0-Matsu never had reason to regret her marriage, and the happy pair, when the day's toil was done, used to seek the old pine, bamboo rake in hand, and while they repeated their pledges of love, raked together the pine-needles. The passing years took away their aged parents, and changed many ■ conditions of the country ; but three things remained unchangeable. — the Inland Sea, the noble pine, and their love. A crane came and built her nest in the old tree, and reared her young there, while a tortoise came and dwelt close by its foot. These two and the pine gave the lovers promise of long life and endurance. But the longest span must have an end, and there came a season when both tottered under the weight laid on them by many years. Still they did not fail to visit often the friendly pine, and, seated on its soft needle carpet, they would tell over, as they had done m their youth, the sweet story of love, sweeter far now under the constancy of years. And never did they forget to rake together a pile of needles with their bamboo rakes before they went away, that there might be a couch for them when they should return. At last a day came Avhen the sunset played at hide and seek in the top of the lofty pine, and the bamboo rakes lay undisturbed for the first time during many years. This was not because their owners had at last been unfaithful to their trusts, but be- cause they rested on a couch made by hands eternal on the farther shore of the River of Souls. And this simple story explains why the two lovers are seen at bright mooidight beneath the old pine. CHAPTER XXII. THE MAUKET OF MIKTII. LIVING the existence of a secluded people for over two thousand years, — what has been a])tly called a Crusoe life, — Japan affords, in the study of any part of her history, rare interest to the scholar, ])hilosopher, and antiipiurian. while the general reader cannot fail to Ije instructed and amused. Closely allied to the religious festivals of the inhabitants have been their fetes of seasons and flowers, their pastimes^ and the celebration of important events, which have marked the long highway of centin'ies like so many mile-stones. One by one these ol> servances have been added to the growing list, coming with steady and unannounced heraldry through all the generations, until such a strong bond of custom and conventionality has been fastened upon the peojile as they hardly realise. Thus the island em])ire is environed and interwoven with such a strict system of religious and fraternal associations as no other country on the globe can equal. At the same time, no other race is capable of showing a finer appreciation of these pleasant, graceful, appro- I)riate, and harmonious observances. The year in Dai Nippon, during the old regime, began under a movable calendar, and in the winter season it was from two to six weeks later than inidcr the Gregorian reckoning. But even then it came in what was really a winter month, thougli it was looked n])on as the awakening of sj)ring, and was called ris-shun, " springtime," notwithstanding the fact that the plum and the yuki-wari-so, " snow-parting plant," did not oiien a bud for weeks to come. New-year's is among the most scrui)ulou.sly observed days in the year, and no work of any kiml is supjtosed to be done. This does not mean that any one is left in iilliiiess, fur there are the preparations for calling on friends and acquaintances, and as on this occa.sion all dnii their best cliftlies, no little care and time is spent in this part of tlie celebration. The calls on those in the higher class by those in the lower are of the most .'>13 514 THE FAR EAST. forraal nature, but those between friends are generally visits of pleasure, where small jDresents are given and the gossip of the season is exchanged in a confidential manner. Every countenance is wreathed in smiles, and peals of laughter are heard on every hand. Each person is dressed in his or her best, which means that bright Colours have been given an outing, for the Japanese love best the hues that set the example of cheerfulness in this market of mirth. In some respects New-year's Day is a serious affair to the head of the family, though its duties are performed to the minutest particular with a grace and lightness of spirit in keeping with the general brightness of the glad occasion. First donning his holiday attire, he makes his offerings to the deities, both spiritual and terrestrial, proffers his remembrance to the shades of his fathers, offers his salutations of good-will to his living kin and friends, and then partakes of a morning meal intended to be in keeping with the association of the day. No householder is in such humble circumstances that he does not have to prepare a " heavenly table," — a tray lacquered in bright colours and decorated with the foliage of the evergreen yuzuriha. This is considered LANTKKN SKI.LKU. JAPAN. 