{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_45723/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_45723","id":"gutenberg_45723","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45723","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Folklore -- Japan","Legends -- Japan","Mythology, Japanese"],"text":"Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this\n      file which includes the lovely original illustrations.\n      See 45723-h.htm or 45723-h.zip:\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/45723/pg45723-images.html)\n      or\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45723/45723-h.zip)\n\n\n      Images of the original pages are available through\n      Internet Archive. See\n      https://archive.org/details/mythslegendsofja00davi\n\n\n\n\n\nMYTHS & LEGENDS OF JAPAN\n\nby\n\nF. HADLAND DAVIS\n\nAuthor of \"The Land of the Yellow Spring and Other Japanese Stories\"\n\"The Persian Mystics\" etc.\n\nWith Thirty-Two Full-Page Illustrations by Evelyn Paul\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLondon\nGeorge G. Harrap & Company\n9, Portsmouth Street, Kingsway, W. C.\n1912\n\n\n\n[Illustration: The Lovers who exchanged Fans.\n_Fr_. (_See page_ 245)]\n\n\n\n\nDEDICATED TO\n\nMY WIFE\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\nIn writing _Myths and Legends of Japan_ I have been much indebted to\nnumerous authorities on Japanese subjects, and most especially to\nLafcadio Hearn, who first revealed to me the Land of the Gods. It\nis impossible to enumerate all the writers who have assisted me in\npreparing this volume. I have borrowed from their work as persistently\nas Japan has borrowed from other countries, and I sincerely hope\nthat, like Japan herself, I have made good use of the material I have\nobtained from so many sources.\n\nI am indebted to Professor Basil Hall Chamberlain for placing his work\nat my disposal, and I have found his encyclop\u00e6dic volume, _Things\nJapanese_, his translation of the _Kojiki_, his _Murray's Hand-book for\nJapan_ (in collaboration with W. B. Mason), and his _Japanese Poetry_,\nof great value. I thank the Executors of the late Dr. W. G. Aston for\npermission to quote from this learned authority's work. I have made\nuse of his translation of the _Nihongi_ (_Transactions of the Japan\nSociety_, 1896) and have gathered much useful material from _A History\nof Japanese Literature_. I am indebted to Mr. F. Victor Dickins for\nallowing me to make use of his translation of the _Taketori Monogatari_\nand the _Ho-j\u014d-ki_. My friend Mrs. C. M. Salwey has taken a sympathetic\ninterest in my work, which has been invaluable to me. Her book, _Fans\nof Japan_, has supplied me with an exquisite legend, and many of her\narticles have yielded a rich harvest. I warmly thank Mr. Yone Noguchi\nfor allowing me to quote from his poetry, and also Miss Clara A. Walsh\nfor so kindly putting at my disposal her fascinating volume, _The\nMaster-Singers of Japan_, published by Mr. John Murray in the \"Wisdom\nof the East\" series. My thanks are due to Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin\nCompany, for allowing me to quote from Lafcadio Hearn's _Glimpses of\nUnfamiliar Japan_ and _The Japanese Letters of Lafcadio Hearn_; to\nMessrs. George Allen & Sons, for giving me permission to quote from\nSir F. T. Piggott's _Garden of Japan_; to the Editor of the _Academy_,\nfor permitting me to reprint my article on \"Japanese Poetry,\" and to\nMessrs. Cassell and Co. Ltd., for allowing me to reproduce \"The Garden\nof Japan,\" which I originally contributed to _Cassell's Magazine_. The\nworks of Dr. William Anderson, Sir Ernest Satow, Lord Redesdale, Madame\nOzaki, Mr. R. Gordon Smith, Captain F. Brinkley, the late Rev. Arthur\nLloyd, Mr. Henri L. Joly, Mr. K. Okakura, the Rev. W. E. Griffis, and\nothers, have been of immense value to me, and in addition I very warmly\nthank all those writers I have left unnamed, through want of space,\nwhose works have assisted me in the preparation of this volume.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n           Introduction\n        I. The Period of the Gods\n       II. Heroes and Warriors\n      III. The Bamboo-cutter and the Moon-maiden\n       IV. Buddha Legends\n        V. Fox Legends\n       VI. Jiz\u014d, the God of Children\n      VII. Legend in Japanese Art\n     VIII. The Star Lovers and the Robe of Feathers\n       IX. Legends of Mount Fuji\n        X. Bells\n       XI. Yuki-onna, the Lady of the Snow\n      XII. Flowers and Gardens\n     XIII. Trees\n      XIV. Mirrors\n       XV. Kwannon and Benten. Daikoku, Ebisu, and Hotei\n      XVI. Dolls and Butterflies\n     XVII. Festivals\n    XVIII. The Peony-lantern\n      XIX. K\u014db\u014d Daishi, Nichiren, and Sh\u014dd\u014d Shonin\n       XX. Fans\n      XXI. Thunder\n     XXII. Animal Legends\n    XXIII. Bird and Insect Legends\n     XXIV. Concerning Tea\n      XXV. Legends of the Weird\n     XXVI. Three Maidens\n    XXVII. Legends of the Sea\n   XXVIII. Superstitions\n     XXIX. Supernatural Beings\n      XXX. The Transformation of Issunboshi and Kintaro, The Golden Boy\n     XXXI. Miscellaneous Legends\n\n    A Note on Japanese Poetry\n    Gods and Goddesses\n    Genealogy of the Age of the Gods\n    Bibliography\n    Index of Poetical Quotations\n    Glossary and Index\n\n\n\n\nLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS\n\n    The Lovers who exchanged Fans _Frontispiece_\n    Uzume awakens the Curiosity of Ama-terasu\n    Susa-no-o and Kushi-nada-hime\n    Hoori and the Sea God's Daughter\n    Yorimasa slays the Vampire\n    Yorimasa and Benkei attacked by a ghostly company of the Taira Clan\n    Raiko and the Enchanted Maiden\n    Raiko slays the Goblin of Oyeyama\n    Prince Yamato and Takeru\n    Momotaro and the Pheasant\n    Hidesato and the Centipede\n    The Moonfolk demand the Lady Kaguya\n    Buddha and the Dragon\n    The Mikado and the Jewel Maiden\n    Jiz\u014d\n    A Kakemono Ghost\n    Sengen, the Goddess of Mount Fuji\n    Visu on Mount Fuji-Yama\n    Kiyo and the Priest\n    Yuki-Onna, the Lady of the Snow\n    Shing\u00e9 and Yoshisawa by the Violet Well\n    Matsu rescues Teoyo\n    Shinzabur\u014d recognised Tsuyu and her maid Yon\u00e9\n    The Jelly-Fish and the Monkey\n    The Firefly Battle\n    H\u014d\u00efchi-the-Earless\n    The Maiden of Unai\n    Urashima and the Sea King's Daughter\n    Tokoyo and the Sea Serpent\n    The Kappa and his Victim\n    Kato Sayemon in his Palace of the Sh\u014dgun Ashikaga\n    T\u014dtar\u014d and Sam\u00e9bito\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n\nPierre Loti in _Madame Chrysanth\u00e8me_, Gilbert and Sullivan in _The\nMikado_, and Sir Edwin Arnold in _Seas and Lands_, gave us the\nimpression that Japan was a real fairyland in the Far East. We were\ndelighted with the prettiness and quaintness of that country, and\nstill more with the prettiness and quaintness of the Japanese people.\nWe laughed at their topsy-turvy ways, regarded the Japanese woman, in\nher rich-coloured _kimono_, as altogether charming and fascinating,\nand had a vague notion that the principal features of Nippon were the\ntea-houses, cherry-blossom, and _geisha_. Twenty years ago we did not\ntake Japan very seriously. We still listen to the melodious music of\n_The Mikado_, but now we no longer regard Japan as a sort of glorified\nwillow-pattern plate. The Land of the Rising Sun has become the Land of\nthe Risen Sun, for we have learnt that her quaintness and prettiness,\nher fairy-like manners and customs, were but the outer signs of a\ngreat and progressive nation. To-day we recognise Japan as a power in\nthe East, and her victory over the Russian has made her army and navy\nfamous throughout the world.\n\nThe Japanese have always been an imitative nation, quick to absorb and\nutilise the religion, art, and social life of China, and, having set\ntheir own national seal upon what they have borrowed from the Celestial\nKingdom, to look elsewhere for material that should strengthen and\nadvance their position. This imitative quality is one of Japan's most\nmarked characteristics. She has ever been loath to impart information\nto others, but ready at all times to gain access to any form of\nknowledge likely to make for her advancement. In the fourteenth century\nKenk\u014d wrote in his _Tsure-dzure-gusa_: \"Nothing opens one's eyes so\nmuch as travel, no matter where,\" and the twentieth-century Japanese\nhas put this excellent advice into practice. He has travelled far and\nwide, and has made good use of his varied observations. Japan's power\nof imitation amounts to genius. East and West have contributed to her\ngreatness, and it is a matter of surprise to many of us that a country\nso long isolated and for so many years bound by feudalism should,\nwithin a comparatively short space of time, master our Western system\nof warfare, as well as many of our ethical and social ideas, and become\na great world-power. But Japan's success has not been due entirely to\nclever imitation, neither has her place among the foremost nations\nbeen accomplished with such meteor-like rapidity as some would have us\nsuppose.\n\nWe hear a good deal about the New Japan to-day, and are too prone to\nforget the significance of the Old upon which the present _r\u00e9gime_ has\nbeen founded. Japan learnt from England, Germany and America all the\ntactics of modern warfare. She established an efficient army and navy\non Western lines; but it must be remembered that Japan's great heroes\nof to-day, Togo and Oyama, still have in their veins something of the\nold _samurai_ spirit, still reflect through their modernity something\nof the meaning of _Bushido_. The Japanese character is still Japanese\nand not Western. Her greatness is to be found in her patriotism, in her\nloyalty and whole-hearted love of her country. Shint\u014dism has taught her\nto revere the mighty dead; Buddhism, besides adding to her religious\nideals, has contributed to her literature and art, and Christianity has\nhad its effect in introducing all manner of beneficent social reforms.\n\nThere are many conflicting theories in regard to the racial origin of\nthe Japanese people, and we have no definite knowledge on the subject.\nThe first inhabitants of Japan were probably the Ainu, an Aryan people\nwho possibly came from North-Eastern Asia at a time when the distance\nseparating the Islands from the mainland was not so great as it is\nto-day. The Ainu were followed by two distinct Mongol invasions, and\nthese invaders had no difficulty in subduing their predecessors; but\nin course of time the Mongols were driven northward by Malays from\nthe Philippines. \"By the year A.D. 500 the Ainu, the Mongol, and the\nMalay elements in the population had become one nation by much the same\nprocess as took place in England after the Norman Conquest. To the\nnational characteristics it may be inferred that the Ainu contributed\nthe power of resistance, the Mongol the intellectual qualities, and\nthe Malay that handiness and adaptability which are the heritage of\nsailor-men.\"[1] Such authorities as Baelz and Rein are of the opinion\nthat the Japanese are Mongols, and although they have intermarried\nwith the Ainu, \"the two nations,\" writes Professor B. H. Chamberlain,\n\"are as distinct as the whites and reds in North America.\" In spite of\nthe fact that the Ainu is looked down upon in Japan, and regarded as a\nhairy aboriginal of interest to the anthropologist and the showman, a\npoor despised creature, who worships the bear as the emblem of strength\nand fierceness, he has, nevertheless, left his mark upon Japan. Fuji\nwas possibly a corruption of Huchi, or Fuchi, the Ainu Goddess of Fire,\nand there is no doubt that these aborigines originated a vast number\nof geographical names, particularly in the north of the main island,\nthat are recognisable to this day. We can also trace Ainu influence in\nregard to certain Japanese superstitions, such as the belief in the\n_Kappa_, or river monster.\n\nThe Chinese called Japan Jih-p\u00e9n, \"the place the sun comes\nfrom,\" because the archipelago was situated on the east of their\nown kingdom, and our word Japan and Nippon are corruptions of\nJih-p\u00e9n. Marco Polo called the country Zipangu, and one ancient\nname describes it as \"The-Luxuriant-Reed-Plains-the-land-of-Fresh\n-Rice-Ears-of-a-Thousand-Autumns-of-Long-Five-Hundred-Autumns.\" We are\nnot surprised to find that such a very lengthy and descriptive title\nis not used by the Japanese to-day; but it is of interest to know that\nthe old word for Japan, Yamato, is still frequently employed, Yamato\nDamashii signifying \"The Spirit of Unconquerable Japan.\" Then, again,\nwe still hear Japan referred to as The Island of the Dragon-fly. We are\ntold in the old Japanese _Chronicles_ that the Emperor, in 630 B.C.,\nascended a hill called Waki Kamu no Hatsuma, from which he was able to\nview the land on all sides. He was much impressed by the beauty of the\ncountry, and said that it resembled \"a dragon-fly licking its hinder\nparts,\" and the Island received the name of Akitsu-Shima (\"Island of\nthe Dragon-fly\").\n\nThe _Kojiki_, or \"Records of Ancient Matters,\" completed A.D. 712,\ndeals with the early traditions of the Japanese race, commencing\nwith the myths, the basis of Shint\u014dism, and gradually becoming more\nhistorical until it terminates in A.D. 628. Dr. W. G. Aston writes in\n_A History of Japanese Literature_: \"The _Kojiki_, however valuable\nit may be for research into the mythology, the manners, the language,\nand the legends of early Japan, is a very poor production, whether we\nconsider it as literature or as a record of facts. As history it cannot\nbe compared with the _Nihongi_,[2] a contemporary work in Chinese;\nwhile the language is a strange mixture of Chinese and Japanese, which\nthere has been little attempt to endue with artistic quality. The\ncircumstances under which it was composed are a partial explanation of\nthe very curious style in which it is written. We are told that a man\nnamed Yasumaro, learned in Chinese, took it down from the lips of a\ncertain Hiyeda no Are, who had such a wonderful memory that he 'could\nrepeat with his mouth whatever was placed before his eyes, and record\nin his heart whatever struck his ears.'\" It is possible that Hiyeda no\nAre was one of the Kataribe or \"Reciters,\" whose duty it was to recite\n\"ancient words\" before the Mikado at the Court of Nara on certain State\noccasions.\n\nThe _Kojiki_ and the _Nihongi_ are the sources from which we learn the\nearly myths and legends of Japan. In their pages we are introduced\nto Izanagi and Izanami, Ama-terasu, Susa-no-o, and numerous other\ndivinities, and these august beings provide us with stories that are\nquaint, beautiful, quasi-humorous, and sometimes a little horrible.\nWhat could be more na\u00efve than the love-making of Izanagi and Izanami,\nwho conceived the idea of marrying each other after seeing the mating\nof two wagtails? In this ancient myth we trace the ascendency of the\nmale over the female, an ascendency maintained in Japan until recent\ntimes, fostered, no doubt, by Kaibara's _Onna Daigaku_, \"The Greater\nLearning for Women.\" But in the protracted quarrel between the Sun\nGoddess and her brother, the Impetuous Male, the old chroniclers lay\nemphasis upon the villainy of Susa-no-o; and Ama-terasu, a curious\nmingling of the divine and the feminine, is portrayed as an ideal\ntype of Goddess. She is revealed preparing for warfare, making\nfortifications by stamping upon the ground, and she is also depicted\npeeping out of her rock-cavern and gazing in the Sacred Mirror.\nAma-terasu is the central figure in Japanese mythology, for it is\nfrom the Sun Goddess that the Mikados are descended. In the cycle of\nlegends known as the Period of the Gods, we are introduced to the\nSacred Treasures, we discover the origin of the Japanese dance, and in\nimagination wander through the High Plain of Heaven, set foot upon the\nFloating Bridge, enter the Central Land of Reed-Plains, peep into the\nLand of Yomi, and follow Prince Fire-Fade into the Palace of the Sea\nKing.\n\nEarly heroes and warriors are always regarded as minor divinities, and\nthe very nature of Shint\u014dism, associated with ancestor worship, has\nenriched those of Japan with many a fascinating legend. For strength,\nskill, endurance, and a happy knack of overcoming all manner of\ndifficulties by a subtle form of quick-witted enterprise, the Japanese\nhero must necessarily take a high position among the famous warriors\nof other countries. There is something eminently chivalrous about the\nheroes of Japan that calls for special notice. The most valiant men are\nthose who champion the cause of the weak or redress evil and tyranny\nof every kind, and we trace in the Japanese hero, who is very far from\nbeing a crude swashbuckler, these most excellent qualities. He is\nnot always above criticism, and sometimes we find in him a touch of\ncunning, but such a characteristic is extremely rare, and very far from\nbeing a national trait. An innate love of poetry and the beautiful has\nhad its refining influence upon the Japanese hero, with the result that\nhis strength is combined with gentleness.\n\nBenkei is one of the most lovable of Japanese heroes. He possessed\nthe strength of many men, his tact amounted to genius, his sense of\nhumour was strongly developed, and the most loving of Japanese mothers\ncould not have shown more gentleness when his master's wife gave birth\nto a child. When Yoshitsune and Benkei, at the head of the Minamoto\nhost, had finally vanquished the Taira at the sea-fight of Dan-no-ura,\ntheir success awakened the jealousy of the Sh\u014dgun, and the two great\nwarriors were forced to fly the country. We follow them across the sea,\nover mountains, outwitting again and again their numerous enemies. At\nMatsue a great army was sent out against these unfortunate warriors.\nCamp-fires stretched in a glittering line about the last resting-place\nof Yoshitsune and Benkei. In an apartment were Yoshitsune with his\nwife and little child. Death stood in the room, too, and it was better\nthat Death should come at the order of Yoshitsune than at the command\nof the enemy without the gate. His child was killed by an attendant,\nand, holding his beloved wife's head under his left arm, he plunged\nhis sword deep into her throat. Having accomplished these things,\nYoshitsune committed _hara-kiri_. Benkei, however, faced the enemy. He\nstood with his great legs apart, his back pressed against a rock. When\nthe dawn came he was still standing with his legs apart, a thousand\narrows in that brave body of his. Benkei was dead, but his was a death\ntoo strong to fall. The sun shone on a man who was a true hero, who had\never made good his words: \"Where my lord goes, to victory or to death,\nI shall follow him.\"\n\nJapan is a mountainous country, and in such countries we expect to find\na race of hardy, brave men, and certainly the Land of the Rising Sun\nhas given us many a warrior worthy to rank with the Knights of King\nArthur. More than one legend deals with the destruction of devils and\ngoblins, and of the rescue of maidens who had the misfortune to be\ntheir captives. One hero slays a great monster that crouched upon the\nroof of the Emperor's palace, another despatches the Goblin of Oyeyama,\nanother thrusts his sword through a gigantic spider, and another slays\na serpent. All the Japanese heroes, whatever enterprise they may be\nengaged in, reveal the spirit of high adventure, and that loyalty of\npurpose, that cool disregard for danger and death which are still\ncharacteristic of the Japanese people to-day.\n\n\"The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon-Maiden\" (Chapter III) is adapted\nfrom a tenth-century story called _Taketori Monogatari_, and is the\nearliest example of the Japanese romance. The author is unknown, but\nhe must have had an intimate knowledge of court life in Ky\u014dto. All\nthe characters in this very charming legend are Japanese, but most\nof the incidents have been borrowed from China, a country so rich\nin picturesque fairy-lore. Mr. F. V. Dickins writes concerning the\n_Taketori Monogatari_: \"The art and grace of the story of the Lady\nKaguya are native, its unstrained pathos, its natural sweetness, are\nits own, and in simple charm and purity of thought and language it\nhas no rival in the fiction of either the Middle Kingdom or of the\nDragon-fly Land.\"\n\nIn studying Japanese legend one is particularly struck by its\nuniversality and also by its very sharp contrasts. Most nations have\ndeified the sun and moon, the stars and mountains, and all the greatest\nworks of Nature; but the Japanese have described the red blossoms of\nazaleas as the fires of the Gods, and the white snow of Fuji as the\ngarments of Divine Beings. Their legend, on the one hand at any rate,\nis essentially poetical, and those who worshipped Mount Fuji also had\nghostly tales to tell about the smallest insect. Too much stress\ncannot be laid upon Japan's love of Nature. The early myths recorded\nin the _Kojiki_ and _Nihongi_ are of considerable interest, but they\ncannot be compared with the later legends that have given souls to\ntrees and flowers and butterflies, or with those pious traditions that\nhave revealed so tenderly and yet so forcibly the divine significance\nof Nature. The Festival of the Dead could only have originated among a\npeople to whom the beautiful is the mainstay and joy of life, for that\nfestival is nothing less than a call to the departed dead to return to\ntheir old earthly haunts in the summer-time, to cross green hills dotted\nwith pine-trees, to wander down winding ways, by lake and seashore,\nto linger in old, well-loved gardens, and to pass into homes where,\nwithout being seen, they see so much. To the Japanese mind, to those\nwho still preserve the spirit of Old Yamato, the most glowing account\nof a Buddhist Paradise is not so fair as Japan in the summer-time.\n\nPerhaps it is as well that Japanese myth, legend, fairy tale, and\nfolk-lore are not exclusively poetical, or we should be in danger of\nbecoming satiated with too much sweetness. It may be that we admire\nthe arches of a Gothic cathedral none the less for having gazed upon\nthe hideous gargoyles on the outside of the sacred edifice, and in the\nlegends of Japan we find many grotesques in sharp contrast with the\ntraditions associated with the gentle and loving Jiz\u014d. There is plenty\nof crude realism in Japanese legend. We are repelled by the Thunder\nGod's favourite repast, amazed by the magical power of foxes and\ncats; and the story of \"H\u014d\u00efchi-the-Earless\" and of the corpse-eating\npriest afford striking examples of the combination of the weird and\nthe horrible. In one story we laugh over the antics of a performing\nkettle, and in another we are almost moved to tears when we read about\na little Japanese quilt that murmured: \"Elder Brother probably is cold?\nNay, thou probably art cold?\"\n\nWe have had numerous volumes of Japanese fairy tales, but hitherto no\nbook has appeared giving a comprehensive study of the myths and legends\nof a country so rich in quaint and beautiful traditions, and it is\nhoped that the present volume, the result of much pleasant labour, will\nbe a real contribution to the subject. I have made no attempt to make a\ncomplete collection of Japanese myths and legends because their number\nis legion; but I have endeavoured to make a judicious selection that\nshall at any rate be representative, and many of the stories contained\nin this volume will be new to the general reader.\n\nLafcadio Hearn wrote in one of his letters: \"The fairy world seized my\nsoul again, very softly and sweetly--as a child might a butterfly,\" and\nif we too would adopt a similar spirit, we shall journey to the Land\nof the Gods, where the great K\u014db\u014d Daishi will write upon the sky and\nrunning water, upon our very hearts, something of the glamour and magic\nof Old Japan. With K\u014db\u014d Daishi for guide we shall witness the coming\nof Mount Fuji, wander in the Palace of the Sea King and in the Land\nof Perpetual Youth, watch the combats of mighty heroes, listen to the\nwisdom of saints, cross the Celestial River on a bridge of birds, and\nwhen we are weary nestle in the long sleeve of the ever-smiling Jiz\u014d.\n\n                                      F. HADLAND DAVIS\n\n\n[Footnote 1: _The Full Recognition of Japan_, by Robert P. Porter.]\n\n[Footnote 2: _Chronicles of Japan_, completed A.D. 720, deals, in an\ninteresting manner, with the myths, legends, poetry and history from\nthe earliest times down to A.D. 697.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I: THE PERIOD OF THE GODS\n\n\nIn the Beginning\n\nWe are told that in the very beginning \"Heaven and Earth were not\nyet separated, and the _In_ and _Yo_ not yet divided.\" This reminds\nus of other cosmogony stories. The _In_ and _Yo_, corresponding to\nthe Chinese _Yang_ and _Yin_, were the male and female principles.\nIt was more convenient for the old Japanese writers to imagine the\ncoming into being of creation in terms not very remote from their\nown manner of birth. In Polynesian mythology we find pretty much the\nsame conception, where Rangi and Papa represented Heaven and Earth,\nand further parallels may be found in Egyptian and other cosmogony\nstories. In nearly all we find the male and female principles taking\na prominent, and after all very rational, place. We are told in the\n_Nihongi_ that these male and female principles \"formed a chaotic\nmass like an egg which was of obscurely defined limits and contained\ngerms.\" Eventually this egg was quickened into life, and the purer and\nclearer part was drawn out and formed Heaven, while the heavier element\nsettled down and became Earth, which was \"compared to the floating\nof a fish sporting on the surface of the water.\" A mysterious form\nresembling a reed-shoot suddenly appeared between Heaven and Earth,\nand as suddenly became transformed into a God called Kuni-toko-tachi,\n(\"Land-eternal-stand-of-august-thing\"). We may pass over the other\ndivine births until we come to the important deities known as Izanagi\nand Izanami (\"Male-who-invites\" and \"Female-who-invites\"). About these\nbeings has been woven an entrancing myth.\n\nIzanagi and Izanami\n\nIzanagi and Izanami stood on the Floating Bridge of Heaven and\nlooked down into the abyss. They inquired of each other if there\nwere a country far, far below the great Floating Bridge. They\nwere determined to find out. In order to do so they thrust down a\njewel-spear, and found the ocean. Raising the spear a little, water\ndripped from it, coagulated, and became the island of Onogoro-jima\n(\"Spontaneously-congeal-island\").\n\nUpon this island the two deities descended. Shortly afterwards they\ndesired to become husband and wife, though as a matter of fact they\nwere brother and sister; but such a relationship in the East has never\nprecluded marriage. These deities accordingly set up a pillar on the\nisland. Izanagi walked round one way, and Izanami the other. When they\nmet, Izanami said: \"How delightful! I have met with a lovely youth.\"\nOne would have thought that this na\u00efve remark would have pleased\nIzanagi; but it made him, extremely angry, and he retorted: \"I am a\nman, and by that right should have spoken first. How is it that on the\ncontrary thou, a woman, shouldst have been the first to speak? This is\nunlucky. Let us go round again.\" So it happened that the two deities\nstarted afresh. Once again they met, and this time Izanagi remarked:\n\"How delightful! I have met a lovely maiden.\" Shortly after this very\ningenuous proposal Izanagi and Izanami were married.\n\nWhen Izanami had given birth to islands, seas, rivers, herbs, and\ntrees, she and her lord consulted together, saying: \"We have now\nproduced the Great-Eight-Island country, with the mountains, rivers,\nherbs, and trees. Why should we not produce some one who shall be the\nLord of the Universe?\"\n\nThe wish of these deities was fulfilled, for in due season\nAma-terasu, the Sun Goddess, was born. She was known as\n\"Heaven-Illumine-of-Great-Deity,\" and was so extremely beautiful that\nher parents determined to send her up the Ladder of Heaven, and in the\nhigh sky above to cast for ever her glorious sunshine upon the earth.\n\nTheir next child was the Moon God, Tsuki-yumi. His silver radiance was\nnot so fair as the golden effulgence of his sister, the Sun Goddess,\nbut he was, nevertheless, deemed worthy to be her consort. So up the\nLadder of Heaven climbed the Moon God. They soon quarrelled, and\nAma-terasu said: \"Thou art a wicked deity. I must not see thee face\nto face.\" They were therefore separated by a day and night, and dwelt\napart.\n\nThe next child of Izanagi and Izanami was Susa-no-o (\"The Impetuous\nMale\"). We shall return to Susa-no-o and his doings later on, and\ncontent ourselves for the present with confining our attention to his\nparents.\n\nIzanami gave birth to the Fire God, Kagu-tsuchi. The birth of this\nchild made her extremely ill. Izanagi knelt on the ground, bitterly\nweeping and lamenting. But his sorrow availed nothing, and Izanami\ncrept away into the Land of Yomi (Hades).\n\nHer lord, however, could not live without her, and he too went into the\nLand of Yomi. When he discovered her, she said regretfully: \"My lord\nand husband, why is thy coming so late? I have already eaten of the\ncooking-furnace of Yomi. Nevertheless, I am about to lie down to rest.\nI pray thee do not look at me.\"\n\nIzanagi, moved by curiosity, refused to fulfil her wish. It was dark in\nthe Land of Yomi, so he secretly took out his many-toothed comb, broke\noff a piece, and lighted it. The sight that greeted him was ghastly\nand horrible in the extreme. His once beautiful wife had now become a\nswollen and festering creature. Eight varieties of Thunder Gods rested\nupon her. The Thunder of the Fire, Earth, and Mountain were all there\nleering upon him, and roaring with their great voices.\n\nIzanagi grew frightened and disgusted, saying: \"I have come unawares to\na hideous and polluted land.\" His wife retorted: \"Why didst thou not\nobserve that which I charged thee? Now am I put to shame.\"\n\nIzanami was so angry with her lord for ignoring her wish and breaking\nin upon her privacy that she sent the Eight Ugly Females of Yomi to\npursue him. Izanagi drew his sword and fled down the dark regions of\nthe Underworld. As he ran he took off his headdress, and flung it to\nthe ground. It immediately became a bunch of grapes. When the Ugly\nFemales saw it, they bent down and ate the luscious fruit. Izanami saw\nthem pause, and deemed it wise to pursue her lord herself.\n\nBy this time Izanagi had reached the Even Pass of Yomi. Here he placed\na huge rock, and eventually came face to face with Izanami. One would\nscarcely have thought that amid such exciting adventures Izanagi\nwould have solemnly declared a divorce. But this is just what he did\ndo. To this proposal his wife replied: \"My dear lord and husband, if\nthou sayest so, I will strangle to death the people in one day.\" This\nplaintive and threatening speech in no way influenced Izanagi, who\nreadily replied that he would cause to be born in one day no less than\nfifteen hundred.\n\nThe above remark must have proved conclusive, for when we next hear\nof Izanagi he had escaped from the Land of Yomi, from an angry wife,\nand from the Eight Ugly Females. After his escape he was engaged in\ncopious ablutions, by way of purification, from which numerous deities\nwere born. We read in the _Nihongi_: \"After this, Izanagi, his divine\ntask having been accomplished, and his spirit-career about to suffer a\nchange, built himself an abode of gloom in the island of Ahaji, where\nhe dwelt for ever in silence and concealment.\"\n\nAma-terasu and Susa-no-o\n\nSusa-no-o, or \"The Impetuous Male,\" was the brother of Ama-terasu, the\nSun Goddess. Now Susa-no-o was a very undesirable deity indeed, and he\nfigured in the Realm of the Japanese Gods as a decidedly disturbing\nelement. His character has been clearly drawn in the _Nihongi_, more\nclearly perhaps than that of any other deity mentioned in these ancient\nrecords. Susa-no-o had a very bad temper, which often resulted in many\ncruel and ungenerous acts. Moreover, in spite of his long beard, he had\na habit of continually weeping and wailing. Where a child in a tantrum\nwould crush a toy to pieces, the Impetuous Male, when in a towering\nrage, and without a moment's warning, would wither the once fair\ngreenery of mountains, and in addition bring many people to an untimely\nend.\n\nHis parents, Izanagi and Izanami, were much troubled by his doings,\nand, after consulting together, they decided to banish their unruly son\nto the Land of Yomi. Susa, however, had a word to say in the matter. He\nmade the following petition, saying: \"I will now obey thy instructions\nand proceed to the Nether-Land (Yomi). Therefore I wish for a short\ntime to go to the Plain of High Heaven and meet with my elder sister\n(Ama-terasu), after which I will go away for ever.\" This apparently\nharmless request was granted, and Susa-no-o ascended to Heaven. His\ndeparture occasioned a great commotion of the sea, and the hills and\nmountains groaned aloud.\n\nNow Ama-terasu heard these noises, and perceiving that they denoted the\nnear approach of her wicked brother Susa-no-o, she said to herself:\n\"Is my younger brother coming with good intentions? I think it must be\nhis purpose to rob me of my kingdom. By the charge which our parents\ngave to their children, each of us has his own allotted limits. Why,\ntherefore, does he reject the kingdom to which he should proceed, and\nmake bold to come spying here?\"\n\nAma-terasu then prepared for warfare. She tied her hair into knots and\nhung jewels upon it, and round her wrists \"an august string of five\nhundred Yasaka jewels.\" She presented a very formidable appearance\nwhen in addition she slung over her back \"a thousand-arrow quiver and\na five-hundred-arrow quiver,\" and protected her arms with pads to\ndeaden the recoil of the bowstring. Having arrayed herself for deadly\ncombat, she brandished her bow, grasped her sword-hilt, and stamped on\nthe ground till she had made a hole sufficiently large to serve as a\nfortification.\n\nAll this elaborate and ingenious preparation was in vain. The Impetuous\nMale adopted the manner of a penitent. \"From the beginning,\" he said,\n\"my heart has not been black. But as, in obedience to the stern behest\nof our parents, I am about to depart for ever to the Nether-Land, how\ncould I bear to depart without having seen face to face thee my elder\nsister? It is for this reason that I have traversed on foot the clouds\nand mists and have come hither from afar. I am surprised that my elder\nsister should, on the contrary, put on so stern a countenance.\"\n\nAma-terasu regarded these remarks with a certain amount of suspicion.\nSusa-no-o's filial piety and Susa-no-o's cruelty were not easily to\nbe reconciled. She thereupon resolved to test his sincerity by a\nremarkable proceeding we need not describe. Suffice it to say that for\nthe time being the test proved the Impetuous Male's purity of heart and\ngeneral sincerity towards his sister.\n\nBut Susa-no-o's good behaviour was a very short-lived affair indeed. It\nhappened that Ama-terasu had made a number of excellent rice-fields in\nHeaven. Some were narrow and some were long, and Ama-terasu was justly\nproud of these rice-fields. No sooner had she sown the seed in the\nspring than Susa-no-o broke down the divisions between the plots, and\nin the autumn let loose a number of piebald colts.\n\nOne day when he saw his sister in the sacred Weaving Hall, weaving the\ngarments of the Gods, he made a hole through the roof and flung down\na flayed horse. Ama-terasu was so frightened that she accidentally\nwounded herself with the shuttle. Extremely angry, she determined to\nleave her abode; so, gathering her shining robes about her, she crept\ndown the blue sky, entered a cave, fastened it securely, and there\ndwelt in seclusion.\n\nNow the world was in darkness, and the alternation of night and day\nwas unknown. When this dreadful catastrophe had taken place the\nEighty Myriads of Gods assembled together on the bank of the River\nof Heaven and discussed how they might best persuade Ama-terasu to\ngrace Heaven once more with her shining glory. No less a God than\n\"Thought-combining,\" after much profound reasoning, gathered together a\nnumber of singing-birds from the Eternal Land. After sundry divinations\nwith a deer's leg-bone, over a fire of cherry-bark, the Gods made a\nnumber of tools, bellows, and forges. Stars were welded together to\nform a mirror, and jewellery and musical instruments were eventually\nfashioned.\n\nWhen all these things had been duly accomplished the Eighty Myriads\nof Gods came down to the rock-cavern where the Sun Goddess lay\nconcealed, and gave an elaborate entertainment. On the upper branches\nof the True Sakaki Tree they hung the precious jewels, and on the\nmiddle branches the mirror. From every side there was a great singing\nof birds, which was only the prelude to what followed. Now Uzume\n(\"Heavenly-alarming-female\") took in her hand a spear wreathed with\nEulalia grass, and made a headdress of the True Sakaki Tree. Then she\nplaced a tub upside down, and proceeded to dance in a very immodest\nmanner, till the Eighty Myriad Gods began to roar with laughter.\n\nSuch extraordinary proceedings naturally awakened the curiosity of\nAma-terasu, and she peeped forth. Once more the world became golden\nwith her presence. Once more she dwelt in the Plain of High Heaven, and\nSusa-no-o was duly chastised and banished to the Yomi Land.