FEST I V A LS.

“ O D E R N J apan is a cou n try of t rad i ti on al festival s ; acts of worsh ip

th e people cal l th em , and th ey certai n ly have their fou ndatio n i n a

so as religious observance , bu t far general revel ry , feasti ng and

‘ a éze rej oici ng are concerned , they presen t al l the featu res of f , or

even of a carn ival . An n ually or bi en n ially th e tu telary d eities of a particular parish are taken ou t for an ai ri ng and the w hole of th e

d e fl parish ion ers partici pate i n the pic ni c . That is th e most acc u rate

n iti on that can be briefly given of t he m a fia ” , to wh ic h Western

" “ wri ters have al ready devoted so many pages of d escri ption . The worshi p of the dei ties and

' “ ma fsu rz f . the ad mi n i stratio n of State a fairs used to be synonymou s Both were called , and

t he both con ti n u e to be so called by the vu lgar , though d isti nctive term s now fi nd a place i n

vocabu lary of the literate . I f , the n , rel igiou s ri tes performed by the sovereign w i th i n th e pre ci n ct s of the palace i nsu red the successful co nd u ct of natio nal bu si n ess , th e sam e pri nciple

' pro mpted the peopl e to i nvoke , by si m i lar m eans , heaven s i n fl uence i n th e cau se of house hold prosperity , i nd ustrial success , and i nd ivid ual h appi ness . H istory does not i nd icate th e origi n of th e idea that to carry the god s i n tri u mphal procession was the most fi tti ng form of

popu lar d evotio n . Bu t hi story does show that sackcloth and ashes were never c red ited with any attractions i n the eyes of th e supernatu ral powers , and that the J apanese . even i n very

as . early ages , j udged the brighter aspects of l i fe to be as pl easan t to i m mortal s to mo rtal s

’ We obtai n that knowledge of th e nation s mood i nc id entally and not very agreeably . A n nal

' ‘ As i sts ma l m m i ts . tel l u s , not of the glories of th e , bu t of abu ses early as t he eighth cen tu ry , the spri ng and au tu m n festivals of th e North Star had to be offici ally i n terd icted becau se of

“ i m moral l icen se on the part of the d evotees , and a si milar prohi bition became n ecessary a h u n

’ d red years later when the people s m ethod s of ask i ng for bl essings had beco me so extravagan t that there stood i n every street i n Kyoto a “ treas u ry decorated w ith pictu res of th e “ Seven

God s of Fortu ne , and a pai r of i mages before wh ic h i n cen se was bu rned and flowers were offered amid ci rcu mstances that s hou ld so meti mes have repel led rather tha n propi tiated th e

- f d ei ties . I ndeed , any on e visi ti ng the great sh ri n es of I se to day , wi ll be s u rprised to i nd th at

Lai s opens her doors to th e pilgri m al most with i n sigh t of th e sac red groves , and that to accept her i nvi tation d oes not disq ual i fy h i m i n h is own eyes , no r i n the eyes of any one else ,

for . _ the su bsequent ach ievemen t of h is piou s pu rpose A si ngle act of lu stration restores

2 3 1 2 3 2 J A P A N

his w as h is moral as ell physical pu rity , and with suc h an easy remedy i n S ight , t h e si ns of the

i s flesh seem only transiently h u rtfu l . I t not to be supposed , however , that u nsightly excesses

are obtrusive featu res of the O n the contra ry , they are for the most part conspic uous

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. by thei r absence H istory s mention of them notes the exception , not the rule , and is referred to here merely as i nd icating that the gala spi ri t presided at these festivals twelve or

fi fteen centu ries ago j ust as promi nen tly as

i t presid es now .

The people enjoy and exercise a ll the

freedo m of hosts at these big picn ics . H av

‘ i ng d uly p rovided for the deity , or dei ti es , i n whose honor th e d isplay i s pri marily organ

i z ed , the parishioners consider themselves at l iberty to en tertai n any other gu ests they please to su m mon from the real m of spi rits

ac o or the region of allegory . For the c m m o dation of each pri ncipal and each accessory

”fil ms/1 11 dei ty there is a sacred palanqu i n , a

I t is a sh ri ne on wheels ; a sh ri ne covered

u nrleco rated with black lacquer , save that the i nsign ia of the i n mate are blazoned i n

gold on the panels of the doors , and that the

ends of the pil lars and roof- tree are wrapped

i n fi nely chased and richly gilt copper .

Before and beh i nd the sh rine stand "on "of

- ar m P Y a m - A e s LA ING s sex . rose red lacquer ; a bal ustrade of the same

color encircles i t , and o n the roof perches a fli golden phoen ix wi th outspread wi ngs . The e g y of the deity i s placed wi th i n th is shrine i n sacred secl usion , and to fi fty men weari ng sacerdotal vestments the d u ty of beari ng the

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is i n trusted . Bu t there is a d i fference i n the peopl e s treatment of thei r own special guests . These are not enclosed i n the gloom of a sh ri ne ; they are mou n ted on h igh , over

o f looking the m u lti tud e merrymakers and looked u p to by them , and they ride each on a

car d d s/1 1 f i ts of gentle motion or ), a magni ficen t and colossal a fai r , d i mensions and gorgeousness affordi ng a measu re of the piety and prosperity of the pari sh . Described

d d s/1 13 - i n si m pl est o utli ne , the i s a rectangul ar wooden house mou n ted on a fou r wheeled

i s wagon . As for i ts details , they defy descri ption . From sil l to eaves i t a mass of elabo

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- o- ll cl rate carvi ng and rich decoration . B rill ian t brocades , portly sil k tassels , snow wh ite g

w - - w and reaths of gold and silver flo ers fi ll th e i ntervals between deeply ch isel led diapers , fligh ts J A P A N 2 3 3

of phoen ixes , processions of tortoises and l i nes of dragons . I m med iately u nder the roof , and

th u s raised some fifteen feet above the street , a broad platform affords space for fi fty or si xty people , and spri ngi ng fro m pyram idal d rapery at the cen tre of the artisti cal ly carved ridge pole , a taperi ng pi ll ar of great heigh t su pports a canopied bracket for the figu re of the sacred

d ash i s guest to who m th e is ded icated . I t i mpossi bl e to co nvey i n words any adequate idea of the grace of proportion and sobriety of grandeu r someti mes attai ned i n th e construe

As effi ies tion and ornamentation of these cars . for the gu ests whose g are th u s carried aloft , they belong , for th e most part , to th e galaxy of national heroes or the catalogu e of i nd u strial and com mercial symbol s . Each parish natu rally has i ts own particular pets and its own

' special obligations . For exampl e , the festival of Sano , one of Tokyo s great bien nial carn ivals , is h eld i n a year designated by the sign of

l the cock and th e mon key i n th e two cycles .

H ence there i s a d ash for each of these

’ a as/zi zod iacal conception s . Th ere are also for Ben ten , the goddess of matri mo ny ; for

Ri u i n Kas uga j , th e god of the sea ; for

Shi z u k a Gozen , the brave mother of

Yoshi tsune ; for Kamo , the Kyoto deity ;

Tom o I ch i ra i for y H osh i , the renowned

K u m asa k a priest ; for C hohan , the pri nce

m ed ia val of bu rglars ; for J i ngo , the con queri ng empress ; for th e treasu re sh ip with its crew , the Seven Gods of Fortu ne ; for

U shi w ak a S o o bo and j , the you ng h ero and h is holy fenci ng master ; for a ham mer and a weight ; fo r a big saw ; for a tea- wh is k ; for a wh al i ng j u n k ; for an axe and sickle , sy mbols of th e crafts , trades and occupations most affected by the in habi tan ts of the d is tri cts th rough wh ich th e processio n wi nd s i ts l ei su rely way on every al ternate 1 5 th

W of j u ne (old calendar). The tu telary dei ties INTER c osru mz . of th e Sano d istrict , when not taki ng part

i n these period ical picn ics , i n habit a s h ri ne on the su m m it of a profusely wooded h il l

l Ti me me ur eriods , used to be n ed in j apan by cycles of si xty years . There were also year p of arbitrary length determined gener

“ 1 86 i s of . Al e/ 7 i i 7 , ally by the reign a sovereign The 3 per od , or era of enlightenment , wh ch began at the Restoration in an example of these

i i i , , arb trary d v sions . For the purpose of constructing the sexagenary cycle , two separate series of symbols were used one of ten the other of i “ . five fire , : twelve , signs The former consisted of the elements ( wood , , earth , metal and water) each element hav ng a senior and a junior

co mbin z a i rat i , . the latter , of the twelve odiac l s gns ( , bull . t ger , hare , dragon . serpent , horse , goat , ape , cock dog and bear) The method of in ri as y . g the two se es of symbols so to construct a cycle of sixt years . need not be described here 2 A P 3 4 j A N . approached bv an aven ue of cherry trees and tended by Budd hist and Shi nto priests i n ‘ i ’ ' cooperation . Bu t the e fii g es that ride on the d as/z z and the d czs/z z th emselves are kept in the

. has houses of leadi ng ci tizen s Each car , each figu re, each symbol , its h istory , and every

can 7 properly educated parishioner k nows that history . H e tell how the fi nely modelled K a n/"0

’ ' aorz Od e m m a - c ho has five- (cock on dru m), kept i n , hued plu mage , whereas the Kanda cock is

pu re white ; how the mon key , which ough t to take precedence of the cock , i f the order of th e

w as Sh o un terrestrial and celestial cycles were strictly observed , obliged , by edict of the g , to

rm i ts - ced e the fi to brigh t feathered compan ion ; how two l ifeli ke mon keys , a male and a

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- female , emerge al ternately from thei r retreat i n Koj i machi to take their pl aces i n the pro

tn o n k e M i namite m m a- cession , but how neither can compare with the wonderful y of cho , l

T H E V \V - W J ILLAGE ATER H F. F

- H oshi VV ashi h e i modell ed i n the old days by that peer of pu ppet makers , y , of wh ich , alas only the nose and eyes now remai n , bu t wh ich has a not greatly i nferior successor , the work

- also of Ka k u m u ro Eiga ; how i n Koji mach i there is preserved a monster elephant , fashioned

th ree and a hal f centuries ago by a Korean crafts man , and how it used once to be a promi nent object i n the procession , th ree men wi thi n each leg , and a band of m usicians i n Korean

— Edo o costu me preced i ng it . The gen u i ne Tokyo man the , or child of Edo , as h e loves to cal l h i mself — and th e orthodox citizen of aristocratic Kyoto have a thousand trad itions to relate abou t these festivals , a thou sand respectful tales to tell abou t thei r paraphernalia ,

~ and each city regards them as the re d letter day of i t s ch ron icles . I t will not fall to the

see éfes lot of many of our readers to one of the great f , and , i ndeed , thei r glory , li ke the

‘The name of a street in Tokyo 2 j A P A N . 3 5

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o . us glo ry of s many of J apan s old i n sti tu tions , rapid ly passi ng away Let then set down the ord er of the Sano processio n

f / ' Tw o large and t wo small ha m ( st ri p s of w hi t e c ot Two bearers o g o m.

- t o n c half t o tw o t G , n . l ot h , from o n e and o n e fe e wide and irl child richly a p p are ll ed riding i n p ala nqui

- t e n to t n sailw ise to fi os/z i i . from thirty fe e lo g , faste n ed bambo o Tw o m en with y g

the t t r t S P 0 . p oles and having the names of u ela y d ei ies ac red a lanquin , born e by 5 men '

- t . i n sc ribed i n immense id eograp hs ) . The dei y s ric e box . born e by 3 m e n '

- laivesma n and it t 8 me n . A g a sp ear bearer . The d e y s abl e , borne by

t h e n . Tw o big drums carried by eleven me n. A tt enda nts o n shri e

’ — M Two m e n w it h fiy os/ci g z ( w o ode n bl ocks for striking ou nt ed p ries t .

. t ogeth er ) . Thirty i nferior p riests in sac erd otal cost ume / ' o za . Two fl au tists . Tw o bearers of g

- Do of F0 n o t G . A g borne by tw en y irl child , richly a pp arelled , in p alanqui n

fi /l - os i i . four me n . Three men with y x '

S P o 0 m e n . S/n uto i . A p r est o n horseback acred alanqu i n , b rne by 5 ’ - i - 2 t t w o me n. c o . Three gigan tic s pears , borne by hirty The de ty s ri e box , b rn e by me n '

6 me n . Sli m/o t c . t A p ries o n horseba k The d eity s able , born e by

M t S/zi uto . Th e sacred horses of th e p ri nci p al deities . o un ed p riest

Te n B t on . The sacred sw ord . uddhis p ri ests i n armor , h orseback

h r n L H a . S i /to o . Three priests horseback The ord igh Abbot , in ca n o nical s , in palanquin ' Th — e t . A t t e ndants on t h e Shrin e . dei y s fou r d oored p alanqu i n ’ - M o x . o unted p ries t s . The deity s carriage

u n ii Glaive sm e n . Tw o musicians w ith Teug ( mountai ge n ) masks . and spearsme n d os/t i n to S P fi . acred alanqui n , born e by fty me n The , each d raw by from three six black oxen ' i - x i fi it bo . w Th e de ity s r ce ; t w o be arers it h red and wh te t ra ppi ngs , and by an i nd e nite mu lt ude '

t . t and as an d The deity s ba nqu e tabl e : six bearers of me n , quai n ly c ostumed chan ting th ey p ull ; ' / t o t S l zu to p riest o n horseback . eac h havi ng o n its p latform from hirty t six y p rofessio nal

t t S . n t At e ndan s on the hri n e musicia s , dan c ers and ac ors , d ressed i n rich c ostumes .

o f i z t . t i Th rty leadi ng citi e ns i n ceremo nial cos ume and p os uring , da ncing and si ng ng . t o accom panimen t ' '

/ u . fl d /n t S u l o t t he a s . Thir y inferior p riests i n sac erdotal cos ume ute and drum , when ever halts

Such is the organ ization of the parish picn ic . Th e gently goi ng cars move wi th th e ut most d eli beration , pausi ng here and there wh ile the d ru m s beat , the fl u tes play and the dancers dance , so that the i ntervals of rest are fil led with the sou nd s of mu sic and with the applause of merry c rowds ; the i n te rvals of motion w it h the swell i ng c han t of th e d rawers . O ne hu nd red and sixty streets con sti tu te the Sano pari sh . They co ntri bu te , for the

- fiv e . pu rposes of the procession , forty band s , each of fi fty you ths , chosen by lot Two days before the festival th e ci tizens begi n to prepare thei r houses . Th e vi ew places o n th e roofs are fi tted up ; the li ntels are d raped ; the mats are overspread wi th whatever of gay coveri ng th e family possesses ; a backgrou nd of glowi ng rich ness is mad e by rangi ng gold - foi l screens i n al l roo ms openi ng u pon the street , and fro m the eaves as well as from pol es along th e

- - rou te , red and wh ite paper lanterns are suspended . I t is a ti me of general feasti ng . The householder violates hospi tal i ty ’ s fu ndamental pri nci ples i f h e fails to i nvi te h i s friends fro m the less favored quarters of the city , and every father takes care that h i s u n married daugh ters

s hal l be d ressed i n the costl i est and most pictu resque garments wi th i n reach of h is pu rse .