515 the only fitting receptacle for those seven dishes of allegorical origin, "a feast of fortune," of Avhich the following is a list, with accompanying sig- nifications: A rice cake, or "'mirror dumpling," because it is made in the shape of the sacred mirror of the Shinto rites, and supposed to contain what is good for the digestive organs ; oranges laid on green leaves, meaning a " bequest from one to another ; " chestnuts dried and crushed, signifying victory ; persimmons, considered to possess medicinal value ; dried sar- dines, denoting conjugal fidelit}', as the little fish never swim singly ; the ehi, a lobster, its long tentacles and curved back suggesting life so extended that the shoulders become bowed and the beard grows long and heavy ; last, a herring roe, that creature of the sea which is supposed to be the most prolific. This "table of elysium " is also emblematical of the three islands of youth located somewhere in the extreme corner of the sea-world, according to a Chinese legend, where all creatures retain perpetual youth, the birds and animals are of a pure white, and the palaces of the people are of gold and silver. " Young water," that is, water drawn from the well luider the first rays of the light ushering in the new day and the new year, is used in preparing the tea, and the principal edibles are a special compound of six articles of diet, none of these being ever omitted, though they may be changed in the proportion of their amount, to suit tiie tastes of those at the meal. These foods are the mochi, rice cake ; imo, potato ; daikon, Japanese tur- nil) ; awabi, haliotis ; (jobo, a sort of burdock ; kombu, a kuid of seaweed. In order to ensure good health during the twelve months to follow, it is deemed necessary that a goodly measure of sak(i should be quaffed from a bright-lacquered cup. Tliis part i>f the custom is said to have been introduced from China centuries ago, and to have originated there with an old hermit, who made it a practice to distribute amoig the villagers on each returning New-year's Day portions of Jthysic, with tlie injunction that if it was drunk with sak»? it would secure for the drinker a hale and hearty body. The most prominent feature of the decoration is the " pine of the door- wa}'," festooned with the shiine-nnwa, or rope of rice-straw. The first consists of small pines and l)aml)<)os placed on either side of the vestibule, the trees supposed to typify l)y their evergreen foliage long life. The pine became a part of tliu decoration al)i>ut a tliou.sand years ago, while the 516 THE FAR EAST, b;uiilioo is a later addition by some five hundred yeai's. The straw rope is of greater antiquity, and is emblematical of spring, and refers to tlie ancient morning when the goddess of sunlight was enticed from her cavern of darkness by the discontented gods of darkness, then overruling the earth, and the rope was placed across the entrance to the cave so she could not return to her underground abode. These ropes are the most important of the decorations, and are stretched not only across the entrance to the house, but before every other spot which the sunlight is supposed to A WINE CKLLAR. benefit, such as the well, bathroom, sacred shelf, and inner court. Some- times a piece of charcoal is suspended from the rope, it l)eing considered efficacious in warding off evils ; and a lobster, decorated with fern fronds, and indicating hardiness, is attached to the line. It is not held to be necessary to resort to the temples that the deities may be propitiated, though a few do it. The majority prefer to ascend the most convenient eminence in their neighborhood, and the entire party, joining hands, watch and sing as the new sun sends its virgin beams over the landscape. Later in the day small bodies of both se.^es parade the streets, dancing and playing before the homes of the inhabitants. Besides JAPAN. 517 these are parties called " bird-chasers," which are made iip of maidens go- ing about with wide coverings nearl\ concealing their features, while they play on the samiseu, under the belief tliat this will drive away birds of ill-ouieu that are supposed to be fluttering on wing over the homes of the rich and poor. Among the pastimes held in high estimation at this time is the game of shuttlecock and battle-board, which found its way into Japan from China. Tradition gave the shuttlecock, the shape of a dragon-fly, and attributed ( ill l.liKI N ~ I I > 1 i \ Al.. to it the power to drive away mosquitoes. It lacked the battle-board, and the Japanese added that, — a thin, flat board of pine lacquered in red and gold on the back, and since adorned witii pretty pictures. This game is played by the young of both se.xes, anK.N l^)t lOkYK. and hope for a liappy fvdtilnient of their dreams. But the Sun would not listen to the pleadings of his daughter, and the grizzled warrior repeated iiis offers of matrimony freijuently and stuliltornly, though her only response was to ply the shuttles of her loom faster than ever. No more was she the merry, vivacious maid of yore. Finally the Sun decreed tliat Kinrin, on the 7th day of the seventh month, should be banished to the farther bank of the wide Silver River, and siioulil remain tliere an exile for ever. Hearing of her lover's unhappy 52(1 THE FAR EAST. fate, Ame-kujo stole down to the place of his starting, and there the unfortunate couple met and parted, as they believed, for the last time. The Siui had commanded all the magpies in the kingdom to gather Avitli outspread