\n\nSusa-no-o and the Serpent\n\nWith the usual inconsistency of myths and legends, we are not surprised\nto find that all reference to Susa dwelling in the Land of Yomi is\nentirely omitted. When we next see him it is apart from his usual\nmischievous disposition. Indeed, we find him in a _r\u00f4le_ worthy of\none of the Knights of the Round Table. Whether the sudden display\nof knight-errantry was a cunning move on his part for some ulterior\nmotive, or whether his sister's sudden withdrawal from Heaven had made\nhim permanently reform his ways, we are left in entire ignorance.\n\n[Illustration: Uzume Awakens the curiosity of Ama-terasu.--28]\n\nSusa-no-o, having descended from Heaven, arrived at the river Hi, in\nthe province of Idzumo. Here he was disturbed by a sound of weeping.\nIt was so unusual to hear any other than himself weep that he went in\nsearch of the cause of the sorrow. He discovered an old man and an old\nwoman. Between them was a young girl, whom they fondly caressed and\ngazed at with pitiful eyes, as if they were reluctantly bidding her\na last farewell. When Susa-no-o asked the old couple who they were\nand why they lamented, the old man replied: \"I am an Earthly Deity,\nand my name is Ashi-nadzuchi (\"Foot-stroke-elder\"). My wife's name is\nTenadzuchi (\"Hand-stroke-elder\"). This girl is our daughter, and her\nname is Kushi-nada-hime (\"Wondrous-Inada-Princess\"). The reason of our\nweeping is that formerly we had eight children, daughters; but they\nhave been devoured year by year by an eight-forked serpent, and now\nthe time approaches for this girl to be devoured. There is no means of\nescape for her, and therefore do we grieve exceedingly.\"\n\nThe Impetuous Male listened to this painful recital with profound\nattention, and, perceiving that the maiden was extremely beautiful, he\noffered to slay the eight-forked serpent if her parents would give her\nto him in marriage as a fitting reward for his services. This request\nwas readily granted.\n\nSusa-no-o now changed Kushi-nada-hime into a many-toothed comb and\nstuck it in his hair. Then he bade the old couple brew a quantity of\n_sak\u00e9_. When the _sak\u00e9_ was ready, he poured it into eight tubs, and\nawaited the coming of the dreadful monster.\n\nEventually the serpent came. It had eight heads, and the eyes were\nred, \"like winter-cherry.\" Moreover it had eight tails, and firs and\ncypress-trees grew on its back. It was in length the space of eight\nhills and eight valleys. Its lumbering progress was necessarily\nslow, but finding the _sak\u00e9_, each head eagerly drank the tempting\nbeverage till the serpent became extremely drunk, and fell asleep. Then\nSusa-no-o, having little to fear, drew his ten-span sword and chopped\nthe great monster into little pieces. When he struck one of the tails\nhis weapon became notched, and bending down he discovered a sword\ncalled the Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. Perceiving it to be a divine sword, he\ngave it to the Gods of Heaven.\n\nHaving successfully accomplished his task, Susa-no-o converted the\nmany-toothed comb into Kushi-nada-hime again, and at length came to\nSuga, in the province of Idzumo, in order that he might celebrate his\nmarriage. Here he composed the following verse:\n\n     \"Many clouds arise,\n     On all sides a manifold fence,\n     To receive within it the spouses,\n     They form a manifold fence--\n     Ah! that manifold fence!\"\n                     _Nihongiy_, trans. by W. G. Aston.\n\n[Illustration: Susa-no-o and Kushi-nada-hime.--30]\n\nThe Divine Messengers\n\nNow at that time the Gods assembled in the High Plain of Heaven were\naware of continual disturbances in the Central Land of Reed-Plains\n(Idzumo). We are told that \"Plains, the rocks, tree-stems, and\nherbage have still the power of speech. At night they make a\nclamour like that of flames of fire; in the day-time they swarm up\nlike flies in the fifth month.\" In addition certain deities made\nthemselves objectionable. The Gods determined to put an end to these\ndisturbances, and after a consultation Taka-mi-musubi decided to send\nhis grandchild Ninigi to govern the Central Land of Reed-Plains,\nto wipe out insurrection, and to bring peace and prosperity to the\ncountry. It was deemed necessary to send messengers to prepare the\nway in advance. The first envoy was Ama-no-ho; but as he spent three\nyears in the country without reporting to the Gods, his son was sent\nin his place. He adopted the same course as his father, and defied\nthe orders of the Heavenly Ones. The third messenger was Ame-waka\n(\"Heaven-young-Prince\"). He, too, was disloyal, in spite of his noble\nweapons, and instead of going about his duties he fell in love and took\nto wife Shita-teru-hime (\"Lower-shine-Princess\").\n\nNow the assembled Gods grew angry at the long delay, and sent a\npheasant down to ascertain what was going on in Idzumo. The pheasant\nperched on the top of a cassia-tree before Ame-waka's gate. When\nAme-waka saw the bird he immediately shot it. The arrow went through\nthe bird, rose into the Place of Gods, and was hurled back again, so\nthat it killed the disloyal and idle Ame-waka.\n\nThe weeping of Lower-shine-Princess reached Heaven, for she loved her\nlord and failed to recognise in his sudden death the just vengeance\nof the Gods. She wept so loud and so pitifully that the Heavenly Ones\nheard her. A swift wind descended, and the body of Ame-waka floated up\ninto the High Plain of Heaven. A mortuary house was made, in which the\ndeceased was laid. Mr. Frank Rinder writes: \"For eight days and eight\nnights there was wailing and lamentation. The wild goose of the river,\nthe heron, the kingfisher, the sparrow, and the pheasant mourned with a\ngreat mourning.\"\n\nNow it happened that a friend of Ame-waka, Aji-shi-ki by name, heard\nthe sad dirges proceeding from Heaven. He therefore offered his\ncondolence. He so resembled the deceased that when Ame-waka's parents,\nrelations, wife, and children saw him, they exclaimed: \"Our lord is\nstill alive!\" This greatly angered Aji-shi-ki, and he drew his sword\nand cut down the mortuary house, so that it fell to the Earth and\nbecame the mountain of Moyama.\n\nWe are told that the glory of Aji-shi-ki was so effulgent that it\nilluminated the space of two hills and two valleys. Those assembled for\nthe mourning celebrations uttered the following song:\n\n     \"Like the string of jewels\n     Worn on the neck\n     Of the Weaving-maiden,\n     That dwells in Heaven--\n     Oh! the lustre of the jewels\n     Flung across two valleys\n     From Aji-suki-taka-hiko-ne!\n\n     \"To the side-pool--\n     The side-pool\n     Of the rocky stream\n     Whose narrows are crossed\n     By the country wenches\n     Afar from Heaven,\n     Come hither, come hither!\n     (The women are fair)\n     And spread across thy net\n     In the side-pool\n     Of the rocky stream.\"\n                      _Nihongi_, trans. by W. G. Aston.\n\n\nTwo more Gods were sent to the Central Land of Reed-Plains, and these\nGods were successful in their mission. They returned to Heaven with a\nfavourable report, saying that all was now ready for the coming of the\nAugust Grandchild.\n\nThe Coming of the August Grandchild\n\nAma-terasu presented her grandson Ninigi, or Prince\nRice-Ear-Ruddy-Plenty, with many gifts. She gave him precious stones\nfrom the mountain-steps of Heaven, white crystal balls, and, most\nvaluable gift of all, the divine sword that Susa-no-o had discovered\nin the serpent. She also gave him the star-mirror into which she had\ngazed when peeping out of her cave. Several deities accompanied Ninigi,\nincluding that lively maiden of mirth and dance Uzume, whose dancing,\nit will be remembered, so amused the Gods.\n\nNinigi and his companions had hardly broken through the clouds and\narrived at the eight-forked road of Heaven, when they discovered, much\nto their alarm, a gigantic creature with large and brightly shining\neyes. So formidable was his aspect that Ninigi and all his companions,\nexcept the merry and bewitching Uzume, started to turn back with intent\nto abandon their mission. But Uzume went up to the giant and demanded\nwho it was that dared to impede their progress. The giant replied: \"I\nam the Deity of the Field-paths. I come to pay my homage to Ninigi, and\nbeg to have the honour to be his guide. Return to your master, O fair\nUzume, and give him this message.\"\n\nSo Uzume returned and gave her message to the Gods, who had so\nignominiously retreated. When they heard the good news they greatly\nrejoiced, burst once more through the clouds, rested on the Floating\nBridge of Heaven, and finally reached the summit of Takachihi.\n\nThe August Grandchild, with the Deity of the Field-paths for guide,\ntravelled from end to end of the kingdom over which he was to rule.\nWhen he had reached a particularly charming spot, he built a palace.\n\nNinigi was so pleased with the service the Deity of the Field-paths had\nrendered him that he gave that giant the merry Uzume to wife.\n\nNinigi, after having romantically rewarded his faithful guide, began\nto feel the stirring of love himself, when one day, while walking\nalong the shore, he saw an extremely lovely maiden. \"Who are you, most\nbeautiful lady?\" inquired Ninigi. She replied: \"I am the daughter of\nthe Great-Mountain-Possessor. My name is Ko-no-Hana, the Princess who\nmakes the Flowers of the Trees to Blossom.\"\n\nNinigi fell in love with Ko-no-Hana. He went with all haste to her\nfather, Oho-yama, and begged that he would favour him with his\ndaughter's hand.\n\nOho-yama had an elder daughter, Iha-naga, Princess Long-as-the-Rocks.\nAs her name implies, she was not at all beautiful; but her father\ndesired that Ninigi's children should have life as eternal as the\nlife of rocks. He therefore presented both his daughters to Ninigi,\nexpressing the hope that the suitor's choice would fall upon Iha-naga.\nJust as Cinderella, and not her ugly sisters, is dear to children of\nour own country, so did Ninigi remain true to his choice, and would not\neven look upon Iha-naga. This neglect made Princess Long-as-the-Rocks\nextremely angry. She cried out, with more vehemence than modesty: \"Had\nyou chosen me, you and your children would have lived long in the\nland. Now that you have chosen my sister, you and yours will perish as\nquickly as the blossom of trees, as quickly as the bloom on my sister's\ncheek.\"\n\nHowever, Ninigi and Ko-no-Hana lived happily together for some time;\nbut one day jealousy came to Ninigi and robbed him of his peace of\nmind. He had no cause to be jealous, and Ko-no-Hana much resented his\ntreatment. She retired to a little wooden hut, and set it on fire. From\nthe flames came three baby boys. We need only concern ourselves with\ntwo of them--Hoderi (\"Fire-shine\") and Hoori (\"Fire-fade\"). Hoori, as\nwe shall see later on, was the grandfather of the first Mikado of Japan.\n\n[Illustration: Hoori and the Sea God's Daughter.--34]\n\n\nIn the Palace of the Sea God\n\nHoderi was a great fisherman, while his younger brother, Hoori, was\nan accomplished hunter. One day they exclaimed: \"Let us for a trial\nexchange gifts.\" This they did, but the elder brother, who could\ncatch fish to some purpose, came home without any spoil when he went\na-hunting. He therefore returned the bow and arrows, and asked his\nyounger brother for the fish-hook. Now it so happened that Hoori had\nlost his brother's fish-hook. The generous offer of a new hook to take\nthe place of the old one was scornfully refused. He also refused to\naccept a heaped-up tray of fish-hooks. To this offer the elder brother\nreplied: \"These are not my old fish-hook: though they are many, I will\nnot take them.\"\n\nNow Hoori was sore troubled by his brother's harshness, so he went down\nto the sea-shore and there gave way to his grief. A kind old man by the\nname of Shiko-tsutsu no Oji (\"Salt-sea-elder\") said: \"Why dost thou\ngrieve here?\" When the sad tale was told, the old man replied: \"Grieve\nno more. I will arrange this matter for thee.\"\n\nTrue to his word, the old man made a basket, set Hoori in it, and then\nsank it in the sea. After descending deep down in the water Hoori came\nto a pleasant strand rich with all manner of fantastic seaweed. Here he\nabandoned the basket and eventually arrived at the Palace of the Sea\nGod.\n\nNow this palace was extremely imposing. It had battlements and turrets\nand stately towers. A well stood at the gate, and over the well there\nwas a cassia-tree. Here Hoori loitered in the pleasant shade. He had\nnot stood there long before a beautiful woman appeared. As she was\nabout to draw water, she raised her eyes, saw the stranger, and\nimmediately returned, with much alarm, to tell her mother and father\nwhat she had seen.\n\nThe God of the Sea, when he had heard the news, \"prepared an eightfold\ncushion\" and led the stranger in, asking his visitor why he had\nbeen honoured by his presence. When Hoori explained the sad loss of\nhis brother's fish-hook the Sea God assembled all the fishes of his\nkingdom, \"broad of fin and narrow of fin.\" And when the thousands upon\nthousands of fishes were assembled, the Sea God asked them if they\nknew anything about the missing fish-hook. \"We know not,\" answered the\nfishes. \"Only the Red-woman (the _tai_) has had a sore mouth for some\ntime past, and has not come.\" She was accordingly summoned, and on her\nmouth being opened the lost fish-hook was discovered.\n\nHoori then took to wife the Sea God's daughter, Toyo-tama\n(\"Rich-jewel\"), and they dwelt together in the palace under the sea.\nFor three years all went well, but after a time Hoori hungered for a\nsight of his own country, and possibly he may have remembered that\nhe had yet to restore the fish-hook to his elder brother. These not\nunnatural feelings troubled the heart of the loving Toyo-tama, and she\nwent to her father and told him of her sorrow. But the Sea God, who\nwas always urbane and courteous, in no way resented his son-in-law's\nbehaviour. On the contrary he gave him the fish-hook, saying: \"When\nthou givest this fish-hook to thy elder brother, before giving it to\nhim, call to it secretly, and say, 'A poor hook!'\" He also presented\nHoori with the Jewel of the Flowing Tide and the Jewel of the Ebbing\nTide, saying: \"If thou dost dip the Tide-flowing Jewel, the tide will\nsuddenly flow, and therewithal thou shalt drown thine elder brother.\nBut in case thy elder brother should repent and beg forgiveness,\nif, on the contrary, thou dip the Tide-ebbing Jewel, the tide will\nspontaneously ebb, and therewithal thou shalt save him. If thou harass\nhim in this way thy elder brother will of his own accord render\nsubmission.\"\n\nJust before Hoori was about to depart his wife came to him and told him\nthat she was soon to give him a child. Said she: \"On a day when the\nwinds and waves are raging I will surely come forth to the seashore.\nBuild for me a house, and await me there.\"\n\nHoderi and Hoori Reconciled\n\nWhen Hoori reached his own home he found his elder brother, who\nadmitted his offence and begged for forgiveness, which was readily\ngranted.\n\nToyo-tama and her younger sister bravely confronted the winds and\nwaves, and came to the sea-shore. There Hoori had built a hut roofed\nwith cormorant feathers, and there in due season she gave birth\nto a son. When Toyo-tama had blessed her lord with offspring, she\nturned into a dragon and slipped back into the sea. Hoori's son\nmarried his aunt, and was the father of four children, one of whom\nwas Kamu-Yamato-Iware-Biko, who is said to have been the first human\nEmperor of Japan, and is now known as Jimmu Tenn\u014d.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II: HEROES AND WARRIORS\n\n\nYorimasa\n\nA long time ago a certain Emperor became seriously ill. He was unable\nto sleep at night owing to a most horrible and unaccountable noise he\nheard proceeding from the roof of the palace, called the Purple Hall of\nthe North Star. A number of his courtiers decided to lie in wait for\nthis strange nocturnal visitor. As soon as the sun set they noticed\nthat a dark cloud crept from the eastern horizon, and alighted on the\nroof of the august palace. Those who waited in the imperial bed-chamber\nheard extraordinary scratching sounds, as if what had at first appeared\nto be a cloud had suddenly changed into a beast with gigantic and\npowerful claws.\n\nNight after night this terrible visitant came, and night after night\nthe Emperor grew worse. He at last became so ill that it was obvious to\nall those in attendance upon him that unless something could be done to\ndestroy this monster the Emperor would certainly die.\n\nAt last it was decided that Yorimasa was the one knight in the kingdom\nvaliant enough to relieve his Majesty of these terrible hauntings.\nYorimasa accordingly made elaborate preparations for the fray. He took\nhis best bow and steel-headed arrows, donned his armour, over which he\nwore a hunting-dress, and a ceremonial cap instead of his usual helmet.\n\n[Illustration: Yorimasa slays the Vampire.--38]\n\nAt sunset he lay in concealment outside the palace. While he thus\nwaited thunder crashed overhead, lightning blazed in the sky, and the\nwind shrieked like a pack of wild demons. But Yorimasa was a brave\nman, and the fury of the elements in no way daunted him. When midnight\ncame he saw a black cloud rush through the sky and rest upon the\nroof of the palace. At the north-east corner it stopped. Once more the\nlightning flashed in the sky, and this time he saw the gleaming eyes of\na large animal. Noting the exact position of this strange monster, he\npulled at his bow till it became as round as the full moon. In another\nmoment his steel-headed arrow hit its mark. There was an awful roar of\nanger, and then a heavy thud as the huge monster rolled from the palace\nroof to the ground.\n\nYorimasa and his retainer ran forward and despatched the fearful\ncreature they saw before them. This evil monster of the night was as\nlarge as a horse. It had the head of an ape, and the body and claws\nwere like those of a tiger, with a serpent's tail, wings of a bird, and\nthe scales of a dragon.\n\nIt was no wonder that the Emperor gave orders that the skin of this\nmonster should be kept for all time as a curiosity in the Imperial\ntreasure-house. From the very moment the creature died the Emperor's\nhealth rapidly improved, and Yorimasa was rewarded for his services by\nbeing presented with a sword called Shishi-wo, which means \"the King\nof Lions.\" He was also promoted at Court, and finally married the Lady\nAyame, the most beautiful of ladies-in-waiting at the Imperial Court.\n\nYoshitsune and Benkei\n\nWe may compare Yoshitsune with the Black Prince or Henry V., and\nBenkei with \"Little John, Will Scarlet, and Friar Tuck rolled in\none.\" Yoshitsune would have seemed a very remarkable hero had not\nhis faithful henchman, Benkei, also figured in Japanese history and\nlegend. As it is we are forced to admit that Benkei was far and away\nthe greater man. He not only towered in stature above his companions,\nbut he rose above his brethren in courage, wit, resource, and a\nwonderful tenderness. Here was a man who could slay a hundred men with\nabsolute ease, and with the same quiet assurance expound the Buddhist\nScriptures. He could weep over Yoshitsune when, by way of strategy, he\nfound it necessary to severely beat him, and with infinite gentleness\nrender assistance when his lord's wife gave birth to a son. There\nwas yet another side to Benkei's versatile character--his love of a\npractical joke. The bell incident, referred to elsewhere, is a case in\npoint, and his enormous feast at the expense of a number of priests\nanother; but if he had his joke he never failed to pay for the laugh to\nthe full. Benkei remarked on one occasion: \"When there is an unlucky\nlot to draw my lord sees to it that I am the one to get it.\" This was\ncertainly true. Benkei always made a point of doing the dirty work, and\nwhen his master asked him to do anything Benkei's only complaint was\nthat the task was not sufficiently difficult, though as a matter of\nfact it was often so dangerous that it would have frightened a dozen\nless gifted heroes.\n\nWe are told that when Benkei was born he had long hair, a complete\nset of teeth, and, moreover, that he could run as swiftly as the\nwind. Benkei was too big for a modest Japanese home. When he struck\nJin-saku's anvil that useful object sank deep into the earth, and for\nfirewood he would bring a great pine-tree. When Benkei was seventeen\nyears old he became a priest in a Buddhist temple; but that did not\nprevent him from having a thrilling escapade with a beautiful young\ngirl called Tamamushi. We soon find our hero breaking away from love\nand priestcraft, and entirely devoting his attention to the exciting\nadventures of a lawless warrior. Here, for the moment, we must leave\nhim, and give the story of Yoshitsune, and how he had the good fortune\nto meet and retain the service and friendship of Benkei till his dying\nday.\n\nYoshitsune and the Taira\n\nYoshitsune's father, Yoshitomo, had been killed in a great battle with\nthe Taira. At that time the Taira clan was all-powerful, and its cruel\nleader, Kiyomori, did all he could to destroy Yoshitomo's children.\nBut the mother of these children, Tokiwa, fled into hiding, taking\nher little ones with her. With characteristic Japanese fortitude, she\nfinally consented to become the wife of the hated Kiyomori. She did so\nbecause it was the only way to save the lives of her children. She was\nallowed to keep Yoshitsune with her, and she daily whispered to him:\n\"Remember thy father, Minamoto Yoshitomo! Grow strong and avenge his\ndeath, for he died at the hands of the Taira!\"\n\nWhen Yoshitsune was seven years of age he was sent to a monastery to\nbe brought up as a monk. Though diligent in his studies, the young\nboy ever treasured in his heart the dauntless words of his brave,\nself-sacrificing mother. They stirred and quickened him to action. He\nused to go to a certain valley, where he would flourish his little\nwooden sword, and, singing fragments of war-songs, hit out at rocks\nand stones, desiring that he might one day become a great warrior, and\nright the wrongs so heavily heaped upon his family by the Taira clan.\n\nOne night, while thus engaged, he was startled by a great thunderstorm,\nand saw before him a mighty giant with a long red nose and enormous\nglaring eyes, bird-like claws, and feathered wings. Bravely standing\nhis ground, Yoshitsune inquired who this giant might be, and was\ninformed that he was King of the Tengu--that is, King of the elves of\nthe mountains, sprightly little beings who were frequently engaged in\nall manner of fantastic tricks.\n\nThe King of the Tengu was very kindly disposed towards Yoshitsune. He\nexplained that he admired his perseverance, and told him that he had\nappeared upon the scene with the meritorious intention of teaching him\nall that was to be learnt in the art of swordsmanship. The lessons\nprogressed in a most satisfactory manner, and it was not long before\nYoshitsune could vanquish as many as twenty small _tengu_, and this\nextreme agility stood Yoshitsune in very good stead, as we shall see\nlater on in the story.\n\nNow when Yoshitsune was fifteen years old he heard that there lived on\nMount Hiei a very wild _bonze_ (priest) by the name of Benkei. Benkei\nhad for some time waylaid knights who happened to cross the Gojo Bridge\nof Ky\u014dto. His idea was to obtain a thousand swords, and he was so\nbrave, although such a rascal, that he had won from knights no less\nthan nine hundred and ninety-nine swords by his lawless behaviour. When\nthe news of these doings reached the ears of Yoshitsune he determined\nto put the teaching of the King of the Tengu to good use and slay this\nBenkei, and so put an end to one who had become a terror in the land.\n\nOne evening Yoshitsune started out, and, in order to establish the\nmanner and bearing of absolute indifference, he played upon his flute\ntill he came to the Gojo Bridge. Presently he saw coming towards him\na gigantic man clad in black armour, who was none other than Benkei.\nWhen Benkei saw the youth he considered it to be beneath his dignity\nto attack what appeared to him to be a mere weakling, a dreamer who\ncould play excellently, and no doubt write a pretty poem about the\nmoon, which was then shining in the sky, but one who was in no way a\nwarrior. This affront naturally angered Yoshitsune, and he suddenly\nkicked Benkei's halberd out of his hand.\n\n[Illustration: Yoshitsune and Benkei attacked by a ghostly company of\nthe Taira Clan.--42]\n\nYoshitsune and Benkei Fight\n\nBenkei gave a growl of rage, and cut about indiscriminately with\nhis weapon. But the sprightliness of the _tengu_ teaching favoured\nYoshitsune. He jumped from side to side, from the front to the rear,\nand from the rear to the front again, mocking the giant with many a\njest and many a peal of ringing laughter. Round and round went Benkei's\nweapon, always striking either the air or the ground, and ever missing\nits adversary.\n\nAt last Benkei grew weary, and once again Yoshitsune knocked the\nhalberd out of the giant's hand. In trying to regain his weapon\nYoshitsune tripped him up, so that he stumbled upon his hands and\nknees, and the hero, with a cry of triumph, mounted upon the now\nfour-legged Benkei. The giant was utterly amazed at his defeat, and\nwhen he was told that the victor was none other than the son of Lord\nYoshitomo he not only took his defeat in a manly fashion, but begged\nthat he might henceforth become a retainer of the young conqueror.\n\nFrom this time we find the names of Yoshitsune and Benkei linked\ntogether, and in all the stories of warriors, whether in Japan or\nelsewhere, never was there a more valiant and harmonious union of\nstrength and friendship. We hear of them winning numerous victories\nover the Taira, finally driving them to the sea, where they perished at\nDan-no-ura.\n\nWe get one more glimpse of Dan-no-ura from a legendary point of view.\nYoshitsune and his faithful henchman arranged to cross in a ship from\nthe province of Settsu to Saikoku. When they reached Dan-no-ura a\ngreat storm arose. Mysterious noises came from the towering waves, a\nfar-away echo of the din of battle, of the rushing of ships and the\nwhirling of arrows, of the footfall of a thousand men. Louder and\nlouder the noise grew, and from the lashing crests of the waves there\narose a ghostly company of the Taira clan. Their armour was torn and\nblood-stained, and they thrust out their vaporous arms and tried to\nstop the boat in which Yoshitsune and Benkei sailed. It was a ghostly\nreminiscence of the battle of Dan-no-ura, when the Taira had suffered\na terrible and permanent defeat. Yoshitsune, when he saw this great\nphantom host, cried out for revenge even upon the ghosts of the Taira\ndead; but Benkei, always shrewd and circumspect, bade his master lay\naside the sword, and took out a rosary and recited a number of Buddhist\nprayers. Peace came to the great company of ghosts, the wailing ceased,\nand gradually they faded into the sea which now became calm.\n\nLegend tells us that fishermen still see from time to time ghostly\narmies come out of the sea and wail and shake their long arms. They\nexplain that the crabs with dorsal markings are the wraiths of the\nTaira warriors. Later on we shall introduce another legend relating to\nthese unfortunate ghosts, who seem never to tire of haunting the scene\nof their defeat.\n\nThe Goblin of Oyeyama\n\nIn the reign of the Emperor Ichijo many dreadful stories were current\nin Ky\u014dto in regard to a demon that lived on Mount Oye. This demon could\nassume many forms. Sometimes appearing as a human being, he would\nsteal into Ky\u014dto, and leave many a home destitute of well-loved sons\nand daughters. These young men and women he took back to his mountain\nstronghold, and, sad to narrate, after making sport of them, he and\nhis goblin companions made a great feast and devoured these poor\nyoung people. Even the sacred Court was not exempt from these awful\nhappenings, and one day Kimitaka lost his beautiful daughter. She had\nbeen snatched away by the Goblin King, Shutendoji.\n\nWhen this sad news reached the ears of the Emperor he called his\ncouncil together and consulted how they might slay this dreadful\ncreature. His ministers informed his Majesty that Raiko was a doughty\nknight, and advised that he should be sent with certain companions on\nthis perilous but worthy adventure.\n\nRaiko accordingly chose five companions and told them what had been\nordained, and how they were to set out upon an adventurous journey, and\nfinally to slay the King of the Goblins. He explained that subtlety\nof action was most essential if they wished for success in their\nenterprise, and that it would be well to go disguised as mountain\npriests, and to carry their armour and weapons on their backs,\ncarefully concealed in unsuspicious-looking knapsacks. Before starting\nupon their journey two of the knights went to pray at the temple of\nHachiman, the God of War, two at the shrine of Kwannon, the Goddess of\nMercy, and two at the temple of Gongen.\n\nWhen these knights had prayed for a blessing upon their undertaking\nthey set out upon their journey, and in due time reached the province\nof Tamba, and saw immediately in front of them Mount Oye. The Goblin\nhad certainly chosen the most formidable of mountains. Mighty rocks\nand great dark forests obstructed their path in every direction, while\nalmost bottomless chasms appeared when least expected.\n\nJust when these brave knights were beginning to feel just a little\ndisheartened, three old men suddenly appeared before them. At first\nthese newcomers were regarded with suspicion, but later on with the\nutmost friendliness and thankfulness. These old men were none other\nthan the deities to whom the knights had prayed before setting out\nupon their journey. The old men presented Raiko with a jar of magical\n_sak\u00e9_ called Shimben-Kidoku-Shu (\"a cordial for men, but poison for\ngoblins\"), advising him that he should by strategy get Shutendoji to\ndrink it, whereupon he would immediately become paralysed and prove\nan easy victim for the final despatch. No sooner had these old men\ngiven the magical _sak\u00e9_ and proffered their valuable advice than a\nmiraculous light shone round them, and they vanished into the clouds.\n\nOnce again Raiko and his knights, much cheered by what had happened,\ncontinued to ascend the mountain. Coming to a stream, they noticed a\nbeautiful woman washing a blood-stained garment in the running water.\nShe was weeping bitterly, and wiped away her tears with the long sleeve\nof her _kimono_. Upon Raiko asking who she was, she informed him that\nshe was a princess, and one of the miserable captives of the Goblin\nKing. When she was told that it was none other than the great Raiko\nwho stood before her, and that he and his knights had come to kill the\nvile creature of that mountain, she was overcome with joy, and finally\nled the little band to a great palace of black iron, satisfying the\nsentinels by telling them that her followers were poor mountain priests\nwho sought temporary shelter.\n\nAfter passing through long corridors Raiko and his knights found\nthemselves in a mighty hall. At one end sat the awful Goblin King.\nHe was of gigantic stature, with bright red skin and a mass of white\nhair. When Raiko meekly informed him who they were, the Goblin King,\nconcealing his mirth, bade them be seated and join the feast that\nwas about to be set before them. Thereupon he clapped his red hands\ntogether, and immediately many beautiful damsels came running in with\nan abundance of food and drink, and as Raiko watched these women he\nknew that they had once lived in happy homes in Ky\u014dto.\n\n[Illustration: Raiko and the Enchanted Maiden.--46]\n\nWhen the feast was in full progress Raiko took out the jar of magic\n_sak\u00e9_, and politely begged the Goblin King to try it. The monster,\nwithout demur or suspicion, drank some of the _sak\u00e9_, and found it\nso good that he asked for a second cup. All the goblins partook of\nthe magic wine, and while they were drinking Raiko and his companions\ndanced.\n\nThe power of this magical drink soon began to work. The Goblin King\nbecame drowsy, till finally he and his fellow goblins fell fast asleep.\nThen Raiko sprang to his feet, and he and his knights rapidly donned\ntheir armour and prepared for war. Once more the three deities appeared\nbefore them, and said to Raiko: \"We have tied the hands and feet of the\nDemon fast, so you have nothing to fear. While your knights cut off his\nlimbs do you cut off his head: then kill the rest of the _oni_ (evil\nspirits) and your work will be done.\" Then these divine beings suddenly\ndisappeared.\n\nRaiko Slays the Goblin\n\nRaiko and his knights, with their swords drawn, cautiously approached\nthe sleeping Goblin King. With a mighty sweep Raiko's weapon came\ncrashing down on the Goblin's neck. No sooner was the head severed\nthan it shot up into the air, and smoke and fire poured out from the\nnostrils, scorching the valiant Raiko. Once more he struck out with his\nsword, and this time the horrible head fell to the floor, and never\nmoved again. It was not long before these brave knights despatched the\nDemon's followers also.\n\nThere was a joyful exit from the great iron palace. Raiko's five\nknights carried the monster head of the Goblin King, and this grim\nspectacle was followed by a company of happy maidens released at last\nfrom their horrible confinement, and eager to walk once again in the\nstreets of Ky\u014dto.\n\nThe Goblin Spider\n\nSome time after the incident mentioned in the previous legend had\ntaken place the brave Raiko became seriously ill, and was obliged\nto keep to his room. At about midnight a little boy always brought\nhim some medicine. This boy was unknown to Raiko, but as he kept so\nmany servants it did not at first awaken suspicion. Raiko grew worse\ninstead of better, and always worse immediately after he had taken the\nmedicine, so he began to think that some supernatural force was the\ncause of his illness.\n\nAt last Raiko asked his head servant if he knew anything about the boy\nwho came to him at midnight. Neither the head servant nor any one else\nseemed to know anything about him. By this time Raiko's suspicions were\nfully awakened, and he determined to go carefully into the matter.\n\nWhen the small boy came again at midnight, instead of taking the\nmedicine, Raiko threw the cup at his head, and drawing his sword\nattempted to kill him. A sharp cry of pain rang through the room, but\nas the boy was flying from the apartment he threw something at Raiko.\nIt spread outward into a huge white sticky web, which clung so tightly\nto Raiko that he could hardly move. No sooner had he cut the web\nthrough with his sword than another enveloped him. Raiko then called\nfor assistance, and his chief retainer met the miscreant in one of the\ncorridors and stopped his further progress with extended sword. The\nGoblin threw a web over him too. When he at last managed to extricate\nhimself and was able to run into his master's room, he saw that Raiko\nhad also been the victim of the Goblin Spider.\n\nThe Goblin Spider was eventually discovered in a cave writhing with\npain, blood flowing from a sword-cut on the head. He was instantly\nkilled, and with his death there passed away the evil influence that\nhad caused Raiko's serious illness. From that hour the hero regained\nhis health and strength, and a sumptuous banquet was prepared in honour\nof the happy event.\n\nAnother Version\n\nThere is another version of this legend, written by Kenk\u014d H\u014dshi, which\ndiffers so widely in many of its details from the one we have already\ngiven that it almost amounts to a new story altogether. To dispense\nwith this version would be to rob the legend of its most sinister\naspect, which has not hitherto been accessible to the general reader.[1]\n\nOn one occasion Raiko left Ky\u014dto with Tsuna, the most worthy of his\nretainers. As they were crossing the plain of Rendai they saw a skull\nrise in the air, and fly before them as if driven by the wind, until it\nfinally disappeared at a place called Kagura ga Oka.\n\nRaiko and his retainer had no sooner noticed the disappearance of the\nskull than they perceived before them a mansion in ruins. Raiko entered\nthis dilapidated building, and saw an old woman of strange aspect.\n\"She was dressed in white, and had white hair; she opened her eyes with\na small stick, and the upper eyelids fell back over her head like a\nhat; then she used the rod to open her mouth, and let her breast fall\nforward upon her knees.\" Thus she addressed the astonished Raiko:\n\n\"I am two hundred and ninety years old. I serve nine masters, and the\nhouse in which you stand is haunted by demons.\"\n\nHaving listened to these words, Raiko walked into the kitchen, and,\ncatching a glimpse of the sky, he perceived that a great storm was\nbrewing. As he stood watching the dark clouds gather he heard a sound\nof ghostly footsteps, and there crowded into the room a great company\nof goblins. Nor were these the only supernatural creatures which Raiko\nencountered, for presently he saw a being dressed like a nun. Her very\nsmall body was naked to the waist, her face was two feet in length, and\nher arms \"were white as snow and thin as threads.\" For a moment this\ndreadful creature laughed, and then vanished like a mist.\n\nRaiko heard the welcome sound of a cock crowing, and imagined that the\nghostly visitors would trouble him no more; but once again he heard\nfootsteps, and this time he saw no hideous hag, but a lovely woman,\n\"more graceful than the willow branches as they wave in the breeze.