From fi rst to last there is no note of asceticism to d istu rb the glad harmony . For one day ,

—~ — i ndeed , the d ay before th e procession , the parishion ers are su pposed to fast , bu t si nce thei r 2 6 3 J A P A N .

fasti ng is l i mited to avoid i ng meat and vegetables of the on ion family , which thi ngs are

regarded as i mpu re , the flesh is not perceptibly morti fied .

' o Even more i mportant and elaborate is the Kanda festival , which abs rbs Tokyo s attention d u ri ng a great part of the n in t h month i n the alternate years of the Sano celebra

‘ " — . ol e s 72017 077 tion Long before the f , preparations are busily com menced lantern h u ng ou t ;

safeé raised ; casks of and boxes of macaroni piled up to feast the fol ks i n the procession , and all the great m od ifi es and cozjfl eu m‘ of the capi t al engage i n contrivi ng for the daughters of

- thei r cu stomers costu mes and head d resses that shall eclipse records and ri vals ali ke . I n nothi ng is Tokyo more recklessly extravagant than i n the su ms it lavishes for i ts daughters ’

adorn ment on these grand occasions . A tradesman does not exceed the sanction of custom when he spends a tenth part of hi s an n ual i ncome on the dress of one little daughter . The

’ o ne Sano festival i nspi res si milar bu t less costly effort , for the dei ties outi ng lasts only day ,

’ whereas i n the Kanda parish the sacred palanqu i ns and the a a s/z i are th ree days on m a re. A

’ ' special feature of the Kanda fl uzfsui i is a band of am zseztses (g ei sh a ) who follow the d as/z z

' t ek om a z and , from ti me to ti me , give d isplays of their skill . They are cal led , the name of an

- ancien t dance , consisting chiefly of graceful hand wavi ng . I n the cou rse of centu ries , per formers as well as performance have come to be designated by the same term . These dai nty li ttle Iasses do not robe themselves for the pu rposes of the festival i n the delicately h ued gar men ts and glowing girdles with which they know so well how to enhance the lamp - l ight effect

- - th ei f . of charms They d ress i n the smal l sleeved tu nic , tight legged trousers and narrow ci nctu re of the com mon work man (s/z zgol o and i t is thei r coy fancy to ape the sombre hue ’ n as w ell as the u ngracefu l shape of that low fellow s habi li ments . But beyo d the bou nds of cu t and color thei r femi n ine i nsti nct ri ses i n vehement rebel lion . The tu nic and the gi rdle become meadow - lands of embroidered bloom and verdu re ; th i ngs of costly lovel i ness to be cheered by the delighted crowd , applauded i n private by the Don J uans of the d istrict , and d is

i s cu ssed despairi ngly by chagrined rivals . There a hidd en signi ficance i n the presence of the

' e - / a z e he m arch and i n nocent looking fe om . I t is a lover that pays for her elaborate and most p

o ff eral costu me ; i t is a lover that cuts her raven tresses , for even to queue and topknot the mascul ine mode is affected — and i t is a lover that defrays the charges of her idle l ife and the

- fees of her employers u n til her hai r grows agai n to eveni ng party length . So , wh i le she

sh e . seems to proclai m her religiou s devotion , i n real ity parades her professional successes I n describi ng these festival s no lengthy mention has been made of the special deities

i s worsh ipped . The omission appropriate , for , as the reader has of course perceived , the religiou s element consti tutes bu t an i nsign i ficant fraction of th e fét e i n J apan . Sano and

- u k unahi k ona Kanda both revere Oana m uch i and S , i m mortal descendants of the su n

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ma tsurz . goddess , and look for prosperity and happi ness as the guerdon of these splendid

' l 0 0 i n i The n obort is fl a . A r , i i n 4 4 . a species of g , or standard st ip of cotton cloth vary ng length from 3 or feet to 3 or and w dth from

i a i . a few nches to a yard , is f stened at both ends to bamboo rollers and attached lengthw se to a long bamboo pole capped with a gilt ball On

i i i i unbori i i y i i n . the cloth large ideographs des gnat ng the occas on are nscribed . The looks l ke an extravagantly elongated sa l bell ng the wind J A P A N . 2 3 7

- Bu t anoth er spi ri t i s i ncl uded among th e obj ects of worsh i p at th e Kanda ceremonial — the

— Spi rit of Tai ra- no M asak ad o. Th is i s a name h ei nously conspicuou s i n J apanese h istory as the name of th e on ly su bj ect whose hand w as ever rai sed i n open rebell ion agai nst h is

' M asak ad o s sovereign . brief career of mad ness belongs to th e an nals of the ten th centu ry . H e fel l doi ng battl e wi th

Tai ra - n o - S a d a m o ri o n

S hi mosa the plai ns of , and h i s h ead w as car ried to Kand a for bu rial . Of such a hero is th e f e figy , en sh ri n ed with every mark of honor among the d ivi ne n ich es at th e Kanda festival .

We have seen , too , that one of the tu telary gh o s t s i n t h e S a n o parish is K u m asa k a G RAY EYA R1) N BA Y K K OTO . Of C hohan , a bu rglar The bodies are buri ed which exp lain s the cro wd i ng of m. ot mbstone. med ize val notori ety . I t may well be as ked what k ind of peopl e they are who pay di vi ne honors to the m emory of Th arch traitors and villanous malefactors . e qu estio n has been th ru st u pon foreign atten 8 M . . I I 1 8 tion of late years Early on th e morni ng of Feb , 9 , the i nister of Ed ucation ,

' V a h i s i scou n t M ori , one of modern J ap n s most e n ligh tened states men , was abou t to leave

- five residence for the pu rpose of proceed i ng to the palace , when a you th of twen ty stabbed

w as hi m fatal ly wi th a kitch en k nife . The terri ble su ccess of th e deed enormou sly en hanced

co n sti t u by the natu re of the occasion , for the nation wai ted to receive on that d ay its fi rs t tio n , and th e M i n ister of Ed ucation wou ld have taken a prom i n en t part i n t he grand pagean t

' B ta ro his . un had not a m u rd erer s h and arrested steps N ish i no , the assassi n , fell u nd er th e

' swords of the m i n ister s guards and was bu ried at Ten - n o j i behi nd th e te mple groves of

U eno . I t appeared t hat hi s c ri me had been prom pted by an act of i rreverence which V i s cou n t M ori was said to have com mi tted at the G reat S h ri ne of I se a few mon ths previously . The you th had conceived a fanatical idea that the d u ty of avengi ng the ou traged dei ti es d evol ved on hi m , and he d ischarged it wi th fanatical cou rage . Scarcely had he been con signed to the grave wh en the ci tizens of Tokyo began to pay vi sits to his tom b . Trad es men ,

all s artisans , bu t , above , actors , wre tl ers , dan ci ng gi rls , fenci ng masters and you thfu l pol i ti

cians - , flocked th i ther, so that every day a new forest of i ncense sticks s mok ed and a fresh

garden of flowers bloomed before the sepu lch re . Foreign observers of the strange pageant 2 3 3 J A P A N .

W as stood aghast . it conceivable , they i nqu i red , that civilized peopl e should worsh ip at the ? tomb of a m u rderer and pay homage to the memory of an assassi n I t seemed , on the . one

hand , as though the masses of J apan hid savage i nsti ncts ben eath a su rface of cou rtesy and refi nement ; on the other , as though a govern ment that perm itted such demoral izi ng d isplays

e . must be very feeble , and a nation that f ted the m u rderer of a mi nister very disaffected Al l such constructions and i nferences w ere based on ignorance of J apanese character . The pi l

' gri ms to N i shi no s tomb obeyed the same principle that assigns a n iche in the Kanda sh ri ne to the i mage of a great rebel and a place i n the Sano procession to the effigy of a notorious

. . robber . Dari ng and prowess , i n whatever forms d isplayed , are dear to the J apanese The

' A n act of N ish i no B u n taro appealed strongly to thei r sense of the pictu resque . ed ucated

- you th , w ho had hi therto led an u nobtrusive , decorous and law abid i ng life , w ithou t poli tical

friends , withou t resou rces other than those possessed by the h umblest subj ect , made his way i nto the residence of a promi nen t M i n ister of State at a moment when the i nmates were all

eh ét e on the alert , when the whole city was f , when the streets were crowded wi th sold iers

and pol icemen , and , i n obed ience to an i nsti nct of reverential patriotism , struck down the great man wi th the weapon of a com mon scu llion , withi n sight of armed guards and at the very momen t when the mi n ister , d ressed i n fu ll u niform , h is breast gli tteri ng wi th ord ers , was about to take a lead i ng place i n the I mperial palace among a body of statesmen associated for a pu rpose that was d esti n ed to make them famous as long as their cou ntry had a history . I t i s scarcel y possi ble to i magi ne a more stri king contrast between i nstru ment and ach ievement . What d id th is object lesson teach to the average J apanese ? Not that assassi nation is

i nsi n i fican ce ad mi rable or bloodshed praiseworthy , bu t that weakness , g and friendlessness constitu te no effective barriers to signal success if they be retrieved by dari ng , resol u tion and

- M asak ad o self reliance . I t is to be endowed with a measu re of the spi rit of N ishi no , and

K u masak a that the J apanese prays when h e worships at the tom b of a m u rderer and makes

“ offeri ngs at the sh ri ne of a rebel or a robber . One may abhor the si n withou t hati ng the

“ si n ner , loathe the pries t yet love the stol e . These su btl e d isti nctions migh t not receive

- ready recogn i tion from a Mad ison Square pugil ist or an Al ham bra ballet gi rl , bu t tradition

' - has taught them to the wrestler of Eko i n and the g ei sh a of Yanagi bashi . I f the govern

' N ishi n o s ment held u p a fi nger , the pilgri mages to grave would cease ; if the E mperor made

ro a gestu re of d issent , the i mage of a rebell iou s subj ect wou ld not be carried i n triu mphal p cession past the palace gates . But the real sign ificance of these demon strations is not mis taken i h J apan .

' ' Greater than ei ther the Sano festival or the Kanda festival i s the Gzon - ma tsum i n

Tok o éfes Kyoto , th e greatest , i ndeed , of all such celebrations i n J apan . Li ke the y f , however ,

it consists essentially of a magn i ficent procession . The d i fference is i n the natu re of the obj ects of wo rsh ip . Promi nent among these i s a glaive forged by the celebrated swordsmi th

l The name of a place i n Tokyo where wrestli ng matches are held annually to determine the nati onal champi ons . C O TT AG E G A R DE N T K A M A K U RA .

The a p p earance and att ire of th e t hree yo u ng w omen i ndicat e t ha t t hey . are ou t for a h oliday e nj oying the

th e obi o n th e t t a cherry bl ossoms a nd sp ri ng su nshin e . The l arge sash ( ) bou nd ar u d wais and ied in a bo w t the

th e t c back is chief ar i le of femi n ine adornme nt .