wings, and thus make a bridge for the exiled youth to pass over thie river to his future abiding-place. Kinrin saw through his tears the "weeping princess, as she watched liiui out of sight. On the distant l)ank of the River of Heaven the magpies dispersed, leaving the disconsolate lover alone in his despair. The sadness of tlie days to Kinrin, as he followed his herd in the remote land, and that of Ame-kujo, while she plied her slmttles in her desolate home, cannot be pictured b}- a mortal. The warrior who had wooed her with such fiery words, now that he saw the change in her once lovely countenance, refused to wed such a disconsolate bride. When he found that his daughter grew more and more dejected, and that she was going to die unless the burden of her sorrow was lightened, the Sun relented so far that he declared she and her exiled lover might meet on the Tth night of the seventh month of the coming j^ear. She at once dried her tears, and something of her old-time lightness of heart returned, her spirits growing happier as the day she was to go to Kinrin drew nearer. The only fear was that the day might bring rain, when the river would be so swollen that she could not cross. But the very elements were her friends. The day came and departed without a shadow. At evenfall the stars set their bright watch in the sky, and joy reigned triumphant throughout all the heavens. The mag- pies came as they had the year before for the exiled herd-boy, and spread- ing wide their wings made a safe bridge for Ame-kujo to cross over the broad river to her lover. His surprise was more than equalled hy his joy, and with such happiness as only the pure and faithful know, the two lived those happy hours of the stars. She uuist leave him before the Sun should return from his nightly pilgrimage, and with sorrowful hearts the lovers separated, their only solace being the hope that they might be permitted to meet again another year. In all the years that have fled since then, unless it be very stormy, on the Tth day of the seventh month, the faithful star lovers have met JAPAN. 527 in that far-off country of the sky. the great joy of their meeting made brighter by the liope tliat some time tlie banishment of Kinrin will be over, and that they will know no further sejiaration. On the 1st day of the eighth month it was expected that a grand annual festival would be held at Yedo, now Tokyo, in connnemoration of tlie entrance of lyeyasu, the founder of tlie shogunate, into that city. But modern Tokyo ignores all tliis show of military glory, and is happier in paying homage to the moon in \hv month whicli. according to the new IAN ] I i;n M Ahl l;>. calendar, is fair September. There is an old saying in Japan that the moon of the springtime loses her l^rightest beams among the blossoms of the flowers; in tlie sunnnertide the water n-dcrts her image in jturer tints than her own light; in the winter the north wind robs her rays of much of their lustre ; but in the autumn all nature is her friend, and rejoices to see her at her best. Thus tiie harvest moon of Japan is the moon of festivities. Especially is this a poetic and romantic festival in the more thinly jiopulateil di.stricts, where the old-time spirit still linger-s, the laugh- ing waterfall vies with the moon in her transcendent Iteauty, and the noisy cataract seeks to attract Ipy its tumultuous forces wh.it it loses in oilier 528 THE FAR EAST. respects. Man, nature, and moon combine to make this the happiest event of a happy season. Three things are wanted to make this festival a success : the time, the moon, and water. Tokyo is well favoured in respect to the last by the river Sumida ; Osaka, by the noble Yodo, coming fresh from Lake Biwa ; and if Kyoto is less fortunate in this respect her people do not know it, so the result is the same. While this festival has lost much of its ancient BKACKET liKUM.K, ]l KAIJAWA. glory, it has gained in the new order of things. Generous display of fire- works, hosts of bright flying pennons, pretty, vivacious geishas, decked in their daintiest costumes, their most fascinating grace of manner, their gentle refinement of womanhood, all aid in making this the happy fete it is. A favourite place of holding one of these festivals was a bridge spanning one of the streams which drained the Fujiyama district. Upon building this bridge, in order to bring about the most good to the public, it was considered necessary to have the two happiest men in the province first JAPAN. 