\" As\nhe gazed upon this lovely maiden his eyes became blinded for a moment\non account of her radiant beauty. Before he could recover his sight he\nfound himself enveloped in countless cobwebs. He struck at her with his\nsword, when she disappeared, and he found that he had but cut through\nthe planks of the floor, and broken the foundation-stone beneath.\n\nAt this moment Tsuna joined his master, and they perceived that the\nsword was covered with _white_ blood, and that the point had been\nbroken in the conflict.\n\n[Illustration: Raiko slays the Goblin of Oyeyama.--50]\n\nAfter much search Raiko and his retainer discovered a den in which they\nsaw a monster with many legs and a head of enormous size covered with\ndowny hair. Its mighty eyes shone like the sun and moon, as it groaned\naloud: \"I am sick and in pain!\"\n\nAs Raiko and Tsuna drew near they recognised the broken sword-point\nprojecting from the monster. The heroes then dragged the creature\nout of its den and cut off its head. Out of the deep wound in the\ncreature's stomach gushed nineteen hundred and ninety skulls, and in\naddition many spiders as large as children. Raiko and his follower\nrealised that the monster before them was none other than the Mountain\nSpider. When they cut open the great carcass they discovered, within\nthe entrails, the ghostly remains of many human corpses.\n\nThe Adventures of Prince Yamato Take\n\nKing Keiko bade his youngest son, Prince Yamato, go forth and slay\na number of brigands. Before his departure the Prince prayed at the\nshrines of Ise, and begged that Ama-terasu, the Sun Goddess, would\nbless his enterprise. Prince Yamato's aunt was high-priestess of one\nof the Ise temples, and he told her about the task his father had\nentrusted to him. This good lady was much pleased to hear the news, and\npresented her nephew with a rich silk robe, saying that it would bring\nhim luck, and perhaps be of service to him later on.\n\nWhen Prince Yamato had returned to the palace and taken leave of\nhis father, he left the court accompanied by his wife, the Princess\nOtotachibana, and a number of staunch followers, and proceeded to\nthe Southern Island of Kiushiu, which was infested by brigands. The\ncountry was so rough and impassable that Prince Yamato saw at once that\nhe must devise some cunning scheme by which he might take the enemy\nunawares.\n\nHaving come to this conclusion, he bade the Princess Ototachibana bring\nhim the rich silk robe his aunt had given him. This he put on under the\ndirection, no doubt, of his wife. He let down his hair, stuck a comb in\nit, and adorned himself with jewels. When he looked into a mirror he\nsaw that the disguise was perfect, and that he made quite a handsome\nwoman.\n\nThus gorgeously apparelled, he entered the enemy's tent, where Kumaso\nand Takeru were sitting. It happened that they were discussing the\nKing's son and his efforts to exterminate their band. When they chanced\nto look up they saw a fair woman coming towards them.\n\nKumaso was so delighted that he beckoned to the disguised Prince\nand bade him serve wine as quickly as possible. Yamato was only too\ndelighted to do so. He affected feminine shyness. He walked with very\nminute steps, and glanced out of the corner of his eyes with all the\ntimidity of a bashful maiden.\n\nKumaso drank far more wine than was good for him. He still went on\ndrinking just to have the pleasure of seeing this lovely creature\npouring it out for him.\n\nWhen Kumaso became drunk Prince Yamato flung down the wine-jar, whipped\nout his dagger, and stabbed him to death.\n\nTakeru, when he saw what had happened to his brother, attempted to\nescape, but Prince Yamato leapt upon him. Once more his dagger gleamed\nin the air, and Takeru fell to the earth.\n\n[Illustration: Prince Yamato and Takeru.--52]\n\n\"Stay your hand a moment,\" gasped the dying brigand. \"I would fain\nknow who you are and whence you have come. Hitherto I thought that\nmy brother and I were the strongest men in the kingdom. I am indeed\nmistaken.\"\n\n\"I am Yamato,\" said the Prince, \"and son of the King who bade me kill\nsuch rebels as you!\"\n\n\"Permit me to give you a new name,\" said the brigand politely. \"From\nhenceforth you shall be called Yamato Take, because you are the bravest\nman in the land.\"\n\nHaving thus spoken Takeru fell back dead.\n\nThe Wooden Sword\n\nWhen the Prince was on his way to the capital he encountered another\noutlaw named Idzumo Takeru. Again resorting to strategy, he professed\nto be extremely friendly with this fellow. He cut a sword of wood and\nrammed it tightly into the sheath of his own steel weapon. He wore this\nwhenever he expected to meet Takeru.\n\nOn one occasion Prince Yamato invited Takeru to swim with him in the\nriver Hinokawa. While the brigand was swimming down-stream the Prince\nsecretly landed, and, going to Takeru's clothes, lying on the bank, he\nmanaged to change swords, putting his wooden one in place of the keen\nsteel sword of Takeru.\n\nWhen Takeru came out of the water and put on his clothes the Prince\nasked him to show his skill with the sword. \"We will prove,\" said he,\n\"which is the better swordsman of the two.\"\n\nNothing loath, Takeru tried to unsheath his sword. It stuck fast, and\nas it happened to be of wood it was, of course, useless in any case.\nWhile the brigand was thus struggling Yamato cut off his head. Once\nagain cunning had served him, and when he had returned to the palace\nhe was feasted, and received many costly gifts from the King his father.\n\nThe \"Grass-Cleaving-Sword\"\n\nPrince Yamato did not long remain idle in the palace, for his father\ncommanded him to go forth and quell an Ainu rising in the eastern\nprovinces.\n\nWhen the Prince was ready to depart the King gave him a spear made\nfrom a holly-tree called the \"Eight-Arms-Length-Spear.\" With this\nprecious gift Prince Yamato visited the temples of Ise. His aunt, the\nhigh-priestess, again greeted him. She listened with interest to all\nher nephew told her, and was especially delighted to know how well the\nrobe she had given him had served in his adventures.\n\nWhen she had listened to his story she went into the temple and brought\nforth a sword and a bag containing flints. These she gave to Yamato as\na parting gift.\n\nThe sword was the sword of Murakumo, belonging to the insignia of the\nImperial House of Japan. The Prince could not have received a more\nauspicious gift. This sword, it will be remembered, once belonged to\nthe Gods, and was discovered by Susa-no-o.\n\nAfter a long march Prince Yamato and his men found themselves in the\nprovince of Suruga. The governor hospitably received him, and by way\nof entertainment organised a deer-hunt. Our hero for once in a way was\nutterly deceived, and joined the hunt without the least misgiving.\n\nThe Prince was taken to a great and wild plain covered with high grass.\nWhile he was engaged in hunting down the deer he suddenly became aware\nof fire. In another moment he saw flames and clouds of smoke shooting\nup in every direction. He was surrounded by fire, from which there was,\napparently, no escape. Too late the guileless warrior realised that he\nhad fallen into a trap, and a very warm trap too!\n\nOur hero opened the bag his aunt had given him, set fire to the grass\nnear him, and with the sword of Murakumo he cut down the tall green\nblades on either side as quickly as possible. No sooner had he done so\nthan the wind suddenly changed and blew the flames away from him, so\nthat eventually the Prince made good his escape without the slightest\nburn of any kind. And thus it was that the sword of Murakumo came to be\nknown as the \"Grass-Cleaving-Sword.\"\n\nThe Sacrifice of Ototachibana\n\nIn all these adventures the Prince had been followed by his faithful\nwife, the Princess Ototachibana. Sad to say, our hero, so praiseworthy\nin battle, was not nearly so estimable in his love. He looked down on\nhis wife and treated her with indifference. She, poor loyal soul, had\nlost her beauty in serving her lord. Her skin was burnt with the sun,\nand her garments were soiled and torn. Yet she never complained, and\nthough her face became sad she made a brave effort to maintain her\nusual sweetness of manner.\n\nNow Prince Yamato happened to meet the fascinating Princess Miyadzu.\nHer robes were charming, her skin delicate as cherry-blossom. It was\nnot long before he fell desperately in love with her. When the time\ncame for him to depart he swore that he would return again and make the\nbeautiful Princess Miyadzu his wife. He had scarcely made this promise\nwhen he looked up and saw Ototachibana, and on her face was a look of\nintense sadness. But Prince Yamato hardened his heart, and rode away,\nsecretly determined to keep his promise.\n\nWhen Prince Yamato, his wife and men, reached the sea-shore of Idzu,\nhis followers desired to secure a number of boats in order that they\nmight cross the Straits of Kadzusa.\n\nThe Prince cried haughtily: \"Bah! this is only a brook! Why so many\nboats? I could jump across it!\"\n\nWhen they had all embarked and started on their journey a great storm\narose. The waves turned into water-mountains, the wind shrieked, the\nlightning blazed in the dark clouds, and the thunder roared. It seemed\nthat the boat that carried the Prince and his wife must needs sink, for\nthis storm was the work of Rin-Jin, King of the Sea, who was angry with\nthe proud and foolish words of Prince Yamato.\n\nWhen the crew had taken down the sails in the hope of steadying the\nvessel the storm grew worse instead of better. At last Ototachibana\narose, and, forgiving all the sorrow her lord had caused her, she\nresolved to sacrifice her life in order to save her much-loved husband.\n\nThus spoke the loyal Ototachibana: \"Oh, Rin-Jin, the Prince, my\nhusband, has angered you with his boasting. I, Ototachibana, give you\nmy poor life in the place of Yamato Take. I now cast myself into your\ngreat surging kingdom, and do you in return bring my lord safely to the\nshore.\"\n\nHaving uttered these words, Ototachibana leapt into the seething waves,\nand in a moment they dragged that brave woman out of sight. No sooner\nhad this sacrifice been made than the storm abated and the sun shone\nforth in a cloudless sky.\n\nYamato Take safely reached his destination, and succeeded in quelling\nthe Ainu rising.\n\nOur hero had certainly erred in his treatment of his faithful wife. Too\nlate he learnt to appreciate her goodness; but let it be said to his\ncredit that she remained a loving memory till his death, while the\nPrincess Miyadzu was entirely forgotten.\n\nThe Slaying of the Serpent\n\nNow that Yamato Take had carried out his father's instructions, he\npassed through the province of Owari until he came to the province of\nOmi.\n\nThe province of Omi was afflicted with a great trouble. Many were in\nmourning, and many wept and cried aloud in their sorrow. The Prince, on\nmaking inquiries, was informed that a great serpent every day came down\nfrom the mountains and entered the villages, making a meal of many of\nthe unfortunate inhabitants.\n\nPrince Yamato at once started to climb up Mount Ibaki, where the great\nserpent was said to live. About half-way up he encountered the awful\ncreature. The Prince was so strong that he killed the serpent by\ntwisting his bare arms about it. He had no sooner done so than sudden\ndarkness came over the land, and rain fell heavily. However, eventually\nthe weather improved, and our hero was able to climb down the mountain.\n\nWhen he reached home he found that his feet burned with a strange pain,\nand, moreover, that he felt very ill. He realised that the serpent had\nstung him, and, as he was too ill to move, he was carried to a famous\nmineral spring. Here he finally regained his accustomed health and\nstrength, and for these blessings gave thanks to Ama-terasu, the Sun\nGoddess.\n\nThe Adventures of Momotaro\n\nOne day, while an old woman stood by a stream washing her clothes, she\nchanced to see an enormous peach floating on the water. It was quite\nthe largest she had ever seen, and as this old woman and her husband\nwere extremely poor she immediately thought what an excellent meal this\nextraordinary peach would make. As she could find no stick with which\nto draw the fruit to the bank, she suddenly remembered the following\nverse:\n\n     \"Distant water is bitter,\n     The near water is sweet;\n     Pass by the distant water\n     And come into the sweet.\"\n\nThis little song had the desired effect. The peach came nearer and\nnearer till it stopped at the old woman's feet. She stooped down\nand picked it up. So delighted was she with her discovery that she\ncould not stay to do any more washing, but hurried home as quickly as\npossible.\n\nWhen her husband arrived in the evening, with a bundle of grass upon\nhis back, the old woman excitedly took the peach out of a cupboard and\nshowed it to him.\n\nThe old man, who was tired and hungry, was equally delighted at the\nthought of so delicious a meal. He speedily brought a knife and was\nabout to cut the fruit open, when it suddenly opened of its own accord,\nand the prettiest child imaginable tumbled out with a merry laugh.\n\n\"Don't be afraid,\" said the little fellow. \"The Gods have heard how\nmuch you desired a child, and have sent me to be a solace and a comfort\nin your old age.\"\n\nThe old couple were so overcome with joy that they scarcely knew what\nto do with themselves. Each in turn nursed the child, caressed him, and\nmurmured many sweet and affectionate words. They called him Momotaro,\nor \"Son of a Peach.\"\n\nWhen Momotaro was fifteen years old he was a lad far taller and\nstronger than boys of his own age. The making of a great hero stirred\nin his veins, and it was a knightly heroism that desired to right the\nwrong.\n\n[Illustration: Momotaro and the Pheasant.--58]\n\nOne day Momotaro came to his foster-father and asked him if he\nwould allow him to take a long journey to a certain island in the\nNorth-Eastern Sea where dwelt a number of devils, who had captured\na great company of innocent people, many of whom they ate. Their\nwickedness was beyond description, and Momotaro desired to kill them,\nrescue the unfortunate captives, and bring back the plunder of the\nisland that he might share it with his foster-parents.\n\nThe old man was not a little surprised to hear this daring scheme. He\nknew that Momotaro was no common child. He had been sent from heaven,\nand he believed that all the devils in the world could not harm him. So\nat length the old man gave his consent, saying: \"Go, Momotaro, slay the\ndevils and bring peace to the land.\"\n\nWhen the old woman had given Momotaro a number of rice-cakes the youth\nbade his foster-parents farewell, and started out upon his journey.\n\nThe Triumph of Momotaro\n\nWhile Momotaro was resting under a hedge eating one of the rice-cakes,\na great dog came up to him, growled, and showed his teeth. The dog,\nmoreover, could speak, and threateningly begged that Momotaro would\ngive him a cake. \"Either you give me a cake,\" said he, \"or I will kill\nyou!\"\n\nWhen, however, the dog heard that the famous Momotaro stood before him,\nhis tail dropped between his legs and he bowed with his head to the\nground, requesting that he might follow \"Son of a Peach,\" and render to\nhim all the service that lay in his power.\n\nMomotaro readily accepted the offer, and after throwing the dog half a\ncake they proceeded on their way.\n\nThey had not gone far when they encountered a monkey, who also begged\nto be admitted to Momotaro's service. This was granted, but it was some\ntime before the dog and the monkey ceased snapping at each other and\nbecame good friends.\n\nProceeding upon their journey, they came across a pheasant. Now the\ninnate jealousy of the dog was again awakened, and he ran forward\nand tried to kill the bright-plumed creature. Momotaro separated the\ncombatants, and in the end the pheasant was also admitted to the little\nband, walking decorously in the rear.\n\nAt length Momotaro and his followers reached the shore of the\nNorth-Eastern Sea. Here our hero discovered a boat, and after a good\ndeal of timidity on the part of the dog, monkey, and pheasant, they all\ngot aboard, and soon the little vessel was spinning away over the blue\nsea.\n\nAfter many days upon the ocean they sighted an island. Momotaro bade\nthe bird fly off, a winged herald to announce his coming, and bid the\ndevils surrender.\n\nThe pheasant flew over the sea and alighted on the roof of a great\ncastle and shouted his stirring message, adding that the devils, as a\nsign of submission, should break their horns.\n\nThe devils only laughed and shook their horns and shaggy red hair. Then\nthey brought forth iron bars and hurled them furiously at the bird. The\npheasant cleverly evaded the missiles, and flew at the heads of many\ndevils.\n\nIn the meantime Momotaro had landed with his two companions. He had no\nsooner done so than he saw two beautiful damsels weeping by a stream,\nas they wrung out blood-soaked garments.\n\n\"Oh!\" said they pitifully, \"we are daughters of _daimy\u014ds_, and are now\nthe captives of the Demon King of this dreadful island. Soon he will\nkill us, and alas! there is no one to come to our aid.\" Having made\nthese remarks the women wept anew.\n\n\"Ladies,\" said Momotaro, \"I have come for the purpose of slaying your\nwicked enemies. Show me a way into yonder castle.\"\n\nSo Momotaro, the dog, and the monkey entered through a small door in\nthe castle. Once inside this fortification they fought tenaciously.\nMany of the devils were so frightened that they fell off the parapets\nand were dashed to pieces, while others were speedily killed by\nMomotaro and his companions. All were destroyed except the Demon King\nhimself, and he wisely resolved to surrender, and begged that his life\nmight be spared.\n\n\"No,\" said Momotaro fiercely. \"I will not spare your wicked life. You\nhave tortured many innocent people and robbed the country for many\nyears.\"\n\nHaving said these words he gave the Demon King into the monkey's\nkeeping, and then proceeded through all the rooms of the castle, and\nset free the numerous prisoners he found there. He also gathered\ntogether much treasure.\n\nThe return journey was a very joyous affair indeed. The dog and the\npheasant carried the treasure between them, while Momotaro led the\nDemon King.\n\nMomotaro restored the two daughters or _daimy\u014ds_ to their homes,\nand many others who had been made captives in the island. The whole\ncountry rejoiced in his victory, but no one more than Momotaro's\nfoster-parents, who ended their days in peace and plenty, thanks to\nthe great treasure of the devils which Momotaro bestowed upon them.\n\n\"My Lord Bag of Rice\"\n\nOne day the great Hidesato came to a bridge that spanned the\nbeautiful Lake Biwa. He was about to cross it when he noticed a great\nserpent-dragon fast asleep obstructing his progress. Hidesato, without\na moment's hesitation, climbed over the monster and proceeded on his\nway.\n\nHe had not gone far when he heard some one calling to him. He looked\nback and saw that in the place of the dragon a man stood bowing\nto him with much ceremony. He was a strange-looking fellow with a\ndragon-shaped crown resting upon his red hair.\n\n\"I am the Dragon King of Lake Biwa,\" explained the red-haired man. \"A\nmoment ago I took the form of a horrible monster in the hope of finding\na mortal who would not be afraid of me. You, my lord, showed no fear,\nand I rejoice exceedingly. A great centipede comes down from yonder\nmountain, enters my palace, and destroys my children and grandchildren.\nOne by one they have become food for this dread creature, and I fear\nsoon that unless something can be done to slay this centipede I myself\nshall become a victim. I have waited long for a brave mortal. All men\nwho have hitherto seen me in my dragon-shape have run away. You are a\nbrave man, and I beg that you will kill my bitter enemy.\"\n\nHidesato, who always welcomed an adventure, the more so when it was a\nperilous one, readily consented to see what he could do for the Dragon\nKing.\n\nWhen Hidesato reached the Dragon King's palace he found it to be a\nvery magnificent building indeed, scarcely less beautiful than the\nSea King's palace itself. He was feasted with crystallised lotus\nleaves and flowers, and ate the delicacies spread before him with\nchoice ebony chopsticks. While he feasted ten little goldfish danced,\nand just behind the goldfish ten carp made sweet music on the _koto_\nand _samisen_. Hidesato was just thinking how excellently he had been\nentertained, and how particularly good was the wine, when they all\nheard an awful noise like a dozen thunderclaps roaring together.\n\nHidesato and the Dragon King hastily rose and ran to the balcony. They\nsaw that Mount Mikami was scarcely recognisable, for it was covered\nfrom top to bottom with the great coils of the centipede. In its head\nglowed two balls of fire, and its hundred feet were like a long winding\nchain of lanterns.\n\nHidesato fitted an arrow to his bowstring and pulled it back with all\nhis might. The arrow sped forth into the night and struck the centipede\nin the middle of the head, but glanced off immediately without\ninflicting any wound. Again Hidesato sent an arrow whirling into the\nair, and again it struck the monster and fell harmlessly to the ground.\nHidesato had only one arrow left. Suddenly remembering the magical\neffect of human saliva, he put the remaining arrow-head into his mouth\nfor a moment, and then hastily adjusted it to his bow and took careful\naim.\n\nThe last arrow struck its mark and pierced the centipede's brain. The\ncreature stopped moving; the light in its eyes and legs darkened and\nthen went out, and Lake Biwa, with its palace beneath, was shrouded in\nawful darkness. Thunder rolled, lightning flashed, and it seemed for\nthe moment that the Dragon King's palace would topple to the ground.\n\nThe next day, however, all sign of storm had vanished. The sky was\nclear. The sun shone brightly. In the sparkling blue lake lay the body\nof the great centipede.\n\nThe Dragon King and those about him were overjoyed when they knew that\ntheir dread enemy had been destroyed. Hidesato was again feasted, even\nmore royally than before. When he finally departed he did so with a\nretinue of fishes suddenly converted into men. The Dragon King bestowed\nupon our hero five precious gifts--two bells, a bag of rice, a roll of\nsilk, and a cooking-pot.\n\nThe Dragon King accompanied Hidesato as far as the bridge, and then he\nreluctantly allowed the hero and the procession of servants carrying\nthe presents to proceed on their way.\n\nWhen Hidesato reached his home the Dragon King's servants put down the\npresents and suddenly disappeared.\n\nThe presents were no ordinary gifts. The rice-bag was inexhaustible,\nthere was no end to the roll of silk, and the cooking-pot would\ncook without fire of any kind. Only the bells were without magical\nproperties, and these were presented to a temple in the vicinity.\nHidesato grew rich, and his fame spread far and wide. People now no\nlonger called him Hidesato, but Tawara Toda, or \"My Lord Bag of Rice.\"\n\n\n[Footnote 1: This version appears in the _Catalogue of Japanese and\nChinese Paintings in the British Museum_, by Dr. William Anderson.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III: THE BAMBOO-CUTTER AND THE MOON-MAIDEN\n\n\nThe Coming of the Lady Kaguya\n\nLong ago there lived an old bamboo-cutter by the name of Sanugi no\nMiyakko. One day, while he was busy with his hatchet in a grove of\nbamboos, he suddenly perceived a miraculous light, and on closer\ninspection discovered in the heart of a reed a very small creature of\nexquisite beauty. He gently picked up the tiny girl, only about four\ninches in height, and carried her home to his wife. So delicate was\nthis little maiden that she had to be reared in a basket.\n\nNow it happened that the Bamboo-cutter continued to set about his\nbusiness, and night and day, as he cut down the reeds, he found gold,\nand, once poor, he now amassed a considerable fortune.\n\nThe child, after she had been but three months with these simple\ncountry folk, suddenly grew in stature to that of a full-grown maid;\nand in order that she should be in keeping with such a pleasing,\nif surprising, event, her hair, hitherto allowed to flow in long\ntresses about her shoulders, was now fastened in a knot on her head.\nIn due season the Bamboo-cutter named the girl the Lady Kaguya, or\n\"Precious-Slender-Bamboo-of-the-Field-of-Autumn.\" When she had been\nnamed a great feast was held, in which all the neighbours participated.\n\nThe Wooing of the \"Precious-Slender-Bamboo-of-the-Field-of-Autumn\"\n\n        \"When a woman is somewhat fairer than the crowd\n        of women how greatly do men long to gaze upon her\n        beauty!\"--_Taketori_.\n\nNow the Lady Kaguya was of all women the most beautiful, and\nimmediately after the feast the fame of her beauty spread throughout\nthe land. Would-be lovers gathered around the fence and lingered in\nthe porch with the hope of at least getting a glimpse of this lovely\nmaiden. Night and day these forlorn suitors waited, but in vain. Those\nwho were of humble origin gradually began to recognise that their\nlove-making was useless. But five wealthy suitors still persisted, and\nwould not relax their efforts. They were Prince Ishizukuri and Prince\nKuramochi, the Sadaijin Dainagon Abe no Miushi, the Chiunagon Otomo no\nMiyuki, and Morotada, the Lord of Iso. These ardent lovers bore \"the\nice and snow of winter and the thunderous heats of midsummer with equal\nfortitude.\" When these lords finally asked the Bamboo-cutter to bestow\nhis daughter upon one of them, the old man politely explained that the\nmaiden was not really his daughter, and as that was so she could not be\ncompelled to obey his own wishes in the matter.\n\nAt last the lords returned to their mansions, but still continued\nto make their supplications more persistently than ever. Even the\nkindly Bamboo-cutter began to remonstrate with the Lady Kaguya, and to\npoint out that it was becoming for so handsome a maid to marry, and\nthat among the five noble suitors she could surely make a very good\nmatch. To this the wise Kaguya replied: \"Not so fair am I that I may\nbe certain of a man's faith, and were I to mate with one whose heart\nproved fickle what a miserable fate were mine! Noble lords, without\ndoubt, are these of whom thou speakest, but I would not wed a man whose\nheart should be all untried and unknown.\"\n\nIt was finally arranged that Kaguya should marry the suitor who proved\nhimself the most worthy. This news brought momentary hope to the five\ngreat lords, and when night came they assembled before the house where\nthe maiden dwelt \"with flute music and with singing, with chanting to\naccompaniments and piping, with cadenced tap and clap of fan.\" Only the\nBamboo-cutter went out to thank the lords for their serenading. When he\nhad come into the house again, Kaguya thus set forth her plan to test\nthe suitors:\n\n\"In Tenjiku (Northern India) is a beggar's bowl of stone, which of old\nthe Buddha himself bore, in quest whereof let Prince Ishizukuri depart\nand bring me the same. And on the mountain Horai, that towers over the\nEastern ocean, grows a tree with roots of silver and trunk of gold and\nfruitage of pure white jade, and I bid Prince Kuramochi fare thither\nand break off and bring me a branch thereof. Again, in the land of\nMorokoshi men fashion fur-robes of the pelt of the Flame-proof Rat,\nand I pray the Dainagon to find me one such. Then of the Chiunagon\nI require the rainbow-hued jewel that hides its sparkle deep in\nthe dragon's head; and from the hands of the Lord Iso would I fain\nreceive the cowry-shell that the swallow brings hither over the broad\nsea-plain.\"\n\nThe Begging-bowl of the Lord Buddha\n\nThe Prince Ishizukuri, after pondering over the matter of going to\ndistant Tenjiku in search of the Lord Buddha's begging-bowl, came to\nthe conclusion that such a proceeding would be futile. He decided,\ntherefore, to counterfeit the bowl in question. He laid his plans\ncunningly, and took good care that the Lady Kaguya was informed that he\nhad actually undertaken the journey. As a matter of fact this artful\nsuitor hid in Yamato for three years, and after that time discovered in\na hill-monastery in Tochi a bowl of extreme age resting upon an altar\nof Binzuru (the Succourer in Sickness). This bowl he took away with\nhim, and wrapped it in brocade, and attached to the gift an artificial\nbranch of blossom.\n\nWhen the Lady Kaguya looked upon the bowl she found inside a scroll\ncontaining the following:\n\n     \"Over seas, over hills\n     hath thy servant fared, and weary\n     and wayworn he perisheth:\n     O what tears hath cost this bowl of\n     stone,\n     what floods of streaming tears!\"\n\nBut when the Lady Kaguya perceived that no light shone from the vessel\nshe at once knew that it had never belonged to the Lord Buddha. She\naccordingly sent back the bowl with the following verse:\n\n     \"Of the hanging dewdrop\n     not even the passing sheen\n     dwells herein:\n     On the Hill of Darkness, the Hill\n     of Ogura,\n     what couldest thou hope to find?\"\n\nThe Prince, having thrown away the bowl, sought to turn the above\nremonstrance into a compliment to the lady who wrote it.\n\n     \"Nay, on the Hill of Brightness\n     what splendour\n     will not pale?\n     Would that away from the light\n     of thy beauty\n     the sheen of yonder Bowl might\n     prove me true!\"\n\n\nIt was a prettily turned compliment by a suitor who was an utter\nhumbug. This latest poetical sally availed nothing, and the Prince\nsadly departed.\n\n\nThe Jewel-bearing Branch of Mount Horai\n\nPrince Kuramochi, like his predecessor, was equally wily, and made it\ngenerally known that he was setting out on a journey to the land of\nTsukushi in quest of the Jewel-bearing Branch. What he actually did\nwas to employ six men of the Uchimaro family, celebrated craftsmen,\nand secure for them a dwelling hidden from the haunts of men, where\nhe himself abode, for the purpose of instructing the craftsmen as to\nhow they were to make a Jewel-bearing Branch identical with the one\ndescribed by the Lady Kaguya.\n\nWhen the Jewel-bearing Branch was finished, he set out to wait upon the\nLady Kaguya, who read the following verse attached to the gift:\n\n     \"Though it were at the peril\n     of my very life,\n     without the Jewel-laden Branch\n     in my hands never again\n     would I have dared to return!\"\n\n\nThe Lady Kaguya looked sadly upon this glittering branch, and listened\nwithout interest to the Prince's purely imaginative story of his\nadventures. The Prince dwelt upon the terrors of the sea, of strange\nmonsters, of acute hunger, of disease, which were their trials upon the\nocean. Then this incorrigible story-teller went on to describe how they\ncame to a high mountain rising out of the sea, where they were greeted\nby a woman bearing a silver vessel which she filled with water. On the\nmountain were wonderful flowers and trees, and a stream \"rainbow-hued,\nyellow as gold, white as silver, blue as precious _ruri_ (lapis\nlazuli); and the stream was spanned by bridges built up of divers gems,\nand by it grew trees laden with dazzling jewels, and from one of these\nI broke off the branch which I venture now to offer to the Lady Kaguya.\"\n\nNo doubt the Lady Kaguya would have been forced to believe this\ningenious tale had not at that very moment the six craftsmen appeared\non the scene, and by loudly demanding payment for the ready-made\nJewel-Branch, exposed the treachery of the Prince, who made a hasty\nretreat. The Lady Kaguya herself rewarded the craftsmen, happy, no\ndoubt, to escape so easily.\n\nThe Flameproof Fur-Robe\n\nThe Sadaijin (Left Great Minister) Abe no Miushi commissioned a\nmerchant, by the name of Wokei, to obtain for him a fur-robe made from\nthe Flame-proof Rat, and when the merchant's ship had returned from\nthe land of Morokoshi it bore a fur-robe, which the sanguine Sadaijin\nimagined to be the very object of his desire. The Fur-Robe rested in\na casket, and the Sadaijin, believing in the honesty of the merchant,\ndescribed it as being \"of a sea-green colour, the hairs tipped with\nshining gold, a treasure indeed of incomparable loveliness, more to be\nadmired for its pure excellence than even for its virtue in resisting\nthe flame of fire.\"\n\nThe Sadaijin, assured of success in his wooing, gaily set out to\npresent his gift to the Lady Kaguya, offering in addition the following\nverse:\n\n\n     \"Endless are the fires of love\n     that consume me, yet unconsumed\n     is the Robe of Fur:\n     dry at last are my sleeves,\n     for shall I not see her face this day!\"\n\n\n\nAt last the Sadaijin was able to present his gift to the Lady Kaguya.\nThus she addressed the Bamboo-cutter, who always seems to have been\nconveniently on the scene at such times: \"If this Robe be thrown amid\nthe flames and be not burnt up, I shall know it is in very truth the\nFlame-proof Robe, and may no longer refuse this lord's suit.\" A fire\nwas lighted, and the Robe thrown into the flames, where it perished\nimmediately. \"When the Sadaijin saw this his face grew green as\ngrass, and he stood there astonished.\" But the Lady Kaguya discreetly\nrejoiced, and returned the casket with the following verse:\n\n     \"Without a vestige even left\n     thus to burn utterly away,\n     had I dreamt it of this Robe of Fur.\n     Alas the pretty thing! far otherwise\n     would I have dealt with it.\"\n\nThe Jewel in the Dragon's Head\n\nThe Chiunagon Otomo no Miyuki assembled his household and informed his\nretainers that he desired them to bring him the Jewel in the Dragon's\nhead.\n\nAfter some demur they pretended to set off on this quest. In the\nmeantime the Chiunagon was so sure of his servants' success that he had\nhis house lavishly adorned throughout with exquisite lacquer-work, in\ngold and silver. Every room was hung with brocade, the panels rich with\npictures, and over the roof were silken cloths.\n\nWeary of waiting, the Chiunagon after a time journeyed to Naniwa and\nquestioned the inhabitants if any of his servants had taken boat in\nquest of the Dragon. The Chiunagon learnt that none of his men had\ncome to Naniwa, and, considerably displeased at the news, he himself\nembarked with a helmsman.\n\nNow it happened that the Thunder God was angry and the sea ran high.\nAfter many days the storm grew so severe and the boat was so near\nsinking that the helmsman ventured to remark: \"The howling of the wind\nand the raging of the waves and the mighty roar of the thunder are\nsigns of the wrath of the God whom my lord offends, who would slay the\nDragon of the deep, for through the Dragon is the storm raised, and\nwell it were if my lord offered a prayer.\"\n\nAs the Chiunagon had been seized with \"a terrible sickness,\" it is\nnot surprising to find that he readily took the helmsman's advice.\nHe prayed no less than a thousand times, enlarging on his folly in\nattempting to slay the Dragon, and solemnly vowed that he would leave\nthe Ruler of the deep in peace.\n\nThe thunder ceased and the clouds dispersed, but the wind was as fierce\nand strong as ever. The helmsman, however, told his master that it was\na fair wind and blew towards their own land.\n\nAt last they reached the strand of Akashi, in Harima. But the\nChiunagon, still ill and mightily frightened, vowed that they had\nbeen driven upon a savage shore, and lay full length in the boat,\npanting heavily, and refusing to rise when the governor of the district\npresented himself.\n\nWhen the Chiunagon at last realised that they had not been blown upon\nsome savage shore he consented to land. No wonder the governor smiled\nwhen he saw \"the wretched appearance of the discomfited lord, chilled\nto the very bone, with swollen belly and eyes lustreless as sloes.\"\n\nAt length the Chiunagon was carried in a litter to his own home. When\nhe had arrived his cunning servants humbly told their master how they\nhad failed in the quest. Thus the Chiunagon greeted them: \"Ye have done\nwell to return empty-handed. Yonder Dragon, assuredly, has kinship\nwith the Thunder God, and whoever shall lay hands on him to take the\njewel that gleams in his head shall find himself in peril. Myself am\nsore spent with toil and hardship, and no guerdon have I won. A thief\nof men's souls and a destroyer of their bodies is the Lady Kaguya,\nnor ever will I seek her abode again, nor ever bend ye your steps\nthitherward.\"\n\nWe are told, in conclusion, that when the women of his household heard\nof their lord's adventure \"they laughed till their sides were sore,\nwhile the silken cloths he had caused to be drawn over the roof of his\nmansion were carried away, thread by thread, by the crows to line their\nnests with.\"\n\nThe Royal Hunt[1]\n\nNow the fame of the Lady Kaguya's beauty reached the court, and the\nMikado, anxious to gaze upon her, sent one of his palace ladies,\nFusago, to go and see the Bamboo-cutter's daughter, and to report to\nhis Majesty of her excellences.\n\nHowever, when Fusago reached the Bamboo-cutter's house the Lady Kaguya\nrefused to see her. So the palace lady returned to court and reported\nthe matter to the Mikado. His Majesty, not a little displeased, sent\nfor the Bamboo-cutter, and made him bring the Lady Kaguya to court that\nhe might see her, adding: \"A hat of nobility, perchance, shall be her\nfather's reward.\"\n\nThe old Bamboo-cutter was an admirable soul, and mildly discountenanced\nhis daughter's extraordinary behaviour. Although he loved court favours\nand probably hankered after so distinguished a hat, it must be said of\nhim that he was first of all true to his duty as a father.