2 J A P A N . 39

is Sanj o M unechik a. I t su pposed to be endowed wi th the vi rtu e that o nce belonged to a

'

: . ki ng s touch i n Eu rope raised reverentially to the head , i t cu res the agu e Th i s blessed

' d a sh z blade has the honor of rid i ng , a h u nd red feet h igh , o n a resplendent , at the h ead of a

- e ffi ies li n e of twenty th ree cars beari ng g of celebrated scholars , of C h i nese philosophers , of th e

“ moon , of a man tis and of a flower th ief . M enci u s rides sid e by side wi th a lass w ho

i s pi lfers blosso ms , bu t not i nsu lted by the companionsh ip , for natu re alone s u ffers by the

’ aa h seuse theft . A con spicuou s obj ect i n the G ion procession is the chief , a gi rl of twelve or thi rteen who dances o n a dais i n th e cen tre of the glaive d a s/t i . N oth i ng beau ti fu l or costly that Kyoto can contri bu te i s n egl ected i n d ecki ng ou t th is damsel for th e féte . O n ei ther sid e of h er another vi rgi n postu res i n u n ison , bu t th e littl e lady i n th e m iddl e is th e goddess of th e hou r , the qu een of the su m m er festival . H er reign does not end when th e

' re- deities , the savan ts and th e symbols have been consign ed to th ei r twelve mon ths secl usio n i n s hri nes and storehouses . I t i s then , i ndeed , that her tri u mph reaches i ts ac me , for a

m u a i i s . sa r procession formed al l on her own accou n t At th e head march five , i n the old ti me u ni form of thei r ran k ; then comes a g lai vesm an ; then two bearers of gorgeou sly lac quered boxes , con tai ni ng the wardrobes of the l i ttl e dame ; then her palanqu i n , glowi ng

cos wi th brigh t colors and sparkli ng ornamen ts , carried by fou r lads i n correspond i ngly rich f tu me , and flan ked by the ch ief local o ficials as wel l as by the two co mpan io n vi rgi n s , obj ects al most as brill ian t as the qu een herself . Over the palanqu i n is carried a monster u mbrella w ith hand le and ri bs of rose red lacqu er , cherry blos so ms and the ideograph for longevi ty blazoned on its s u rface, and a tasselled bag of brocade co ntai ni ng a G ion am u let suspended u nd er its shelter . Two more ward robe bearers follow , and P I I I HA ‘ S Y . TEM LE GATE , I AR K . TOK O porters O f u mbrellas i n i s i s one of the os e a ora e t e m le e ln a n t I fl a n k Th m t l b t p gat s J w . I s ed on e lt he r s ide by hundreds n of s o e me morlal lan e ns. ' ‘ t t r bas kets and of g O ld laC

, r q uered l u ncheon boxes bri ng u p th e rear . At th e portal s of th e tem pl e of G ion a d augh t

’ s he of holy wi ne and a blessed amu let (Sh zmp u) are given to the vi rgi n , whereu pon

zh o . ceases to be a mere you ng th i ng (ch zgo) and becomes a sacred ch ild (su ) Th e

ted iou sness of th ese detai ls wi ll serve , perhaps , to convey to th e reader so me fai nt id ea of 2 0 4 J A P A N . the elaborate code of con ventional i ties that has to be consu l ted at each poi n t of such cero

i s monials . Everythi ng provided for by tradition ; and every proviso m ust be observed . I f these h uge metropolitan festivals show the general attitude of the national mi nd toward su pernatu ral su bj ects , the smaller celebrations afford a still more acc u rate i nsigh t i nto

the supersti tions and daily ambitions of the people . Some ti me i n the middle ages , a great

S h imosa eagle made its appearance at Aji ki in the provi nce of , which lies on the eastern

shores of Edo (To kyo) Bay . The eagle , of cou rse , typi fies everythi ng that is maj estically aggressive and tenaciously acqu isitive . I t th us becomes to the J apanese a symbol of good

hi m osa fortu ne . The S people bu il t a sh ri ne i n honor of their visitor and covered the wal ls f with votive tablets , d epicti ng an eagle bestrid by a man i n o ficial robes a com moner risi ng

to ran k and o ffice by the aid of wi ngs that soar and talons that captu re . By and by th e ca pital of the Tokugawa grew so big that it d rew to itsel f whatever was notable i n the neigh

'

. w a boring provi nces The eagle s sh ri ne fou nd i ts y to the su bu rbs of the metropol is , i n th e

S hi ta a y district , with i n sigh t of the Paph ian q uarter , and became a place of pilgri mage for

— every o ne cravi ng th e gifts of fortu ne for the wrestl er , the cou rtesan , the actor , th e dancing

m corzfezt r gi rl , th e j ester , the , the mu sician , the tradesman and the appren tice . Noth i ng that

' ea le s fife Tori - 110 Af ar/t i can be called a ceremony i s associated wi th the g / , the (abbreviation

" “ call . of or worshi p of the bi rd , as the people i t Only on the bi rd days i n N ovem ber , perhaps two days , perhaps th ree if the calendar i s ki nd , tens of thousands of peopl e

flock ou t to this sh rine among the rice fields , and , after a brief act of worshi p , pu rchase har

tea bingers of l uck i n th e shape of big rakes , parent potatoes , millet d u mpl i ngs and bamboo wh isks . Stalls for the sale of th ese homely articles occu py all available spaces with i n the

temple enclosu re and along the avenues leadi ng to the gate , and as the etiquette of the eagle requ i res that there shal l be no bargai ni ng — when did the great bi rd stop to d iscuss the pre ? li m i na ries — of a captu re the hucksters d ri ve a roari ng trade , especial ly at the close of the day when thei r wares are n early sold ou t and belated worshippers see a risk of retu rni ng

- empty handed . The rake , as part of th e paraphernal ia of a pu rsu er of gai n , explai ns itself .

Bu t there is a strange featu re abou t these eagle rakes . Thei r teeth are said to be made from

f . the wood of co fi n s At cremations , if economy has to be practised , the corpse is removed h from i ts casket and exposed to the d i rect action of the flames . T e casket then becomes the

i s - i s property of the crematory and pu rchased by the rake makers . There no explanation of suc h a si ngular cu stom , nor any evidence that i t is observed on pri nci ple . The paren t potato

h u mble . typi fies am bition Bu ried u ndergrou nd and growi ng i n obl ivion , i t is at all events t he head of a family . Better be the com b of a cock than the tai l of an ox . M illet du m p li ngs are associated wi th the orthodox grou p of l ucky articles by a play u pon words . To

'

. Al orh z cl u tch m illet with wet hands is a popular metaphor for greed , which signi fies a

“ d u mpl i ng , signi fies also to hold . Th us mil let d u mpl i ng becomes a metaphor for grasp

' i ng largely and hold ing fi rmly . The strength of the people s fai th i n these pilgri mages , J A P A N 2 4 1

’ prayers and pu rchases is evid enced by the crowd that the ci ty pou rs ou t to the Tori - h o M a ch z

’ every fall , and by the eager happi ness of the worshippers m ien . B u t i f any me mbers of the

upper classes go i t i s only to look and to laugh . I n the festival s of wh ich we have th u s far spoken there i s noth ing that s uggests any affi ni ty between th e re lig ious ri tes of J apan and those of ancient

E u rope . Bu t we now reac h a poi n t of marked si m ilari ty . J ust as th e fi re of H estia was kept perpetually burn i ng i n the Grecian p rytaneu m two thou sand years ago , so at th e national sh ri nes i n I zu mo and I se there are ston e lanterns i n wh ich th e flam e is said l ‘ B RO NZ I. N N LA TERN FROM K O R EA A N D CA DELABR UM FROM HOLLAND . to have glowed uni n ter Nea by s s t he ca n e a u e se e b t he K of Looc hoo. Ho and Ko ea and Looc hoo w e e i n o d r tand d l br m pr nt d y ing ll . r r l en ' me s c o si e e J a an ee vassal stat es ti n d r d p s thr . . ru ptedly si nce th e age of

- fire - t h e . so is five . god s I f that be , i t a flam e twen ty centu ries old The origi n of the guard i n h as g cu l t is now so well u nd erstood , and its practice been traced to so many races , that to

fi nd i t i n J apan also is neither s urprisi ng nor specially signi ficant . B u t , as m igh t have been antici pated , some of the ri tes co n nected with i t reflect the pec u l iar geni us of th e J apanese .

I n Kyoto on the last even i ng of th e year , when the street lead i ng to the temple of G ion is

’ converted i nto a market for th e sal e of N ew Year s d ecorations , and is crowded w ith people

r of al l degrees , men go abou t car yi ng short hempen ropes with one end bu rn i ng . T hese they

i s stt’uck swi ng arou nd th ei r h eads , and i t th e privilege of any perso n by a rope to revi le the bearer withou t sti nt . The J apanese language i s not fu rn ished with c u rses after th e pattern of Occid ental blasph emies , bu t i t l ends i tsel f to the con structio n of very pregnant i nvective,

h as - see and no o ne that waited i n Gion mach i to the death of the old year, can labor u nd er

’ any dou bt of the Kyoto people s capaci ty for obj u rgatio n . B u t i t i s all perfectly good

h u mored ; a m u tu al measu ring of abusive vocabu laries . M eanwhile , a big bon fi re bu rn s

h - with i n the preci ncts of the sh ri ne . I t as been ki ndled fro m a year old flame te nded i n a

lamp hangi ng u nder the eaves of th e sac red bu ildi ng , and peopl e come th ere to l igh t a taper wh ich , bu rn i ng before the hou sehold al tar, shal l be the beaco n of dom estic prosperi ty . As

' te m le round s “ th e n igh t wears on , th e c rowd s grad ually flow i nto th e p g , and there , at t h e h ou r

'

2 . M . h zh f of the tiger ( A ) the Festival of the Pi ne Shavi ngs takes place . A S o priest reads 2 2 4 J A P A N .

. s a ri tual H is colleagues obtai n a spark by the friction of two pieces of wood , and et fi re to a quantity of shavi ngs packed i nto a large iron lamp . These charred fragments of pi ne wood

as the worsh ippers receive , and carry away a mul ets to protect thei r possessors agai nst plagu e and pestilence .

I n provi ncial d istricts t he religious festival someti mes presents very quai n t featu res .

” Ts h u w a O n the fi rst day of the horse i n the month of April , there is performed , at the u

M a tsuri i n Om i provi nce , a man ner of worsh ip i ntended to promote wifely fidel ity . Wives

as and widows are marshalled i n procession , each carryi ng u pon her head many earthenware

’ as sh h as e . h us pots had h u sband s A woman s glo ry i n J apan i s to marry once , and if her band d ies , to remai n always fai thful to h is memory . I t mu st be con fessed that among the

i s lower orders the ideal seldom attai ned . Marriage , not bei ng preceded i n thei r case by

cou rtship or by any opportu ni ty of ascertai n ing mu tual compati bil ity of d isposition , is often U followed by separation . pon the woman rests the responsibil ity for such accidents , si nce

th e theory of conj ugal l ife is that the wife must adapt herself to the h usband , not the husband to the wi fe . Thu s to have been d ivorced frequ ently , wh ile i t does not by any means i mply

i s - marital i n fidel ity , held to i nd icate some want of sel f abnegation or moral pl iabil i ty on the

’ woman s part . I t migh t be supposed that the O mi dames wou ld sh i rk the obl igatio n of paradi ng their conj ugal record s i n public . B ut a belief that the goddess who m they worsh ip will pu nish i nsi nceri ty , prompts them to carry t hei r proper tale of pots wi thou t scan ti ng th e

r. i s n u m be There , i ndeed , a tradi tion that a certai n crafty woman once had recourse to th e

t device of h id i ng i n a big pot that represented her last h usband , several li ttle pots that rep e sented his predecessors . B u t j udgmen t overtook her . S he stu mbled as sh e wal ked i n the

an d procession , and the big pot fal li ng fro m her head , d isplayed its con tents to pu bl ic gaze , to her lasti ng shame . An even stranger celebration takes place on the fi rst day of the hare i n the tenth mon th , at Wasa , i n th e provi nce of Kish u . I t is called the laughi ng festi val of Wasa

f W i - ( a sa 710 W a m ma tsm i ). There is a belief that i n the ten th month of every year all the deities repai r to the great sh ri ne of I zu mo , and there hold a concl ave for the pu rpose of

“ arrangi ng the n u ptial affai rs of the nation . The month is called the godl ess moon (K ami

uh - z uhi ) for al l parts of the cou ntry except I zu mo , whereas , on the contrary , i t is d isti ngu ished

“ ’ K a i /z zi a r - as the moon of the gods presence ( i g uh i ) by the i nhabi tants of I zu mo . The legend

i ts has lost m uch of old force, bu t i t stil l co mmands the venerabl e faith of conservative ru stics , and many a farmer i n Izu mo carefully locks the door of h is dwel li ng at su nset and

’ refrai ns fro m ventu ri ng abroad before dawn d uri ng the period of the deities assembly at I se .

- I t happened that when th is divi ne parliament was fi rst convened , one ill starred dei ty , M iwa

o- f so Dai my j i n , mistook the date or otherwise mismanaged a fai rs that the d ebate had term i n a ted before he reached I se . The laugh i ng festival is i ntended to com memorate that accident . I nstead of sympath izi ng wi th the belated god , the people assemble to laugh at h i m , as the J A P A N 2 43 other dei ties are supposed to have laughed when h e presented hi mself to take part i n a

i ts . fi n ished d iscussio n . The fash ion of th e festival is as quai n t as conception All the oldest me n i n th e d istrict and al l the ch ild ren co me together and form a procession for march i ng to the s hri ne . The elders head the array , carryi ng two boxes of fi xed capaci ty , fi lled with persi m mo ns and oranges spi tted on bamboo rods . The c hi ld ren fol low , grouped rou nd a

' r i mi g a h ot and holdi ng i n thei r hands oranges and persi m mons si m ilarly spi tted . These p el naries as well as the progress to the sh ri ne are cond ucted wi th th e u tmost solem n ity . Arrived at t he sh ri ne , the grayest amo ng the elders tu rns abou t to face the l i ttl e ones and orders th em to laugh . Th ere is never any fai l u re to obey , and fro m th e ch ild ren the contagio n Spreads to the ad ul t population u n ti l the whole d istrict ripples wit h merri ment fro m morn i ng til l even

i s i ng . I t a graceful notion that the dei ties desi re th e people to share th ei r m i rth as well as to pray for their tutelage . Several provi ncial festivals have grad ually assu med th e ch aracter of ath letic competi

- U o . o tions At the top of a mou n tai n cal led K i mp zan , i n g provi nce , stands the s h ri ne of

’

- th H a ush zw ahe. I st O n th e s day of the month , al l th e robu st men of th e d istrict , to th e

- n u mber of several thou sands , ascend th e mou n tai n and pass th e n igh t i n a snow cave som e

- two furlongs fro m th e su m m i t . At that seaso n the s now l ies ten feet d eep on K i m po zan .