529 pass over the new structure. In looking around for proper persons, tlie officials were exceedingly fortunate in findinif two men who had each been masters of homes for threescore years, and whose wives and children, twelve in each famil}^, were all living. Therefore these gray-headed patri- archs were chosen to lead the way across the bridge, which had been painted a bright red as an emblem uf a light heart. The venerable twain were accompanied by their faithful wives, while behind these couples marched, two and two, according 'to their ages, their grown-up cliildren, grand- children, and great-grandchildren, making a long procession. A vast crowd of spectators watched the train, laughing and shouting for joy, while showers of fireworks illuminated the night air, and the thunder of cannon shook the distant mountains. As was foretold then, the bridge has stood long and firm as proof of its happy beginning. This was better fortune than that which befell another structure of this kind, which a powerful daimio in the Keicho era decided to rear across the river that had witnessed one of his victories, as a monument of his prowess. But when he came to build the bridge there seemed to be no solid bottom to the stream upon which to raise pillars to support the long structure, with its picturesque curves and multitudinous feet like the centi- pcdti. Thousands upon thousands of stones were thrown into the river, but as often as the bridge was constructed it would sink into the bed of the river out of sight. In his despair and disappointment at being de- feated in what had seemed so slight a matter, when compared to his triumph over armies of men, Horio Yoshiharu swore by his beard that he would ultimately succeed. Now it had been a heaven-ordained iiiL; among men that no person should cross a bridge without having a machi in the back of his linknma ; that is, a piece of stiff cardljoard sewn into the garment to keep it smooth and in good shape. So wlien it was found that one named Gensuke had been accustomed to pass over this bridge as soon as it was reared without regard for this custom, the cause of the evil was quickly thought to have been found. Gen.suke was instantly seized, and in order to appease the anger of the gods whom he had offended, he was buried alive in the bed of the river, where he sleeps to this day. Tiie result was all tliat had been devoutly e.xpcrtfil. The foundation for the pillars became as solid aa till- rock-ribbed hills; so the bridge was compli'tcd with wluit speed was 530 THE F'AR EAST. jjossible. There it stood firm and faithful for over three hundred years. The truth of this story was shoAvn by the fact that the middle pier bore the name of the foolhardy man, and was known as the Gensuke-hashira. It was claimed by the believers that on moonless nights, at the dead watch between two and three o'clock, the pillar would be enveloped in a ghostly red light. In the idyllic season of early autumn the festival of the chrysanthemum .MIVANOSIUTA ItnER. holds high place, and once Japan could justly claim the peerage of the world in this flower. If nature has been chary of her floral gifts to Dai Nippon, she somewhat atoned for this niggardliness by bestowing upon it the kiku, or world-famous chrysanthenmm. The gardener, whose arts and skill in arranging beautiful parks abounding with artifical waterfalls, foimtains, lakelets, rockworks, tiny bridges, and dwarf trees seem without limit, gives his best attention to this flowering plant. Sometimes he trains a number of these plants upon frames to represent scenes of national interest, and shows his love and adeptness in hundreds of ways. The JAPAN. 531 emperor's gardens at Akasaka afford a fine display of the chrysanthemum in its natural state. Formerly a royal banquet was held annually in honour of this flower at the imperial court at Yedo. Then the women in higher walks of life engaged in rivalry to see who should be the fortunate one to send a blossom which should be accepted by the consort of the reigning shogim. Sometimes great enthusiasm and excitement ruled. If this has all passed away under the new order of government, the love of the chrysanthemum still remains with the Japanese, and they do not cease to praise its fitness for decorative work, its prolificness of blossom, the ease with which it can be massed so as to portray historic and legendary and mythological pictures. To them it is, in its many varieties, " the moon-touched flower," " the pearl of hearts," " crystal court," '* the sleep of the gray tiger," "frost beam," "the jewel of the inner court," '•the snow of the five lakes," and so forth. The festivals of the cherry blossoms and the chrysanthemums are the two fetes of the year when the climate and the hearts of the people join in unison to make the very most of a gala season. A garden of a type foreign to the country, as many other things have usurped the old ideas and fancies in Japan, is now opened in the golden month of October in Tokyo, when the aristocratic and ofticial classes help to swell the vast crowd visiting the magnificent display. A prominent feature at the fairs which come late in the summer are great numbers of fireflies, imprisoned in horsehair Ciiges, and for sale at a rin each. A rin, it should be remembered, compares to our mill. The Japanese have a sort of reverential respect for these little " earth stars," and among the pretty ct^nceits related of them is the following : Once upon a time an old woodsman saw a little moon-child on the branch of a bamboo, and he captured the tiny creature and took her home. His wife was delighted with the newcomer, who lived with them for twenty years. As she grew older a brilliant light overspread her body, so that the forester's humble dwelling was filled with the sweet smile of her presence by day, and by night she moved aliout his home like a lamp of gold. The stars paled to dimness when she went