\n\nWhen, on returning to his home, he discussed the matter with the Lady\nKaguya, she informed the old man that if she were compelled to go to\ncourt it would certainly cause her death, adding: \"The price of my\nfather's hat of nobility will be the destruction of his child.\"\n\nThe Bamboo-cutter was deeply affected by these words, and once more\nset out on a journey to the court, where he humbly made known his\ndaughter's decision.\n\nThe Mikado, not to be denied even by an extraordinarily beautiful\nwoman, hit on the ingenious plan of ordering a Royal Hunt, so arranged\nthat he might unexpectedly arrive at the Bamboo-cutter's dwelling, and\nperchance see the lady who could set at defiance the desires of an\nemperor.\n\nOn the day appointed for the Royal Hunt, therefore, the Mikado entered\nthe Bamboo-cutter's house. He had no sooner done so than he was\nsurprised to see in the room in which he stood a wonderful light, and\nin the light none other than the Lady Kaguya.\n\nHis Majesty advanced and touched the maiden's sleeve, whereupon she hid\nher face, but not before the Mikado had caught a glimpse of her beauty.\nAmazed by her extreme loveliness, and taking no notice of her protests,\nhe ordered a palace litter to be brought; but on its arrival the Lady\nKaguya suddenly vanished. The Emperor, perceiving that he was dealing\nwith no mortal maid, exclaimed: \"It shall be as thou desirest, maiden;\nbut 'tis prayed that thou resume thy form, that once more thy beauty\nmay be seen.\"\n\nSo the Lady Kaguya resumed her fair form again. As his Majesty was\nabout to be borne away he composed the following verse:\n\n     \"Mournful the return\n     of the Royal Hunt,\n     and full of sorrow the brooding\n     heart;\n     for she resists and stays behind,\n     the Lady Kaguya!\"\n\n\nThe Lady Kaguya thus made answer:\n\n     \"Under the roof o'ergrown with\n     hopbine\n     long were the years\n     she passed.\n     How may she dare to look upon\n     The Palace of Precious Jade?\"\n\nThe Celestial Robe of Feathers\n\nIn the third year after the Royal Hunt, and in the spring-time, the\nLady Kaguya continually gazed at the moon. On the seventh month, when\nthe moon was full, the Lady Kaguya's sorrow increased so that her\nweeping distressed the maidens who served her. At last they came to the\nBamboo-cutter, and said: \"Long has the Lady Kaguya watched the moon,\nwaxing in melancholy with the waxing thereof, and her woe now passes\nall measure, and sorely she weeps and wails; wherefore we counsel thee\nto speak with her.\"\n\nWhen the Bamboo-cutter communed with his daughter, he requested that\nshe should tell him the cause of her sorrow, and was informed that the\nsight of the moon caused her to reflect upon the wretchedness of the\nworld.\n\nDuring the eighth month the Lady Kaguya explained to her maids that\nshe was no ordinary mortal, but that her birthplace was the Capital of\nMoonland, and that the time was now at hand when she was destined to\nleave the world and return to her old home.\n\nNot only was the Bamboo-cutter heart-broken at this sorrowful news, but\nthe Mikado also was considerably troubled when he heard of the proposed\ndeparture of the Lady Kaguya. His Majesty was informed that at the next\nfull moon a company would be sent down from that shining orb to take\nthis beautiful lady away, whereupon he determined to put a check upon\nthis celestial invasion. He ordered that a guard of soldiers should be\nstationed about the Bamboo-cutter's house, armed and prepared, if need\nbe, to shoot their arrows upon those Moonfolk, who would fain take the\nbeautiful Lady Kaguya away.\n\nThe old Bamboo-cutter naturally thought that with such a guard to\nprotect his daughter the invasion from the moon would prove utterly\nfutile. The Lady Kaguya attempted to correct the old man's ideas on the\nsubject, saying: \"Ye cannot prevail over the folk of yonder land, nor\nwill your artillery harm them nor your defences avail against them,\nfor every door will fly open at their approach, nor may your valour\nhelp, for be ye never so stout-hearted, when the Moonfolk come vain\nwill be your struggle with them.\" These remarks made the Bamboo-cutter\nexceedingly angry. He asserted that his nails would turn into\ntalons--in short, that he would completely annihilate such impudent\nvisitors from the moon.\n\n[Illustration: The Moonfolk demand the Lady Kaguya.--76]\n\nNow while the royal guard was stationed about the Bamboo-cutter's\nhouse, on the roof and in every direction, the night wore away. At the\nhour of the Rat[2] a great glory, exceeding the splendour of the moon\nand stars, shone around. While the light still continued a strange\ncloud approached, bearing upon it a company of Moonfolk. The cloud\nslowly descended until it came near to the ground, and the Moonfolk\nassembled themselves in order. When the royal guard perceived them\nevery soldier grew afraid at the strange spectacle; but at length some\nof their number summoned up sufficient courage to bend their bows and\nsend their arrows flying; but all their shafts went astray.\n\nOn the cloud there rested a canopied car, resplendent with curtains of\nfinest woollen fabric, and from out the car a mighty voice sounded,\nsaying: \"Come thou forth, Miyakko Maro!\"\n\nThe Bamboo-cutter tottered forth to obey the summons, and received for\nhis pains an address from the chief of the Moonfolk commencing with,\n\"Thou fool,\" and ending up with a command that the Lady Kaguya should\nbe given up without further delay.\n\nThe car floated upward upon the cloud till it hovered over the roof.\nOnce again the same mighty voice shouted: \"Ho there, Kaguya! How long\nwouldst thou tarry in this sorry place?\"\n\nImmediately the outer door of the storehouse and the inner lattice-work\nwere opened by the power of the Moonfolk, and revealed the Lady Kaguya\nand her women gathered about her.\n\nThe Lady Kaguya, before taking her departure, greeted the prostrate\nBamboo-cutter and gave him a scroll bearing these words: \"Had I been\nborn in this land, never should I have quitted it until the time came\nfor my father to suffer no sorrow for his child; but now, on the\ncontrary, must I pass beyond the boundaries of this world, though\nsorely against my will. My silken mantle I leave behind me as a\nmemorial, and when the moon lights up the night let my father gaze upon\nit. Now my eyes must take their last look and I must mount to yonder\nsky, whence I fain would fall, meteorwise, to earth.\"\n\nNow the Moonfolk had brought with them, in a coffer, a Celestial\nFeather Robe and a few drops of the Elixir of Life. One of them said\nto the Lady Kaguya: \"Taste, I pray you, of this Elixir, for soiled has\nyour spirit become with the grossnesses of this filthy world.\"\n\nThe Lady Kaguya, after tasting the Elixir, was about to wrap up some\nin the mantle she was leaving behind for the benefit of the old\nBamboo-cutter, who had loved her so well, when one of the Moonfolk\nprevented her, and attempted to throw over her shoulders the Celestial\nRobe, when the Lady Kaguya exclaimed: \"Have patience yet awhile; who\ndons yonder robe changes his heart, and I have still somewhat to say\nere I depart.\" Then she proceeded to write the following to the Mikado:\n\n        \"Your Majesty deigned to send a host to protect your\n        servant, but it was not to be, and now is the misery\n        at hand of departing with those who have come to bear\n        her away with them. Not permitted was it to her to\n        serve your Majesty, and despite her will was it that\n        she yielded not obedience to the Royal command, and\n        wrung with grief is her heart thereat, and perchance\n        your Majesty may have thought the Royal will was\n        not understood, and was opposed by her, and so will\n        she appear to your Majesty lacking in good manners,\n        which she would not your Majesty deemed her to be,\n        and therefore humbly she lays this writing at the\n        Royal Feet. And now must she don the Feather Robe and\n        mournfully bid her lord farewell.\"\n\nHaving delivered this scroll into the hands of the captain of the\nhost, together with a bamboo joint containing the Elixir, the Feather\nRobe was thrown over her, and in a moment all memory of her earthly\nexistence departed.\n\nThen the Lady Kaguya entered the car, surrounded by the company of\nMoonfolk, and the cloud rapidly rose skyward till it was lost to sight.\n\nThe sorrow of the Bamboo-cutter and of the Mikado knew no bounds.\nThe latter held a Grand Council, and inquired which was the highest\nmountain in the land. One of the councillors answered: \"In Suruga\nstands a mountain, not remote from the capital, that towers highest\ntowards heaven among all the mountains of the land.\" Whereupon his\nMajesty composed the following verse:\n\n     \"Never more to see her!\n     Tears of grief overwhelm me,\n     and as for me,\n     with the Elixir of Life\n     what have I to do?\"\n\nThen the scroll, which the Lady Kaguya had written, together with the\nElixir, was given to Tsuki no Iwakasa. These he was commanded to take\nto the summit of the highest mountain in Suruga, and, standing upon the\nhighest peak, to burn the scroll and the Elixir of Life.\n\nSo Tsuki no Iwakasa heard humbly the Royal command, and took with him a\ncompany of warriors, and climbed the mountain and did as he was bidden.\nAnd it was from that time forth that the name of Fuji (_Fuji-yama_,\n'Never Dying') was given to yonder mountain, and men say that the smoke\nof that burning still curls from its high peak to mingle with the\nclouds of heaven.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: The Fifth Quest, that of Lord Iso, is omitted. The story\nis trivial and of no particular interest. Suffice it to say that Lord\nIso's search for the cowry-shell was in vain.]\n\n[Footnote 2: Midnight until two in the morning. \"Years, days, and\nhours,\" writes Professor B. H. Chamberlain, \"were all accounted as\nbelonging to one of the signs of the zodiac.\"]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV: BUDDHA LEGENDS\n\n\nThe Legend of the Golden Lotus\n\nThe following legend is obviously not of Japanese origin. The priests\nof Buddhism in Japan knew that the success of their religion lay, not\nin sweeping out the old gods of Shint\u014d, but in adapting them with\ninfinite cleverness to the needs of their own teaching. In this case\nJapan has borrowed from India and in a minor degree from China, if\nwe may look upon the dragon as originally belonging to the Celestial\nKingdom. We have followed closely Mr. Edward Greey's version, and\ninsert it here because it often enters into a Nippon priest's\ndiscourse, and has a decidedly Japanese setting. We might duplicate\nlegends of this kind, but one will be sufficient for our purpose. The\nother two legends given in this chapter are strictly Japanese.\n\nThe Lord Buddha, having concluded his holy meditations upon Mount\nDan-doku, slowly walked along a rocky pathway on his way to the city.\nThe dark shadows of night crept over the country, and there was\nprofound stillness everywhere.\n\nOn nearing his destination the Lord Buddha heard some one shout:\n\"_Shio-giyo mu-jiyo_!\" (\"The outward manner is not always an index to\nthe natural disposition.\")\n\nThe Lord Buddha was delighted at these words, and desired to learn who\nhad spoken so wisely. Over and over again he heard the same words, and,\ndrawing to the edge of a precipice, he looked down into the valley\nbeneath, and perceived an extremely ugly dragon gazing up at him with\nangry eyes.\n\n[Illustration: Buddha and the Dragon.--80]\n\nThe Holy One then seated himself upon a rock, and inquired of the\ndragon how he had come to learn one of the highest mysteries of\nBuddhism. Such profound wisdom suggested a store of spiritual truths\nyet to be revealed, and the Lord Buddha, therefore, requested that the\ndragon should give utterance to other wise sayings.\n\nThen the dragon, having coiled himself round the rock, shouted with a\ngreat voice: \"_Ze-shio metsu-po_!\" (\"All living things are antagonistic\nto the law of Buddha!\")\n\nAfter uttering these words the dragon was silent for some time. Then\nthe Lord Buddha begged to hear yet another sentence.\n\n\"_Shio-metsu metsu-i_!\" (\"All living things must die!\") shouted the\ndragon.\n\nAt these words the dragon looked up at the Lord Buddha, and upon his\ndreadful countenance there was an expression of extreme hunger.\n\nThe dragon then informed the Lord Buddha that the next truth was the\nlast, and so precious that he could not reveal it until his hunger had\nbeen appeased.\n\nAt this the Holy One remarked that he would deny the dragon nothing so\nlong as he heard the fourth truth revealed, and inquired of the dragon\nwhat he demanded. When the Lord Buddha heard that human flesh was what\nthe dragon required in exchange for his last precious fragment of\nwisdom, the Master informed the dragon that his religion forbade the\ndestruction of life, but that he would, for the welfare of his people,\nsacrifice his own body.\n\nThe dragon opened his great mouth and said: \"_Jaku-metsu I-raku_!\"\n(\"The greatest happiness is experienced after the soul has left the\nbody!\")\n\nThe Lord Buddha bowed, and then sprang into the gaping mouth of the\ndragon.\n\nNo sooner had the Holy One touched the jaws of the monster than they\nsuddenly divided into eight parts, and in a moment changed into the\neight petals of the Golden Lotus.\n\nThe Bronze Buddha of Kamakura and the Whale[1]\n\n    \"Above the old songs turned to ashes and pain,\n     Under which Death enshrouds the idols and trees with mist of sigh,\n     (Where are Kamakura's rising days and life of old?)\n     With heart heightened to hush, the Daibutsu forever sits.\"\n                                                  _Yone Noguchi_.\n\n\nThe great bronze Buddha of Kamakura, or the Daibutsu, is undoubtedly\none of the most remarkable sights in Japan. At one time Kamakura\nwas the capital of Nippon. It was a great city of nearly a million\ninhabitants, and was the seat of the Sh\u014dguns and of the Regents of\nthe H\u014dj\u014d family during the troublous period of the Middle Ages.\nBut Kamakura, for all its devout worshippers of the Lord Buddha,\nwas destroyed by storm on two occasions, until it finally lost its\nimportance. To-day rice-fields and woods are to be seen in place of the\nglory of old. Storm and fire, however, have left untouched the temple\nof Hachiman (the God of War) and the bronze image of Buddha. At one\ntime this gigantic figure reposed in a temple, but now it stands high\nabove the trees, with an inscrutable smile upon its great face, with\neyes full of a peace that cannot be shaken by the petty storms of the\nworld.\n\nLegend is nearly always elemental. Divinities, irrespective of their\nausterity, are brought down to a very human level. It is a far cry\nfrom the complex teaching of the Lord Buddha to the story of Amida\nButsu and the whale. One can trace in the following legend an almost\npathetic desire to veil the greatness of Buddha. The gigantic size of\nthe Daibutsu is not really in keeping with that curious love of little\nthings which is so characteristic of the Japanese people. There is a\nplayful irony in this story, a desire to take down the great Teacher a\npeg or two--if only to take him down in stature a paltry two inches!\n\nSo many things appear to us to be done in a topsy-turvy way in Japan\nthat we are not surprised to find that in measuring metal and soft\ngoods the feet on the yardstick are not alike. For soft goods a whale\nmeasure is used, for any hard material a metal foot. There are two\ninches of difference in these measures, and the following legend may\npossibly give us the reason for this apparently rather confusing\ndiscrepancy.\n\nThe Bronze Buddha, in its sitting posture, is fifty feet high,\nninety-seven feet in circumference, the length of its face eight feet,\nand as for its thumbs they are three feet round. It is probably the\ntallest piece of bronze in the world. Such an enormous image naturally\ncreated a considerable sensation in the days when Kamakura was a\nflourishing city, laid out by the great General Yoritomo. The roads in\nand about the city were densely packed with pilgrims, anxious to gaze\nupon the latest marvel, and all agreed that this bronze image was the\nbiggest thing in the world.\n\nNow it may be that certain sailors who had seen this marvel chatted\nabout it as they plied their nets. Whether this was so or not, a mighty\nwhale, who lived in the Northern Sea, happened to hear about the Bronze\nBuddha of Kamakura, and as he regarded himself as being far bigger\nthan anything on land, the idea of a possible rival did not meet with\nhis approval. He deemed it impossible that little men could construct\nanything that could vie with his enormous bulk, and laughed heartily at\nthe very absurdity of such a conception.\n\nHis laughter, however, did not last long. He was inordinately jealous,\nand when he heard about the numerous pilgrimages to Kamakura and the\nincessant praise evoked from those who had seen the image he grew\nexceedingly angry, lashed the sea into foam, and blew down his nose\nwith so much violence that the other creatures of the deep gave him a\nvery wide berth. His loneliness only aggravated his trouble, and he\nwas unable to eat or sleep, and in consequence grew thin. He at last\ndecided to chat the matter over with a kindly shark.\n\nThe shark answered the whale's heated questions with quiet solicitude,\nand consented to go to the Southern Sea in order that he might take the\nmeasurement of the image, and bring back the result of his labour to\nhis agitated friend.\n\nThe shark set off upon his journey, until he came to the shore, where\nhe could see the image towering above him, about half a mile inland.\nAs he could not walk on dry land he was about to renounce his quest,\nwhen he had the good fortune to discover a rat enjoying a scamper\nalong a junk. He explained his mission to the rat, and requested that\nmuch-flattered little creature to take the measurement of the Bronze\nBuddha.\n\nSo the rat climbed down the junk, swam ashore, and entered the dark\ntemple where the Great Buddha stood. At first he was so overcome by\nthe magnificence he saw about him that he was uncertain as to how to\nproceed in carrying out the shark's request. He eventually decided to\nwalk round the image, counting his footsteps as he went. He discovered\nafter he had performed this task that he had walked exactly five\nthousand paces, and on his return to the junk he told the shark the\nmeasurement of the base of the Bronze Buddha.\n\nThe shark, with profuse thanks to the rat, returned to the Northern\nSea, and informed the whale that the reports concerning the size of\nthis exasperating image were only too true.\n\n\"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing\" evidently applies equally\nwell to whales, for the whale of this legend, after receiving the\ninformation, grew more furious than ever. As in a story familiar to\nEnglish children, he put on magic boots in order to travel on land as\nwell as he had always done in the sea.\n\nThe whale reached the Kamakura temple at night. He discovered that the\npriests had gone to bed, and were apparently fast asleep. He knocked at\nthe door. Instead of the dismal murmur of a half-awake priest he heard\nthe Lord Buddha say, in a voice that rang like the sound of a great\nbell: \"Come in!\"\n\n\"I cannot,\" replied the whale, \"because I am too big. Will you please\ncome out and see me?\"\n\nWhen Buddha found out who his visitor was, and what he wanted at so\nunearthly an hour, he condescendingly stepped down from his pedestal\nand came outside the temple. There was utter amazement on both sides.\nHad the whale possessed knees they would assuredly have knocked\ntogether. He knocked his head on the ground instead. For his part,\nBuddha was surprised to find a creature of such gigantic proportions.\n\nWe can imagine the consternation of the chief priest when he found that\nthe pedestal did not bear the image of his Master. Hearing a strange\nconversation going on outside the temple, he went out to see what was\ntaking place. The much-frightened priest was invited to join in the\ndiscussion, and was requested to take the measurement of the image and\nthe whale, and accordingly began to measure with his rosary. During\nthis proceeding the image and the whale awaited the result with bated\nbreath. When the measurements had been taken the whale was found to be\ntwo inches longer and taller than the image.\n\nThe whale went back to the Northern Sea more utterly vain than ever,\nwhile the image returned to its temple and sat down again, and there it\nhas remained to this day, none the worse, perhaps, for finding that it\nwas not quite so big as it imagined. Dealers in dry goods and dealers\nin wood and iron agreed from that day to this to differ as to what was\na foot--and the difference was a matter of two inches.\n\nThe Crystal of Buddha[2]\n\nIn ancient days there lived in Japan a great State Minister named\nKamatari. Now Kamatari's only daughter, Kohaku Jo, extremely beautiful,\nand as good as she was beautiful. She was the delight of her father's\nheart, and he resolved that, if she married, no one of less account\nthan a king should be her husband. With this idea continually in his\nmind, he steadfastly refused the offers for her hand.\n\nOne day there was a great tumult in the palace courtyard. Through\nthe open gates streamed a number of men bearing a banner on which\nwas worked a silken dragon on a yellow background. Kamatari learnt\nthat these men had come from the court of China with a message from\nthe Emperor Koso. The Emperor had heard of the exceeding beauty and\nexquisite charm of Kohaku Jo, and desired to marry her. As is usual in\nthe East on such occasions, the Emperor's offer was accompanied with\nthe promise that if Kohaku Jo should become his bride he would allow\nher to choose from his store of treasures whatever she liked to send to\nher own country.\n\nAfter Kamatari had received the envoys with due pomp and ceremony, and\nput at their disposal a whole wing of the palace, he returned to his\nown room and bade his servant bring his daughter into his presence.\n\nWhen Kohaku had entered her father's room she bowed before him and sat\npatiently on the white mats waiting for her august parent to speak to\nher.\n\nKamatari told her that he had chosen the Emperor of China to be her\nhusband, and the little maid wept on hearing the news. She had been\nso happy in her own home, and China seemed such a long way off. When,\nhowever, her father foretold more happiness in the future than she had\never had in the past, she dried her eyes and listened to her parent's\nwords, a little amazed to hear, perhaps, that all China's treasures\nwere to be laid at her own small feet. She was glad when her father\ntold her that she would be able to send three of these treasures to the\ntemple of Kofukuji, where she had received a blessing when a little\nbabe.\n\nSo Kohaku obeyed her father with not a little misgiving, not a little\nheartache. Her girl companions wept when they heard the news, but they\nwere comforted when Kohaku's mother told them that some of their number\nwould be chosen to go with their mistress.\n\nBefore Kohaku sailed for China she wended her way to the beloved\ntemple of Kofukuji, and, arriving at the sacred shrine, she prayed for\nprotection in her journey, vowing that if her prayers were answered she\nwould search China for its three most precious treasures, and send them\nto the temple as a thank-offering.\n\nKohaku reached China in safety and was received by the Emperor Koso\nwith great magnificence. Her childish fears were soon dispelled by\nthe Emperor's kindness. Indeed, he showed her considerably more than\nkindness. He spoke to her in the language of a lover: \"After long,\nlong days of weary waiting I have gathered the 'azalea of the distant\nmountain,' and now I plant it in my garden, and great is the gladness\nof my heart!\"[3]\n\nThe Emperor Koso led her from palace to palace, and she knew not which\nwas the most beautiful, but her royal husband was aware that she was\nfar more lovely than any of them. Because of her great loveliness\nhe desired that it should be ever remembered throughout the length\nand breadth of China, even beyond the bounds of his kingdom. \"So he\ncalled together his goldsmiths and gardeners,\" as Madame Ozaki writes\nin describing this story, \"and commanded them to fashion a path for\nthe Empress such as had never been heard of in the wide world. The\nstepping-stones of this path were to be lotus-flowers, carved out of\nsilver and gold, for her to walk on whenever she strolled forth under\nthe trees or by the lake, so that it might be said that her beautiful\nfeet were never soiled by touching the earth; and ever since then, in\nChina and Japan, poet-lovers and lover-poets in song and sonnet and\nsweet conversation have called the feet of the women they love 'lotus\nfeet.'\"\n\nBut in spite of all the magnificence that surrounded Kohaku she did\nnot forget her native land or the vow she had made in the temple of\nKofukuji. One day she timidly informed the Emperor of her promise,\nand he, only too glad to have another opportunity of pleasing her,\nset before her such a store of beautiful and precious things that it\nseemed as if an exquisite phantom world of gay colour and perfect\nform had suddenly come into being at her very feet. There was such a\nwealth of beautiful things that she found it very difficult to make\na choice. She finally decided upon the following magical treasures:\na musical instrument, which if one struck would continue to play for\never, an ink-stone box, which, on opening the lid, was found to contain\nan inexhaustible supply of Indian ink, and, last of all, \"a beautiful\nCrystal, in whose clear depths was to be seen, from whichever side you\nlooked, an image of Buddha riding on a white elephant. The jewel was of\ntranscendent glory and shone like a star, and whoever gazed into its\nliquid depths and saw the blessed vision of Buddha had peace of heart\nfor evermore.\"[4]\n\nAfter Kohaku had gazed for some time upon these treasures she sent for\nAdmiral Banko and bade him safely convey them to the temple of Kofukuji.\n\nEverything went well with Admiral Banko and his ship until they were in\nJapanese waters, sailing into the Bay of Shido-no-ura, when a mighty\ntempest whirled the vessel hither and thither. The waves rolled up with\nthe fierceness of wild beasts, and lightning continually blazed across\nthe sky, to light up for a moment a rolling ship, now flung high upon a\nmountain of water, now swept into a green valley from which it seemed\nit could never rise again.\n\nSuddenly the storm abated with the same unexpectedness with which it\nhad arisen. Some fairy hand had brushed up all the clouds and laid a\nblue and sparkling carpet across the sea. The admiral's first thought\nwas for the safety of the treasures entrusted to him, and on going\nbelow he discovered the musical instrument and ink-stone box just as he\nhad left them, but that the most precious of the treasures, Buddha's\nCrystal, was missing. He contemplated taking his life, so grieved was\nhe at the loss; but on reflection he saw that it would be wiser to\nlive so long as there was anything he could do to find the jewel. He\naccordingly hastened to land, and informed Kamatari of his dreadful\nmisfortune.\n\nNo sooner had Kamatari been told about the loss of Buddha's Crystal\nthan this wise minister perceived that the Dragon King of the Sea had\nstolen it, and for that purpose had caused the storm, which had enabled\nhim to steal the treasure unperceived.\n\nKamatari offered a large reward to a number of fishermen he saw upon\nthe shore of Shido-no-ura if any of their number would venture into\nthe sea and bring back the Crystal. All the fishermen volunteered, but\nafter many attempts the precious jewel still remained in the keeping of\nthe Sea King.\n\nKamatari, much distressed, suddenly became aware of a poor woman\ncarrying an infant in her arms. She begged the great minister that she\nmight enter the sea and search for the Crystal, and in spite of her\nfrailty she spoke with conviction. Her mother-heart seemed to lend her\ncourage. She made her request because, if she succeeded in bringing\nback the Crystal, she desired that as a reward Kamatari should bring up\nher little son as a _samurai_ in order that he might be something in\nlife other than a humble fisherman.\n\nIt will be remembered that Kamatari in his day had been ambitious for\nhis daughter's welfare. He readily understood the poor woman's request,\nand solemnly promised that if she carried out her part faithfully he\nwould gladly do his.\n\nThe woman withdrew, and taking off her upper garments, and tying a rope\nround her waist, into which she stuck a knife, she was prepared for her\nperilous journey. Giving the end of the rope to a number of fishermen,\nshe plunged into the water.\n\nAt first the woman saw the dim outline of rocks, the dart of a\nfrightened fish, and the faint gold of the sand beneath her. Then she\nsuddenly became aware of the roofs of the palace of the Sea King, a\ngreat and gorgeous building of coral, relieved here and there with\nclusters of many-coloured seaweed. The palace was like a huge pagoda,\nrising tier upon tier. The woman swam nearer in order to inspect it\nmore closely, and she perceived a bright light, more brilliant than the\nlight of many moons, so bright that it dazzled her eyes. It was the\nlight of Buddha's Crystal, placed on the pinnacle of this vast abode,\nand on every side of the shining jewel were guardian dragons fast\nasleep, appearing to watch even in their slumber!\n\nUp swam the woman, praying in her brave heart that the dragons might\nsleep till she was out of harm's way and in possession of the treasure.\nNo sooner had she snatched the Crystal from its resting-place than the\nguardians awoke; their great claws extended and their tails furiously\nlashed the water, and in another moment they were in hot pursuit.\nRather than lose the Crystal, which she had won at so much peril, the\nwoman cut a wound in her left breast and forced the jewel into the\nbleeding cavity, pressing her hand, without a murmur of pain, upon the\npoor torn flesh. When the dragons perceived that the water was murky\nwith the woman's blood they turned back, for sea-dragons are afraid of\nthe very sight of blood.\n\nNow the woman sharply pulled the rope, and the fishermen, sitting upon\nthe rocks far above, drew her to land with ever-quickening speed. They\ngently laid her upon the shore, and found that her eyes were closed\nand her breast bleeding profusely. Kamatari at first thought that the\nwoman had risked her life in vain; but bending over her he noticed the\nwound in her breast. At that moment she opened her eyes, and, taking\nthe jewel from its place of concealment, she murmured a few words about\nKamatari's promise, then fell back dead with a smile of peace upon her\nface.\n\nKamatari took the woman's child home and looked after him with all the\nloving care of a father. In due time the boy grew to manhood and became\na brave _samurai_, and at Kamatari's death he, too, became a great\nState minister. When in later years he learnt the story of his mother's\nact of self-sacrifice he built a temple in the Bay of Shido-no-ura,\nin memory of one who was so brave and true. It is called Shidoji,\nand pilgrims visit this temple and remember the nobility of a poor\nshell-gatherer to this day.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: Adapted from _Fairy Tales of Old Japan_, by W. E. Griffis.]\n\n[Footnote 2: Adapted from _Buddha's Crystal_, by Madame Yei Ozaki.]\n\n[Footnote 3: Madame Ozaki.]\n\n[Footnote 4: Madame Ozaki.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V: FOX LEGENDS\n\n\nInari, the Fox God\n\nThe fox takes an important place in Japanese legend, and the subject\nis of a far-reaching and complex kind.[1] Inari was originally the\nGod of Rice, but in the eleventh century he became associated with\nthe Fox God, with attributes for good and evil, mostly for evil, so\nprofuse and so manifold in their application that they cause no little\nconfusion to the English reader. All foxes possess supernatural powers\nto an almost limitless degree. They have the power of infinite vision;\nthey can hear everything and understand the secret thoughts of mankind\ngenerally, and in addition they possess the power of transformation and\nof transmutation. The chief attribute of the bad fox is the power to\ndelude human beings, and for this purpose it will take the form of a\nbeautiful woman, and many are the legends told in this connection.[2]\nIf the shadow of a fox-woman chance to fall upon water, only the fox,\nand not the fair woman, is revealed. It is said that if a dog sees a\nfox-woman the feminine form vanishes immediately, and the fox alone\nremains.\n\nThough the legends connected with the fox in Japan are usually\nassociated with evil, Inari sometimes poses as a beneficent being,\na being who can cure coughs and colds, bring wealth to the needy,\nand answer a woman's prayer for a child. Another kindly act on the\npart of Inari, which we might well have associated with Jiz\u014d, is to\nenable little boys and girls to bear with fortitude the troublesome\nperformance of being shaved with a none too perfect razor, and also to\nhelp the little ones to go through the painful process of a hot bath,\nnever less in Japan than 110\u00b0 F.!\n\nInari not infrequently rewards human beings for any act of kindness\nto a fox. Only a part of his reward, however, is real; at least one\ntempting coin is bound to turn very quickly into grass! The little\ngood done by Inari--and we have tried to do him justice--is altogether\nweighed down by his countless evil actions, often of an extremely cruel\nnature, as will be seen later on. The subject of the fox in Japan has\nbeen aptly described by Lafcadio Hearn as \"ghostly zoology,\" and this\ncunning and malignant animal is certainly ghostly with a completeness\nfar more horribly subtle than our own stock-in-trade ghost with\nluminous garment and clanking chain!\n\nDemoniacal Possession\n\nDemoniacal possession is frequently said to be due to the\nevil influence of foxes. This form of possession is known as\n_kitsune-tsuki_. The sufferer is usually a woman of the poorer\nclasses, one who is highly sensitive and open to believe in all manner\nof superstitions. The question of demoniacal possession is still\nan unsolved problem, and the studies of Dr. Baelz, of the Imperial\nUniversity of Japan, seem to point to the fact that animal possession\nin human beings is a very real and terrible truth after all.[3] He\nremarks that a fox usually enters a woman either through the breast or\nbetween the finger-nails, and that the fox lives a separate life of its\nown, frequently speaking in a voice totally different from the human.\n\n\nThe Death-Stone[4]\n\n     \"The Death-Stone stands on Nasu's moor\n     Through winter snows and summer heat;\n     The moss grows grey upon its sides,\n     But the foul demon haunts it yet.\n\n     \"Chill blows the blast: the owl's sad choir\n     Hoots hoarsely through the moaning pines;\n     Among the low chrysanthemums\n     The skulking fox, the jackal whines,\n     As o'er the moor the autumn light declines.\"\n                       Translated by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\nThe Buddhist priest Genno, after much weary travel, came to the moor\nof Nasu, and was about to rest under the shadow of a great stone, when\na spirit suddenly appeared, and said: \"Rest not under this stone. This\nis the Death-Stone. Men, birds, and beasts have perished by merely\ntouching it!\"\n\nThese mysterious and warning remarks naturally awakened Genno's\ncuriosity, and he begged that the spirit would favour him with the\nstory of the Death-Stone.\n\nThus the spirit began: \"Long ago there was a fair girl living at the\nJapanese Court. She was so charming that she was called the Jewel\nMaiden. Her wisdom equalled her beauty, for she understood Buddhist\nlore and the Confucian classics, science, and the poetry of China.\"\n\n     \"So sweetly decked by nature and by art,\n     The monarch's self soon clasp'd her to his heart.\"\n                             Translated by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\n\"One night,\" went on the spirit, \"the Mikado gave a great feast in\nthe Summer Palace, and there he assembled the wit, wisdom, and beauty\nof the land. It was a brilliant gathering; but while the company ate\nand drank, accompanied by the strains of sweet music, darkness crept\nover the great apartment. Black clouds raced across the sky, and there\nwas not a star to be seen. While the guests sat rigid with fear a\nmysterious wind arose. It howled through the Summer Palace and blew out\nall the lanterns. The complete darkness produced a state of panic, and\nduring the uproar some one cried out, 'A light! A light!'\"\n\n     \"And lo! from out the Jewel Maiden's frame\n     There's seen to dart a weirdly lustrous flame!\n     It grows, it spreads, it fills th' imperial halls;\n     The painted screens, the costly panell'd walls,\n     Erst the pale viewless damask of the night\n     Sparkling stand forth as in the moon's full light.\"\n                                Translated by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\n\"From that very hour the Mikado sickened,\" continued the spirit. \"He\ngrew so ill that the Court Magician was sent for, and this worthy soul\nspeedily ascertained the cause of his Majesty's decline. He stated,\nwith much warmth of language, that the Jewel Maiden was a harlot and a\nfiend, 'who, with insidious art, the State to ravage, captivates thy\nheart!'