To reach th e cave is i n i tsel f an arduous u ndertaki ng . When the fi rst streak of dawn

i s a seen i n the sky , th e you ngest and stro ngest of th e band of worshi p pers start fro m th e cave . Stripped to thei r loi n cloths , they race i n fren zied em u latio n over the s now and u p th e steep cl i ffs , th e fi rst to reach th e s h ri ne bei ng assu red of th e d ei ty ’s protection th roughou t the year and

’ of h is co mrades pro fou nd ad m i ration . Th i s Y N M I A \V FU J I A MA FRO M U G A. race does not end the - f h e as e u on Th e snowc al d hump on t he rig ht near th e peak Is the site o t l t r pti . féfe . All the competi tors crowd i n to the preci ncts of the sh ri ne and engage i n a bou t of general wrestl i ng .

T hey do not attempt to h u rl each other to the grou nd after the man ner of Western wrestlers , bu t o nly to t hrust o ne anoth er from t he enclosu re . By d egrees the remai n i ng occu pan ts of

mélée th e cave joi n the , the rul e observed by each newcom er bei ng to aid the weak and beat 2 44 J A P A N .

bac k the strong . I t may be i magi ned that from a mad contest i n wh ich fou r or five thousand strong men engage , struggli ng desperately i n the snow and among th e rocks o n the su m mi t of

. f a lofty mou ntai n i n midwi nter, many m ust emerge wi th serious i nj u ries Bu t tradition a fi rms that no on e has ever been known to receive a d isabli ng h urt . Th e dei ty , they say , protects h is devotees . The tru th is that i n competitions of such a natu re the J apanese mai ntai n from

fi rst to last the most i mpertu rbable good h u mor . Any one losi ng h is temper wou ld be rid i culed for months . After the wrestl i ng i s over and whe n each man has given stalwart proof of th e earnestness of h is faith , th ey al l joi n i n one band and march down the mou ntai n si ngi ng .

- — —o At O no mach i i n Bi ngo the people worsh ip S usa no , the rough deity , whose u n ruly

sun so cond uct terrified h is sister , th e goddess , m uch that sh e retired i nto a cave . The festival i n honor of the god takes place i n the sixth month and is of such a natu re as “ the i mpetuous male deity hi mself migh t be su pposed to organ ize if he gave any though t to the

"

. d d s/1 2 question There i s no stately procession , no d isplay of gorgeous , no danci ng of brill i antl y robed damsels . T he whole affair consists of a tu mu ltuou s trial of speed and strength .

sea Bands of strong men seize the sacred cars , race wi th them to the , and , having pl u nged i n breast deep , thei r bu rden h eld aloft , dash back at ful l speed to the s h ri ne . Th ere refresh

fish men ts , wi ne , , and a box of rice , are served out , and then agai n the race is resu med , t he

' goal bei ng the central flag (n oborz ) among a n u mber set u p i n a large plai n . To this contest the bearers of th e cars d evote th emselves with as much zeal as though they were figh ti ng for thei r l ives . H u nd red s ru n beside eac h ca r ready to replace any bearer that is th rown dow n or exhausted ; thei r feet beat ti me to a wildly shouted chorus , and as they sweep along , appar ently u nco nsciou s of everyth i ng bu t th eir goal , and wholly reckless of obstacles or coll isions , i t seems i ncredi ble that fatal accidents shou ld not occu r agai n and again . Yet , no sooner is th e struggle ended , than these men who , a momen t before , appeared ready to trampl e u pon

' each other s corpses , may be seen seated i n tea houses , chatti ng , laugh i ng , ci rculati ng the wi ne - cu p and behavi ng as if su ch an i ncident as a desperate struggl e for th e favor of th e d eity had never i n terru pted the even tenor of their placid existences .

At othe rfétes the worsh ippers seek to gai n possession of some sacred obj ect s upposed

’ to i nsu re exceptional good fortu n e to th e holder . Five hu nd red years ago , a merchan t s

Chik u z e n apprenti ce wal ki ng by the seaside near H akozaki i n , fou nd two perfectly Spherical

“ ball s of wood wh ich had been cast u pon the shore by the waves . The sh rine of the god of war at H akozaki is celebrated i n J apanese h isto ry . Suppl ications offered there at the ti me wh en the great M ongol armada swept down upon J apan i n the th i rteenth centu ry , are supposed to have prod uced the storm that shattered th e enemy ’ s fleet and strewed the

i s i s . r coast of Kiu sh u wi th his dead . I t a place of miracles A c ystal ball one of the th ree

sacred i n sign ia of J apan . I t also sy mbolizes the pearl of great price held i n the claws of the

' sea god s d ragon . H ence , two perfect spheres of fi nely grai ned wood cast u pon the beach at

H akozak i n ecessarily suggested su pernatu ral agency . Their fi nder carried them to th e J A P A N 2 45

H akozaki sh ri ne and reverentially i ntrusted them to the cu stod y of th e priests , h avi ng fi rs t washed th em carefu lly i n holy water taken fro m th e grani te cistern at the adj acent fanc of

E bisu . Fro m that ti me th e you ng appren tice seemed to become th e favori te of fortu ne .

'

- E bisu , the jovial faced fi sher deity , who provides for men s daily su stenance , had evid en tly taken th e you th u nder

his protection . When ever the th i rd d ay of the fi rst month came rou nd

— the an n iversary of the fi nd i ng of th e bal ls

th e apprentice , soo n a

th riving merchan t , d id not fai l to repai r to

the temple . Taki ng th e

sac red sp heres thence , he wou ld carry them to the

sh ri n e of E bisu , wash

them i n th e holy water ,

N O F or T H E P N K K anoi nt them with clove I TER IOR ON E LARGEST TEM LES . I O . oil and bear them back

to their place i n the temple . When and how th is cu sto m was elevated to th e ran k of a rel i

i ou s g ri te , there i s no record , bu t with i n l ess than a cen tu ry and a hal f from t he fi nd i ng of the

w - bal ls , a j e el grasping festival came to be celebrated at H akozaki on th e th i rd day of every

fi rst mo nth . I t took the form of a gigantic scramble . Th e priests , havi ng carried the ball

— now , by som e u nexplai ned process , tran sformed i n to a single sphere of hard stone to th e

shri ne of E bisu , and havi ng washed i t and read a ritual , del ivered i t to the crowd of wo rsh i p

pers for conveyan ce to the tem pl e of H ach i man . Whatever hand s h eld it at th e moment of

to fi nal transfer to the temple , were the hand s of a person desti ned h igh fortu ne . N ot the

Chik uz en provi nce of alone , bu t al l the northern d istricts of Ki u sh u and the region s on the

opposi te coast of the I n land Sea , sen t thei r strong me n to take part i n the struggl e . The

i s d istance between the fan e of Ebisu and th e temple of H ach i man only a few yards , yet

“ hou rs were spent i n the passage of th e j ewel from one place to the other . N aked , except

- for a loi n cloth , thou sands of men struggled i n the narrow encl osu re u ntil sheer exhau stion

grad ual ly th i n ned thei r ran ks and left space for the most endu ri ng to wi n a path , inch by

i nch , to the temple .

Al most the same d escription appl ies to a mu ch more cel ebrated fét e h eld with i n the

S aidai - i preci ncts of the temple of Kwan non , th e godd ess of mercy , at j i n Bizen provi nce, on

the fou rteen th day of the fi rst mon th . There the scram ble i s for pieces of wood th rown by

O BSE RV A N C ES A N D PASTI M ES.

V ERY family has rul es and method s of i ts own wh ich i t follows wi th

regu larity d irectly proportionate to i ts age . The mem bers of a hou se

hold newly fran ked with the stamp of genti lity , look abroad for mod el s

of fashio n and d eportm en t , bu t the mem bers of a hou sehold that has

enjoyed pride of place th rough i m memorial generations , enact th ei r

own canons , and obey them wi th scru pulosity that grows wi th obed i

ence . For two t hou sand years , more o r l ess , the J apanese nation l ived the l ife of an i nd e pendent and vi rtu ally secl ud ed fam ily , borrowing largely , i nd eed , fro m the conven tions an d

- preceden ts of i ts over sea neigh bors , bu t i m pressi ng u pon everyth ing foreign the mark of

home gen i us , so th at , though th e metal remai ned al ien , the coi ns struc k fro m it bore dom esti c

i mages and su perscri ptions . Li ttle by l ittl e , the doi ngs of th e day , the etiqu ette of the season , the Obse rvances of the mon th and the celebrations of the year were coded by custo m and

prom ulgated by practice , u n til the people fi nal ly fou nd themselves su bj ects of a system of

can conven tional i ties , pleasant , gracefu l and refi ned , bu t i nfl exi ble . N owh ere else we see grooves of rou ti n e beaten so deeply by the tread of centu ries ; nowhere else does th e ligh t

' ’ ‘

wefems veszz za a mmw . of old ti mes , the g fi , sh i ne so stead ily on the path s of u sage These cu stoms may be exam i ned one by one , and taken th us i ndepend en tly they present general ly very pretty and often very quai nt stud ies . B u t to appreciate thei r relation to the li fe of th e

’ n ation , we m u st briefly fol low the nation i n its observance of them from N ew Year s day

’ to New Year s eve .

comme n ce m e n t . of Accord i ng to the calendar of old Japan , th e the year varied fro m

1 6 th 1 t h what Weste rn fol ks cal l the of J an uary to the 9 of February , bu t , on the average , i t may be said to have fallen a fu ll mon th later than the day fi xed by th e G regorian method of

w as reckoni ng . I t th u s associated with an idea of spri ng foreign to the correspond i ng season i n Eu rope and America . I n fact , the fi rst fo rtn igh t of the fi rst month was cal l ed spri ng

' “ H s- sh un u adven t ( ), the second fortnight , the rai ns ( T hat old id ea stil l cl i ngs to th e ti me even u nder th e al tered cond ition s of the new calendar , and peopl e still persu ad e them sel ves that spri ng has dawned when the fi rst J an uary su n rises , though nei th er the pl u m nor the snow parti ng plant (y uk i —w a ri —so)— each a harbi nger of spri ng in J apan — i s wi th i n a mon th of open i ng i ts bud s . To see the N ew Year i n , is con sidered a wholesome cu sto m , bu t i t i nvol ves someth i ng more than i t does i n the West , for, after greeti ng the stranger , fol k s

2 47 2 8 4 J A P A N .

' i s remai n u p to welcome h i m . Let a man s enth usiasm be ever so defective , he expected to

M ri se at the hou r of the tiger (4 A . wash h is feet and hand s and don new clothes to meet

the au spicious morn . Then , with h is gala garments i n d ue order , he worshi ps the celestial

f con ratu and terrestrial deities , performs obeisance to the spi rits of his ancestors , o fers g

la ti o n s to parents and

elders , and fi nally sits

down to break fast . N o ordi nary viands are co n

s u med . The tea m ust be made with “ you ng

" wa t e r (w a /aa d rawn fro m the wel l as the fi rst ray of the New Year 's su n stri kes

’ ' i bre a 7 55 1s i t . The f e t a n ce (3 071 1) is a species

ot ou r/r i ofp p , mad e from

‘ si x components , i nva

' TEA— n o i si ; o N T H E K P ri a bl LA E AT NARA ARK . y present though

i n varyi ng proportions , and i t is absol u tely essen tial that every one d esi ri ng to be hale and hearty throughou t th e

;

w - openi ng t elve months shou ld q uaff a measu re of special sa k e from a red lacquer cu p . Each

set “ hou seholder , from the h ighest to the h u m blest , is carefu l to prepare and ou t an elysian

- zrz u ri/za stand , or red lacquer tray , covered with leaves of the evergreen y , and su pporti ng

a rice d u mpl i ng , a lobster , oranges , persi m mons , chestn uts , d ried sard i nes and h erring roe .

This stand and its contents have allegorical signification . Ancient Ch i nese legend s speak of three islands i n some remote ocean where you th i s everlasti ng , where bi rds and animals

are al l pu re whi te , and where the mou ntai ns and palaces are bu il t of gold and si lver . The

‘ ' elysian stand (b om i - d a z) represents the pri ncipal of these th ree islands and the viand s piled u pon i t are either homonymou s with words expressi ng perpetu ity and lon

v e it . g y , or p resen t som e featu re suggesting long l ife and prosperity Th us the leaves spread

zrz zrri /u z u pon the stand are from the sh ru b y , and on them repose bitter oranges called

‘ Rice cake Japanese turnip potatoes a species of seaweed haliotis a burdock ( g obo) . 2 k ” sa e 105 0 m . This is called , though the term is properly limited to the spices the selves The custom came from China , where it

i t existed certa nly as far back as the third century before Christ . I is said to have originated with an old hermit who distributed among the

‘ ri New Y i n villagers packets of physic . directing that the packet be let down by a st ng into the well , taken up again on ear s day and placed a tub

m i l 3 a w i . w as i of , dr ught of which ould prove a preservative aga nst every kind of disease The practice introduced nto Japan at the beginning of

' " i centu n fi the n nth . and eti"uette soon elaborated the ceremonial by prescribing a special kind of sub for each of the rst three days of the year

f bf ab um n I ns/fora . row . ” I t ( I: ri /( cu r t r fi i w h . y and is g that the younges of a pa ty should be the rst to dr nk the spiced As for the spices , they

e fl ar chie y carminati ves . H E N E U N DR D ST T T O H E E PS A YO K O H AM A .

the of t t tan - o o o o P i n ( 8 — the At head hese s ep s s ds a small tea ho use c cu p ied by C mm d re erry 53 4 , when

i c n it on o to O n ts to the outs o the te a- o on Amer a ex p ed i f rced Ja p an p e her p or ide w rld . The view from h use built

' of Blufl co n th e u n cti on of Yo o a an B u f is n i al the edge the mma ds b si ess se k h ma d th e h arbo r . Th e l f the reside t

nt secti on of t h e foreign settl eme .