abroad, and the moon became dark and angry witli jealou.sy. Of course so fair a maid had many lovers, and among the others the emperor was so charmed with her lieauty and sweetness that he wanted 532 THE FAR EAST. to make her his bride. But a fairy had told her that twenty years would end her earthly existence, so she refused her lovers with kindly firmness, though without telling even the emperor her real reason. He became very angry, and threatened to take her a prisoner to his castle. But when he came to carry out his threat, lo ! she took flight on a moonbeam, in her fright crying tears of silver. Then Mother Moon relented, and far away from the pursuit of the distracted emperor took the fugitive in her warm arms. Not having told the emperor her reason for refusing him, the tiny maid did not feel that she had done right, so her tears took wings, and on summer nights can be seen flying about everywhere search- ing for the disappointed emperor. He died many, many years ago, an old man, keeping in his heart a love for the proud little princess who dared to refuse an emperor. CHAPTER XXIV. PASTIMES OF A PEOPLE. AMONG the native methods of sport and amusement are feats of acrol)atic skill, rinining, jumping, wrestling, juggling, living stat- ues, trick monke3s, deformed animals, and shouting alleys, to say nothing of trials at archery, with bows eight or ten feet long and arrows of corresponding length. The oldest of all the sports and pastimes is that of wrestling, supposed to have had its origin over nineteen centuries ago, and to have held its popularit}' through all the changes and vicissitudes, rise and fall of power, during that long period. Tradition, which is ever ready to nurture history, declares that as long ago as twenty-five years before Christ the peace of the island empire was disturbed by the boasts of one Kehaya, a member of the emperor's body-guard. As this gigantic wrestler grew more and more arrogant in his manner, it was finally proclaimed that whoever should be able to throw him should receive high reward. Accord- ingly some of the strongest men began to practise for a trial witli him. but when they came to meet him he overpowered them all. Tiiis made him more overbearing than ever, and he loudly boasted that no two men in the empire could master him. This called forth a challenge from a certain soldier who had never been credited with any skill in that direc- tion, and the bully quickly accepted. The venturesome soldier's name was Sukune, and everybody pitied him, believing he; would meet the same fate as the others. But in this they were mistaken. Sukune had been preparing in secret for .such a match for over a year, and when he came to contend with the mighty Kehaya lie speedily overcame him, cru-'jliiiig him to the earth. Great was the rejoicing, and the victor was rewarded with a large estate in the Yainato province. He has the credit of fixing the code of scientific wrestling. Be this legend or history, in 720 a. d. wrestling was given its first ro5'al sanction, when Emperor Shomo and his imperial court extended public 5.t.l 534 THE FAR EAST. patronage to it. One Sliiga Seirin, of Onii, was master of the arts and artifices connected with it. He understood the forty-eight kinds of clntclies and holds, liaving been the originator of many of them, and knew the gradations belonging to the game. He improved upon many of the grips, and established him- self so well as master of the pastime that his successive de- scendants held the important and honourable position of chief umpire at court until the ex- tinction of the family line in 1187, after 450 years of credit- able rule. The honour next fell on Yoshida Oikase, of Echizen, one of whose lineal descendants is the present chief, and who is alone empowered to bestow upon the clianipiun wrestler that badge of distinction which every ambitious follower of the order seeks as the ulti- mate reward of all his training and skill in overcoming his rivals, the yokozuna, a belt braided of two strands of white silk. Tradition delights in attributing great size to the champions of this pastime, picturing some of them as tall as seven feet, and weighing between fonr and five hundred pounds. Such athletes among the slight- WHKSTLKKS Japanese Actors JAPAN. 535 ligured men of the race must have ajipearod hke giants. It is needless to say that wrestlers of such wonderful size are not found to-day, though the contrast between their size and that of their countrymen is striking. It is nothing unusual to find those among them who stand six feet in height and weighing 250 pounds. This fact is accounted for by the cus- tom of selecting only youths of uncommon size for this calling, and these come princij)ally from the labouring class, which, as we have said, possesses greater stature and muscle tliau the noliility. From the time of having accepted this calling, the follower diets for the purpose, eating only the most wholesome food, and abstaining from all intoxicating drinks. The wrestlers of the country arc divided into "camps" or factions, the Western and Eastern Camp. These are subdivided into classes, each with its champions. These camps hold grand matches in the spring and the autuiiui at Kyoto, Tokyo, and Osaka, and once a year in each important centre of the interior i>rovinces. These trials take place within a ring formed by straw sand-bags. An umpire is given position inside the ring with the contestants, to see that the rules of the game arc strictly fol- lowed, and to stop the battle as soon as he sees that one side is faltering. 