\n\n\"The Magician's words turned the Mikado's heart against the Jewel\nMaiden. When this sorceress was spurned she resumed her original shape,\nthat of a fox, and ran away to this very stone on Nasu moor.\"\n\nThe priest looked at the spirit critically. \"Who are you?\" he said at\nlength.\n\n\"I am the demon that once dwelt in the breast of the Jewel Maiden! Now\nI inhabit the Death-Stone for evermore!\"\n\n[Illustration: The Mikado and the Jewel Maiden.--96]\n\nThe good Genno was much horrified by this dreadful confession, but,\nremembering his duty as a priest, he said: \"Though you have sunk low in\nwickedness, you shall rise to virtue again. Take this priestly robe and\nbegging-bowl, and reveal to me your fox form.\"\n\nThen this wicked spirit cried pitifully:\n\n     \"In the garish light of day\n     I hide myself away,\n     Like pale Asama's fires:\n     With the night I'll come again,\n     Confess my guilt with pain\n     And new-born pure desires.\"\n               Translated by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\nWith these words the spirit suddenly vanished.\n\nGenno did not relinquish his good intentions. He strove more ardently\nthan ever for this erring soul's salvation. In order that she might\nattain Nirvana, he offered flowers, burnt incense, and recited the\nsacred Scriptures in front of the stone.\n\nWhen Genno had performed these religious duties, he said: \"Spirit of\nthe Death-Stone, I conjure thee! what was it in a former world that did\ncause thee to assume in this so foul a shape?\"\n\nSuddenly the Death-Stone was rent and the spirit once more appeared,\ncrying:\n\n     \"In stones there are spirits,\n     In the waters is a voice heard:\n     The winds sweep across the firmament!\"\n                  Translated by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\nGenno saw a lurid glare about him and, in the shining light, a fox that\nsuddenly turned into a beautiful maiden.\n\nThus spoke the spirit of the Death-Stone: \"I am she who first, in Ind,\nwas the demon to whom Prince Hazoku paid homage.... In Great Cathay I\ntook the form of H\u014dji, consort of the Emperor Iuwao; and at the Court\nof the Rising Sun I became the Flawless Jewel Maiden, concubine to the\nEmperor Toba.\"\n\nThe spirit confessed to Genno that in the form of the Jewel Maiden she\nhad desired to bring destruction to the Imperial line. \"Already,\" said\nthe spirit, \"I was making my plans, already I was gloating over the\nthought of the Mikado's death, and had it not been for the power of the\nCourt Magician I should have succeeded in my scheme. As I have told\nyou, I was driven from the Court. I was pursued by dogs and arrows,\nand finally sank exhausted into the Death-Stone. From time to time I\nhaunted the moor. Now the Lord Buddha has had compassion upon me, and\nhe has sent his priest to point out the way of true religion and to\nbring peace.\"\n\nThe legend concludes with the following pious utterances poured forth\nby the now contrite spirit:\n\n    \"'I swear, O man of God! I swear,' she cries,\n     'To thee whose blessing wafts me to the skies,\n     I swear a solemn oath, that shall endure\n     Firm as the Death-Stone standing on the moor,\n     That from this hour I'm virtue's child alone!'\n     Thus spake the ghoul, and vanished 'neath the Stone.\"\n                               Translated by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\n\n\nHow Tokutaro was Deluded by Foxes\n\nTokutaro was a complete sceptic in regard to the magical power of\nfoxes. His scepticism exasperated a number of his companions, who\nchallenged him to go to Maki moor. If nothing happened to him, Tokutaro\nwas to receive, writes A. B. Mitford (Lord Redesdale) in _Tales of Old\nJapan_, \"five measures of wine and a thousand copper cash[5] worth\nof fish.\" If, on the other hand, Tokutaro should suffer through the\npower of the foxes, he was to present a similar gift to his companions.\nTokutaro jeeringly accepted the bet, and when night had come he set out\nfor the Maki moor.\n\nTokutaro was determined to be very cute and very wary. On reaching his\ndestination he happened to meet a fox running through a bamboo grove.\nImmediately afterwards he perceived the daughter of the headman of\nUpper Horikan\u00e9. On telling the woman that he was going to this village,\nshe explained that as she was going there too they might journey\ntogether.\n\nTokutaro's suspicions were fully aroused. He walked behind the woman,\nvainly searching for a fox's tail. When they reached Upper Horikan\u00e9 the\ngirl's parents came out, and were much surprised to see their daughter,\nwho had married, and was living in another village.\n\nTokutaro, with a smile of superior wisdom, explained that the maid\nbefore them was not really their daughter, but a fox in disguise.\nThe old people were at first indignant, and refused to believe what\nTokutaro had told them. Eventually, however, he persuaded them to\nleave the girl in his hands while they waited for the result in the\nstore-closet.\n\nTokutaro then seized the girl, and brutally knocked her down, pouring\nabuse upon her. He stamped upon her, and tortured her in every possible\nway, expecting every moment to see the woman turn into a fox. But she\nonly wept and cried piteously for her parents to come to her rescue.\n\nThis whole-hearted sceptic, finding his efforts so far fruitless,\npiled wood upon the floor and burnt her to death. At this juncture\nher parents came running in and bound Tokutaro to a pillar, fiercely\naccusing him of murder.\n\nNow a priest happened to pass that way, and, hearing the noise,\nrequested an explanation. When the girl's parents had told him all, and\nafter he had listened to Tokutaro's pleadings, he begged the old couple\nto spare the man's life in order that he might become in time a good\nand devout priest. This extraordinary request, after some demur, was\nagreed to, and Tokutaro knelt down to have his head shaved, happy, no\ndoubt, to be released from his predicament so easily.\n\nNo sooner had Tokutaro's wicked head been shaved than he heard a loud\npeal of laughter, and he awoke to find himself sitting on a large moor.\nHe instinctively raised his hand to his head, to discover that foxes\nhad shaved him and he had lost his bet!\n\nA Fox's Gratitude\n\nAfter the preceding gruesome legend describing the evil propensities\nof the fox, it is refreshing to come across one that was capable of\nconsiderable self-sacrifice.\n\nNow it happened, on a certain spring day, that two little boys were\ncaught in the act of trying to catch a baby fox. The man who witnessed\nthe performance possessed a kind heart, and, on hearing that the boys\nwere anxious to sell the cub, gave them half a _bu_.[6] When the\nchildren had joyfully departed with the money the man discovered that\nthe little creature was wounded in the foot. He immediately applied a\ncertain herb, and the pain speedily subsided. Perceiving at a short\ndistance a number of old foxes watching him, he generously let the cub\ngo, and it sprang with a bound to its parents and licked them profusely.\n\nNow this kind-hearted man had a son, who was afflicted with a strange\ndisease. A great physician at last prescribed the liver of a live fox\nas being the only remedy likely to effect a cure. When the boy's\nparents heard this they were much distressed, and would only consent to\naccept a fox's liver from one who made it his business to hunt foxes.\nThey finally commissioned a neighbour to obtain the liver, for which\nthey promised to pay liberally.\n\nThe following night the fox's liver was brought by a strange man\ntotally unknown to the good people of the house. The visitor professed\nto be a messenger sent by the neighbour whom they had commissioned.\nWhen, however, the neighbour himself arrived he confessed that though\nhe had tried his utmost to obtain a fox's liver he had failed to do so,\nand had come to make his apologies. He was utterly amazed to hear the\nstory the parents of the suffering boy told him.\n\nThe next day the fox's liver was made into a concoction by the great\nphysician, and immediately restored the little boy to his usual health\nagain.\n\nIn the evening a beautiful young woman appeared at the bedside of the\nhappy parents. She explained that she was the mother of the cub the\nmaster had saved, and that in gratitude for his kindness she had killed\nher offspring, and that her husband, in the guise of the mysterious\nmessenger, had brought the desired liver.[7]\n\nInari Answers a Woman's Prayer\n\nInari, as we have already found, is often extremely benevolent. One\nlegend informs us that a woman who had been married many years and\nhad not been blessed with a child prayed at Inari's shrine. At the\nconclusion of her supplication the stone foxes wagged their tails, and\nsnow began to fall. She regarded these phenomena as favourable omens.\n\nWhen the woman reached her home a _yeta_ (beggar) accosted her, and\nbegged for something to eat. The woman good-naturedly gave this\nunfortunate wayfarer some red bean rice, the only food she had in the\nhouse, and presented it to him in a dish.\n\nThe next day her husband discovered this dish lying in front of the\nshrine where she had prayed. The beggar was none other than Inari\nhimself, and the woman's generosity was rewarded in due season by the\nbirth of a child.\n\nThe Meanness of Raiko\n\nRaiko was a wealthy man living in a certain village. In spite of\nhis enormous wealth, which he carried in his _obi_ (girdle), he was\nextremely mean. As he grew older his meanness increased till at last\nhe contemplated dismissing his faithful servants who had served him so\nwell.\n\nOne day Raiko became very ill, so ill that he almost wasted away, on\naccount of a terrible fever. On the tenth night of his illness a poorly\ndressed _bozu_ (priest) appeared by his pillow, inquired how he fared,\nand added that he had expected the _oni_ to carry him off long ago.\n\nThese home truths, none too delicately expressed, made Raiko very\nangry, and he indignantly demanded that the priest should take his\ndeparture. But the _bozu_, instead of departing, told him that there\nwas only one remedy for his illness. The remedy was that Raiko should\nloosen his _obi_ and distribute his money to the poor.\n\nRaiko became still more angry at what he considered the gross\nimpertinence of the priest. He snatched a dagger from his robe and\ntried to kill the kindly _bozu_. The priest, without the least fear,\ninformed Raiko that he had heard of his mean intention to dismiss\nhis worthy servants, and had nightly come to the old man to drain his\nlife-blood. \"Now,\" said the priest, \"my object is attained!\" and with\nthese words he blew out the light.\n\nThe now thoroughly frightened Raiko felt a ghostly creature advance\ntowards him. The old man struck out blindly with his dagger, and made\nsuch a commotion that his loyal servants ran, into the room with\nlanterns, and the light revealed the horrible claw of a monster lying\nby the side of the old man's mat.\n\nCarefully following the little spots of blood, Raiko's servants came\nto a miniature mountain at the extreme end of the garden, and in the\nmountain was a large hole, from whence protruded the upper part of an\nenormous spider. This creature begged the servants to try to persuade\ntheir master not to attack the Gods, and in future to refrain from\nmeanness.\n\nWhen Raiko heard these words from his servants he repented, and gave\nlarge sums of money to the poor. Inari had assumed the shape of a\nspider and priest in order to teach the once mean old man a lesson.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: The strange supernatural powers of the fox do not belong\nexclusively to Japan. Numerous examples of this animal's magical\nattainments may be found in Chinese legend. See _Strange Tales from a\nChinese Studio_, by Professor H. A. Giles.]\n\n[Footnote 2: See my _Land of the Yellow Spring, and other Japanese\nStories_, p. 113.]\n\n[Footnote 3: See _Pastor Shi, one of China's Questions_, by Mrs.\nTaylor.]\n\n[Footnote 4: \"The Death-Stone\" is certainly one of the most remarkable\nof fox legends. It illustrates a malignant fox taking the form of a\nseductive woman in more than one life. She is a coming and vanishing\ncreature of alluring but destructive power, a sort of Japanese version\nof Fata Morgana. The legend has been adapted from a _No_, or lyrical\ndrama, translated by Professor B. H. Chamberlain.]\n\n[Footnote 5: The _cash_, now no longer in use, was roughly equivalent\nto one penny.]\n\n[Footnote 6: About 8_d_.]\n\n[Footnote 7: The liver, both animal and human, frequently figures in,\nJapanese legend as a remedy for various ailments.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI: JIZ\u014c, THE GOD OF CHILDREN\n\n\nThe Significance of Jiz\u014d\n\nJiz\u014d, the God of little children and the God who makes calm the\ntroubled sea, is certainly the most lovable of the Buddhist divinities,\nthough Kwannon, the Goddess of Mercy, has somewhat similar attributes.\nThe most popular Gods, be they of the East or West, are those Gods\nwith the most human qualities. Jiz\u014d, though of Buddhist origin, is\nessentially Japanese, and we may best describe him as being the\ncreation of innumerable Japanese women who have longed to project\ninto the Infinite, into the shrouded Beyond, a deity who should be a\ndivine Father and Mother to the souls of their little ones. And this\nis just what Jiz\u014d is, a God essentially of the feminine heart, and\nnot a being to be tossed about in the hair-splitting debates of hoary\ntheologians. A study of the nature and characteristics of Jiz\u014d will\nreveal all that is best in the Japanese woman, for he assuredly reveals\nher love, her sense of the beautiful, and her infinite compassion. Jiz\u014d\nhas all the wisdom of the Lord Buddha himself, with this important\ndifference, namely, that Jiz\u014d has waived aside Nirvana, and does not\nsit upon the Golden Lotus, but has become, through an exquisitely\nbeautiful self-sacrifice, the divine playmate and protector of Japanese\nchildren. He is the God of smiles and long sleeves, the enemy of evil\nspirits, and the one being who can heal the wound of a mother who has\nlost her child in death. We have a saying that all rivers find their\nway to the sea. To the Japanese woman who has laid her little one in\nthe cemetery all rivers wind their silver courses into the place where\nthe ever-waiting and ever-gentle Jiz\u014d is. That is why mothers who\nhave lost their children in death write prayers on little slips of\npaper, and watch them float down the rivers on their way to the great\nspiritual Father and Mother who will answer all their petitions with a\nloving smile.\n\nAt Jiz\u014d's Shrine\n\n     \"Fronting the kindly Jiz\u014d's shrine\n     The cherry-blooms are blowing now,\n     Pink cloud of flower on slender bough,\n     And hidden tracery of line.\n\n     \"Rose-dawn against moss-mellowed grey,\n     Through which the wind-tost sprays allow\n     Glimpse of calm smile and placid brow,\n     Of carven face where sunbeams play.\n\n     \"Dawn-time, I pluck a branch, and swift\n     Flutters a flight of petals fair;\n     Through the fresh-scented morning air\n     Down to the waving grass they drift.\n\n     \"Noon-tide my idle fingers stray,\n     Through the fair maze of bud and flower,\n     Sending a sudden blossom-shower\n     From the sweet fragance-haunted spray.\n\n     \"Low in the west the red fire dies,\n     Vaguely I lift my hand, but now\n     Jiz\u014d is not--nor cherry bough--\n     Only the dark of starless skies!\"\n                                    Clara A. Walsh.\n\n\nJiz\u014d and Lafcadio Hearn\n\nLafcadio Hearn, in one of his letters,[1] writes: \"There is a queer\ncustom in Izumo which may interest you. When a wedding takes place in\nthe house of an unpopular man in the country the young men of the\nvillage carry a roadside statue of Jiz\u014d into the Zashiki, and announce\nthe coming of the God. (This is especially done with an avaricious\nfarmer, or a stingy family.) Food and wine are demanded by the God.\nThe members of the family must come in, salute the deity, and give all\nthe _sak\u00e9_ and food demanded while any remains in the house. It is\ndangerous to refuse; the young peasants would probably wreck the house.\nAfter this the statue is carried back again to its place. The visit of\nJiz\u014d is much dreaded. It is never made to persons who are liked.\"\n\nOn one occasion Lafcadio Hearn, who had a very warm admiration for this\nGod, desired to restore the head and arms of a broken Jiz\u014d image. His\nwife remonstrated with him, and we quote his quaint reply because it\nreminds us not a little of the last legend mentioned in this chapter:\n\"_Gomen_, _gomen!_ [\"Forgive me!\"] I thought only to give a little joy\nas I hoped. The Jiz\u014d I wrote you about is not the thing you will find\nin the graveyards; but it is Jiz\u014d who shall guard and pacify the seas.\nIt is not a sad kind, but you do not like my idea, so I have given up\nmy project. It was only papa's foolish thought. However, poor Jiz\u014d-sama\nwept bitterly when it heard of your answer to me. I said to it, 'I\ncannot help it, as Mamma San doubted your real nature, and thinks that\nyou are a graveyard-keeper. I know that you are the saviour of seas and\nsailors.' The Jiz\u014d is crying even now.\"\n\n\"The Dry Bed of the River of Souls\"\n\nUnder the earth there is the Sai-no-Kawara, or \"the Dry Bed of the\nRiver of Souls.\" This is the place where all children go after death,\nchildren and those who have never married. Here the little ones play\nwith the smiling Jiz\u014d, and here it is that they build small towers of\nstones, for there are many in this river-bed. The mothers of these\nchildren, in the world above them, also pile up stones around the\nimages of Jiz\u014d, for these little towers represent prayers; they are\ncharms against the _oni_ or wicked spirits. Sometimes in the Dry Bed of\nthe River of Souls the _oni_ for a moment gain a temporary victory, and\nknock down the little towers which the ghosts of children have built\nwith so much laughter. When such a misfortune takes place the laughter\nceases, and the little ones fly to Jiz\u014d for protection. He hides them\nin his long sleeves, and with his sacred staff drives away the red-eyed\n_oni_.\n\nThe place where the souls of children dwell is a shadowy and grey world\nof dim hills and vales through which the Sai-no-Kawara winds its way.\nAll the children are clad in short white garments, and if occasionally\nthe evil spirits frighten them there is always Jiz\u014d to dry their tears,\nalways one who sends them back to their ghostly games again.\n\nThe following hymn of Jiz\u014d, known as \"The Legend of the Humming of the\nSai-no-Kawara,\" gives us a beautiful and vivid conception of Jiz\u014d and\nthis ghostly land where children play:\n\nThe Legend of the Humming of the Sai-no-Kawara\n\n   \"Not of this world is the story of sorrow.\n   The story of the Sai-no-Kawara,\n   At the roots of the Mountain of Shide;--\n   Not of this world is the tale; yet 'tis most pitiful to hear.\n   For together in the Sai-no-Kawara are assembled\n   Children of tender age in multitude,--\n   Infants but two or three years old,\n   Infants of four or five, infants of less than ten:\n   In the Sai-no-Kawara are they gathered together.\n   And the voice of their longing for their parents,\n   The voice of their crying for their mothers and their fathers--\n   Is never as the voice of the crying of children in this world,\n   But a crying so pitiful to hear\n   That the sound of it would pierce through flesh and bone.\n   And sorrowful indeed the task which they perform,--\n   Gathering the stones of the bed of the river,\n   Therewith to heap the tower of prayers.\n   Saying prayers for the happiness of father, they heap the first tower;\n   Saying prayers for the happiness of mother, they heap the second\n     tower;\n   Saying prayers for their brothers, their sisters, and all whom they\n     loved at home, they heap the third tower.\n   Such, by day, are their pitiful diversions.\n   But ever as the sun begins to sink below the horizon,\n   Then do the _Oni_, the demons of the hells, appear,\n   And say to them,--'What is this that you do here?\n   Lo! your parents still living in the Shaba-world\n   Take no thought of pious offering or holy work:\n   They do nought but mourn for you from the morning unto the\n     evening.\n   Oh! how pitiful! alas! how unmerciful!\n   Verily the cause of the pains that you suffer\n   Is only the mourning, the lamentation of your parents.'\n   And saying also, 'Blame never us!'\n   The demons cast down the heaped-up towers,\n   They dash their stones down with their clubs of iron.\n   But lo! the teacher Jiz\u014d appears.\n   All gently he comes, and says to the weeping infants:--\n   'Be not afraid, dears! be never fearful!\n   Poor little souls, your lives were brief indeed!\n   Too soon you were forced to make the weary journey to the Meido,\n   The long journey to the region of the dead!\n   Trust to me! I am your father and mother in the Meido,\n   Father of all children in the region of the dead.'\n   And he folds the skirt of his shining robe about them;\n   So graciously takes he pity on the infants.\n   To those who cannot walk he stretches forth his strong _shakuj\u014d_,[2]\n   And he pets the little ones, caresses them, takes them to his loving\n     bosom.\n   So graciously he takes pity on the infants.\n   _Namu Amida Butsu_!\"[3]\n                                               Lafcadio Hearn.\n\n[Illustration: Jiz\u014d--108]\n\nThis abode of the souls of children is certainly not an ideal land.\nIt is Jiz\u014d, and not his country, who has sprung from the hearts of\nJapanese women. The stern Buddhist teaching of cause and effect, of\nbirth and re-birth, applies to even gentle infants. But if the great\nWheel of Existence revolves with unerring force, and only fails to move\nwhen the desire for not-being is finally attained in Nirvana, Jiz\u014d\nlovingly stands at the foot of Destiny and makes easy the way where the\nfeet of little children so softly patter.\n\nThe Cave of the Children's Ghosts\n\nThere is a cave in Japan known as Kyu-Kukedo-San, or Ancient Cavern,\nand far within its recess there is to be found an image of Jiz\u014d, with\nhis mystic jewel and sacred staff. Before Jiz\u014d there is a little\n_torii_[4] and a pair of _gohei_,[5] both symbols of the Shint\u014d faith;\nbut, as Lafcadio Hearn observes, \"this gentle divinity has no enemies;\nat the feet of the lover of children's ghosts both creeds unite in\ntender homage.\" Here it is that the ghosts of little children meet,\nsoftly whispering together as they stoop hither and thither in order\nto build their towers of stones. At night they creep over the sea from\ntheir Dry Bed of the River of Souls, and cover the sand in the cavern\nwith their ghostly footsteps, building, ever building those prayers of\nstone, while Jiz\u014d smiles down upon their loving labour. They depart\nbefore the rising of the sun, for it is said that the dead fear to gaze\nupon the Sun Goddess, and most especially are these infants afraid of\nher bright gold eyes.\n\n\nThe Fountain of Jiz\u014d\n\nAnother beautiful sea-cave contains the Fountain of Jiz\u014d. It is a\nfountain of flowing milk, at which the souls of children quench their\nthirst. Mothers suffering from want of milk come to this fountain and\npray to Jiz\u014d, and mothers having more milk than their infants require\npray to the same God that he may take some of their milk and give it to\nthe souls of children in his great shadowy kingdom. And Jiz\u014d is said to\nanswer their prayers.\n\nHow Jiz\u014d Remembered\n\nA woman named Soga Sadayoshi lived by feeding silkworms and gathering\ntheir silk. One day, on a visit to the temple of Ken-cho-ji, she\nthought that an image of Jiz\u014d looked cold, and went home, made a cap,\nreturned with it, and set it upon Jiz\u014d's head, saying: \"Would I were\nrich enough to give thee a warm covering for all thine august body;\nbut, alas! I am poor, and even this which I offer thee is unworthy of\nthy divine acceptance.\"\n\nIn her fiftieth year the woman died, and as her body remained warm\nfor three days her relatives would not consent to her burial. On the\nevening of the third day, however, much to the surprise and joy of\nthose about her, she came to life once more.\n\nShortly after the woman had resumed her work again she narrated how her\nsoul had appeared before the great and terrible Emma-\u014c, Lord and Judge\nof the dead, and how that dread being had been angry with her because,\ncontrary to Buddha's teaching, she had killed innumerable silkworms.\nEmma-\u014c was so angry that he ordered her to be thrown into a pot filled\nwith molten metal. While she cried out in intense agony Jiz\u014d came and\nstood beside her, and immediately the metal ceased to burn. After Jiz\u014d\nhad spoken kindly to the woman he led her to Emma-\u014c, and requested that\nshe who had once kept warm one of his images should receive pardon. And\nEmma-\u014c granted the request of the ever-loving and compassionate God,\nand the woman returned to the sunny world of Japan again.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: _The Japanese Letters of Lafcadio Hearn_, edited by\nElizabeth Bisland.]\n\n[Footnote 2: Sacred staff.]\n\n[Footnote 3: \"Hail, omnipotent Buddha!\"]\n\n[Footnote 4: A gateway.]\n\n[Footnote 5: \"A wand from which depend strips of white paper cut into\nlittle angular bunches (_gohei_), intended to represent the offerings\nof cloth which were anciently tied to branches of the sacred cleyera\ntree at festival time.\"--B. H. Chamberlain.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII: LEGEND IN JAPANESE ART\n\n\nThe Significance of Japanese Art\n\nSir Alfred East, in lecturing on the subject of Japanese art, described\nit as \"great in small things, but small in great things,\" and this,\ngenerally speaking, is very true. The Japanese artist excels in\ndepicting flowers and insects and birds. He is triumphant in portraying\nthe curl of a wave, a branch of cherry-blossom against a full moon, a\nflight of heron, a group of pine-trees, and carp swimming in a stream;\nbut that genius for minute and accurate detail seems to have prevented\nhim from depicting what we understand as a great subject-picture,\nan historical scene crowded with many figures. This zest to portray\nvarious fragments from Nature was no narrow and academic affair. Art\nwas not intended solely for the _kakemono_, or hanging scroll, to be\nsuspended in the alcove of a Japanese home, to be admired for a time,\nand then to be replaced by another. Art in Japan was universal to an\nextent not to be found in any other country, where a cheap towel had a\npleasing design upon it, and where the playing cards, unlike our own,\nwere works of art.\n\nIt has been said that the woman in Japanese art is wooden. This is not\nreally so, if by wooden we mean entirely without expression; but it is\nnecessary first of all to know something about the Japanese woman in\nactual life before we can understand her representation in art. There\nis a wealth of old tradition behind that apparently immobile face. It\nis a curious fact that until we get accustomed to the various Japanese\ntypes one face so closely resembles another that discrimination is out\nof the question, and we are apt to run away with the idea that Nature\nin Japan has been content to repeat the same physiognomy over and over\nagain, forgetting that we in turn present no diversity of type to the\nJapanese on first acquaintance. The Japanese face in art is not without\nexpression, only it happens to be an expression rather different\nfrom that with which we are familiar, and this is particularly true\nin regard to the portrayal of Japanese women. Most of us have seen a\nnumber of colour-prints devoted to this subject in which we find no\nshading in the face. We are apt to exclaim that this omission gives an\nextremely flat effect to the face, and to observe in consequence that\nthe work before us must be very bad art. But it is not bad art, for the\nJapanese face _is_ flat, and the artists of that country never fail to\nreflect this characteristic. Colour-prints depicting Nipponese women\ndo not reveal emotion--a smile, a gesture of yearning, are absent; but\nbecause we find so much negation we should be very far from the truth\nto suppose that a colour-print of this kind expresses no feeling,\nthat the general effect is doll-like and uninteresting. We must take\ninto consideration the long period of suppression through which the\nJapanese woman had to pass. A superficial study of that extraordinary\ntreatise by Kaibara known as _Onna Daigaku_, or \"The Greater Learning\nfor Women,\" will help us to realise that it was the duty of every\nJapanese woman to be sweet, amiable, virtuous; to obey those in\nauthority without demur, and above all to suppress her feelings. When\nwe have taken these points into consideration we shall very slowly\nperceive that there is strength and not weakness in a portrait of a\nJapanese woman; a quiet and dignified beauty in which impulse is held\nin check, veiled, as it were, behind a cloud of rigid tradition. The\nJapanese woman, though she has been surrounded at every turn by severe\ndiscipline, has, nevertheless, given us a type of womanhood supreme\nin her true sweetness of disposition, and the Japanese artist has\ncaught the glamour of her charm. In the curve of her form he suggests\nthe grace of a wind-blown willow, in the designs upon her robe the\npromise of spring, and behind the small red mouth a wealth of infinite\npossibilities.\n\nJapan owed her art to Buddhism, and it was quickened and sustained by\nChinese influence. Buddhism gave Nippon her pictorial art, her mural\ndecoration and exquisite carving. Shint\u014d temples were severe and plain,\nthose of Buddhism were replete with all that art could give them; and\nlast, but not least, it was Buddha's teaching that brought into Japan\nthe art of gardening, with all its elaborate and beautiful symbolism.\n\nA Japanese art critic wrote: \"If in the midst of a stroke a sword-cut\nhad severed the brush it would have bled.\" From this we may gather\nthat the Japanese artist put his whole heart into his work; it was a\npart of him, something vital, something akin to religion itself. With\nthis great force behind his brush it is no wonder that he was able to\ngive that extraordinary life and movement to his work, so strikingly\ndepicted in portraits of actors.\n\nThough we have so far only shown the Japanese artist as a master\nof little things, he has, nevertheless, faithfully and effectively\nrepresented the Gods and Goddesses of his country, and many of the\nmyths and legends connected with them. If he excelled in the beautiful,\nhe no less excelled in depicting the horrible, for no artists,\nexcepting those of China, have succeeded in portraying the supernatural\nto more effect. What a contrast there is between an exquisite picture\nof Jiz\u014d or Buddha or Kwannon and the pictorial representation of a\nJapanese goblin! Extreme beauty and extreme ugliness are to be found in\nJapanese art, and those who love the many pictures of Mount Fuji and\nthe moth-like colouring of Utamaru's women will turn in horror from the\nghastly representations of supernatural beings.\n\nThe Gods of Good Fortune\n\nMany of the legendary stories given in this volume have been portrayed\nby Japanese artists, and in the present chapter we propose to deal\nwith the legends in Japanese art not hitherto mentioned. The favourite\ntheme of the Japanese artist is undoubtedly that of the Seven Gods of\nGood Fortune, nearly always treated with rollicking good-humour. There\nwas Fukurokuju, with a very long head, and attended by a crane, deer,\nor tortoise; Daikoku, who stood upon rice-bales and was accompanied by\na rat; Ebisu, carrying a fish; Hotei, the merry God of Laughter, the\nvery embodiment of our phrase \"Laugh and grow fat.\" There was Bishamon,\nresplendent in armour, and bearing a spear and toy pagoda; Benten, the\nGoddess of Beauty, Wealth, Fertility, and Offspring; while Jur\u014djin was\nvery similar to Fukurokuju. These Seven Gods of Good Fortune, or, to\nbe more accurate, six Gods and one Goddess, seem to have sprung from\nShint\u014dism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Brahmanism, and apparently date from\nthe seventeenth century.\n\nThe Treasure Ship\n\nIn connection with this theme the Japanese artist is fond of portraying\nthe Gods of Good Fortune as jovial passengers on the _Takara-bune_, or\nTreasure Ship, which is said to come to port on New Year's Eve, with no\nless a cargo than the Hat of Invisibility, the Lucky Raincoat, coat,\nthe Sacred Key, the Inexhaustible Purse, and other curious and magical\ntreasures. At this time of the year pictures of the Treasure Ship are\nplaced under children's wooden pillows, and the practice is said to\nbring a lucky dream.\n\n     \"Sleep, my own, till the bell of dusk\n     Bring the stars laden with a dream.\n     With that dream you shall awake\n     Between the laughters and the song.\"\n\nYone Noguchi.\n\nThe Miraculous in Japanese Art\n\nAmong other legends is the story of Hidari Jingor\u014d, the famous\nsculptor, whose masterpiece came to life when finished, which reminds\nus not a little of the story of Pygmalion. There are other legendary\nstories connected with the coming to life of Japanese works of art.\nOn a certain occasion a number of peasants were much annoyed by the\ndestruction of their gardens caused by some wild animal. Eventually\nthey discovered that the intruder was a great black horse, and on\ngiving chase it suddenly disappeared into a temple. When they entered\nthe building they found Kanasoka's painting of a black steed steaming\nwith its recent exertion! The great artist at once painted in a rope\ntethering the animal to a post, and from that day to this the peasants'\ngardens have remained unmolested.\n\nWhen the great artist Sesshiu was a little boy the story goes that he\nwas, by way of punishment, securely bound in a Buddhist temple. Using\nhis copious tears for ink and his toe for a brush, the little fellow\nsketched some rats upon the floor. Immediately they came to life and\ngnawed through the rope that bound their youthful creator.\n\n\nHokusai\n\nThere is something more than mere legend in these stories, if we\nmay believe the words of the famous artist Hokusai, whose \"Hundred\nViews of Fuji\" are regarded as the finest examples of Japanese\nlandscape-painting. He wrote in his Preface to this work: \"At ninety I\nshall penetrate the mystery of things; at a hundred I shall certainly\nhave reached a marvellous stage; and when I am a hundred and ten\neverything I do, be it a dot or a line, will be alive.\" Needless to\nsay, Hokusai did not reach the age of a hundred and ten. In his last\nhours he wrote the following lines, which were afterwards inscribed\nupon his tomb:\n\n     \"My soul, turned Will-o'-the-wisp,\n     Can come and go at ease over the summer fields.\"\n\n\nWith that strong poetic feeling so characteristic of the Japanese,\nEternity meant for Hokusai an infinite time in which to carry on his\nbeloved work--to perfect, to make alive all the wonderful strokes of\nhis brush. As in ancient Egypt, so in Old Japan, the future life could\nonly mean real happiness with periodic visits to this world again,\nand there is a subtle and almost pathetic paradox in this conception,\nsuggesting, as it were, the continual loading of Eternity with fresh\nearthly memories. In both countries we find the spirit hankering after\nold human haunts. In Egypt the soul returned through the medium of\nits preserved body, and in Japan the Festival of the Dead, described\nelsewhere, afforded a joyous exit from the world of Emma-\u014c, a three\ndays' visit in the middle of July to Japan, a land more beautiful, more\ndear, it would seem, than any Japanese conception of a future world.\nBut Hokusai appears to suggest that his visits would not be made merely\nin the summer season--rather a frequent coming and going at all times\nof the year.\n\nA Japanese poet has written:\n\n     \"It is an awesome thing\n     To meet a-wandering,\n     In the dark night,\n     The dark and rainy night,\n     A phantom greenish-grey,\n     Ghost of some wight,\n     Poor mortal wight!\n     Wandering\n     Lonesomely\n     Through\n     The black\n     Night.\"\n\nTranslated by Clara A. Walsh.\n\nGhosts and Goblins\n\nIt is scarcely less awesome to come across ghosts, goblins, and\nother supernatural beings in a Japanese picture. We find ghosts\nwith long necks supporting horribly leering faces. Their necks are\nso long that it would seem that the ghastly heads could look above\nand into everything with a fiendish and dreadful relish. The ghoul,\nthough represented in Japanese art as a three-year-old child, has\nreddish-brown hair, very long ears, and is often depicted as eating\nthe kidneys of dead people. The horrible in this phase of Japanese art\nis emphasised to an almost unbearable degree, and a living Japanese\nartist's conception of a procession of ghosts[1] is so uncanny,\nso weird, that we certainly should not like to meet them in broad\ndaylight, much less \"through the dark night!\"\n\n\nA Garden of Skulls\n\nThe Japanese artist's conception of a garden, with its pine-trees,\nand stone lanterns, and azalea-bordered lakes, is usually extremely\nbeautiful. Hiroshige, like so many Japanese artists, has painted a\ngarden touched with snow; but in one of his pictures he portrays\nthe snow as turning into a number of skulls, and has borrowed this\nfantastic conception from the _Heike Monogatari_.\n\nIt must not be thought that the Japanese artist, when portraying some\nsupernatural being, or in depicting some scene from a legendary story,\nexclusively catches the grim and horrible. The grim and horrible are\ncertainly portrayed with considerable spirit and dramatic force, but\nmany of the Japanese works of art depict the Gods and Goddesses of Old\nJapan with much grace and charm.