J A P A N 2 49

' ' ' d a zd a z uz urz B u t i n ordi nary col loqu ial , y sign i fies to bequ eath fro m generatio n to genera

' ' k a c/z zl u rz k ac/z z tion . T he kernels of ches tn u ts , d ried and crushed , are called g , and al so

“ sign i fies victory . T he lobster with its cu rved bac k and long ten tacl es is typical of

so . l i fe prolonged that th e back becomes ben t and th e beard grows to the waist Th e seaweed ,

k mbu “ k ombu s om k obu oro o . , sugge ts y , or y , to rej oice Sard i n es are set ou t because the l i ttl e

fish swi m never si ngly bu t always i n pairs , suggesti ng conj ugal fideli ty ; herri ng roe , becau se

' of al l the sea s i n habitan ts the h erri ng i s s u pposed to be the most prol ifi c ; d ri ed persi m mons ,

" ’ “ becau se of the fru i t s med ici nal qual ities ; and rice cake , otherwise cal led m i rror d u m pli ng k a a m z “ ( g becau se , i n the fi rst place , i ts shape and name refer to the sacred m i rror of

Sh i n /0 as th e paraphernal ia , and , i n th e second , wh en cu t u p for consu mptio n i t is k nown

“ - h a a l a m e . g , or teeth strengthener , a word havi ng th e same sou nd as d ebil ity restorer

Th u s th is assemblage of ed ibles constitu tes a feast of fortu n e . Origi nal ly th e elysian stand

' w as set before guests com i ng to pay N ew Year s call s , who partook of th e comesti bl es placed u pon i t . B u t su bseq uently i t became a mere articl e of fu rn itu re , a part of the d eco

- of . as k a d o ma ts u rations th e season These decorations , spoken of coll ectively , or pi n e of th e doorway , consist pri marily of pi ne and bamboo sapl i ngs planted at ei ther sid e of th e

' vesti bul e and havi ng a rope of rice straw (slz zm e—n a w a) su spended across or festooned from

the th e bough s . H i story says that the fash io n of the p i nes dates fro m the begi n n i ng of te nth centu ry ; that the bam boo w as added five h u nd red years later , and t hat th e straw rope preceded both by an u n k now n i n terval .

N o re l i gi o u s si g n i fi cance attaches to the pi n e or “ the bamboo ; they si m ply typi fy ever green longevi ty . B u t th e rope recal ls the cen tral event i n th e J apa n ese cos mogo ny , wh en

THE V O I O NE T HE Y . ILLAGE OF J , OF SUBURBS OF TOK O havm the su n godd ess g v n and au m n- n f e aso n A fa orite resort i the cherry tu I s s. been en ticed fro m her

. cavern , a barrier was stretched across th e e ntrance to preven t h er fro m retreati ng thi ther agai n

. Wherever the rope hangs , the sweet fres h breath of spring i s supposed to penetrate T h is ,

i s : th en , the most prom i nen t el emen t of the d ecoration s i t i s su spended not only at the

en trance of th e hou se , bu t al so beside the well , before the bath room , across the sacred shelf

2 1 J A P A N . 5

“ i s - t ak a playgrou nd s . Bu si n ess en ti rely l i m ited to the sal e or pu rchase of treasu re sh ips ( m ba n e sa k é ), a favori te toy typical of good fortu ne , sweet and bean j el ly carried abou t

by h ucksters whose m u sical cries en hance the gen eral festivity . The shops are not sh u t , bu t i ngress i s d enied by m eans of bam boo bli nds hangi ng u nd erneat h tablets wh ich bear the name of t he hou sehold er, and are fastened

i n place with cord s of red and wh ite . There is a sou nd of laugh ter everywhere , for all th e you ng people tu rn ou t i n brigh t costu m es ,

' and play battle - board (h ag o- zt a) and sh u ttl e cock , the penalty for d ropping th e sh u ttl ecock being to receive , on a tender part of th e body , a whack fro m the battle- board s of al l th e other players , o r a s m udge of i n k on th e face , each of wh ich visi tations evokes peal s of mi rth . Th e sh u ttlecock is a d i m i n u tive f a fai r , flyi ng swi ftly and requ i ri ng to be stru ck true and ful l . Trad ition ascri bes to

- fl it origi nal ly the shape of a d ragon y , and alleges that the gam e acts as a charm agai nst the attacks of mosqu i toes d u ri ng th e ensu i ng

- fl su m mer , the d ragon y bei ng a d evou rer of those i nsect pests . Bu t that is a mere fan tasy . Th e gam e of sh u ttl ecoc k cam e to

Japan from C h i na . I n th e latter cou n t ry i t i s a pasti me for m en ; the h eels of thei r shoes , soled wi th paper to a th ick n ess of one or two MAKING A TOILET .

battle board s i nches , serve for , and they k ick

- wi th marvel lous d exteri ty . J apan add ed a battle board , and th u s adapted the am usement to both sexes , wh ile , at the same ti me , bri ngi ng i ts paraphernal ia wi th i n the range of decorative

- art . For the battle board grad ually becam e an obj ect of beau ty . The id ea of fu rn ishi ng i t with a cat- gu t face o r parch men t back d id not occu r to its makers ; i t remai ned essentially a

i s . t th i n flat board of w hite pi ne Bu t reverse , lacqu ered at fi rst i n gold and colors , was fi nal ly covered with appl ied pictu res showi ng al l the elaboration of d etail that d isti ngu ish es

u é a Paris ian po p e of th e most costly k ind . Th e J apanese maiden loves and ch erishes dolls

- at least as mu ch as does h er l ittle sister of the West , bu t her battl e boards hold n early the

she i s same ran k i n her affection s , and i f fortu nate i n th e possession of rich parents and fond

- fri ends , the pil lars of h er playroom su pport galleries of battl e board s where you may see all

’ l mbn /a e th e great personages of her cou n t ry s h istory mou lded i n wh ite (a ki nd of sil k), and 2 5 2 J A P A N .

tric ked ou t i n the resplendent robes of the palace or the gl itteri ng armor of the campaign .

- Battle board and sh u ttlecock , though it engages the attention of girls of al l ages , fi nds comparatively l i ttle favor wi th lad s u nti l they h ave reached the age when love of m uscu lar

- fl sports begi ns to be s upplemented by a sense of fe mi n i ne graces . K i te y i ng is t h e amu se men t of th e boy proper . I t is a cu riou s fact , apparently i nconsisten t with experience i n other d i rection s , that wh ile the ki te occ upies at least as large a space i n th e vista of J apanese as of

C h inese ch ild hood , and attracts a m uch greater share of ad ul t attention i n J apan than i n M C hi na , the i ngen iou s and fantastic shapes that the toy takes i n the iddle Ki ngdo m are not em ulated i n the I sland E m pi re . Th e d ragon , two or three fathoms long , that may be seen

i ts writh i ng over a C h i nese vil lage , each sectio n of body an i ndependen t aeroplane , becomes i n J apan a si ngle rectangular s u rface , general ly lack i ng even the pictu resqu e adj u nct of a tail , and u nornamen ted save that the figu re of some renowned warrior is rudely caricatu red on f i ts face . Th is d i ference i nd icates si mply that th e J apan ese boy prefers the practical to the

fanciful . What he wants is , not a quai n t monster u nd u lati ng at a low elevation , bu t an

as obj ect that shal l soar lofti ly and as perpend icu larly as possi ble , and shal l hang h u m mi ng from the bl u e righ t overh ead . We d igress at th is poi nt from the routi ne of ou r references i n ord er to Speak more fully of kites ; for wh ile they hold among J apanese pasti mes a ran k so promi n ent as to call

i s con se for special d escri ption , the season for flyi ng th em varies i n d i fferen t local i ties , and i t quen tly im possible to ass ign to them a set place i n any cale ndar of sports . Li ttl e lads i n

' every tow n and village make N ew Year s day the great epoc h for th is busi ness , bu t ad ul t

- fl e rs . kite y choose oth er ti mes I n Nagasaki , for example , wh ich enjoys a lofty repu tation for skil l i n s uch matters , th e th ird mon th of the old al manac , that is to say , the bal my ti me of

' i s Sk i - en - k a z - fl i n April or early M ay , the season for the y (paper y g assembly), and o n th ree

’ — 1 0th i th 2 0th — his - o days i n that mon th the , th e 5 and the all the world and wife or l ight love flock ou t to one of three spots trad itional ly appropriated for th e game . The k ites vary

- i n size from on e to thi rty si x square feet , bu t are u niforml y rectangular i n shape , thei r ribs mad e of seaso ned bamboo slightly convex to th e wi nd , th ei r paper coveri ngs j oi ned and spread so deftly that perfect equ ipoise i s obtai ned , and th eir con nection wi th the flyi ng cord effected by a skei n of fi lamen ts convergi ng from i n nu merabl e poi nts of their su rface . T he

i s stri ng , through a length of ten to a h u nd red yard s , covered with powdered glass , for the

is . obj ect of each kite company to cu t down al l competitors I ts cord once severed , a kite becomes th e property of any on e save its origi nal owner , and that i nviolabl e law leads to the

- organ ization of band s of kite catchers , who mou n t i n to h igh trees , stand at poi nts of vantage ,

i s or roam abou t , armed wi th long poles , lassos and other catch i ng con trivances . I t u nder

on cut stood that whenever several catchers lay hand s s i m ul taneously a kite ad rift , th e person

as n earest to th e severed end of the stri ng shal l be regarded the possessor , and that , where

f . d isti nction is d i ficul t , the k ite m ust be torn i nto fragments then and th ere Bu t despite 2 J A P A N . 53

th ese precau tion s agai nst dispu te , fi erce fights som eti mes occ u r , and Nagasak i was o nce d ivided i nto two factions that th reatened for a mo men t to destroy the town and each oth er

- - fl i n . i n the sequ el of a ki te y g picn ic Generally , however , th e merriest good h u mor prevails ,

as as and th e vanqu ished retu rn seren e the victors , al l equal ly u nd istu rbed by th e though t

'

l - ’ that the cost of the s/z z y ei z t a z makes a large i n road i nto the yearly econom ies of the ric hest as

. i s wel l as the poorest Tosa , th e sou thern provi nce of the island of Sh ikok u , scarcely less

- fl i n celebrated than N agasaki for th e ki te y g propen si ties of its i n habi tan ts . Bu t there is no

set . season i n Tosa The bi rth of a boy , whether it occu r i n spring , su m m er or wi n ter, i s cou nted the appropriate ti me for a sport that typi fies th e soaring of am bition and the fl igh t of gen i us . H u mbl e household s s end u p l ittle k ites to s ignal ize these domestic even ts , bu t ' i the u ros/z zlez d ak o - y great famil ies have recou rse to f , a mon ster fro m twen ty fou r to th i rt feet

square , with a tai l fro m a thou sand to twelve h u nd red yard s long . Th e tail , made of red and

w bl u e paper , or red and wh ite , i n al ternate roll s , i s coiled i n a great open chest , from h ich the

is ascend i ng ki te draws i t , and i t at th i s h uge appendage that ri val k i tes ai m th ei r fl igh t .

As th e k i te is pu lled down fro m the clouds , the spectators struggle to possess themsel ves of

the tail , wh ich i s gen erally torn i n to fragments i n th e scramble . A feast for all who have V . as assisted to fly th e kite term i nates the ceremony ast , however , are the d i mension s of

' u ros/z zk i —da/z o so as i s th e f of Tosa , the prid e of place , far size concerned , belongs to the two - thou sand - sh eet ki tes of S u rug a and

Tottomi provi nces . A sheet refers to the form i n wh ich paper i s ord i narily man u factu red , n a m e l y , a r e c t a n g l e m easu ri ng a foot by

a rox i seven i nches , pp

su mately . Th u s th e pe rficies of a two- thou

- sand sheet kite , al lowi ng for the joi n i ngs of the sh eets , is from a thou

N BAsi N NZ M i 'rA k sand to eleven h u nd red STO E AND BRO E DRAGON AT E. square feet , or abou t th e

- size of a carpet that would cover a roo m thi rty th ree feet sq uare . S uch a k ite requ i res a su m

00 600 en of fro m 5 to y to cons truct i t , a cabl e to fly it , a score of strong men to control i t , and

a special bu ildi ng to store i t , th e great hal l i n a temple bei ng often u til ized for th i s p u rpose .

At the opposi te extreme of th e scale of kite - fly i ng d i stricts stand th e provi nces of Owari and 2 54 J A P A N .