536 THE FAR EAST. The rivals strip themselves of all garments that are likely to interfere with the free movements of limbs or body, and agree to obey all rules and restrictions, which are many and often look intricate to the onlooker. The umpire's duty is no slight matter, and he is often called upon to exer- cise strong expression of purpose to keep the wrestlers within the code of grips and thrusts . He w^ho finally succeeds in throwing his adver- sar}- outside of the circle of sand-bags is declared victor. Ut- most good feeling prevails inside the ring, but the specta- tors often become wild with excitement. One of the methods of rewarding the rivals is for members of the audience to throw their clothes to them, and redeem them afterward with money. The bout between the contestants is not limited to one day, but they are allowed ten days in which to end the struggle. The wrestlers are good-natured men, who never fall into the vulgar habits of the common brawler, and receive good remuneration for the following of their rugged calling. It is very seldom one of them transgresses the law, and an arrest is of rare occurrence. The goal toward which all are striving is the exalted position of toshi-'/ori-i/aku, or " elder." These distinguished mem- ACTOR AS AN OLD-TIME WARRIOR. JAPAN. 537 bers are the organisers o£ matches, become referees, look after the finances uf the camps, and take pupils for the profession. There are over eighty of these elders at the present time in the country, while there are several hundred wrestlers. Football, according to Occidental methods, has supplanted the old- style ke-mari, introduced from China more than a thousand years ago. The object of this game was to keep the ball always in the air, kicking it as high as possible. Goals were not arranged, neither was there any organised eifort in the struggle. Te-mari, or hand-ball, is a pastime adapted to the feminine sex, and the young girls show great skill and grace in the manner which they play this popular pastime. Thei'e are numerous fanciful figures, calling out the ease and suppleness of movement fur which the Japanese dancer is noted. During the game, as the actors jjirouette and bound to and fro, the entire body of players keep time with some ditty sung in unison by the entire party. Among the youth of the opposite sex kite-flying is the favourite pas- time, even the adults deeming it not beneath the dignitv of their atje and exjierience. So deeply has this sport fixed itself on the peojjle that special seasons are set apart for the trials. In some localities the boys look for- ward anxiously to the New-year's Day, as a time for kite-flying. On tho.se occasions, the sky over some of the villages is literally peopled with kites of many sizes and descriptions. In some localities, the birthday of a boy is most properly celebrated by kite-flying, and, as soon as he becomes large enough to participate in the sport, he invites his friends to join with him in the merrymaking. On the day of the birth of a boy, his parents an- nounce the happy event by sending aloft one of the messengers of the air to announce the coming of the young heir, and also to illustrate with its lofty flight their high aims and ambition for the child. If the family belongs to till' lower class, it must be content witli a kite of small size. Init if the parents are among the noltility, nothing sliort of a kite of enormous size will satisfy the .soaring aspirations. Thus, those of this class are as much as thirty feet in dianu-ter, and carry a Uiil of red and white, or pink and blue, in alternate folds that reach for more than throe thou.sand feet. Soaring high among the clouds, this enormous kite, with its bright.-l)i:. children, who were not blessed with such glory. Two may be mentioned, the God of Fire and the more to be feared Susa-no-o, who preferred shadow to light, whose smile was a blight to flowers and plants, and who was given the sovereignty of the sea. He soon became extremely jealous of his sister Amaterasu, and resigning his kingship over the ocean reigned as the Moon God, in the hope that he might better outrival her. The Sun Goddess was loved by all, and under the benign influence of her smile the earth yielded up from its treasure-house the iris and orchid, the cherry and plum blossom, the pine and bamboo, the maple and wistaria. JAPAN. 557 the rice and hump. The niouutaiii.-5 were clothed in deep green vestments, the plains strewn with flower.'