\n\nThe Dream of Rose[2]\n\nJapanese ornament frequently illustrates some ancient legend. We may\nsee on a certain _tsuba_ (sword-guard) a pine-tree with people sitting\nin the branches. One man carries a banner, while two others are playing\non musical instruments. There is an exquisite legend connected with\nthis quaint design, and, though it is of Chinese origin, it deserves\nto find a place in this volume because it is one of those fantastic\nChinese legends that has been woven into Japanese literature and\nart--has become, in short, one of the favourite themes of Japanese\nartists, and of those who witness the _No_, or lyrical drama, of Nippon.\n\nRosei, in ancient times, reached the little inn of Kantan, so weary\nwith his travel that he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the\npillow. It was no ordinary pillow, but might well be described as\nthe Magic Pillow of Dreams, for directly Rosei was asleep an envoy\napproached him, and said: \"I am sent by the Emperor of Ibara to inform\nyou that his Majesty wishes to relinquish the throne and to install you\nin his place. Be pleased to enter the palanquin that awaits you, and\nthe bearers will quickly carry you to the capital.\"\n\nRosei, much amazed by what he had heard and seen, entered the\npalanquin, \"strewn with gems of radiant hue,\" and was borne to a\nwonderful country, best described in the following verse:\n\n     \"For ne'er in those old vasty halls Imperial,\n     Bath'd in the moonbeams bright,\n     Or where the dragon soars on clouds ethereal,\n     Was ought like this to entrance the sight:\n     With golden sand and silvern pebbles white\n     Was strewn the floor;\n     And at the corners four,\n     Through gates inlaid\n     With diamonds and jade,\n     Pass'd throngs whose vestments were of radiant light,--\n     So fair a scene,\n     That mortal eye might ween\n     It scann'd the very heav'ns' unknown delight.\n     Here countless gifts the folk came bearing,\n     Precious as myriad coins of finest gold;\n     And there, the lesser with the greater sharing,\n     Advanc'd the vassals bold,\n     Their banners to display\n     That paint the sky with colours gay,\n     While rings the air as had a thunder roll'd.\"\n                               Trans. by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\n\n\nRosei found himself in a magical country where Nature either forgot her\nnatural laws or was led into fresh wonders by the people of that land.\nIn the east there was a silver hill over which the gold sun shone, and\nin the west there was a gold hill over which the moon shone.\n\n     \"No spring and autumn mark the time,\n     And o'er that deathless gate\n     The sun and moon their wonted speed forget.\"\n                              Trans, by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\n\n\nThe whole idea of this charming story seems to suggest that this\ncountry was not only a land of eternal youth, but a land, too, where\nNature marshalled her seasons together, where there were always colour\nand blossom, and where no flower faded.\n\nWhen Rosei had lived and reigned for fifty years in this glorious\ncountry a minister came to him one day and bade him drink of the Elixir\nof Life, in order that he might, like his subjects, live for ever.\n\nThe monarch drank the Elixir, \"'Mid dazzling pomp and joys more\nravishing than e'er before were shower'd on mortal sight.\" Rosei\nbelieved that he had cheated Death of his due, and lived the life\nof poetic, if sensuous, ecstasy. He gave sumptuous feasts to his\ncourtiers, feasts which saw the sun and moon without intermission,\nwhere lovely maidens danced, and where there were endless music and\nsong.\n\nIt so happened, however, that these joyous feasts, these pageants of\ncolour, were not endless after all, for eventually Rosei awoke to find\nhimself resting upon \"Kantan's pillow.\" The moralist steps in at this\njuncture with the following:\n\n     \"But he that ponders well\n     Will find all life the self-same story tell,--\n     That, when death comes, a century of bliss\n     Fades like a dream.\"\n                        Trans. by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\nRosei, after this fantastic experience, came to the conclusion that\n\"life is a dream,\" that ambition is a dream too, and, having accepted\nthis Buddhistic teaching, he returned to his own home.\n\nA Kakemono Ghost[3]\n\nSawara was a pupil in the house of the artist Tenko, who was a kind and\nable master, while Sawara, even at the commencement of his art studies,\nshowed considerable promise. Kimi, Tenko's niece, devoted her time to\nher uncle and in directing the affairs of the household generally. Kimi\nwas beautiful, and it was not long before she fell desperately in love\nwith Sawara. This young pupil regarded her as very charming, one to\ndie for if need be, and in his heart he secretly loved her. His love,\nhowever, unlike Kimi's, was not demonstrative, for he had his work to\nattend to, and so, to be sure, had Kimi; but work with Sawara came\nbefore his love, and with Kimi it was only love that mattered.\n\nOne day, when Tenko was paying a visit, Kimi came to Sawara, and,\nunable to restrain her feelings any longer, told him of her love, and\nasked him if he would like to marry her. Having made her request, she\nset tea before her lover, and awaited his answer.\n\nSawara returned her affection, and said that he would be delighted to\nmarry her, adding, however, that marriage was not possible until after\ntwo or three years, when he had established a position for himself and\nhad become a famous artist.\n\nSawara, in order to add to his knowledge of art, decided to study\nunder a celebrated painter named Myokei, and, everything having been\narranged, he bade farewell to his old master and Kimi, promising that\nhe would return as soon as he had made a name for himself and become a\ngreat artist.\n\nTwo years went by and Tenko and Kimi heard no news of Sawara. Many\nadmirers of Kimi came to her uncle with offers of marriage, and Tenko\nwas debating as to what he should do in the matter, when he received a\nletter from Myokei, saying that Sawara was doing good work, and that he\ndesired that his excellent pupil should marry his daughter.\n\nTenko imagined, perhaps not without some reason, that Sawara had\nforgotten all about Kimi, and that the best thing he could do was to\ngive her in marriage to Yorozuya, a wealthy merchant, and also to\nfulfil Miyokei's wish that Sawara should marry the great painter's\ndaughter. With these intentions Tenko resolved to employ strategy, so\nhe called Kimi to him, and said:\n\n\"Kimi, I have had a letter from Myokei, and I am afraid the sad news\nwhich it contains will distress you. Myokei wishes Sawara to marry his\ndaughter, and I have told him that I fully approve of the union. I\nfeel sure that Sawara has neglected you, and I therefore wish that you\nshould marry Yorozuya, who will make, I am sure, a very good husband.\"\n\nWhen Kimi heard these words she wept bitterly, and without a word went\nto her room.\n\nIn the morning Tenko entered Kimi's apartment, but his niece had\ngone, and the protracted search that followed failed to discover her\nwhereabouts.\n\nWhen Myokei had received Tenko's letter he told the promising young\nartist that he wished him to marry his daughter, and thus establish a\nfamily of painters; but Sawara was amazed to hear this extraordinary\nnews, and explained that he could not accept the honour of becoming his\nson-in-law because he was already engaged to Tenko's niece.\n\nSawara, all too late, sent letters to Kimi, and, receiving no reply,\nhe set out for his old home, shortly after the death of Myokei.\n\nWhen he reached the little house where he had received his first\nlessons in the art of painting he learnt with anger that Kimi had left\nher old uncle, and in due time he married Kiku (\"Chrysanthemum\"), the\ndaughter of a wealthy farmer.\n\nShortly after Sawara's marriage the Lord of Aki bade him paint the\nseven scenes of the Islands of Kabakari-jima, which were to be mounted\non gold screens. He at once set out for these islands, and made a\nnumber of rough sketches. While thus employed he met along the shore\na woman with a red cloth round her loins, her hair loose and falling\nabout her shoulders. She carried shell-fish in her basket, and as soon\nas she saw Sawara she recognised him.\n\n\"You are Sawara and I am Kimi,\" said she, \"to whom you are engaged. It\nwas a false report about your marriage with Myokei's daughter, and my\nheart is full of joy, for now nothing prevents our union.\"\n\n\"Alas! poor, much-wronged Kimi, that cannot be!\" replied Sawara. \"I\nthought that you deserted Tenko, and that you had forgotten me, and\nbelieving these things to be true I have married Kiku, a farmer's\ndaughter.\"\n\n[Illustration: A Kakemono Ghost.--124]\n\nKimi, without a word, sprang forward like a hunted animal, ran along\nthe shore, and entered her little hut, Sawara running after her and\ncalling her name over and over again. Before his very eyes he saw Kimi\ntake a knife and thrust it into her throat, and in another moment she\nlay dead upon the ground. Sawara wept as he gazed upon her still form,\nnoticed the wistful beauty of Death upon her cheek, and saw a new glory\nin her wind-blown hair. So fair and wonderful was her presence now that\nwhen he had controlled his weeping he made a sketch of the woman who\nhad loved him so well, but so pitifully. Above the mark of the tide\nhe buried her, and when he reached his own home he took out the rough\nsketch, painted a picture of Kimi, and hung the _kakemono_ on the wall.\n\nKimi Finds Peace\n\nThat very night he awoke to find that the figure on the _kakemono_ had\ncome to life, that Kimi with the wound in her throat, the dishevelled\nhair, stood beside him. Night after night she came, a silent, pitiful\nfigure, until at last Sawara, unable to bear these visitations any\nlonger, presented the _kakemono_ to the Korinji Temple and sent his\nwife back to her parents. The priests of the Korinji Temple prayed\nevery day for the soul of Kimi, and by and by Kimi found peace and\ntroubled Sawara no more.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: See _Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan_, by R. Gordon\nSmith.]\n\n[Footnote 2: Adapted from the _No_ drama, translated by B. H.\nChamberlain.]\n\n[Footnote 3: _Ancient Tales and folk-lore of Japan_, by R. Gordon\nSmith.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII: THE STAR LOVERS AND THE ROBE OF FEATHERS\n\n\nThe Star Lovers\n\nOne of the most romantic of the old Japanese festivals is the Festival\nof Tanabata, the Weaving Lady. It takes place on the seventh day of the\nseventh month, and on this occasion it was customary to place freshly\ncut bamboos either on the roofs of houses or to fix them in the ground\nclose beside them. Coloured strips of paper were attached to these\nbamboos, and upon every strip of paper was a poem in praise of Tanabata\nand her husband Hikoboshi, such as: \"As Tanabata slumbers with her long\nsleeves rolled up, until the reddening of the dawn, do not, O storks of\nthe river-shallows, awaken her by your cries.\" This festival will more\nreadily be understood when we have described the legend in connection\nwith it.\n\nThe God of the Firmament had a lovely daughter, by name, and she spent\nher time in weaving for her august father. One day, while she sat at\nher loom, she chanced to see a handsome lad leading an ox, and she\nimmediately fell in love with him. Tanabata's father, reading her\nsecret thoughts, speedily consented to their marriage. Unfortunately,\nhowever, they loved \"not wisely, but too well,\" with the result that\nTanabata neglected her weaving, and Hikoboshi's ox was allowed to\nwander at large over the High Plain of Heaven. The God of the Firmament\nbecame extremely angry, and commanded that these too ardent lovers\nshould henceforth be separated by the Celestial River. On the seventh\nnight of the seventh month, provided the weather was favourable, a\ngreat company of birds formed a bridge across the river, and by this\nmeans the lovers were able to meet. Their all too brief visit was not\neven a certainty, for if there were rain the Celestial River would\nbecome too wide for even a great bridge of magpies to span, and the\nlovers would be compelled to wait another weary year before there was\neven a chance of meeting each other again.\n\nNo wonder that on the Festival of the Weaving Maiden little children\nshould sing, \"_Tenki ni nari_\" (\"Oh, weather, be clear!\"). Love laughs\nat locksmiths in our own country, but the Celestial River in flood is\nanother matter. When the weather is fine and the Star Lovers meet each\nother after a weary year's waiting it is said that the stars, possibly\nLyra and Aquila, shine with five different colours--blue, green, red,\nyellow, and white--and that is why the poems are written on paper of\nthese colours.\n\nThe Robe of Feathers[1]\n\n     \"Oh, magic strains that fill our ravish'd ears!\n     The fairy sings, and from the cloudy spheres,\n     Chiming in unison, the angels' lutes,\n     Tabrets, and cymbals, and sweet silv'ry flutes,\n     Ring through the heav'n that glows with purple hues,\n     As when Someiro's western slope endues\n     The tints of sunset, while the azure wave\n     From isle to isle the pine-clad shores doth lave.\n     From Yukishima's slope--a beauteous storm--\n     Whirl down the flow'rs: and still that magic form,\n     Those snowy pinions, flutt'ring in the light,\n     Ravish our souls with wonder and delight.\"\n            _Ha-Goromo_. (Trans. by B. H. Chamberlain.)\n\nIt was spring-time, and along Mio's pine-clad shore there came a sound\nof birds. The blue sea danced and sparkled in the sunshine, and\nHairukoo, a fisherman, sat down to enjoy the scene. As he did so he\nchanced to see, hanging on a pine-tree, a beautiful robe of pure white\nfeathers.\n\nAs Hairukoo was about to take down the robe he saw coming toward\nhim from the sea an extremely lovely maiden, who requested that the\nfisherman would restore the robe to her.\n\nHairukoo gazed upon the lady with considerable admiration. Said he: \"I\nfound this robe, and I mean to keep it, for it is a marvel to be placed\namong the treasures of Japan. No, I cannot possibly give it to you.\"\n\n\"Oh,\" cried the maiden pitifully, \"I cannot go soaring into the sky\nwithout my robe of feathers, for if you persist in keeping it I can\nnever more return to my celestial home. Oh, good fisherman, I beg of\nyou to restore my robe!\"\n\nThe fisherman, who must have been a hard-hearted fellow, refused to\nrelent. \"The more you plead,\" said he, \"the more determined I am to\nkeep what I have found.\"\n\nThus the maiden made answer:\n\n     \"Speak not, dear fisherman! speak not that word!\n     Ah! know'st thou not that, like the hapless bird\n     Whose wings are broke, I seek, but seek in vain,\n     Reft of my wings, to soar to heav'n's blue plain?\"\n                               Trans. by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\nAfter further argument on the subject the fisherman's heart softened a\nlittle. \"I will restore your robe of feathers,\" said he, \"if you will\nat once dance before me.\"\n\nThen the maiden replied: \"I will dance it here--the dance that makes\nthe Palace of the Moon turn round, so that even poor transitory man may\nlearn its mysteries. But I cannot dance without my feathers.\"\n\n\"No,\" said the fisherman suspiciously. \"If I give you this robe you\nwill fly away without dancing before me.\"\n\nThis remark made the maiden extremely angry. \"The pledge of mortals may\nbe broken,\" said she, \"but there is no falsehood among the Heavenly\nBeings.\"\n\nThese words put the fisherman to shame, and, without more ado, he gave\nthe maiden her robe of feathers.\n\nThe Moon-Lady's Song\n\nWhen the maiden had put on her pure white garment she struck a musical\ninstrument and began to dance, and while she danced and played she\nsang of many strange and beautiful things concerning her far-away home\nin the Moon. She sang of the mighty Palace of the Moon, where thirty\nmonarchs ruled, fifteen in robes of white when that shining orb was\nfull, and fifteen robed in black when the Moon was waning. As she sang\nand played and danced she blessed Japan, \"that earth may still her\nproper increase yield!\"\n\nThe fisherman did not long enjoy this kindly exhibition of the\nMoon-Lady's skill, for very soon her dainty feet ceased to tap upon the\nsand. She rose into the air, the white feathers of her robe gleaming\nagainst the pine-trees or against the blue sky itself. Up, up she went,\nstill playing and singing, past the summits of the mountains, higher\nand higher, until her song was hushed, until she reached the glorious\nPalace of the Moon.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: The subject of this story resembles a certain Norse\nlegend. See William Morris's _The Land East of the Sun and West of the\nMoon_.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX: LEGENDS OF MOUNT FUJI\n\n\nThe Mountain of the Lotus and the Fan\n\nMount Fuji, or Fuji-yama (\"The Never-dying Mountain\"), seems to be\ntypically Japanese. Its great snow-capped cone resembles a huge\ninverted fan, the fine streaks down its sides giving the appearance of\nfan-ribs. A native has thus fittingly described it: \"Fuji dominates\nlife by its silent beauty: sorrow is hushed, longing quieted, peace\nseems to flow down from that changeless home of peace, the peak of the\nwhite lotus.\" The reference here to a white lotus is as appropriate as\nthat of the wide-stretched fan, for it refers to the sacred flower of\nthe Lord Buddha, and its eight points symbolise to the devout Buddhist\nthe Eight Intelligences of Perception, Purpose, Speech, Conduct,\nLiving, Effort, Mindfulness, and Contemplation. The general effect\nof Fuji, then, suggests on the one hand religion, and on the other a\nfan vast enough and fair enough to coquet with stars and swift-moving\nclouds. Poets and artists alike have paid their tributes of praise to\nthis peerless mountain, and we give the following exquisite poem on\nthis apparently inexhaustible theme:\n\n     \"Fuji Yama,\n     Touched by thy divine breath,\n     We return to the shape of God.\n     Thy silence is Song,\n     Thy song is the song of Heaven:\n     Our land of fever and care\n     Turns to a home of mellow-eyed ease--\n     The home away from the land\n     Where mortals are born only to die.\n     We Japanese daughters and sons,\n     Chanting of thy fair majesty,\n     The pride of God,\n     Seal our shadows in thy bosom,\n     The balmiest place of eternity,\n     O white-faced wonder,\n     O matchless sight,\n     O sublimity, O Beauty!\n     The thousand rivers carry thy sacred image\n     On their brows;\n     All the mountains raise their heads unto thee\n     Like the flowing tide,\n     As if to hear thy final command.\n     Behold! the seas surrounding Japan\n     Lose their hungry-toothed song and wolfish desire,\n     Kissed by lullaby-humming repose,\n     At sight of thy shadow,\n     As one in a dream of poem.\n     We being round thee forget to die:\n     Death is sweet,\n     Life is sweeter than Death.\n     We are mortals and also gods,\n     Innocent companions of thine,\n     O eternal Fuji!\"\n                                   _Yone Noguchi_.\n\nMount Fuji has been a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years, and\nLafcadio Hearn has described its peak as \"the Supreme Altar of the\nSun.\" Many pilgrims still cling to the old Shinto custom of ascending\nthis sacred mountain, wearing white clothes and very broad straw hats,\nand frequently ringing a bell and chanting: \"May our six senses be\npure, and the weather on the honourable mountain be fair.\"\n\nFuji was at one time an extremely active volcano. Her final outbreak\ntook place in 1707-8, and covered T\u014dky\u014d, sixty miles distant, with six\ninches of ash. The very name Fuji is probably derived from Huchi, or\nFuchi, the Aino Goddess of Fire; \"for,\" writes Professor Chamberlain,\n\"down to times almost historical the country round Fuji formed part of\nAino-land, and all Eastern Japan is strewn with names of Aino origin.\"\n\n\nThe Deities of Fuji\n\nSengen, the Goddess of Fuji, is also\nknown as Ko-no-hana-saku-ya-hime[1]\n(\"Radiant-blooming-as-the-flowers-of-the-trees\"), and on the summit is\nher temple. In ancient days it is said that this Goddess hovered in\na luminous cloud above the crater, tended by invisible servants, who\nwere prepared to throw down any pilgrims who were not pure of heart.\nAnother deity of this mountain is O-ana-mochi (\"Possessor of the Great\nHole,\" or \"Crater\"). In addition we have the Luminous Maiden, who lured\na certain emperor to his doom. At the place of his vanishing a small\nshrine was erected, where he is still worshipped. It is said that on\none occasion a shower of priceless jewels fell down from this mountain,\nand that the sand which during the day is disturbed by the feet of\ncountless pilgrims falls to the base and nightly reascends to its\nformer position.\n\nFuji, the Abode of the Elixir of Life\n\nIt is not surprising to find that legend has grown round this venerable\nand venerated mountain. Like so many mountains in Japan, and, indeed,\nin other Eastern countries, it was associated with the Elixir of Life.\nThe Japanese poet's words, \"We being round thee forget to die,\" though\nwritten in recent years, seem to reflect the old idea. We have already\nseen, in the legend of \"The Bamboo-cutter and the Moon-Maiden,\" that\nTsuki was commanded by the Lady Kaguya to ascend Fuji and there burn\nthe Elixir of Life, together with a certain scroll.\n\nThe fame of Fuji, so an old legend informs us, reached the ears of an\nEmperor of China. When he was told that this mountain had come into\nbeing in a single night[2] he conjectured that Mount Fuji must needs\nyield the Elixir of Life itself. He accordingly collected about him\na number of handsome youths and maidens and set sail for the Land of\nthe Rising Sun. The junks rushed before the roaring wind like a shower\nof gold petals; but eventually the storm abated, and the Emperor and\nhis people saw the white splendour of Fuji rise up before them. When\nthe junks had run in upon the shore the Emperor formed his company in\nprocession, and, walking very slowly, led the way up the mountain. Hour\nafter hour the procession climbed, the gold-robed Emperor ever walking\nin advance, until the sound of the sea was lost, and the thousand feet\ntrod softly on the snow where there was peace and life eternal. Nearing\nthe journey's end, the old Emperor ran forward joyously, for he wanted\nto be the first to drink of the Elixir of Life. And he was the first to\ntaste of that Life that never grows old; but when the company found him\nthey saw their Emperor lying on his back with a smile upon his face. He\nhad indeed found Life Eternal, but it was through the way of Death.\n\nSentaro's Visit to the Land of Perpetual Youth\n\nThe desire to wrest from Mount Fuji the secret of perpetual life never\nseems to have met with success. A Chinese, Jofuku by name, reached the\nsacred mountain with this object in view. He failed, and never lived to\nreturn to his own country; but he is looked upon as a saint, and those\nbound on the same quest pray earnestly at his shrine.\n\nSentaro on one occasion prayed at this shrine, and was presented with\na small paper crane, which expanded to a vast size directly it had\nreached his hands. On the back of this great crane flew Sentaro to\nthe Land of Perpetual Youth, where, to his amazement, the people ate\npoisons and longed in vain to die! Sentaro soon grew weary of this\nland, returned to his own country, and resolved to be content with\nthe ordinary span of years allotted to mankind--as well he may have\nbeen, considering that he had already spent three hundred years in the\ncountry where there was no death and no birth.\n\nThe Goddess of Fuji\n\nYosoji's mother, in common with many in the village where she lived,\nwas stricken down with smallpox. Yosoji consulted the magician Kamo\nYamakiko in the matter, for his mother grew so ill that every hour he\nexpected her to be taken from him in death. Kamo Yamakiko told Yosoji\nto go to a small stream that flowed from the south-west side of Mount\nFuji. \"Near the source of this stream,\" said the magician, \"is a shrine\nto the God of Long Breath. Go fetch this water, and give it to your\nmother, for this alone will cure her.\"\n\nYosoji, full of hope, eagerly set forth upon his journey, and when he\nhad arrived at a spot where three paths crossed each other he was in\ndifficulty as to the right one to take. Just as he was debating the\nmatter a lovely girl, clad in white, stepped out from the forest, and\nbade him follow her to the place where the precious stream flowed near\nthe shrine of the God of Long Breath.\n\n[Illustration: Sengen, the Goddess of Mount Fuji.--134]\n\nWhen they reached the stream Yosoji was told to drink himself, as well\nas to fill the gourd with the sparkling water for his mother. When he\nhad done these things the beautiful girl accompanied him to the place\nwhere he had originally seen her, and said: \"Meet me again at this\nplace in three days' time, for you will require a further supply of\nthis water.\"\n\nAfter five visits to this sacred shrine Yosoji rejoiced to find that\nhis mother was quite well again, and not only his mother, but many of\nthe villagers who had also been privileged to drink the water. Yosoji's\nbravery was loudly extolled, and presents were sent to the magician for\nhis timely advice; but Yosoji, who was an honest lad, knew in his heart\nthat all praise was really due to the beautiful girl who had been his\nguide. He desired to thank her more fully than he had hitherto done,\nand for this purpose he once more set out for the stream.\n\nWhen Yosoji reached the shrine of the God of Long Breath he found that\nthe stream had dried up. With much surprise and not a little sorrow he\nknelt down and prayed that she who had been so good to his mother would\nappear before him in order that he might thank her as she so richly\ndeserved. When Yosoji arose he saw the maiden standing before him.\n\nYosoji expressed his gratitude in warm and elegant language, and begged\nto be told the name of her who had been his guide and restored his\nmother to health and strength again. But the maiden, smiling sweetly\nupon him, would not tell her name. Still smiling, she swung a branch of\ncamellia in the air, so that it seemed that the fair blossom beckoned\nto some invisible spirit far away. In answer to the floral summons a\ncloud came down from Mount Fuji; it enveloped the lovely maiden, and\ncarried her to the sacred mountain from which she had come. Yosoji\nknew now that his guide was none other than the Goddess of Fuji. He\nknelt with rapture upon his face as he watched the departing figure.\nAs he gazed upon her he knew in his heart that with his thanks love\nhad mingled too. While he yet knelt the Goddess of Fuji threw down the\nbranch of camellia, a remembrance, perhaps a token, of her love for\nhim.\n\n\nThe Rip van Winkle of Old Japan\n\nWe have already referred to the coming of Fuji in a single night, and\nthe following legend gives an account of this remarkable event. We have\nadded to this legend another, which is probably of Chinese origin,\nbecause the two fit in well together and furnish interesting material\nin regard to this mountain.\n\nMany years ago there lived on the then barren plain of Suruga a woodman\nby the name of Visu. He was a giant in stature, and lived in a hut\nwith his wife and children. One night, just as Visu was about to fall\nasleep, he heard a most extraordinary sound coming from under the\nearth, a sound louder and more terrible than thunder. Visu, thinking\nthat he and his family were about to be destroyed by an earthquake,\nhastily snatched up the younger children and rushed to the door of\nthe hut, where he saw a most wonderful sight. Instead of the once\ndesolate plain he perceived a great mountain from whose head sprang\ntongues of flame and dense clouds of smoke! So glorious was the sight\nof this mountain that had run under the earth for two hundred miles and\nthen suddenly sprung forth on the plain of Suruga that Visu, his wife\nand family, sat down on the ground as if under a spell. When the sun\nrose the next morning Visu saw that the mountain had put on robes of\nopal. It seemed so impressive to him that he called it Fuji-yama (\"The\nNever-dying Mountain\"), and so it is called to this day. Such perfect\nbeauty suggested to the woodman the eternal, an idea which no doubt\ngave rise to the Elixir of Life so frequently associated with this\nmountain.\n\nDay after day Visu sat and gazed upon Fuji, and was just conjecturing\nhow nice it would be for so imposing a mountain to be able to see her\nloveliness, when a great lake suddenly stretched before him, shaped\nlike a lute, and so called Biwa.[3]\n\nThe Adventures of Visu\n\nOne day Visu received a visit from an old priest, who said to him:\n\"Honourable woodman, I am afraid you never pray.\" Visu replied: \"If\nyou had a wife and a large family to keep you would never have time\nto pray.\" This remark made the priest angry, and the old man gave the\nwoodcutter a vivid description of the horror of being reborn as a toad,\nor a mouse, or an insect for millions of years. Such lurid details were\nnot to Visu's liking, and he accordingly promised the priest that in\nfuture he would pray. \"Work and pray,\" said the priest as he took his\ndeparture.\n\nUnfortunately Visu did nothing but pray. He prayed all day long and\nrefused to do any work, so that his rice crops withered and his wife\nand family starved. Visu's wife, who had hitherto never said a harsh or\nbitter word to her husband, now became extremely angry, and, pointing\nto the poor thin bodies of her children, she exclaimed: \"Rise, Visu,\ntake up your axe and do something more helpful to us all than the mere\nmumbling of prayers!\"\n\nVisu was so utterly amazed at what his wife had said that it was some\ntime before he could think of a fitting reply. When he did so his words\ncame hot and strong to the ears of his poor, much-wronged wife.\n\n\"Woman,\" said he, \"the Gods come first. You are an impertinent creature\nto speak to me so, and I will have nothing more to do with you!\" Visu\nsnatched up his axe and, without looking round to say farewell, he left\nthe hut, strode out of the wood, and climbed up Fuji-yama, where a mist\nhid him from sight.\n\nWhen Visu had seated himself upon the mountain he heard a soft rustling\nsound, and immediately afterward saw a fox dart into a thicket. Now\nVisu deemed it extremely lucky to see a fox, and, forgetting his\nprayers, he sprang up, and ran hither and thither in the hope of again\nfinding this sharp-nosed little creature. He was about to give up\nthe chase when, coming to an open space in a wood, he saw two ladies\nsitting down by a brook playing _go_.[4] The woodman was so completely\nfascinated that he could do nothing but sit down and watch them.\nThere was no sound except the soft click of pieces on the board and\nthe song of the running brook. The ladies took no notice of Visu, for\nthey seemed to be playing a strange game that had no end, a game that\nentirely absorbed their attention. Visu could not keep his eyes off\nthese fair women. He watched their long black hair and the little quick\nhands that shot out now and again from their big silk sleeves in order\nto move the pieces. After he had been sitting there for three hundred\nyears, though to him it was but a summer's afternoon, he saw that one\nof the players had made a false move. \"_Wrongs_ most lovely lady!\" he\nexclaimed excitedly. In a moment these women turned into foxes[5] and\nran away.\n\n[Illustration: Visu on Mount Fuji-yama.--138]\n\nWhen Visu attempted to pursue them he found to his horror that his\nlimbs were terribly stiff, that his hair was very long, and that his\nbeard touched the ground. He discovered, moreover, that the handle of\nhis axe, though made of the hardest wood, had crumbled away into a\nlittle heap of dust.\n\nVisu's Return\n\nAfter many painful efforts Visu was able to stand on his feet and\nproceed very slowly toward his little home. When he reached the spot he\nwas surprised to see no hut, and, perceiving a very old woman, he said:\n\"Good lady, I am amazed to find that my little home has disappeared. I\nwent away this afternoon, and now in the evening it has vanished!\"\n\nThe old woman, who believed that a madman was addressing her, inquired\nhis name. When she was told, she exclaimed: \"Bah! you must indeed be\nmad! Visu lived three hundred years ago! He went away one day, and he\nnever came back again.\"\n\n\"_Three hundred years_!\" murmured Visu. \"It cannot be possible. Where\nare my dear wife and children?\"\n\n\"Buried!\" hissed the old woman, \"and, if what you say is true, your\nchildren's children too. The Gods have prolonged your miserable life in\npunishment for having neglected your wife and little children.\"\n\nBig tears ran down Visu's withered cheeks as he said in a husky voice:\n\"I have lost my manhood. I have prayed when my dear ones starved and\nneeded the labour of my once strong hands. Old woman, remember my last\nwords: _if you pray, work too_!\"\n\nWe do not know how long the poor but repentant Visu lived after he\nreturned from his strange adventures. His white spirit is still said to\nhaunt Fuji-yama when the moon shines brightly.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: She married Ninigi, and is referred to in Chapter I.]\n\n[Footnote 2: See the last section of this chapter.]\n\n[Footnote 3: There is some confusion here, for in actual fact Lake\nBiwa is a hundred and forty miles distant from Fuji--too great a\ndistance, one would imagine, for even a miraculous mountain to look\ninto. Legend asserts that Fuji came from the earth in a single night,\nwhile Lake Biwa sank simultaneously. Professor Chamberlain writes: \"May\nwe not have here an echo of some early eruption, which resulted in the\nformation, not indeed of Lake Biwa....but of one of the numerous small\nlakes at the foot of the mountain?\"]\n\n[Footnote 4: A game introduced from China resembling chess, but a more\ncomplicated variety than the game with which we are familiar.]\n\n[Footnote 5: Fox legends have been fully described in Chapter V.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X: BELLS\n\n\nThe Bell of Enkakuji\n\nJapanese bells are among the finest in the world, for in their size,\nconstruction, and decoration the bell-maker of Nippon has reached a\nhigh level of efficiency. The largest bell in Japan belongs to the Jodo\ntemple of Chion, at Ky\u014dt\u014d. It weighs seventy-four tons, and requires\nseventy-five men to ring it in order to get the full effect from this\ngreat mass of metal. The bell of Enkakuji is the largest bell in\nKamakura. It dates from the beginning of the thirteenth century, and is\nsix inches thick, four feet seven inches in diameter, and about eight\nfeet high. This bell, unlike our own, is the same diameter from top to\nbottom, a feature common to all big Japanese bells. It is rung by means\nof a beam suspended from the roof, and from the beam hangs a rope.\nWhen the beam is set swinging with sufficient velocity it strikes a\nlotus-moulding on the side of the bell, and a great note quivers forth,\n\"deep as thunder, rich as the bass of a mighty organ.\"\n\nThe Return of Ono-no-Kimi\n\nWhen Ono-no-Kimi died he went before the Judgment Seat of Emma-\u014c, the\nJudge of Souls, and was told by that dread deity that he had quitted\nearthly life too soon, and that he must at once return. Ono-no-Kimi\npleaded that he could not retrace his steps, as he did not know the\nway. Then Emma-\u014c said: \"By listening to the bell of Enkakuji you will\nbe able to find your way into the world again.\" And Ono-no-Kimi went\nforth from the Judgment Seat, and, with the sound of the bell for\nguidance, once more found himself in his old home.\n\n\nThe Giant Priest\n\nOn one occasion it is said that a priest of giant stature was seen\nin the country, and no one knew his name or whence he had come. With\nunceasing zest he travelled up and down the land, from village to\nvillage, from town to town, exhorting the people to pray before the\nbell of Enkakuji. It was eventually discovered that this giant priest\nwas none other than a personification of the holy bell itself. This\nextraordinary news had its effect, for numerous people now flocked to\nthe bell of Enkakuji, prayed, and returned with many a wish fulfilled.\nOn another occasion this sacred bell is said to have sounded a deep\nnote of its own accord. Those who were incredulous and laughed at the\nmiracle met with calamity, and those who believed in the miraculous\npower of the sacred bell were rewarded with much prosperity.\n\nA Woman and the Bell of Miidera\n\nIn the ancient monastery of Miidera there was a great bronze bell. It\nrang out every morning and evening, a clear, rich note, and its surface\nshone like sparkling dew. The priests would not allow any woman to\nstrike it, because they thought that such an action would pollute and\ndull the metal, as well as bring calamity upon them.\n\nWhen a certain pretty woman who lived in Ky\u014dto heard this she grew\nextremely inquisitive, and at last, unable to restrain her curiosity,\nshe said: \"I will go and see this wonderful bell of Miidera. I will\nmake it sound forth a soft note, and in its shining surface, bigger and\nbrighter than a thousand mirrors, I will paint and powder, my face and\ndress my hair.