. M i kawa . There th e s maller th e ki te , the more h igh ly i t i s esteemed Ti ny represen tations

- of d rago n fl ies, ci cadas and bees are flown with gossamer sil k wou nd o n spi nd les of ivory or

- tortoise shell . I t m ight be su pposed that a visi t to th e temples to pray for good fortu ne d u ri ng th e new year wou ld be con

sid ered an essential part of the day ’s du ties by the piou s section of the pop

u la ti on ; bu t al though

a few aged or pa rti cu

larly superstitiou s fol k may be seen o fferi ng u p a brief oriso n to th e

tu telary dei ty , th ey are

the exception , not the

rule . I t i s considered more fi tti ng to assem ble on so me high land and

H k vo H To . 1 m; B R NZ F. ELL AT joi n hands of reverence

as t he fi rst su n of the

' i s year rises above the horizon . Another featu re of N ew Year s day a dance performed

’ nm n z a z sa i z a i n the streets by strol l ing m u m mers who go abou t i n pai rs , and , fantastical ly

apparel led . On e carries a small hand d ru m , the oth er a fan , and they d ance from door to door with a d egree of vigor not u sually d isplayed by saltato ry artists i n J apan . Gi rls of the E ta ' class also go abou t weari ng i m mense hats that al most completely h ide

' ' ' f m zs - - sa cu . f01 1 oz or . thei r faces , and playi ng These are the , bi rd Chasers A Ch i nese su per

' st i t io n , transplanted to J apan , says that bi rd s of i ll omen hover i n the ai r o n N ew Year s ' EM day , and seek an Opportu n i ty to en ter men s abodes . I t is the d u ty of the damsels to avert th is calami ty , and little paper parcels of handed ou t to them fro m house

' sa m zsei z after house as th ey pass along , strik i ng a few notes on the here and a few notes

how i s t h e there , show conservatively respectful the dem eanor of even modern J apanese toward s these ancien t bel iefs .

i s As th e fi rst day of the mon th on e of com plete absten tion from all ord i nary busi ness ,

so . the second marks the conventional resu mptio n of trades , i nd u stries and occu pations The student looks i nto hi s books ; th e calig ra phist u ses his bru sh ; the merchan t opens h is store ; the mechanic takes ou t hi s tool s ; the sailor hand les h i s sh ip ; the pai nter m ixes a color ; and

the whol esal e deal er sends goods to the retai ler . Bu t all th ese doi ngs are only pretty make

‘A f class o J apanese ranking even lower than the commoners . 2 J A PA N . 55

’ lzatsw z z bel ieves . No one th i n ks of work i ng seriou sly . Even the , th e fi rst d istri bu tio n of

- merchand ise , takes the form of a pictu resque processio n of hand wagon s gayly decorated and d raw n by men i n brigh t costu mes . At th e palace and i n the res idences of noble men speci al

Da i dances are performed , and wherever a s h ri ne stands i n honor of the god of prosperi ty ( k oé u ), cakes of rice flou r are offered moi stened with warm water call ed the warm water of

r “ prosperity . The 3 d is regard ed as the fét e of the three Piously d isposed peopl e i n Tokyo visit the U eno temples and i n Kyoto repai r to H ie i - zan ; bu t i t m u st be confessed

“ - that the m i rror openi ng ceremony o n the followi ng day i s observed with far more pu ncti lio .

“ I t is o n th is day that the mi rror- d u m pl i ngs wh ich h ave hi therto stood o n

“ k ami th e elysian tabl e , and those that have been o ffered at th e fam ily altar ( at th e wel l and at the hearth , are c u t up , fried with soy and eaten by every member of th e house

i n hold , though tru th the d is h d erives i ts rel ish rather from the season th an from i ts ow n oth . th savor At d us k o n the and at dawn on the 7 , a cu riou s co mbi n ation of cook ing and " “ i ncantation takes place . I t is cal led th e choppi ng of the seven herbs . F ro m the N ara

— — i t epoch that i s to say , from the eighth cen tu ry becam e customary that the E mperor ,

“ attended by the cou rt nobles , should make an exped ition to the h ill s on the fi rst day of th e

i n r rat , th e fi rst month , for the pu rpose of rooti ng u p pi n e sapl i ngs and car yi ng th em back

His . M to plant i n the palace park aj esty th us brough t hom e longevi ty , of wh ich the pi ne had always been sy mbol ical . At the same ti m e, th e leaves of Spri ng

so plants were pl ucked , that green you th m ight ac c o m p a n y l e n gt h o f y ea rs . I t w o u l d be fu tile to attempt any de scriptio n of the stately graces and elaborate ceremon ial wi th w h ich th e J apanese can i nvest these acts i n themselves so pri mi tive . Th e trans

of P i N E V T n E — plan ti ng a baby pi n e , GRO E NEAR SEA SHORE . th e gatheri ng of a few

so r tender leaves , are p u rposes essential ly pal t y that to prel ud e them by s u mp tuous preparation s and accompany th em by solem n rites seems a grotesqu e solec is m . B u t the

i s most trivial ai m derives d ignity fro m th e earnestness with wh ich i t pu rsued , and th e Japa n ese can be j ust as m uch i n earnest abou t the l igh test fancy as abou t th e weightiest fact . 2 6 5 J A P A N .

Th ey know how to be pictu resquely great i n small thi ngs , and if the facul ty is crushed here

so after by collision wi th the hard reali ties of Western civi lization , the artistic world wil l be

- m uch th e poorer . D u ri ng the fi rst centu ry of this pi ne transplanting observance , i ts leaf

w as 8 1 . . pl ucki ng adj u n ct si mply sym bol ical , bu t fro m the ti me of the E mperor Saga ( 3 A D ) th e practical precepts of C hi nese trad i tions were adopted , and the leaves came to serve as sea son ing for sou p . Seven ki nds had to be selected by those who ai med at strict orthodoxy , bu t co m mon fol ks con ten ted themselves with two . These they placed o n a block , and wi th a

- large k n ife i n each hand , chopped rhyth m icall y to the seven syllabled refrai n

t B - To o n o tori n o irds of ill hap p ass us by , N t a i N C fl ih o n n o ochi ever here from hina y , Wat ara nu ni F t fl mae li and ho p , itting , ho pp ing ;

S t t o n to n ton . C c . u o suto hi p a ch op , chi pp ing , hopp ing

H ere once more appear the bi rds of ill omen which we have seen the ample - hatted Et a

' ' sa m zs maid en d rivi ng away with en strai ns o n N ew Year s day . Their con nection wi th the

“ - preparatio n of the seven herb sou p is an affai r of sou nd , not sense . The C h i nese were won t to rap o n th e doors of thei r houses for th e pu rpose of scaring away these invis ible vi si tors , and the J apanese have converted that profou ndly sensibl e custom i nto a choru s which they chan t to the acco mpan i ment of the choppi ng k n ives , making a merry pasti me ou t of even th is pri mevally si mple performance .

l i th From the eigh th day of the mon th bu si ness is resu med , and on the , men of war make o fferi ngs of m i rror d u m pl i ngs to thei r armor , and practise archery , usi ng a target big

i th eno ugh to avert th e m isfortu ne of openi ng the year wi th a bad record . On the 4 , the decorations of pi ne , bamboo and rope are removed and bu rned together , bu t i n thei r place

- wil low wand s fi nely spl i t i nto flow e r like forms (b eg u n /1 mm) are fi xed to the eaves . Some ti mes a bamboo basket i s fi xed o n the roof to d rive away demons . The cremation of the

pi ne sapl i ngs and thei r com pan io ns is i n tended to d rive away the mou ntai n d emons , who hate the crackle and spu tter of fi re , and to i nvite the cheerfu l pri nciple whi le expelli ng th e

“ th - sad . 1 as The 5 is d isti ngu ish ed th e ch ief origi n day , and trad i tion requ i res that bean

' a z uk z . ( ) broth should be eaten i n every hou sehold , th e bean bei ng fatal to evi l Spirits Thi s

' t th o . day , too , and the are servants hol idays M en servants and women servants are allowed to visi t thei r homes , a proceed i ng pol itely designated the retu rn of the rustics

' Th e N ew Year s ceremo nial s are now nom inally at an end . I ndeed , they may be said to

h ave term i nated with the bu rn i ng of the d ecorations . Bu t there remai ns one observance

. 2 0th i s n ever forgotten or cu rtailed I t belongs to the , called the fi rst face, and consists

mac/xi sex mi rrors ust 1 1 th i n offeri ngs of rice d u mpl i ngs ( ) by th e fai r to th eir toil et , j as on the

sa m u ra i the makes a si milar o fferi ng to his armor . Whil e maids and matrons pay th is

vicariou s homage to thei r own charms , merchants worshi p the deities of prosperity , E bisu and Dai kok u , th e mai n featu re of thei r worsh ip bei ng a d isplay of profu se hospital ity to

- friends and relatives a veritable house warm i ng . J A P A N 2 5 7

I t wi ll be observed that the god s do not play a very promi n en t part i n J apan ’ s N ew

. Year Observances Peopl e do not tu rn t hei r feet to th e temples , nor do t he pri ests del i ver

. 2 t h 2 th sermons to large aud iences At the close of the mon th ( 4 and 5 ), however , th ere i s a

se nt ime n t f fai nt revival of rel igiou s The S hri nes of Yem ma , the deity of H ades , are visited , and the more s uperstitiou s carry wi th them l ittl e w ood en carvi ngs of the b u llfin ch wh ich

they have carefu lly kept d u ring the old year , and w h ic h they now exchange at th e sh ri nes

n ew e ffi ies for g , th u s d i vesti ng t hemsel ves of the bu rden of t hei r si ns of d ecei t d u ri ng th e past twelvemon th , and receivi ng a token of ren ewe d si nceri ty and renewed expiatio n

t h e t h roughou t open i ng year . Thi s is a n other exampl e of those qu ai n t plays u pon word s probably i nevi tabl e among peopl e speaki ng a language li ke that of th e J apa

' n ese . T he nam e of the b ullfinch (u so) is

homonymou s wi th the term fal sehood .

Th u s th e id ea of t h e wors hipper i s to hide i n h is sl eeve for t he effigy of the bu llfin ch is th us carried — al l the fibs and fal sehood s of w hich h e h as bee n gu il ty th rough ou t th e

old year , and to avert thei r evil resul ts . Bu t the si ngular fact is that h e carries hom e fro m th e sh ri ne a new sy m bol of d eception . H e

i B UUDl l l ST P makes na ve ad m issio n that li fe cann ot be A RIEST .

w l i ved i thou t lyi ng , wh ereby h e th u s avoid s

1 at l east the l ie of pretendi ng to th i n k that i t can . I t mu st not be su pposed , however , that

bullfinc h h is fresh confers p rospective absol u tion fro m the gu il t of gu i le . N o such id ea i s

w ackno ledged , though i t i s easy to perceive that a mechan ical d evice for periodical ly evad

i ng th e consequences of d ecei t can not fail to create a false conscience towards the fau l t .

" “ th e - w as h as Every year of ten stem cycl e , on wh ich the al manac of old J apan based ,

a Special poi n t of the compass fro m wh ich fortu nate i n fl uences are su pposed to emanate .

' i Urn- h r; i i n Chiku z cn i r i The fest val of had its orig n province . There , beginn ng at a date no longer asce tainable , p ous people

i On t h anuar f r inaugurated the custom of visiting the temple of Temman at the hour of the b rd the night of the 7 of J v. and o e i ng e ffigi es of the

l fm . i i e fli i es i n e On e i t o The priests d str buted new g xchange , and among the latter was covered w th gold foil . The devotee whose lot this i ullfin h g lded b c happened to fall counted himself secure for a year against all dangers or conse"uences of decepti on . I n the beginning of the

y w as w i t i tn e . w w e is present centur the custom extended to Tokro , where it is dely observed up to the present The ooden carved from the

' rn l 'a l 'z a an /i n sacred j p ) .

K P A Y A O T O L ER .

Th e ot o th e o t i ortant of es al t t ofici nc in i n n it k is m s mp Ja p an e music i ns rume n s , and pr e y p lay g u p o is highly

l l o n c the o o iti so as o be i s t e . to e o t t t e emed The nes v ked have but it e res na e , and c mp s ons are p eculiar u n n elligibl t o forei gn e rs .

2 J A P A N . 59 leaves so en hances the sangu i ne temeri ty of th e fragile flowers that the J apanese d iscover f i n th is e fort of n atu re a h u nd red al legories poi n ti ng th e victory of hope over d espai r , the

o fad ve rsi t . ren ewal of vigor among d ecay , th e triu m ph of fortu ne over th e bl ight y A l i brary m igh t be fi ll ed wi th t he verselets that have bee n co m posed i n honor of the pl u m flowers and suspended fro m th e branches of favo rite trees in the groves to whic h al l classes of the people

flock at th i s season .

- - fl y i n We h ave spoken of battle board and s h u ttlecoc k , k i te g and arch ery as sports

N ew w considered specially appropriate to the Year , bu t there are other games h ich , though

not l i m ited to any particul ar period , are n atu rally played wi th exceptional zest at that ti me .