^, and tlie Inland Sea veiled in silvery ganze. She had but to whisper her wish and it was answered. While she plied her shuttles celestial maidens sang of the joy and peace on earth. Susa-no-o looked on all this l)y night and was angry from jealousy. So he did everything in his power to make existence miserable for his siste , who finally tied to a cave to escape his persecution. The universe was then plunged into darkness, and strife and turmoil reigned supreme. The litis (;aui>kn. god.s, becoming alarmed fur the welfare of every beautiful thing, and even for their own safety, assembled to see what could be done. Knowing that the Sun Goddess alone could save them, they began to devise plans to call her forth from her retirement. But plan after plan was tried and failed, until that of the magic mirror was re.sorted to. Great fires were built about the entrance to the cave, and eight hundred merry maidens were told to laugh. As the merry peals of laughter made tlie eartli treml>le. Amaterasu looked shyly forth to discover that it was light, when she had supposed that darkness was reigning. Upon asking what this meant, she was told that a goddess rivalling her had come among them. She believed 558 THE FAR EAST. this when she gazed into the mirror and saw her own matchless reliection. This caused her to step outside the cave, and, to stop her from returning, a rope of rice-straw was deftly drawn across the entrance. The eight hun- dred merry deities cried out, '" May the Sun Goddess always stay with us." Thus darkness was driven from the world and happiness and rejoicing again held sway. But if freed from darkness, the earth was still peopled with evil spirits. GARDEN AT KAGOSHIMA. and tliere was no peace by day or night. Tlien tlie deities decided to send some one down to quell the wild riot and prepare the people for the rule of Amaterasu's grandson, Prince Generous-Giver. But of the agents sent to do this difficult task, as many as tlu*ee failed. One lost courage at the very outset ; another fell a victim to the violence of the mob ; and still a third was captivated by the blandishments of a beautiful maiden who met him on the seashore. He found life here so fascinating that he forgot his mission, even forgot his brother deities, and revelled in the toils of a JAPAN. 559 vulgar life. Finally the Sun Goddess sent a pheasant to inquire why her messenger tarried so long. But the delinquent deity was so angry over the appeal of the bird that he shot lier with a bow and arrow. The pheasant fell, and the arrow continued its flight to the feet of the Goddess of the Snn on her throne in high heaven. Anticipating that evil had befallen her loved pheasant, from the blood on the .shaft, she sent the arrow back to earth, with the injunction that it find the evil-doer. A mitrhtv storm arose soon after, and on its wings the dead bodv of the faithless prince was laid at his father's feet. Then there was weeping and wailing, fur he had been dearly l)elovod, and a great mourning-house was raised. But in the midst of this lamentation a brother of the dead prince appeared, and was mistaken for the traitor. This so offended the former that he cut down the mourning-house witli his ten-grasp sword, and .scattered the ruins to the four winds of heaven. This feat cau.sed the others U) declare that he, Taku-Mika, was the very one to subdue the evil spirits below. In answer to Amaterasu's reque.st he started at once on his warlike mission. He was accompanied by a boon companion named Tori-bune. Upon reaching the -1i-t.' of lb.* 560 THE FAR EAST. troubled land, in what is now the province of Idzumo, the doughty twain placed their swords on the crest of the waves, and seated themselves on the points of the weapons. In this manner they were able to defend themselves from the evil spirits of the earth until they had conquered them. The Goddess of the Sun was greatly pleased over the exploit of her latest emissaries, and she at once instructed her grandson, Ninigi, Prince Generous-Giver, to go at once to the earth and begin his reign, which she foretold would be one of peace and plenty, and from this fact he became known as " Ruddy-Plenty, the Rice Prince." Among the treasures that she gave him was the famous mirror, which had restored light to the world. Prince Ninigi looked on the A'ast pine forests, the reed plains and the mountains, the rivers and seas, and was greatly pleased with his domains. But this son of the gods was lonesome in the midst of his plenty, until he met one day on the shore of the Inland Sea a maiden of such loveliness as he had never dreamed. Falling in love with her, and learning that she was the daughter of the Spirit of the Mountains, he sought her father to ask for her hand in marriage. Now it so happened that this deity had an older daughter who he was especially anxious should wed before her sister. But she was very plain, and Ninigi would not take her in place of the beautiful Ko-no-hane, Princess Tree-Blossom. This so angered the older sister that she exclaimed in anger : " You have made a foolish choice. Had you chosen me, you and your children would have lived to a good old age ; but as you have chosen my sister, all your children and children's children will perish as the blossoms of the trees." This explains why human life is not as long as that of the gods who lived on earth before the advent of man. But Prince Ninigi and his beautiful wife were very happy during their mortal life, and from them have descended the royal rulers of Dai Nippon. 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