\"\n\nAt length this vain and irreverent woman reached the belfry in which\nthe great bell was suspended at a time when all were absorbed in their\nsacred duties. She looked into the gleaming bell and saw her pretty\neyes, flushed cheeks, and laughing dimples. Presently she stretched\nforth her little fingers, lightly touched the shining metal, and prayed\nthat she might have as great and splendid a mirror for her own. When\nthe bell felt this woman's fingers, the bronze that she touched shrank,\nleaving a little hollow, and losing at the same time all its exquisite\npolish.\n\nBenkei and the Bell\n\nBenkei,[1] the faithful retainer of Yoshitsune, may be fittingly\ndescribed as the strong man of Old Japan. His strength was prodigious,\nas will be seen in the following legend.\n\nWhen Benkei was a monk he very much desired to steal the bell of\nMiidera, and bring it to his own monastery. He accordingly visited\nMiidera, and, at an opportune moment, unhooked the great bell. Benkei's\nfirst thought was to roll it down the hill, and thus save himself the\ntrouble of carrying such a huge piece of metal; but, thinking that the\nmonks would hear the noise, he was forced to set about carrying it\ndown the steep incline. He accordingly pulled out the crossbeam from\nthe belfry, suspended the bell at one end, and--humorous touch--his\npaper lantern at the other,[2] and in this manner he carried his mighty\nburden for nearly seven miles.\n\nWhen Benkei reached his temple he at once demanded food. He managed\nto get through a concoction which filled an iron soup-pot five feet\nin diameter, and when he had finished he gave permission for a few\npriests to strike the stolen bell of Miidera. The bell was struck, but\nin its dying murmur it seemed to cry: \"I want to go back to Miidera! I\nwant to go back to Miidera!\"\n\nWhen the priests heard this they were amazed. The abbot, however,\nthought that if the bell were sprinkled with holy water it would become\nreconciled to its new abode; but in spite of holy water the bell\nstill sobbed forth its plaintive and provoking cry. No one was more\ndispleased by the sound than Benkei himself. It seemed that the bell\nmocked him and that arduous journey of his. At last, exasperated beyond\nendurance, he rushed to the rope, strained it till the beam was far\nfrom the great piece of metal, then let it go, hoping that the force of\nthe swift-rushing beam would crack such a peevish and ill-bred bell.\nThe whirling wood reached the bell with a terrific crash; but it did\nnot break. Through the air rang again: \"I want to go back to Miidera!\"\nand whether the bell was struck harshly or softly it always spoke the\nsame words.\n\nAt last Benkei, now in a towering rage, shouldered the bell and beam,\nand, coming to the top of a mountain, he set down his burden, and, with\na mighty kick, sent it rolling into the valley beneath. Some time later\nthe Miidera priests found their precious bell, and joyfully hung it in\nits accustomed place, and from that time it failed to speak, and only\nrang like other temple bells.\n\nKarma\n\nThe power of Karma is one of the great Buddhist doctrines, and many\nare the stories, both true and legendary, told in connection with this\ntheme. Of the former Lafcadio Hearn in \"Kokoro\" narrates the pitiful\ntale of a priest who had the misfortune to attract the love of many\nwomen. Rather than yield to their solicitations he committed suicide by\nkneeling in the middle of a railway track and allowing an express train\nto put an end to his temptations.\n\nThe story of \"The Bamboo-cutter and the Moon-Maiden\" gives us another\nrepresentation of the working out of Karma. The Lady Kaguya was\nbanished from her home in the moon owing to indulgence in some sensual\npassion. In her exile it will be remembered that her weakness was\nvanquished, and that she steadfastly resisted this particular sin\nduring her earthly sojourn.\n\nKarma by no means represents exclusively the power of evil thought,\nthough it is most commonly applied to the human passions. In its fuller\nmeaning it signifies cause and effect--all thoughts, all actions that\nare not spiritual, for by the working of Karma, according to Buddhist\nteaching, is the world and all it contains fashioned. The desire to be\nis Karma. The desire not to be is the breaking of the great wheel of\nbirth and re-birth, and the attainment of Nirvana.\n\nThere are Japanese lovers who, owing to circumstance, are unable to\nmarry; but they do not blame circumstance. They regard their misfortune\nas the result of an error in a previous existence, such as breaking\ntheir promise to wed, or because they were cruel to each other.\nSuch lovers believe that if they bind themselves together with an\nunder-girdle and spring into a river or lake they will become united in\ntheir next birth. This suicide of Japanese lovers is called _j\u014dshi_,\nwhich means \"love-death\" or \"passion-death.\" Buddhism is strongly\nopposed to self-destruction, and no less to a love of this kind, for\nin _j\u014dshi_ there is no desire to destroy, but rather to foster, the\npower of Karma. Such lovers may be united, but in the teaching of the\nLord Buddha a union of this kind is a delusion, while Nirvana alone\nis worth striving for. We read in the _Ratana Sutra_: \"Their old Karma\nis exhausted, no new Karma is being produced: their hearts are free\nfrom the longing after future life; the cause of their existence being\ndestroyed, and no new yearnings springing up within them, they, the\nwise, are extinguished like this lamp.\"\n\nA Bell and the Power of Karma\n\n     \"There are various paths leading to the attainment of\n     complete happiness. When we find ourselves upon the\n     wrong one it is our duty to quit it.\"\n                                             Bakin.\n\n\nNear the banks of the Hidaka there once stood a far-famed tea-house\nnestling amid lovely scenery beside a hill called the Dragon's Claw.\nThe fairest girl in this tea-house was Kiyo, for she was like \"the\nfragrance of white lilies, when the wind, sweeping down the mountain\nheights, comes perfume-laden to the traveller.\"\n\nAcross the river stood a Buddhist temple where the abbot and a number\nof priests lived a simple and devout life. In the belfry of this temple\nreposed a great bell, six inches thick and weighing several tons. It\nwas one of the monastery rules that none of the priests should eat fish\nor meat or drink _sak\u00e9_, and they were especially forbidden to stop at\ntea-houses, lest they should lose their spirituality and fall into the\nsinful ways of the flesh.\n\nOne of the priests, however, on returning from a certain shrine,\nhappened to see the pretty Kiyo, flitting hither and thither in the\ntea-garden, like a large, brightwinged butterfly. He stood and watched\nher for a moment, sorely tempted to enter the garden and speak to this\nbeautiful creature, but, remembering his priestly calling, he crossed\nthe river and entered his temple. That night, however, he could not\nsleep. The fever of a violent love had come upon him. He fingered his\nrosary and repeated passages from the Buddhist Scriptures, but these\nthings brought him no peace of mind. Through all his pious thoughts\nthere ever shone the winsome face of Kiyo, and it seemed to him that\nshe was calling from that fair garden across the river.\n\nHis burning love grew so intense that it was not long before he stifled\nhis religious feelings, broke one of the temple rules, and entered\nthe forbidden tea-house. Here he entirely forgot his religion, or\nfound a new one in contemplating the beautiful Kiyo, who brought him\nrefreshment. Night after night he crept across the river and fell under\nthe spell of this woman. She returned his love with equal passion,\nso that for the moment it appeared to this erring priest that he had\nfound in a woman's charms something far sweeter than the possibility of\nattaining Nirvana.\n\nAfter the priest had seen Kiyo on many nights conscience began to stir\nwithin him and to do battle with his unholy love. The power of Karma\nand the teaching of the Lord Buddha struggled within his breast. It was\na fierce conflict, but in the end passion was vanquished, though, as we\nshall learn, not its awful consequences. The priest, having stamped out\nhis carnal love, deemed it wise to deal with Kiyo as circumspectly as\npossible, lest his sudden change should make her angry.\n\nWhen Kiyo saw the priest after his victory over the flesh she observed\nthe far-away look in his eyes and the ascetic calm that now rested upon\nhis face. She redoubled her feminine wiles, determined either to make\nthe priest love her again, or, failing that, to put him to a cruel\ndeath by sorcery.\n\n[Illustration: Kiyo and the Priest.--146]\n\nAll Kiyo's blandishments failed to awaken love within the priest's\nheart, and, thinking only of vengeance, she set out, arrayed in a white\nrobe, and went to a certain mountain where there was a Fudo[3] shrine.\nFudo sat, surrounded by fire, a sword in one hand and a small coil of\nrope in the other. Here Kiyo prayed with fearful vehemence that this\nhideous-looking God would show her how to kill the priest who had once\nloved her.\n\nFrom Fudo she went to the shrine of Kompira,[4] who has the knowledge\nof magic and is able to teach sorcery. Here she begged that she might\nhave the power to turn herself at will into a dragon-serpent. After\nmany visits a long-nosed sprite (probably a _tengu_), who waited upon\nKompira, taught Kiyo all the mysteries of magic and sorcery. He taught\nthis once sweet girl how to change herself into the awful creature she\ndesired to be for the purpose of a cruel vengeance.\n\nStill the priest visited Kiyo; but no longer was he the lover. By many\nexhortations he tried to stay the passion of this maiden he once loved;\nbut these priestly discourses only made Kiyo more determined to win\nthe victory in the end. She wept, she pleaded, she wound her fair arms\nabout him; but none of her allurements had the slightest effect, except\nto drive away the priest for the last time.\n\nJust as the priest was about to take his departure he was horrified to\nsee Kiyo's eyes suddenly turn into those of a serpent. With a shriek\nof fear he ran out of the tea-garden, swam across the river, and hid\nhimself inside the great temple bell.\n\nKiyo raised her magic wand, murmured a certain incantation, and in a\nmoment the sweet face and form of this lovely maiden became transformed\ninto that of a dragon-serpent, hissing and spirting fire. With eyes as\nlarge and luminous as moons she crawled over the garden, swam across\nthe river, and entered the belfry. Her weight broke down the supporting\ncolumns, and the bell, with the priest inside, fell with a deafening\ncrash to the ground.\n\nKiyo embraced the bell with a terrible lust for vengeance. Her coils\nheld the metal as in a vice; tighter and tighter she hugged the bell,\ntill the metal became red-hot. All in vain was the prayer of the\ncaptive priest; all in vain, too, were the earnest entreaties of his\nfellow brethren, who implored that Buddha would destroy the demon.\nHotter and hotter grew the bell, and it rang with the piteous shrieks\nof the priest within. Presently his voice was stilled, and the bell\nmelted and ran down into a pool of molten metal. The great power of\nKarma had destroyed it, and with it the priest and the dragon-serpent\nthat was once the beautiful Kiyo.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: See Chapter II.]\n\n[Footnote 2: Hence the Japanese saying: \"Lantern and bell, which is the\nheavier?\"]\n\n[Footnote 3: Fudo is not, as is generally supposed, the God of Fire,\nbut is identified, according to Sir Ernest Satow, with Dainichi, the\nGod of Wisdom. It is not quite clear why Kiyo visited Fudo, whose\nsacred sword symbolises wisdom, while his fire represents power, and\nthe coil of rope that which binds the passions.]\n\n[Footnote 4: Kompira was originally an Indian God, which the medi\u00e6val\nShint\u014dists identified with Susa-no-o, brother of the Sun Goddess, who,\nas we have already seen, would be only too pleased to lend himself to\nmischief.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI: YUKI-ONNA, THE LADY OF THE SNOW\n\n\n     \"Midwinter gloom the earth enshrouds,\n     Yet from the skies\n     The blossoms fall\n     A flutt'ring shower,\n     White petals all!\n     Can spring be come,\n     So soon beyond the clouds?\"\n      _Kujohara No Fukayabu_ (Trans, by Clara A. Walsh).\n\nYuki'Onna\n\nSnow-Time in Japan has a beauty peculiarly its own, and it is a\nfavourite theme of Japanese poets and artists. Both, for the most part,\ntreat it artistically, as well they may do, seeing that in Nippon the\nwhite flakes fall upon the ornate roofs of Buddhist temples, upon the\nfairy-like bridges, resembling those we have seen on willow-pattern\nplates, and upon the exquisitely shaped stone lanterns that adorn so\nmany Japanese gardens. The ideal snow-scene is to be found in Japan,\nand because it is so particularly beautiful it is surprising to find\nthat Yuki-Onna,[1] the Lady of the Snow, is very far from being a\nbenevolent and attractive spirit. All the artistry and poetry of snow\nvanish in her malignant presence, for she represents Death, with\nattributes not unlike that of a vampire. But Japan is full of sharp and\nsurprising contrasts, and the delicate and beautiful jostle with the\nugly and horrible. There is no promise of spring in the long white form\nof Yuki-Onna, for her mouth is the mouth of Death, and her ice-cold\nlips draw forth the life-blood of her unfortunate victims.\n\n\nThe Snow-Bride\n\nMosaku and his apprentice Minokichi journeyed to a forest, some little\ndistance from their village. It was a bitterly cold night when they\nneared their destination, and saw in front of them a cold sweep of\nwater. They desired to cross this river, but the ferryman had gone\naway, leaving his boat on the other side of the water, and as the\nweather was too inclement to admit of swimming across the river they\nwere glad to take shelter in the ferryman's little hut.\n\nMosaku fell asleep almost immediately he entered this humble but\nwelcome shelter. Minokichi, however, lay awake for a long time\nlistening to the cry of the wind and the hiss of the snow as it was\nblown against the door.\n\nMinokichi at last fell asleep, to be soon awakened by a shower of snow\nfalling across his face. He found that the door had been blown open,\nand that standing in the room was a fair woman in dazzlingly white\ngarments. For a moment she stood thus; then she bent over Mosaku, her\nbreath coming forth like white smoke. After bending thus over the old\nman for a minute or two she turned to Minokichi and hovered over him.\nHe tried to cry out, for the breath of this woman was like a freezing\nblast of wind. She told him that she had intended to treat him as she\nhad done the old man at his side, but forbore on account of his youth\nand beauty. Threatening Minokichi with instant death if he dared to\nmention to any one what he had seen, she suddenly vanished.\n\nThen Minokichi called out to his beloved master: \"Mosaku, Mosaku,\nwake! Something very terrible has happened!\" But there was no reply.\nHe touched the hand of his master in the dark, and found it was like a\npiece of ice. Mosaku was dead!\n\nDuring the next winter, while Minokichi was returning home, he chanced\nto meet a pretty girl by the name of Yuki. She informed him that she\nwas going to Yedo, where she desired to find a situation as a servant.\nMinokichi was charmed with this maiden, and he went so far as to ask if\nshe were betrothed, and hearing that she was not, he took her to his\nown home, and in due time married her.\n\nYuki presented her husband with ten fine and handsome children, fairer\nof skin than the average. When Minokichi's mother died her last words\nwere in praise of Yuki, and her eulogy was echoed by many of the\ncountry folk in the district.\n\nOne night, while Yuki was sewing, the light of a paper lamp shining\nupon her face, Minokichi recalled the extraordinary experience he had\nhad in the ferryman's hut. \"Yuki,\" said he, \"you remind me so much of a\nbeautiful white woman I saw when I was eighteen years old. She killed\nmy master with her ice-cold breath. I am sure she was some strange\nspirit, and yet to-night she seems to resemble you!\"\n\nYuki flung down her sewing. There was a horrible smile on her face\nas she bent close to her husband and shrieked: \"It was I, Yuki-Onna,\nwho came to you then, and silently killed your master! Oh, faithless\nwretch, you have broken your promise to keep the matter secret, and if\nit were not for our sleeping children I would kill you now! Remember,\nif they have aught to complain of at your hands I shall hear, I shall\nknow, and on a night when the snow falls I _will_ kill you!\"\n\nThen Yuki-Onna, the Lady of the Snow, changed into a white mist, and,\nshrieking and shuddering, passed through the smoke-hole, never to\nreturn again.\n\n\nKyuzaemon's Ghostly Visitor\n\nAccording to Mr. R. Gordon Smith, in his \"Ancient Tales and Folk-lore\nof Japan,\" \"all those who die by the snow and cold become spirits\nof snow.\" That is to say, all those who perish in this way become\nidentified with Yuki-Onna, the Lady of the Snow. The following legend\nis adapted from Mr. Smith's book referred to above.\n\nKyuzaemon, a poor farmer, had closed the shutters of his humble\ndwelling and retired to rest. Shortly before midnight he was awakened\nby loud tapping. Going to the door, he exclaimed: \"Who are you? What do\nyou want?\"\n\nThe strange visitor made no attempt to answer these questions, but\npersistently begged for food and shelter. The cautious Kyuzaemon\nrefused to allow the visitor to enter, and, having seen that his\ndwelling was secure, he was about to retire to bed again, when he saw\nstanding beside him a woman in white flowing garments, her hair falling\nover her shoulders.\n\n\"Where did you leave your _geta_?\" demanded the frightened farmer.\n\nThe white woman informed him that she was the visitor who had tapped\nupon his door. \"I need no _geta_,\" she said, \"for I have no feet! I\nfly over the snow-capped trees, and should have proceeded to the next\nvillage, but the wind was blowing strongly against me, and I desired to\nrest awhile.\"\n\nThe farmer expressed his fear of spirits, whereupon the woman inquired\nif her host had a _butsudan_ (a family altar). Finding that he had,\nshe bade him open the _butsudan_ and light a lamp. When this was done\nthe woman prayed before the ancestral tablets, not forgetting to add a\nprayer for the still much-agitated Kyuzaemon.\n\nHaving paid her respects at the _butsudan_, she informed the farmer\nthat her name was Oyasu, and that she had lived with her parents and\nher husband, Isaburo. When she died her husband left her parents,\nand it was her intention to try to persuade him to go back again and\nsupport the old people.\n\nKyuzaemon began to understand as he murmured to himself: \"Oyasu\nperished in the snow, and this is her spirit I see before me.\" However,\nin spite of this recollection he still felt much afraid. He sought the\nfamily altar with trembling footsteps, repeating over and over again:\n\"Namu Amida Butsu!\" (\"Hail, Omnipotent Buddha!\")\n\nAt last the farmer went to bed and fell asleep. Once he woke up to hear\nthe white creature murmur farewell; but before he could make answer she\nhad disappeared.\n\nThe following day Kyuzaemon went to the next village, and called upon\nIsaburo, whom he now found living with his father-in-law again. Isaburo\ninformed him that he had received numerous visits from the spirit of\nhis wife in the guise of Yuki-Onna. After carefully considering the\nmatter Kyuzaemon found that this Lady of the Snow had appeared before\nIsaburo almost immediately after she had paid him such a mysterious\nvisit. On that occasion Isaburo had promised to fulfil her wish, and\nneither he nor Kyuzaemon were again troubled with her who travels in\nthe sky when the snow is falling fast.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: See my _Land of the Yellow Spring_, p. 39.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII: FLOWERS AND GARDENS\n\n\n     \"All the joy of my existence is concentrated around the\n     pillow which giveth me nightly rest, all the hope of my\n     days I find in the beauties of Nature that ever please my\n     eyes.\"\n                         \"_H\u014d-j\u014d-ki_\" (Trans. by F. V. Dickins).\n\n\n\nJapanese and English Gardens\n\nThere is nothing particularly \u00e6sthetic about the average English\ngarden. When the bedding-out time comes a slow old gardener puts\nin his plants. Later on we see a crude blaze of colour--scarlet\ngeraniums, yellow calceolarias, blue lobelias, the green grass and the\nochre-coloured paths. And this is the colour effect of the average\nEnglish garden, a colour effect that makes the eyes ache and shames\nthe very flowers so unwisely set in this fashion. The truth of the\nmatter is that we do not understand the art of flower arrangement. We\nbuy flowers just to make the garden look bright, under the impression\nthat brightness is an abstract quality with which we should like to\nspend our summer days. An Englishman once attempted to make a landscape\ngarden after the Japanese manner. He was extremely proud of the result,\nand on one occasion he took a Japanese gentleman round to see it.\nThe Japanese gentleman exclaimed, with extreme courtesy: \"It is very\nbeautiful; we have nothing at all like it in Japan!\" The Englishman\nfailed in his attempt to imitate because he considered gardening a\nhobby, while in Japan the garden is something indelibly associated with\nJapanese life itself. In Japan it is an ancient cult to which poets and\nartists have given years of thought, a cult in which emotion, memory,\nand religion play their part.\n\nThe Love of Flowers, its Growth and Symbolism\n\nOne of the most striking, and certainly one of the most pleasing,\ncharacteristics of the Japanese is their intense love of flowers\nand trees. Merry parties set out to see the azaleas bloom, or the\nsplendour of the pink-white cherry-blossom, or the scarlet glory of\nthe maple-trees. This \"flower-viewing\" is an integral part of their\nexistence. The very _kimono_ of the laughing children look like little\ngardens of flowers themselves. Take away their landscape, and you take\naway at once their sense of poetry, and, we may almost add, the floral\nside of their religion too, for the Japanese worship flowers and trees\nin a way utterly impossible to the more prosaic Westerner.\n\nDuring a recent spring the magnolia-trees in Kew Gardens afforded\na wonderfully beautiful spectacle. But there were few to see these\nleafless trees with their profusion of lotus-like blossom. The most\nappreciative spectator was a child, who sat under the sweet-scented\nbranches, gathered the fallen petals in her little brown hands,\nand made up a quaint story as she did so. But in Japan, where\nmagnolia-trees bloom too, a hundred little poems would be threaded\nto the branches, and little cakes made in imitation of the petals.\nPerhaps, too, a branch of magnolia would be set in a vase, the\nobject of silent admiration of the members of some tea ceremony. And\nafterwards the spray of blossom would be gently placed on a river or\nburied with joy and reverence for the beauty it had exhibited in its\nbrief hour of life.\n\nThe love of flowers is only a small part of the Japanese love of\nNature. There was an evolutionary growth in this worship as in every\nother, and we are inclined to think that the Japanese go very far\nback in this matter, and learnt first of all to love rocks and stones.\nTo us rocks and stones are of interest only to the geologist and\nmetallurgist, merely from a scientific point of view, and it seems\nalmost incredible that rocks and stones have a poetical meaning. But\nit is otherwise to the Japanese. The Japanese garden is essentially a\nlandscape garden. The owner of a garden falls in love with a certain\nview. It haunts him, and awakens in him some primitive feelings of\ndelight that cannot be analysed. He brings that view perpetually before\nhim in his garden, in miniature, perhaps, but a miniature of wonderful\nexactness. His garden thus becomes a place of happy memory, and not\na plot laid out with gaudy flowers and terraces that can have no\nmeaning, no poetry to his mind. Without a doubt Japanese gardens, with\ntheir gorgeous flowers, merry sunshine, and the sweet tinkle of dainty\nfairy-bells suspended from the branches of the trees, are the most\ndelightful in the world.\n\nJapanese Gardens\n\nOne thing that strikes us about Japanese gardens that we do not find in\nEngland is the wonderful economy displayed in their schemes. Suburbia\noften makes the excuse that their pocket-handkerchief of a garden is\nmuch too small to be made beautiful. Too small to be made beautiful?\nWhy, the Japanese can make a wonderful little garden in a space no\nbigger than a soup-plate! Necessity is the mother of invention, and if\nwe only loved Nature more we should soon find the means to make our\nsmallest gardens attractive. The great Japanese designer of gardens,\nKobori-Enshiu, said that an ideal garden should be like \"the sweet\nsolitude of a landscape clouded by moonlight, with a half-gloom between\nthe trees.\"\n\nMiss Florence Du Cane has much to say concerning Japanese rocks and\nstones. What poetry is suggested in the names of some of these garden\nstones--for example, \"The Stone of Easy Rest.\" Then, among the lake\nstones we have one called \"Wild Wave Stone,\" that at once suggests\nMatsushima, with its waves breaking against innumerable rocks.\n\nThe stone or wooden lamps are very important ornaments in a Japanese\ngarden. The idea was borrowed from Korea, and they are still sometimes\nknown as \"Korean towers.\" They are seldom lit, except in temple\ngardens, but they need no jewel of light to make them beautiful. They\nare rich in amber and green moss, and in the winter they catch the\nsnow and make ghost lanterns of exquisite beauty. Another feature of\na Japanese garden is the _Torii_, a simple arch of wood shaped like a\nhuge Chinese character. Shint\u014d in origin, no one has as yet discovered\nwhat they were originally intended to represent, though there have\nbeen many diverse opinions on the subject. These gates to nowhere are\nextremely fascinating, and to look at them with the sea about their\nfeet is to dream of a far-away fairy tale of childhood.\n\nThe lakes, cascades, tiny bridges, the stepping-stones over the winding\nways of silver sand, form a place of retreat indeed. And then the\ncolour of the Japanese garden! Every month has some fresh colour scene\nas the plum and cherry and peach-trees come into bloom. Trailing over\nthe ground among the pine-needles or looking into the clear blue lake,\none may see the azaleas. If there were ever a flower that personified\ncolour then it is surely the azalea. It is the rainbow of flowers,\nand there seems scarcely a shade of colour not to be found in its\nblossoms. To look at the azaleas is to look into the very paint-box of\nNature herself. Then at another season of the year we get the iris in\npurple and lavender, yellow and white, or the beautiful rose-coloured\nlotus that opens with a little explosion on the placid waters, as if\nto herald its coming to perfection. The last colour glory of the year\nis the splendour of the maple-trees. We have a fine crimson effect in\nour English blackberry leaves, but they lie hidden in the wet autumn\nhedges. In Japan the maples do not hide. They seem everywhere alive\nin a splendid flame. In the autumn it appears as if the maple-trees\nhad conjured with the sunset, for at that time Japan is not the Land\nof the Rising Sun, but the land of the sun going down in a great\npageant of red leaves. And is that the end of Nature's work for the\nyear? No, indeed. Last of all comes the snow, and the beauty of its\neffect lies not so much in the soft flakes themselves, but in the way\nthey are caught and held upon the beautiful little houses and temples\nand lanterns. See a Japanese garden then, and you see the white seal\nof Nature's approval upon it all. The snow scene is perhaps Nature's\nsupreme touch in Japan, after all; and it is a scene dear to the hearts\nof the Japanese. In midsummer a Japanese emperor once had the miniature\nmountains in his gardens covered with white silk to suggest snow,\nand, no doubt, to give an imaginary coolness to the scene. A slight\nacquaintance with Japanese art will reveal the fact that snow affords a\nfavourite theme for the artist's brush.\n\nNature in Miniature\n\nThe Japanese, for the most part, are little in stature, and have a\nlove of things in miniature. Lafcadio Hearn tells a charming story of\na Japanese nun who used to play with children and give them rice-cakes\nno bigger than peas and tea in very minute cups. Her love of very\nsmall things came as the result of a great sorrow, but we see in this\nJapanese love of little objects something pathetic in the nation as a\nwhole. Their love of dwarf trees, hundreds of years old, seems to say:\n\"Be honourably pleased never to grow big. We are a little people, and\nso we love little things.\" The ancient pine, often less than a foot\nin height, does not render its age oppressive, and is not a thing to\nfear just because it is so very small. Westerners have been inclined to\ndescribe the dwarf Japanese tree as unnatural. It is no more unnatural\nthan the Japanese smile, and reveals that the nation, like the Greeks\nof old, is still closely in touch with Nature.\n\nThe Pine-tree\n\nThe pine-tree is the emblem of good fortune and longevity. That is\nwhy we see this tree at almost every garden gate; and it must be\nadmitted that a pine-tree is a more graceful talisman than a rusty\nold horse-shoe. In a certain Japanese play we find the following:\n\"The emblem of unchangeableness--exalted is their fame to the end of\ntime--the fame of the two pine-trees that have grown old together.\"\nThis refers to the famous pines of Takasago. Mr. Conder tells us\nthat at wedding feasts \"a branch of the _male_ pine is placed in one\nvessel and a branch of the _female_ pine in the other. The general\nform of each design would be similar, but the branch of the _female_\npine facing the opposite vase should stretch a little beneath the\ncorresponding branch of the _male_ pine.\" In other words, it shows\nthat Woman's Suffrage exists not in Japan, and that the Japanese wife\nis subject to her lord and master, which is a very pretty way of\nsuggesting, what is in England a very dangerous subject. The design\nreferred to above typifies \"eternal union.\" The pine-tree really\nsymbolises the comradeship of love, the Darby and Joan stage of old\nmarried people in Japan.\n\nA Great Nature-lover\n\nKamo No Ch\u014dmei was a Buddhist recluse of the twelfth century, and he\nwrote a little book called H\u014d-j\u014d-ki (\"Notes from a Ten-feet-square\nHut\"). In this volume he describes how he left the ways of the world\nand took up his abode in a hut on the mountain-side. Ch\u014dmei used to\nsing and play and read his beloved books in the very heart of the\ncountry. He writes: \"When the sixtieth year of my life, now vanishing\nas a dewdrop, approached, anew I made me an abode, a sort of last\nleap, as it were, just as a traveller might run himself up a shelter\nfor a single night, or a decrepit silkworm weave its last cocoon.\" We\nsee him, a happy old man, slowly trudging along the hills, gathering\nblossom as he went, ever watching with delighted eyes the ways and\nsecrets of Nature. With all his musings, so full of poetry, his\nreligious character plays a part. He writes with dry humour: \"I do not\nneed to trouble myself about the strict observance of the commandments,\nfor, living as I do in complete solitude, how should I be tempted\nto break them?\" A very different experience to that of some of the\nIndian anchorites, who find in solitude a veritable thunder-cloud of\ntemptation! But Ch\u014dmei was a happy soul, and we mention him here to\nshow that the mainstay of his life were not the things of the world,\nbut the workings of Nature on the hills and in the valleys, in the\nflowers and in the trees, in the running water and in the rising moon.\nTo quote his own words: \"You have fled from the world to live the life\nof a recluse amid the wild woods and hills, thus to bring peace to your\nsoul and walk in the way of the Buddha.\"\n\n\nThe Festival of the Dead\n\nWe find the Festival of the Dead the greatest argument of all in\nsupport of Japan's love of Nature. It was a woman's thought, this\nFestival of the Dead, and there is something about it so tender, so\nplaintive, that it could only have come from a woman. In July the\nspirits of the dead return from their dark abode. Little meals are\nprepared for this great company of ghosts, and the lanterns hang in the\ncemeteries and on the pine-trees of good fortune at the garden gates.\nThe Japanese used to commit _hara-kiri_,[1] but let us not forget that\ntheir souls come back again to wander in a country that seems to be\none great garden. And why do they come back? They come back with their\nsoft footsteps over the hills and far away from over the sea to look\nat the flowers once more, to wander in the gardens where they spent so\nmany happy hours. They come, that invisible host, when the sun shines\nbrightly, when it seems that blossoms floating in the breeze suddenly\nturn into butterflies, when life is at its full, when Death and the\ndark place where Emma-\u014c reigns cannot be endured. What a time to come\nback again! What a silent compliment to Nature that that great company\nof souls should wander back to her arms in the summer-time!\n\nThe Japanese Flag and the Chrysanthemum\n\nMost of us are familiar with the Japanese flag depicting a red sun on\na white ground, and we should naturally suppose that such an emblem\nwas originally connected with the Sun Goddess. In this supposition,\nhowever, we should be entirely wrong. Astrological designs in\nancient days figured upon the Chinese banners, and Professor B. H.\nChamberlain describes them thus: \"The Sun with the Three-legged Crow\nthat inhabits it, the Moon with its Hare[2] and Cassia-tree, the Red\nBird representing the seven constellations of the southern quarter of\nthe zodiac, the Dark Warrior (a Tortoise) embracing the seven northern\nconstellations, the Azure Dragon embracing the seven eastern, the White\nTiger embracing the seven western, and a seventh banner representing\nthe Northern Bushel (Great Bear).\" The Chinese banners depicting the\nsun and moon were particularly noteworthy, because the sun represented\nthe Emperor's elder brother and the moon his sister. In the seventh\ncentury the Japanese adopted these banners; but as time went on they\ndropped many of the quaint astrological designs so dear to the heart\nof the Chinese. When in 1859 a national flag became necessary the\nsun banner pure and simple was adopted; but a plain orb without rays\nwas not sufficient, and a more elaborate design was executed--the\nsixteen-petalled chrysanthemum. We can only conjecture the connection\nbetween the sun and the chrysanthemum. Both were venerated in ancient\nChina, and we may assume that the Japanese artist, in wishing to depict\nthe sun's rays, found excellent material in copying the flower of a\nwild chrysanthemum.\n\nThe chrysanthemum is Japan's national flower, and we owe to Nippon its\nculture in our own country. Mythological scenes, particularly that\nof the Treasure Ship with the Gods of Luck on board is a favourite\ndevice, fashioned entirely with innumerable chrysanthemums. Boats,\ncastles, bridges, and various other objects are designed from the same\nflower with wonderful dexterity. Japan has always been happy in her\nuse of names, and to no greater advantage than in the naming of her\nchrysanthemums. There is poetry in such names as \"Sleepy Head,\" \"Golden\nDew,\" \"White Dragon,\" and \"Starlit Night.\"\n\nThe chrysanthemum is certainly a fitting symbolism for the Imperial\nstandard. Once, like our English rose, it figured as a badge in the War\nof the Chrysanthemums, a protracted civil war that divided the nation\ninto two hostile factions. Now the chrysanthemum stands for a united\nEmpire.\n\nLady White and Lady Yellow\n\nLong ago there grew in a meadow a white and a yellow chrysanthemum side\nby side. One day an old gardener chanced to come across them, and took\na great fancy to Lady Yellow. He told her that if she would come along\nwith him he would make her far more attractive, that he would give her\ndelicate food and fine clothes to wear.\n\nLady Yellow was so charmed with what the old man said that she forgot\nall about her white sister and consented to be lifted up, carried in\nthe arms of the old gardener, and to be placed in his garden.\n\nWhen Lady Yellow and her master had departed Lady White wept bitterly.\nHer own simple beauty had been despised; but, what was far worse, she\nwas forced to remain in the meadow alone, without the converse of her\nsister, to whom she had been devoted.\n\nDay by day Lady Yellow grew more fair, in her master's garden. No one\nwould have recognised the common flower of the field now; but though\nher petals were long and curled and her leaves so clean and well\ncared for, she sometimes thought of Lady White alone in the field, and\nwondered how she managed to make the long and lonely hours pass by.\n\nOne day a village chief came to the old man's garden in quest of a\nperfect chrysanthemum that he might take to his lord for a crest\ndesign.[3] He informed the old man that he did not want a fine\nchrysanthemum with many long petals. What he wanted was a simple white\nchrysanthemum with sixteen petals. The old man took the village chief\nto see Lady Yellow; but this flower did not please him, and, thanking\nthe gardener, he took his departure.