’ Footbal l u sed to be one of them ; bu t the old - fash ioned Ke i mported from C h i n a a dozen

h as . cen tu ri es ago , now been com pl etely ou sted by i ts Occid en tal represen tative The essence

as of t he sport , as practised i n C h i na and J apan , was to kic k the ball h igh as possible and to

w . w keep i t al ays i n fl igh t Th ere ere no goals . no organ ized system s of assaul t and defence ,

- l a- 71m m and the pasti me was essen tial ly aristocratic . H and bal l ( ) is th e correspond i ng am u se

men t of the gen tl e s ex . The reader m ust not i magi n e anyth i ng i n th e n atu re of E ngl ish

H - fi ves . and ball , as th e J apanes e girl plays i t , is a co m bi nation of refi ned d exterity and

. ba ll gracefu l movemen t Th e is struck perpend icularly on the grou nd , and the player

“ perform s a co m pl ete pi ro u ette i n ti m e to stri ke i t agai n as i t rebou nd s . Som eti m es sh e meets i t at th e su m m i t of i ts bou nd an d arrests i t for a second o n the back of h er fi ngers before reversi ng h er hand and stri ki ng th e bal l d ow n w a rd s aga i n p re p a ra to ry to a n ew pi rou ette ; so meti mes sh e makes it

l eap so h igh that s h e can pi rou ette twice before i t spri ngs agai n fro m th e

grou nd , and , al l th e

w h il e , sh e and her co m

H I DO pan ion s Chan t a song i n GARDEN AT DA I M IC . u n ison with th ese l i th e V movemen ts . ictory depend s u pon not letti ng th e bal l escape beyond t he range of ci rcle and stroke bu t vi ctors and vanqu ished al i ke have the sati sfactio n of d isplayi ng to th e ,

ful l that “ eloqu ence of form w h ic h consti tu es the speech of the coqu ette . There are oth er

; , , method s of playi ng the gam e , bu t th ey need not occu py ou r atten tion h ere u nless i ndeed 2 6 0 J A P A N .

’ o- fe- a mi m we make an exceptio n i n favor of , wh ich has for i ts paraph ernal ia th ree , fi ve o r seven ti ny rectangular bags fi l led wi th s mal l beans , and wh ich demands only a fraction of the

'

- - m a m exertion req u i red by te proper . To tel l how th ese mi n iatu re bags are mani pulated wou ld call for two o r th ree pages of text and two or th ree scores of ill u stration . Bu t if any lady has a beautifu l hand and arm , a s uppl e wrist , a q u ick eye and m u scles capable of n ice

’ - f - m /za o c a . adj ust men t , the J apanese acco mplish men t of d eserves her seriou s atten tion

" s ir o- ro/m w To th i s con text , al so , belongs g , o r the rangi ng of s ixes , h ich , though it

is i ncl udes the demoral izi ng element of d ice , of all i ndoor pasti m es the most generally affected

i n J apan . The race game , fam iliar i n E u rope and America , i s so closely ak in to J apanese

s a a- wok ” i s g that i t is d i fficu l t to do u bt thei r com mon parentage . Th ere a broad sh eet d ivided i nto lettered or pictorial sections , fro m one to another of wh ich the player progresses

i s accord i ng to the n u m ber thrown by h i m with a si ngle d ie . T he game said to have had i ts

1 origi n i n I ndia , whence i t fou nd its way to J apan i n the eighth cen tu ry . At fi rst i t was proh i bi ted on accou nt of i ts gambl ing character , bu t even tually the Buddh ist priests took i t u p and converted i t i nto an i nstru men t fo r i ncu lcati ng vi rtu e . An i ll ustrated ladder of moral

ten ets , varied by i m moral laches , led to heaven or preci pitated i nto h ell , and you ng people were expected to derive a vicariou s respect for the eth ical precepts that marked the path to

as as v ictory . The game thencefort h becam e a vehicl e of i nstructio n well a musemen t , i ts

f . pictu res represen ti ng someti mes o ficial grades or rel igiou s terms A cognate a mu semen t ,

“ - 7 u m a mma . £0. 7 2s witho u t the u se of d ice , i s th e poem card game ( g ) Th is , as i ts name

— a ( a ri a — i s J apan ese rend eri ng of the Span is h word suggests , partly of foreign origi n .

“ s — zzm Before thei r con tact wit h the West , th e J apane e had a pasti me called poem shell s

' ” 7 — - i ts /m l a w a sc . or . th e precu rsor of poem cards I n earl iest day , th is am usemen t consisted

si m ply i n joi ni ng the shells of a bivalve . A n u m ber of s hel ls , twen ty , th i rty o r more , consti t u te d W the pack . from h ich one was taken by each player , th e remai nder bei ng Spread on th e

“ ' mats to form a deck . The pl ayer s obj ect was to fi nd th e mate of the s hell d eal t to h i m .

as By and by , th e game received aristocratic patronage , shel ls of special beau ty were sel ected ,

w carefu l ly pol ished and placed i n ci rcular boxes of rich gold l acq uer , h ich figu red among the

' w as : f fu rn itu re of every refi ned lady s boudoi r . Then a new featu re added the a fi n ity of two shell s was i nd icated by i nscri bi ng on on e the fi rst half of some celebrated cou plet , and on th e

— or oth er t he second hal f . The wri ti ng of poetry to speak more accu rately , the k nack of expressi ng some pretty fancy i n metrical form — h ad a place among th e essen tial accom pl ish ments of an ed ucated lady or gen tleman i n J apan , and i nvolved i n ti mate acquai ntance wi th

t . is all the classical gems i n that field of li tera u re I t easy to see , therefore , that these poem shells became at o nce a sou rce of pl easu re and of i nstructio n . The Portugu ese , co mi ng i n

as th e si xteen th cen tu ry , brough t wi th them playi ng cards as well C h ristian i ty and fi rearms .

‘ i Japanese tradi ti on savs that i t was invented by an I ndian pri nce during a period of i mprisonment . The hybr d nature of the name

- sug o r ot u i ndicates a foreign origi n . 2 J A P A N . 6 1

S sa trange to y , however, though th e Japan ese welcomed th e cards , they rej ected th e foreign

man n er of u si ng them , and devised a gam e of their own , wh ich may be compared to wh ist ,

f . bu t is , o n th e whole , more compl icated and d i ficul t I t is cal l ed flower joi n i ng (h em a

a zoase . i ts ) We m ust refrai n fro m any attempt to explai n i ntricate processes here, merely

noti ng th e essen tially J apanese featu re , namely , th at every card bears a representa tion of som e flower , with the name and appearance of wh ich th e player m u st be fam il iar . Card s are also su bs ti tuted for shells i n the poem shel l " pasti me descri bed

ufa - a m ta above , and th ese g (poem card s) occu py i n th e repertoi re of fem i n i ne and yo u th fu l pasti mes the sam e place that th e d i fficu lt game of ll a n a - a w ase holds among th e am u sem ents o f m en . I n J apanese esti matio n , however, no game su pports compari son o for a momen t with that of g , to wh ich foreign tran slators give th e m i sl ead i ng name

" “ c heckers , though it bears abou t the same

' rel atio n to check ers as vzfl g t - ef- mz does to

i s wh ist . Th ere probably no other gam e i n th e world that d emands su ch analytical

i nsigh t and gen i u s for combi nation . E ve ry

o ed ucated man plays g , bu t ve ry few develop s u fficient s kill to be classed i n on e of the

w x m uass — n i ne grad es of experts , and not o nce i n a cen A IN TEA HOUSE . t u ry does a player succeed i n obtai n ing the

— di plo ma of th e n i n th or h ighest grade . The board and men smal l , rou nd cou n ters of s hell ,

' — o onzot u - na m oe ivory or sto ne used for playi ng g serve al so for a pasti me call ed g , or five i n

" a row , a si mpl e am u semen t , affected by gi rls and ch ild ren , and m istaken by many foreigners

o . for g i tsel f, wi th wh ich it has no man ner of con n ection C hess too , i s very popular .

is “ 6 2 I t cognate wi th the royal game of th e Occident , bu t th ere are 3 pieces i n stead of 3 , and

has 1 8 6 . th e board squ ares i n stead of 4 On th e other hand , though the movements and names of the pi eces resem bl e those of thei r Wes tern represen tatives , thei r powers are not so large, and i t has conseq uen tly been i nferred that the J apanese game is si mpler than the Occid en tal .

Th e i nference is probably erroneou s , for any el emen t of si mpl icity d u e to th e red uced power of th e pieces is com pensated by thei r greater n u mber , and by the fact that , at a certai n stage , pi eces previou sly wo n or lost reappear i n a combi nation . A form of chess to wh ich the

J A P A N . 2 63

- that these sh arpers m u st speed ily beco me k nown to th e owners of tea houses . So th ey do , bu t that does not m u ch i nco nven ience them . T he professional gam bl ers i n th e great cities organize them selves i n to cl iqu es and obey a code of rigorou s regu lations . The domai n of a

“ i ts - fl ow n - ba n : i s cl ique , rope stretch ( ), vari es i n area som eti mes it l i m i ted to one ward ;

“ - so meti mes , i n t he case of a gu ild master w ith a Special ly c u rren t face , i ts au thority exte nds

: over hal f t he city . Bu t , wide or narrow , each do mai n i s i nviolable no professional from

“ - wi thou t ven tu res to trespass u nless he has obtai n ed a pass (700mm) fro m the gu i ld master .

- use Every breach of the law other than card Sharpi ng or th e of loaded d ice , or some other

i t s measu re adopted with the au thori ty of th e gu ild and i n i nterests , is strictly tabooed and ,

i s i s if d etected , pu n ished by the gu ild wi th exemplary severi ty . I t easy to u nderstand that

- r keepers of tea houses ven tu ri ng to pi t themselves agai n st su ch organizations , may have th ei

- bu si ness cri ppl ed . The tea house i tsel f can not always show a cl ea n record . I t i s often a place of assignation ; it fosters wi th i n i ts preci ncts vices wh ich , if d iscovered , would i nvolve i ts ru i n . Th erefore , i n ord er to l ive h i msel f , the proprietor is fai n to let th e professio nal

d e tec V . gam bler l ive al so , and to make wh at he can ou t of h i m . ice batten s on vice Th e

tive pol ice are sharp enough , bu t not i n corru pti bl e . That they someti mes take pay from the

- - - wait and meet tea hou se and fro m the professional gam bler also , is u ndou bted . So far as these th i ngs g o — and th e y are here set down i n thei r worst gu ise — there is gam bl i ng i n J apan . Bu t th e evi l flou rish es i n holes and corners and with i n very n a rro w l i m i t s . T h u s far i t has n ever i nfected society ; n ever attai ned th e d i mensions of an epid em ic . N u m erical sy m met ry h as al w ays pos sessed a charm for th e

Japanese , and may , per

res on haps , be ch iefly p si ble for th e fact that

d u ri ng many centu ries A PICTURES"UE STON E. BRIDGE . they have s pecial ly feted th t h th the 3 rd day of th e th i rd mon th , th e s of the fi fth , th e 7 of the seven th and t he o

t h , of th e n i n th . These fou r days , together wi th th e 7 day of the fi rst mo nth consti tu te the

“ i s o- sekk u . g , or five festivals of th e seasons Th ere a wei rd and fanci ful legend wh ich

ox - con nects the five cel ebrations wi th th e story of an head ed i ncarnation of B udd ha , who 2 6 A 4 J_ P A N .

married the you ngest daugh ter of the d rago n ki ng , and su bsequen tly carved i n to five pieces

the body of a pri nce w ho h ad opposed his q uest for a wi fe ; bu t t he fabrication of th is grew

some tal e evid en tly succeeded th e bi rth of the cu stom for wh ich it professes to accou nt .

' ' rd i s il zn a - m a f t Th e celebration o n the 3 day of the thi rd mo nth com mon ly cal led the sz rz ,

' ore or dolls festival . I t i s the f of l ittle maidens , and thei r man ner of celebrati ng it is to

mars hal a m u l ti tude of dol ls represen ti ng hi storical characters , wi th th ei r vassals , servi tors ,

sold iers , equ i pages and parap hernal ia . I ncred ibl e care and so meti mes great expense are

. i s x lavished on the preparatio n of these toys Every d etai l stud iously e act , whether of

- - costu m e , of armor , of arms , of head d ress and foot gear , of camp or palace fu rn itu re , of

u tensils for cooki ng and fo r feasti ng , of arrangements fo r wedd i ng ceremon ies and state

progresses . Someti mes th e figu res and thei r accessori es n u mber as many as from five

’ i s h u nd red to a thousand articles , and the wo rk of setti ng them ou t a del igh t of days d u ra

tio n , no less than a li beral ed ucatio n i n th e cu stoms and etiqu ette of refi ned l ife . I n every

f sofaé k usa i s sa house o ferings are made of wh i te and herb cake ( that to y , cake made

“ of rice flou r m ixed wi th leaves of the artem isia or of mother- and - ch ild sh rub

' “ — — - - h a b o k o m a . o lz zl za sam a e ffi i es ( g ) Of cou rse costly col lections of , or honorable g , as the

l i ttle maiden s cal l them , are preserved fro m generation to generation , descend i ng from moth er

to daughter . Bu t the d emand for new ones gives employ ment to a considerable body of

the ét e i s artists , and d u ri ng th e week that precedes f day , a busy market held i n such quarters of the capital ci ties as fro m ti me i m memorial have been cou nted the ch ief emporia of these

N a ka bash i - ikk e nd ama elaborate toys ; for exampl e , , Owari cho and J i n Tokyo ; Sh ijo and

- k i - h u n e c o . as él e i s Gojo i n Kyoto , and M ido maye and J i n Osaka So soon the f over, the

'

o- h z no - somo are packed away i n sil k and wadd i ng , not to see the l ight agai n u nti l the thi rd

' i s mo nth of t he followi ng year . There no doubt that the id ea of this dolls festival cam e

v i ts fro m C h i na , bu t the d e elopmen t that i t received after adoption by the J apanese amou n ts

“ - to complete metamorphosis . The C h i nese conceptio n was that the fi rst serpent day (called j o or expul sion day i n the th ird mon th shou ld be devoted to exorcisi ng the evi l i n fl u

e nce s i s For to wh ich each perso n i nd ividu al ly exposed . that pu rpose an exorcist su ppl ied a

- d e mon . hi s . n o o paper puppet , with which t he recipien t ru bbed body Th is (lit ru bbi ng th i ng)

w as h t en retu rned to the exorcist , who performed certai n ri tes over it . By and by it becam e

n od e- m on o custo mary to range the of a household on a shelf with offeri ngs of wi ne and food ,

" - /z z 7za - a and ou t of that habit grew the o s m o . I t is a record fai rly i ll ustrati ng the changes

- i u ndergo ne by the cu sto ms of the East As an con ti nent after transplan tation to J apanese soil .

Trad i tion says that when Sakya m u n i was born a d rago n . appeared a nd pou red water

. i s th over the babe The i nciden t com memorated i n J apan on the 4 day of the fou rth mon th ,

“ ‘ ‘ o - - when the washi ng of B udd ha (h o i z om su ory ok zz om su) takes place . An i mage of the

— ~ a tm z o- ou /su — i s se t god bi rthday Budd ha ( j ) up i n a hal l decorated with flowers , and each wors hi pper pou rs water o r a m a c/m (a decoction of hyd rangea leaves) over the effigy from a J A P A N . 2 6 5

. u ti ny lad l e Th i s bei ng a tem ple ri te does not evoke m ch enth u siasm , bu t evid ences of its

popu lar observance may be seen i n d ecoration s of azalea sprays , bough s and u

' (deufz za scra om se t ) . blossom s u p at the gates of houses As u sual , the idea of averti ng evi l

. d ictates t h e proced u re of the ti me Worm s are the special obj ect of exorcis m . A leaf of Sh ep ’ herd s pu rse (n az una) is tied i n sid e the lantern

- of the sleepi ng c ham ber , and over th e l i ntel i s p a s t e d a n a m u l e t 1 wri tten with i n k wh ich h as b ee n m o i s t e n ed wi th the l iqu id of l u s t ration Agai n

the rice - fl ou r cake is offered at the dom estic

al tar . I t now takes the form of a lotu s petal wi th capsul e of bean

a n . sm lc V W O F T H E Z paste ( ) I n the Cities I E BRON E BUDDHA A T K A MAK U RA . h u cksters go abou t sell ' f i ng d ucks eggs , wh ich , eaten o n th is day , are su pposed to be e fi cacious agai nst palsy ; and occas ional ly i ti n eran t pri ests wi th close - cropped hai r and a pecu liar costu me pass from

“ o- s/zak a / s treet to street cal l i ng ou t or Buddhas to sell , Budd has to buy , and

'

- perform i ng bu ffoon tric ks to gaping crowds . The stock i n trade of these g w a i zm n oo

(d epraved pri ests) co ns ists of l ittle i mages of Sakyam u n i and five- colored flags of the a

- flower , th e w hol e carried ignom i n iou sly i n com mo n water pai ls .

The fou rth mon th of th e old calendar, th e M ay of modern ti mes , is d i sti ngu ished

above all other mon ths as th e season of fl owers . I t i s then that the ch erry blooms , and i n

J apanese eyes th e cherry flower typifi es everyth ing that is at on ce refi ned , beau tifu l and

: vigorou s . T h e blosso m itsel f has no special excellence i t is as cherry blosso ms are every

' '

. cou d ozzl where B u t by massi ng the trees i n positio ns that lend th emselves to a p , by arch i ng them over long aven u es besid e broad rivers , and by setting them i n a framework

of exqu isi te scenery , th ere are prod uced glowi ng effects and harmon iou s co ntrasts which , en h anced by the opal escen t atmosph ere of a J apanese Spri ng , are worthy of the passionate en th u sias m th ey arouse . I t has been som eti mes asserted , someti mes den ied , that a keen er love of flowers and a more su btle sen se of thei r beau ties exist , ei ther by i nsti nct or by edu ca

1 The formula i nscribed on this paper is curiously simple The 4 th of the fourth month is an auspi cious day for killing fmmi mg t

“ n us/Ii ( larvae of the meat fly) . 2 66 J A P A N .

- can tion , amo ng th ese Far Eastern people than be fou nd anywhere else . Those who take the f a fi rmative view poi nt to the vast crowds of m en , women and child ren that th rong th e cherry

groves d u ri ng the s hort seaso n of bloo m to the u niversal ity of this affectionate ad mi ration , as potent to d raw the gray - headed statesman or the ph i losoph er fro m his stud io as to attract lads and Iasses on t he th resh old of l ife and love ; to the famil iar acquai n tance with flowers and thei r habits that i s possessed even by artisan s and scavengers ; and to the fact that th e J apanese manage to derive m uch wider grati ficatio n from flowers and to u til ize them more effectively as factors of pu bl ic pleasu re than any other nation does . I n the science of horti cul tu re they ran k far below E u ropeans and A mericans . They had practically no knowledge of botany u ntil they acqu i red it fro m the West . Thei r gardens have never i ncl uded conse rv

- atories of rare exotics . I t has not occu rred to them to organ ize competitive fl ow e r shows i n

“ the Occidental fash ion , and natu re has bequ eathed to them only a s mal l portion of the floral

U . wealth with wh ich E ngland , France and the ni ted States are dowered Yet they have mad e so m u ch of thei r comparatively scan ty gifts that th e blossoms of each season are a

featu re i n thei r lives , a pri m e ele men t i n thei r happi ness . I f they possessed th e labu rn u m ,

the lilac , the hawthorn , th e gorse , th e bl uebell , the snowd rop , th e honeys uck le , the j essa

“ mi n e , t he pri m rose and all the other letters of the angel tongue wri tten on th e fai r faces of so me Western cou n tries , it i s possibl e, i ndeed , that the keen ness of th ei r appreciation

as m ight have been d ul led by satiety ; bu t , j udgi ng by the facts we fi nd them , th e strong probabil i ty i s that they wou ld have taugh t the world n ew ways of profi ti ng by these gi fts of natu re . C ertai nly th ey stand alone among nations i n so far as concerns th e pu bl ic organ iza tion of thei r taste for flowers and the u n iversal fidel ity with wh ich th ey grati fy i t . We Shal l

h rr é/es c e . not pau se h ere to d escri be th e y f of Tokyo , Kyoto and oth er J apan ese ci ties I n

- former ti mes , when the patrician stood above the law , and when the d isgu ise of an eye mask

~ an - as — su fficed eye wig i t was jocosely call ed to j u stify al most any l icense , th ese motley crowds were someti mes u nwil l i ng witnesses of rud e practical j okes . B u t th e pol ice

' ' sa fim m i s man s baton i s now more poten t than the sword , and beyond th e discord of a vi nou s refrai n , or , perhaps , entanglemen t i n a grou p of erratic roisterers , the peacefu l citizen has

- noth i ng to apprehend . Boat races on th e Su m ida R iver i n Tokyo and ath letic sports i n th e parks are featu res of th i s month , bu t such th ings are modern i n novation s and do not yet

- R ran k higher than second rate i mitations of thei r Occidental models . eference may be made on a sscm t p to a pretty bu t now obsolete pasti me associated with th is season , th e game of “ water wi nd ings (lay ok u I t had i ts origi n i n C h i na and obtai ned great vogu e at one ti me among the aristocrats of J apanese society , bu t the age has passed it by . A cup of wi n e

w as f lau nched u pon a stream su fered to float at the caprice of the cu rrent , and verselets were composed before i t came wi th i n reach of th e convives posted along the ban ks . A trivial pasti m e i n truth , bu t i t is i n th e gen iu s of the J apanese to make m uch of slend er resou rces .

There is anoth er k ind of picnic which su rvives all c hanges of fashion , and attracts 2 6 J A P A N . 7

- pl easu re seekers i n as great n u mbers now as i t d id a h u ndred years ago . I t may be seen at i ts best i n Tokyo . O n certai n days i n M ay and early J u ne , w hen th e Spri ng tides reced e fro m

- th e shal low reach es along th e sou thern su bu rb of the city , large Spaces of weed covered sand

sea emerge fro m the water, and adj acent to them th e spreads a coveri ng only a few i nches

- deep over wide areas wh ere s hell fish congregate . T he days when natu re behaves i n that

' man ner are marked with a red letter i n the citizen s calend ar . E ngagemen ts that m u st wai t weeks or even months for ful fil ment , engagemen ts to gather shel ls i n co mpany , are formed

all between persons of ages , green lads and Iasses , men and women i n m idd l e l i fe , and old

“ fol ks to who m th e spri ng ai rs no longer bri ng more than a fitful suggestion of l igh t fancies .

- e n a n g These pl easu re se k ers lau ch themselves i n the favori te veh icle of Tokyo pic nics , th e y oz mo — a — , ki nd of gondola , and float seaward with the ebbi ng tide , si ngi ng s natches of song

’ sam zsen k en the wh ile to the acco mpan i men t of ti n kl i ng , or of that gracefu l game "so well d evised to display th e charms of a pretty hand and arm . Such ou ti ngs d i ffer i n on e i mpor

—~ u - tan t respect fro m the more orthodox picn ics of Tokyo fol ks , th e visi ts to pl m bloo ms , cherry blossom s , peony beds , Ch rysan themu m pu ppets , i ris po nds and river open i ngs . They d i ffer i n the fact that there i s no d isplay of fi n e apparel . Bright and skilfu l ly blended colors i e th ere are ndeed ; bu t the e mbroidered gi rd le , th e elaborately woven robe of s il k cr pe , the dain ty armlet and the costly hai rpi n are absen t . Camlets and cottons consti tu te the proper costu me of th e day , and a pretty ai r of bu si ness resol u tio n replaces t he leisu rely arch ness gen erally characteristic of th e budd i ng damsel i n J apan .

To two articles of apparel on ly do th e ladies give special h eed . Of these , the more i mportant is the pett icoat , if such a mi slead i ng and co m mon place term may be appl ied to

' habili ments ~ the umo z t he closely fi tting u nders ki rt of Japanese y j , a broad band of s il k , fold ed arou nd th e body and reach i ng fro m the waist to a li ttle below the k nee . I n th e vast maj ority of cases th e color of thi s item of clothi ng is cri mson . I ts glowi ng u niform ity may ,

however , be varied by s u nd ry devices , from an al most i mperceptible sprig pattern of darker

- h u e to wonders of deft weavi ng and happy caprice , and a qu ick eyed eth nologist may look

' ’ to see much exerci se of tasteful coquetry i n t he y umoj z th at g race thesu bu rban shel l - beds of

- Tokyo at spri ng tide picn ics . The second arti cle demandi ng and receiv i ng u n u sual care is noth ing more or less than a towel . H ere agai n we are perpl exed by the pauci ty of ou r

’ ’ ' “ mo z o ut o ao m z ux An lo S ax on . u o g language Petticoat may pass for y j , f , bu t to speak of

' “ ” the ten ug m (l iterally hand wiper ) as a towel is to convey a very fal se i mpression of the little bl u e- and - wh ite li nen kerch ief wh ich these shell - seek i ng lad i es twist i nto the dai ntiest

as coi ffu res conceivable , not so m uch to shad e thei r co mpl exions to preserve th e gloss and

- T sym metry of the ach ievem ents that thei r hai r d ressers have tu rned ou t for the occasion . h e

‘ This game , probably more widely played than any other in Japan , depends upon the principle that certain objects , animate or inani i fi re C c . mate , cor spond to ertain comb nations of the ngers , and that the obj e ts thus represented have relative values The players clap and wave

i n m m a . their hands unison with so e rhyth ic chant , and mark the pauses of the rhythm by these digit l combinations There is an almost endless

is m . variety of methods , and the graceful dexterity displayed by experts ost charming 2 6 8 J A P A N .

i s water, as h as been said , on ly a few i nches deep , bu t a few i nches mean m uch when ski rts have to be kept from dabbl i ng i n th e bri ne and arms m ust be free for a pl u nge above the

- elbow . I t will be u nderstood , th erefore, that th e s hell beds gleam wi th such a d isplay of

a wh i te an kles s wou ld shock a prude . Bu t prudery i s not among the paraphernalia taken to

sea . on these occasions The J apan ese are noth i ng if not natu ral , and wh en the bu si ness

n eces of the mom ent d emands certain concessions , no one is supposed to look beyond the si ty . Bu t i n tru th it may be safely said that del icacy and modesty are less ou traged at the

' ’

- s/z zo lz z i n Tokyo than i n many an Occid en tal salon . The wide sleeves of the u pper garmen t are restrai ned by a cord (t asuk i ) c rossed over the breast and back ; the ski rts are tucked u nder the i n ner gi rdle , and i n that gu ise merry girls and wo men paddle abou t , gropi ng i n the soft sand that closes over thei r wh ite feet and pic ki ng u p shel l - fish of many ki nds i n

- con siderabl e quanti ties . Grown men , middle aged men and even old men do not d isdai n to joi n th e fu n , and seem to fi nd gen u i ne pleasu re and exci temen t i n d elvi ng after hidden cru s

' sea umo z tacca , wh ile th e breeze wh ispers of l u ncheon , and toys wi th the cri mson y j of the gentle gl ean ers . Lu ncheon , of cou rse , is a special featu re of these ou ti ngs ; for i n each boat

i s - fish there a l ittle fu rnace piled with glowi ng charcoal , and on th is the captu red shell crack

so and spu tter , u nti l , sweetened by a d rop of y at th e proper moment , they become a del icacy

i s fi t for any palate . Then there leisu rely d rifti ng homeward s on th e bosom of the risi ng

' tide , wi th faces that have i mbibed the su n s glow and li mbs that retai n a pleasantly langu id sense of recen t exertion .

T T H E BEACH A TOMIOKA .