\n\nOn his way home he happened to enter a field, where he saw Lady White\nweeping. She told him the sad story of her loneliness, and when she had\nfinished her tale of woe the village chief informed her that he had\nseen Lady Yellow and did not consider her half as beautiful as her own\nwhite self. At these cheering words Lady White dried her eyes, and she\nnearly jumped off her little feet when this kind man told her that he\nwanted her for his lord's crest!\n\nIn another moment the happy Lady White was being carried in a\npalanquin. When she reached the _Daimy\u014d's_ palace all warmly praised\nher remarkable perfection of form. Great artists came from far and\nnear, sat about her, and sketched the flower with wonderful skill. She\nsoon needed no mirror, for ere long she saw her pretty white face\non all the _Daimy\u014d's_ most precious belongings. She saw it on his\narmour and lacquer boxes, on his quilts and cushions and robes. When\nshe looked upward she could see her face in great carved panels. She\nwas painted floating down a stream, and in all manner of quaint and\nbeautiful ways. Every one acknowledged that the white chrysanthemum,\nwith her sixteen petals, made the most wonderful crest in all Japan.\n\nWhile Lady White's happy face lived for ever designed upon the\n_Daimy\u014d's_ possessions, Lady Yellow met with a sad fate. She had\nbloomed for herself alone and drunk in the visitors' praise as eagerly\nas she did the dew upon her finely curled petals. One day, however,\nshe felt a stiffness in her limbs and a cessation of the exuberance of\nlife. Her once proud head fell forward, and when the old man found her\nhe lifted her up and threw her upon a rubbish heap.\n\n\"Chrysanthemum-Old-Man\"[4]\n\nKikuo (\"Chrysanthemum-Old-Man\") was the faithful retainer of Tsugaru.\nOne day his lord's force was overthrown, and the castle and fine\nestates were taken away by the enemy; but fortunately Tsugaru and Kikuo\nwere able to escape to the mountains.\n\nKikuo, knowing his master's love of flowers, especially that of the\nchrysanthemum, resolved to cultivate this flower to the best of his\nability, and in so doing to lessen a little of his master's remorse and\nhumiliation in exile.\n\nHis efforts pleased Tsugaru, but unfortunately that lord soon fell sick\nand died, and the faithful Kikuo wept over his master's grave. Then\nonce more he returned to his work, and planted chrysanthemums about\nhis master's tomb till he had made a border thirty yards broad, so that\nred, white, pink, yellow, and bronze blossoms scented the air, to the\nwonder of all who chanced to come that way.\n\nWhen Kikuo was about eighty-two he caught cold and was confined to his\nhumble dwelling, where he suffered considerable pain.\n\nOne autumn night, when he knew those beloved flowers dedicated to his\nmaster were at their best, he saw in the verandah a number of young\nchildren. As he gazed upon them he realised that they were not the\nchildren of this world.\n\nTwo of these little ones drew near to Kikuo, and said: \"We are the\nspirits of your chrysanthemums, and have come to tell you how sorry\nwe are to find you ill. You have guarded and loved us with such care.\nThere was a man in China, Hozo by name, who lived eight hundred years\nby drinking the dew from chrysanthemum blossoms. Gladly would we\nlengthen out your days, but, alas! the Gods ordain otherwise. Within\nthirty days you will die.\"\n\nThe old man expressed the wish that he might die in peace, and the\nregret that he must needs leave behind him all his chrysanthemums.\n\n\"Listen,\" said one of the ghostly children: \"we have all loved you,\nKikuo, for what you have done for us. When you die we shall die too.\"\nAs soon as these words were spoken a puff of wind blew against the\ndwelling, and the spirits departed.\n\nKikuo grew worse instead of better, and on the thirtieth day he passed\naway. When visitors came to see the chrysanthemums he had planted, all\nhad vanished. The villagers buried the old man near his master, and,\nthinking to please Kikuo, they planted chrysanthemums near his grave;\nbut all died immediately they were put into the ground. Only grasses\ngrow over the tombs now. The child-souls of the chrysanthemums chatter\nand sing and play with the spirit of Kikuo.\n\n[Illustration: Shing\u00e9 and Yoshisawa by the Violet Well.--166]\n\nThe Violet Well\n\nShing\u00e9 and her waiting-maids were picnicking in the Valley of\nShimizutani, that lies between the mountains of Yoshino and Tsubosaka.\nShing\u00e9, full of the joy of spring, ran towards the Violet Well, where\nshe discovered great clumps of purple, sweet-scented violets. She was\nabout to pick the fragrant blossoms when a great snake darted forth,\nand she immediately fainted.\n\nWhen the maidens found her they saw that her lips were purple, as\npurple as the violets that surrounded her, and when they saw the snake,\nstill lurking in the vicinity, they feared that their mistress would\ndie. Matsu, however, had sufficient presence of mind to throw her\nbasket of flowers at the snake, which at once crawled away.\n\nJust at that moment a handsome youth appeared, and, explaining to the\nmaidens that he was a doctor, he gave Matsu some medicine, in order\nthat she might give it to her mistress.\n\nWhile Matsu forced the powder into Shing\u00e9's mouth the doctor took up a\nstick, disappeared for a few moments, and then returned with the dead\nsnake in his hands.\n\nBy this time Shing\u00e9 had regained consciousness, and asked the name of\nthe physician to whom she was indebted for saving her life. But he\npolitely bowed, evaded her question, and then took his departure. Only\nMatsu knew that the name of her mistress's rescuer was Yoshisawa.\n\nWhen Shing\u00e9 had been taken to her home she grew worse instead of\nbetter. All the cleverest doctors came to her bedside, but could do\nnothing to restore her to health.\n\nMatsu knew that her mistress was gradually fading away for love of\nthe handsome man who had saved her life, and she therefore talked the\nmatter over with her master, Zembei. Matsu told him the story, and said\nthat although Yoshisawa was of a low birth, belonging to the Eta, the\nlowest caste in Japan, who live by killing and skinning animals, yet\nnevertheless he was extremely courteous and had the manner and bearing\nof a _samurai_. \"Nothing,\" said Matsu, \"will restore your daughter to\nhealth unless she marries this handsome physician.\"\n\nBoth Zembei and his wife were dismayed at these words, for Zembei was\na great _daimy\u014d_, and could not for one moment tolerate the idea of\nhis daughter marrying one of the Eta class. However, he agreed to make\ninquiries concerning Yoshisawa, and Matsu returned to her mistress with\nsomething like good news. When Matsu had told Shing\u00e9 what her father\nwas doing on her behalf she rallied considerably, and was able to take\nfood.\n\nWhen Shing\u00e9 was nearly well again Zembei called her to him and said\nthat he had made careful inquiries concerning Yoshisawa, and could on\nno account agree to her marrying him.\n\nShing\u00e9 wept bitterly, and brooded long over her sorrow with a weary\nheart. The next morning she was not to be found in the house or in the\ngarden. Search was made in every direction; even Yoshisawa himself\nsought her everywhere; but those who sought her found her not. She had\nmysteriously disappeared, burdened with a sorrow that now made her\nfather realise the effect of his harsh decree.\n\nAfter three days she was found lying at the bottom of the Violet Well,\nand shortly after Yoshisawa, overcome with grief, sought a similar end\nto his troubles. It is said that on stormy nights the ghost of Shing\u00e9\nis to be seen floating over the well, while near by comes the sound of\nthe weeping of Yoshisawa.\n\nThe Ghost of the Lotus Lily\n\n     \"O Resurrection, Resurrection of World and Life!\n     Lo, Sun ascend! The lotus buds flash with hearts parted,\n     With one chant 'Namu, Amida!'\"\n                                       _Yone Noguchi_.\n\nThe lotus is the sacred flower of Buddhism. Because it grows out of\nmud, rears its stalk through water, and from such dark and slimy\nbeginnings yields a lovely flower, it has been compared with a virtuous\nman dwelling in this wicked world. Sir Monier Williams writes: \"Its\nconstant use as an emblem seems to result from the wheel-like form of\nthe flower, the petals taking the place of spokes, and thus typifying\nthe doctrine of perpetual cycles of existence.\" Buddha is frequently\nportrayed as either standing or sitting upon a golden lotus, and the\nflower reminds us of the Buddhist _sutra_, known as the \"Lotus of the\nGood Law.\"\n\nThus Lafcadio Hearn describes the lotus of Paradise: \"They are\ngardening, these charming beings!--they are caressing the lotus buds,\nsprinkling their petals with something celestial, helping them to\nblossom. And what lotus-buds! with colours not of this world. Some\nhave burst open; and in their luminous hearts, in a radiance like that\nof dawn, tiny naked infants are seated, each with a tiny halo. These\nare Souls, new Buddhas, _hotoke_ born into bliss! Some are very, very\nsmall; others larger; all seem to be growing visibly, for their lovely\nnurses are feeding them with something ambrosial. I see one which has\nleft its lotus-cradle, being conducted by a celestial Jiz\u014d toward the\nhigher splendours far away.\"\n\nSo much, then, for the celestial lotus and for its intimate connection\nwith Buddhism. In the following legend we find this flower possessed\nwith the magical power of keeping away evil spirits.\n\nA certain disease broke out in Ky\u014dto from which many thousands of\npeople died. It spread to Idzumi, where the Lord of Koriyama lived, and\nKoriyama, his wife and child, were stricken down with the malady.\n\nOne day Tada Samon, a high official in Koriyama's castle, received a\nvisit from a _yamabushi_, or mountain recluse. This man was full of\nconcern for the illness of the Lord Koriyama, and, addressing Samon,\nhe said: \"All this trouble has come about through the entrance of evil\nspirits in the castle. They have come because the moats about the abode\nare dry and contain no lotus. If these moats were at once planted with\nthis sacred flower the evil spirits would depart, and your lord, his\nwife and child, grow well again.\"\n\nSamon was much impressed by these wise words, and permission was\ngiven for this recluse to plant lotus about the castle. When he had\naccomplished his task he mysteriously disappeared.\n\nWithin a week the Lord Koriyama, his wife and son, were able to get up\nand resume their respective duties, for by this time the walls had been\nrepaired, the moats filled with pure water, which reflected the nodding\nheads of countless lotus.\n\nMany years later, and after the Lord Koriyama had died, a young\n_samurai_ chanced to pass by the castle moats. He was gazing admiringly\nat these flowers when he suddenly saw two extremely handsome boys\nplaying on the edge of the water. He was about to lead them to a safer\nplace when they sprang into the air and, falling, disappeared beneath\nthe water.\n\nThe astonished _samurai_, believing that he had seen a couple of\n_kappas_,[5] or river goblins, made a hasty retreat to the castle,\nand there reported his strange adventure. When he had told his story\nthe moats were dragged and cleaned, but nothing could be found of the\nsupposed _kappas_.\n\nA little later on another _samurai_, Murata Ippai, saw near the same\nlotus a number of beautiful little boys. He drew his sword and cut them\ndown, breathing in as he did so the heavy perfume of this sacred flower\nwith every stroke of his weapon. When Ippai looked about him to see\nhow many of these strange beings he had killed, there arose before him\na cloud of many colours, a cloud that fell upon his face with a fine\nspray.\n\nAs it was too dark to ascertain fully the extent and nature of his\nonslaught, Ippai remained all night by the spot. When he awoke in the\nmorning he found to his disgust that he had only struck off the heads\nof a number of lotus. Knowing that this beneficent flower had saved the\nlife of the Lord Koriyama, and now protected that of his son, Ippai was\nfilled with shame and remorse. Saying a prayer by the water's edge, he\ncommitted _hara-kiri_.\n\nThe Spirit of the Peony\n\nIt had been arranged that the Princess Aya should marry the second son\nof Lord Ako. The arrangements, according to Japanese custom, had been\nmade entirely without the consent or approval of the actual parties\nconcerned.\n\nOne night Princess Aya walked through the great garden of her home,\naccompanied by her waiting-maids. The moon shone brightly upon her\nfavourite peony bed near a pond, and covered the sweet-scented blooms\nin a silver sheen. Here she lingered, and was stooping to breathe the\nfragrance of these flowers when her foot slipped, and she would have\nfallen had not a handsome young man, clad in a robe of embroidered\npeonies, rescued her just in time. He vanished as quickly and\nmysteriously as he had come, before, indeed, she had time to thank him.\n\nIt so happened that shortly after this event the Princess Aya became\nvery ill, and in consequence the day for her marriage had to be\npostponed. All the medical aid available was useless to restore the\nfeverish maiden to health again.\n\nThe Princess Aya's father asked his favourite daughter's maid, Sadayo,\nif she could throw any light upon this lamentable affair.\n\nSadayo, although hitherto bound to secrecy, felt that the time had come\nwhen it was wise, indeed essential, to communicate all she knew in the\nmatter. She told her master that the Princess Aya was deeply in love\nwith the young _samurai_ wearing the robes embroidered with peonies,\nadding that if he could not be found she feared that her young mistress\nwould die.\n\nThat night, while a celebrated player was performing upon the _biwa_ in\nthe hope of entertaining the sick Princess, there once more appeared\nbehind the peonies the same young man in the same silk robe.\n\nThe next night, too, while Yae and Yakumo were playing on the flute and\n_koto_, the young man appeared again.\n\nThe Princess Aya's father now resolved to get at the root of the\nmatter, and for this purpose he bade Maki Hiogo dress in black and lie\nconcealed in the peony bed on the following night.\n\nWhen the next night came Maki Hiogo lay hidden among the peonies, while\nYae and Yakumo made sweet music. Not long after the music had sounded\nthe mysterious young _samurai_ again appeared. Maki Hiogo rose from his\nhiding-place with his arms tightly bound round this strange visitor.\nA cloud seemed to emanate from his captive. It made him dizzy, and he\nfell to the ground still tightly holding the handsome _samurai_.\n\nJust as a number of guards came hurrying to the spot Maki Hiogo\nregained consciousness. He looked down expecting to see his captive.\nBut all that he held in his arms was a large peony!\n\nBy this time Princess Aya and her father joined the astonished group,\nand the Lord Naizen-no-jo at once grasped the situation. \"I see now,\"\nsaid he, \"that the spirit of the peony flower had a moment ago, and on\nformer occasions, taken the form of a young and handsome _samurai_. My\ndaughter, you must take this flower and treat it with all kindness.\"\n\nThe Princess Aya needed to be told no more. She returned to the house,\nplaced the peony in a vase, and stood it by her bedside. Day by day she\ngot better, while the flower flourished exceedingly.\n\nWhen the Princess Aya was quite well the Lord of Ako arrived at the\ncastle, bringing with him his second son, whom she was to marry. In\ndue time the wedding took place, but at that hour the beautiful peony\nsuddenly died.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: _Hara-kiri_, or _seppuku_, is the term applied to suicide\namong the _samurai_ class. For detailed account see _Tales of Old\nJapan_, by A. B. Mitford (Lord Redesdale).]\n\n[Footnote 2: To this day Japanese peasants still believe in the Hare in\nthe Moon. This animal employs its time in pounding rice in a mortar and\nmaking it into cakes. The origin of this conception is probably to be\nfound in a pun, for \"rice-cake\" and \"full moon\" are both described by\nthe word _mochi_.]\n\n[Footnote 3: The sixteen-petalled chrysanthemum is one of the crests of\nthe Imperial family, while the other represents the flowers and leaves\nof the paulownia. Crests in Japan are not confined to the wealthy\nclasses. The crest is still worn upon the upper part of the native\ngarment, to be seen on each breast and sleeve, and upon the back of\nthe neck. Favourite designs are derived from the bamboo, birds, fans,\nChinese characters, &c.]\n\n[Footnote 4: This story and those that follow in this chapter have\nbeen adapted from _Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan_, by R. Gordon\nSmith.]\n\n[Footnote 5: Referred to elsewhere in the chapter dealing with\nSupernatural Beings.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII: TREES\n\n\n        \"One day Kinto Fujiwara, Great Adviser of State,\n        disputed with the Minister of Uji which was the fairest\n        of spring and autumn flowers. Said the Minister: 'The\n        Cherry is surely best among the flowers of spring,\n        the Chrysanthemum among those of autumn.' Then Kinto\n        said, 'How can the cherry-blossom be the best? You have\n        forgotten the Plum.' Their dispute came at length to\n        be confined to the superiority of the Cherry and Plum,\n        and of other flowers little notice was taken. At length\n        Kinto, not wishing to offend the Minister, did not argue\n        so vehemently as before, but said, 'Well, have it so;\n        the Cherry may be the prettier of the two; but when once\n        you have seen the red plum-blossom in the snow at the\n        dawn of a spring morning, you will no longer forget its\n        beauty.' This truly was a gentle saying.\"\n\n                   \"_The Garden of Japan,\" by_ Sir F. T. Piggott.\n\n\n\n\n\nCherry and Plum\n\nThe supreme floral glory of Japan takes place in April with the coming\nof the cherry-blossom, and, as we have seen in the above quotation,\nit is the cherry and plum that are regarded with the most favour. The\npoet Moto\u00f6ri wrote: \"If one should ask you concerning the heart of a\ntrue Japanese, point to the wild cherry flower glowing in the sun,\" and\nLafcadio Hearn, without the least exaggeration, but with true poetic\ninsight, has compared Japan's cherry-blossom with a delicate sunset\nthat has, as it were, strayed from the sky and lingered about the\nleafless branches.\n\nThe really great wonders of Nature, to those who are sufficiently\nsusceptible to the beautiful, are apt to leave behind an indefinable\nyearning, a regret that so much loveliness must needs pass away,\nand this gentle touch of sorrow mingled with the ecstasy is easily\ndiscovered in much of the Japanese poetry. It is a point worthy of\nemphasis because it reveals a temperament charged with a supreme love\nof the beautiful, this craving for a petal that shall never wither, a\ncolour that shall never fade. Thus sang Korunushi:\n\n     \"No man so callous but he heaves a sigh\n     When o'er his head the withered cherry flowers\n     Come fluttering down. Who knows? the Spring's soft showers\n     May be but tears shed by the sorrowing sky.\"\n                                 Trans. by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\nOne of the greatest tributes Japan has paid to the cherry is as\nfollows: \"The cherry-trees in the far-away mountain villages should\nkeep back their blooms until the flowers in the town have faded, for\nthen the people will go out to see them too.\" A Japanese woman's beauty\nis frequently associated with the cherry-blossom, while her virtue is\ncompared with the flower of the plum.\n\nThe Camellia\n\nThe Precious-Camellia of Yaegaki, with its double trunk and immense\nhead, is of great age, and is regarded as so sacred that it is\nsurrounded by a fence, and stone lamps are placed about it. The tree's\nunique shape, with the double trunk growing together in the middle,\nhas given rise to the belief that this extraordinary tree symbolises a\nhappy wedded life, and, moreover, that good spirits inhabit it, ever\nready to answer the ardent prayers of lovers.\n\nThe camellia-tree is not always beneficent. A legend is recorded of a\ntree of this species walking about at night in a _samurai's_ garden at\nMatsue. Its strange and restless wanderings became so frequent that at\nlast the tree was cut down, and it is said that when it was struck it\nshot forth a stream of blood.\n\n\nThe Cryptomeria\n\nAnother tree held in high veneration is the imposing cryptomeria,\nand there is one avenue of these trees stretching from Utsunomiya\nto Nikk\u014d, a distance of twenty miles. One of these trees is seven\nfeet in diameter, and is said to have been planted \"by a deputation\nrepresenting eight hundred Buddhist nuns of the province of Wakasa.\"\nLater on in this chapter we give a legend connected with this\nparticular tree.\n\nA Pine-tree and the God of Roads\n\nIn the grounds of the great _hakaba_ (cemetery) of the Kwannondera is\na pine-tree standing upon four great roots that have the appearance\nof gigantic legs. About this tree is a fence, shrine, and a number of\n_torii_. Before the shrine repose miniature horses made from straw.\nThese are offerings to K\u014dshin, the God of Roads, entreaties that\nthe real horses which they symbolise may be preserved from death or\nsickness. The pine-tree, however, is not usually associated with\nK\u014dshin. It may be fittingly described as the most domestic of Japanese\ntrees, for it takes a conspicuous place in the New Year festival[1]--a\ntree to plant at the garden gate, because it is said to bring good luck\nand, especially, happy marriages.\n\nA Tree Spirit\n\nAs we shall see in the legends that follow, more than one variety of\nJapanese trees is endowed with supernatural power. There is a tree\nspirit known as Ki-no-o-bak\u00e9 that is capable of walking about and\nassuming various guises. The spirit of the tree speaks but little, and\nif disturbed disappears into the trunk or among the leaves. The spirit\nof the God K\u014djin[2] resides in the _enoki_ tree, the God to whom very\nold dolls are dedicated.\n\nThe Miraculous Chestnut\n\nThe Princess Hinako-Nai-Shinn\u014d begged that chestnuts should be brought\nto her; but she took but one, bit it, and threw it away. It took root,\nand upon all the chestnuts that it eventually bore there were the marks\nof the Princess's small teeth. In honouring her death the chestnut had\nexpressed its devotion in this strange way.\n\nThe Silent Pine\n\nThe Emperor Go-Toba, who strongly objected to the croaking of frogs,\nwas on one occasion disturbed by a wind-blown pine-tree. When his\nMajesty loudly commanded it to be still, the pine-tree never for a\nmoment moved again. So greatly impressed was this obedient tree that\nthe fiercest wind failed to stir its branches, or even its myriad\npine-needles.\n\nWillow Wife[3]\n\n     \"I have heard of the magical incense that summons the souls of the\n       absent;\n     Would I had some to burn, in the nights when I wait alone.\"\n                                             _From the Japanese_.\n\n\nIn a certain Japanese village there grew a great willow-tree. For many\ngenerations the people loved it. In the summer it was a resting-place,\na place where the villagers might meet after the work and heat of the\nday were over, and there talk till the moonlight streamed through the\nbranches. In winter it was like a great half-opened umbrella covered\nwith sparkling snow.\n\nHeitaro, a young farmer, lived quite near this tree, and he, more than\nany of his companions, had entered into a deep communion with the\nimposing willow. It was almost the first object he saw upon waking,\nand upon his return from work in the fields he looked out eagerly for\nits familiar form. Sometimes he would burn a joss-stick beneath its\nbranches and kneel down and pray.\n\nOne day an old man of the village came to Heitaro and explained to him\nthat the villagers were anxious to build a bridge over the river, and\nthat they particularly wanted the great willow-tree for timber.\n\n\"For timber?\" said Heitaro, hiding his face in his hands. \"My dear\nwillow-tree for a bridge, one to bear the incessant patter of feet?\nNever, never, old man!\"\n\nWhen Heitaro had somewhat recovered himself, he offered to give the old\nman some of his own trees, if he and the villagers would accept them\nfor timber and spare the ancient willow.\n\nThe old man readily accepted this offer, and the willow-tree continued\nto stand in the village as it had stood for so many years.\n\nOne night while Heitaro sat under the great willow he suddenly saw a\nbeautiful woman standing close beside him, looking at him shyly, as if\nwanting to speak.\n\n\"Honourable lady,\" said he, \"I will go home. I see you wait for some\none. Heitaro is not without kindness towards those who love.\"\n\n\"He will not come now,\" said the woman, smiling.\n\n\"Can he have grown cold? Oh, how terrible when a mock love comes and\nleaves ashes and a grave behind!\"\n\n\"He has not grown cold, dear lord.\"\n\n\"And yet he does not come! What strange mystery is this?\"\n\n\"He has come! His heart has been always here, here under this\nwillow-tree.\" And with a radiant smile the woman disappeared.\n\nNight after night they met under the old willow-tree. The woman's\nshyness had entirely disappeared, and it seemed that she could not hear\ntoo much from Heitaro's lips in praise of the willow under which they\nsat.\n\nOne night he said to her: \"Little one, will you be my wife--you who\nseem to come from the very tree itself?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the woman. \"Call me Higo (\"Willow\") and ask no questions,\nfor love of me. I have no father or mother, and some day you will\nunderstand.\"\n\nHeitaro and Higo were married, and in due time they were blessed with a\nchild, whom they called Chiyod\u014d. Simple was their dwelling, but those\nit contained were the happiest people in all Japan.\n\nWhile this happy couple went about their respective duties great news\ncame to the village. The villagers were full of it, and it was not long\nbefore it reached Heitaro's ears. The ex-Emperor Toba wished to build\na temple to Kwannon[4] in Ky\u014dto, and those in authority sent far and\nwide for timber. The villagers said that they must contribute towards\nbuilding the sacred edifice by presenting their great willow-tree.\nAll Heitaro's argument and persuasion and promise of other trees were\nineffectual, for neither he nor any one else could give as large and\nhandsome a tree as the great willow.\n\nHeitaro went home and told his wife. \"Oh, wife,\" said he, \"they are\nabout to cut down our dear willow-tree! Before I married you I could\nnot have borne it. Having you, little one, perhaps I shall get over it\nsome day.\"\n\nThat night Heitaro was aroused by hearing a piercing cry. \"Heitaro,\"\nsaid his wife, \"it grows dark! The room is full of whispers. Are you\nthere, Heitaro? Hark! They are cutting down the willow-tree. Look how\nits shadow trembles in the moonlight. I am the soul of the willow-tree!\nThe villagers are killing me. Oh, how they cut and tear me to pieces!\nDear Heitaro, the pain, the pain! Put your hands here, and here. Surely\nthe blows cannot fall now?\"\n\n\"My Willow Wife! My Willow Wife!\" sobbed Heitaro.\n\n\"Husband,\" said Higo, very faintly, pressing her wet, agonised face\nclose to his, \"I am going now. Such a love as ours cannot be cut down,\nhowever fierce the blows. I shall wait for you and Chiyodo---- My hair\nis falling through the sky! My body is breaking!\"\n\nThere was a loud crash outside. The great willow-tree lay green and\ndishevelled upon the ground. Heitaro looked round for her he loved more\nthan anything else in the world. Willow Wife had gone!\n\nThe Tree of the One-eyed Priest\n\nIn ancient days there stood on the summit of Oki-yama a temple\ndedicated to Fudo, a god surrounded by fire, with sword in one hand and\nrope in the other. For twenty years Yenoki had performed his office,\nand one of his duties was to guard Fudo, who sat in a shrine, only\naccessible to the high-priest himself. During the whole of this period\nYenoki had rendered faithful service and resisted the temptation to\ntake a peep at this extremely ugly god. One morning, finding that the\ndoor of the shrine was not quite closed, his curiosity overcame him and\nhe peeped within. No sooner had he done so than he became stone-blind\nin one eye and suffered the humiliation of being turned into a\n_tengu_.[5]\n\nHe lived for a year after these deplorable happenings, and then died.\nHis spirit passed into a great cryptomeria-tree standing on the east\nside of the mountain, and from that day Yenoki's spirit was invoked\nby sailors who were harassed by storms on the Chinese Sea. If a light\nblazed from the tree in answer to their prayers, it was a sure sign\nthat the storm would abate.\n\nAt the foot of Oki-yama there was a village, where, sad to relate, the\nyoung people were very lax in their morals. During the Festival of the\nDead they performed a dance known as the Bon Odori. These dances were\nvery wild affairs indeed, and were accompanied by flirtations of a\nviolent and wicked nature. The dances became more unrestrained as years\nwent by, and the village got a bad name for immoral practices among the\nyoung people.\n\nAfter a particularly wild celebration of the Bon a young maiden\nnamed Kimi set out to find her lover, Kurosuke. Instead of finding\nhim she saw an extremely good-looking youth, who smiled upon her and\ncontinually beckoned. Kimi forgot all about Kurosuke; indeed, from that\nmoment she hated him and eagerly followed the enticing youth. Nine fair\nbut wicked maidens disappeared from the village in a similar way, and\nalways it was the same youth who lured them astray in this mysterious\nmanner.\n\nThe elders of the village consulted together, and came to the\nconclusion that the spirit of Yenoki was angry with the excesses\nconnected with the Bon festival, and had assumed the form of a handsome\nyouth for the purpose of administering severe admonition. The Lord of\nKishiwada accordingly summoned Sonob\u00e9 to his presence, and bade him\njourney to the great cryptomeria-tree on Oki-yama.\n\nWhen Sonob\u00e9 reached his destination he thus addressed the ancient\ntree: \"Oh, home of Yenoki's spirit, I upbraid you for carrying away our\ndaughters. If this continues I shall cut down the tree, so that you\nwill be compelled to seek lodging elsewhere.\"\n\nSonob\u00e9 had no sooner spoken than rain began to fall, and he heard the\nrumblings of a mighty earthquake. Then from out of the tree Yenoki's\nspirit suddenly appeared. He explained that many of the young people of\nSonob\u00e9's village had offended against the Gods by their misconduct, and\nthat he had, as conjectured, assumed the form of a handsome youth in\norder to take away the principal offenders. \"You will find them,\" added\nthe spirit of Yenoki, \"bound to trees on the second summit of this\nmountain. Go, release them, and allow them to return to the village.\nThey have not only repented of their follies, but will now persuade\nothers to live nobler and purer lives.\" And with these words Yenoki\ndisappeared into his tree.\n\nSonob\u00e9 set off to the second summit and released the maidens. They\nreturned to their homes, good and dutiful daughters, and from that day\nto this the Gods have been well satisfied with the general behaviour of\nthe village that nestles at the foot of Oki-yama.\n\nThe Burning of Three Dwarf Trees\n\nIn the reign of the Emperor Go-Fukakusa there lived a celebrated\nRegent, Saimyoji Tokiyori. When thirty years of age this Regent retired\nto a monastery for several years, and not infrequently his peace of\nmind was sadly disturbed by stories of peasants who suffered at the\nhands of tyrannical officials. Now Tokiyori loved above everything\nthe welfare of his people, and after giving the matter careful\nconsideration he determined to disguise himself, travel from place to\nplace, and discover in an intimate way the heart of the poorer people,\nand later on to do all in his power to suppress malpractice on the part\nof various officials.\n\nTokiyori accordingly set out upon his excellent mission, and finally\ncame to Sano, in the province of Kozuki. Now it was the time of\nwinter, and a heavy snowstorm caused the royal wanderer to lose his\nway. After wearily tramping about for several hours in the hope of\nfinding shelter, he was about to make the best of the matter by\nsleeping under a tree when, to his joy, he noticed a small thatched\ncottage nestling under a hill at no great distance. To this cottage\nhe went, and explained to the woman who greeted him that he had lost\nhis way and would be much indebted to her if she would afford him\nshelter for the night. The good woman explained that as her husband\nwas away from home, it would be disloyal as his wife to give shelter\nto a stranger. Tokiyori not only took this reply in good part, but\nhe greatly rejoiced, in spite of a night in the snow, to find such a\nvirtuous woman. But he had not gone far from the cottage when he heard\na man calling to him. Tokiyori stood still, and presently he saw some\none beckoning him. The man explained that he was the husband of the\nwoman the ex-Regent had just left, and cordially invited one whom he\ntook to be a wandering priest to return with him and accept such humble\nhospitality as was available.\n\nWhen Tokiyori was sitting in the little cottage simple fare was\nspread before him, and as he had eaten nothing since the morning he\ndid full justice to the meal. But the fact that millet and not rice\nwas provided clearly conveyed to the observant Tokiyori that here was\npoverty indeed, but with it all a generosity that went straight to his\nheart. Nor was this all, for, the meal finished, they gathered round\nthe fire that was fast dying out for want of fuel. The good man of the\nhouse turned to the fuel-box. Alas! it was empty. Without a moment's\nhesitation he went out into the garden, heavily covered with snow,\nand brought back with him three pots of dwarf trees, pine, plum, and\ncherry. Now in Japan dwarf trees are held in high esteem; much time and\ncare is bestowed upon them, and their age and unique beauty have made\nthem dear to the people of Nippon. In spite of Tokiyori's remonstrance\nhis host broke up these little trees, and thus made a cheerful blaze.\n\nIt was this incident, scarcely to be fully appreciated by a Westerner,\nthat caused Tokiyori to question his host, whose very possession of\nthese valuable trees strongly suggested that this generous man was\nnot a farmer by birth, but had taken to this calling by force of\ncircumstance. The ex-Regent's conjecture proved to be correct, and his\nhost, with some reluctance, finally explained that he was a _samurai_\nby the name of Sano Genzalmon Tsuneyo. He had been forced to take up\nfarming owing to the dishonesty of one of his relatives.\n\nTokiyori readily recalled the name of this _samurai_ before him, and\nsuggested that he should make an appeal for redress. Sano explained\nthat as the good and just Regent had died (so he thought), and as his\nsuccessor was very young, he considered it was worse than useless to\npresent a petition. But, nevertheless, he went on to explain to his\ninterested listener that should there come a call to arms he would be\nthe first to make an appearance at Kamakura. It was this thought of\nsome day being of use to his country that had sweetened the days of his\npoverty.\n\nThe conversation, so rapidly suggested in this story, was in reality\na lengthy one, and by the time it was concluded already a new day\nhad begun. And when the storm-doors had been opened it was to reveal\nsunlight streaming over a world of snow. Before taking his departure\nTokiyori warmly thanked his host and hostess for their hospitality.\nWhen this kindly visitor had gone Sano suddenly remembered that he had\nforgotten to inquire the name of his guest.\n\nNow it happened that in the following spring a call to arms was\ninstituted by the Government at Kamakura. No sooner had Sano heard\nthe joyful news than he set out to obey the summons. His armour was\nshabby in the extreme, his halberd covered with rust, and his horse\nwas in a very poor condition. He presented a sorry figure among the\nresplendent knights he found in Kamakura. Many of these knights made\nuncomplimentary remarks concerning him, but Sano bore this insolence\nwithout a word. While he stood, a forlorn figure, among the sparkling\nranks of _samurai_ about him, a herald approached riding on a\nmagnificent horse, and carrying a banner bearing the house-crest of\nthe Regent. With a loud, clear voice he bade the knight wearing the\nshabbiest armour to appear before his master. Sano obeyed the summons\nwith a heavy heart. He thought that the Regent was about to rebuke him\nfor appearing in such a gaily decked company clad in such miserable\naccoutrements.\n\nThis humble knight was surprised by the cordial welcome he received,\nand still more surprised when a servant pushed aside the screens of\nan adjoining room and revealed the Regent Saimyoji Tokiyori, who was\nnone other than the priest who had taken shelter in his little home.\nNor had Tokiyori forgotten the burning of the dwarf pine, plum, and\ncherry-trees. Out of that sacrifice, readily given without a thought of\ngain, came the thirty villages of which Sano had been robbed. This was\nonly Sano's due, and in addition the grateful Tokiyori had the happy\nidea of presenting this faithful knight with the village of Matsu-idu,\nUmeda, and Sakurai, _matsu_, _ume_, and _sakura_ being the Japanese\nnames for pine, plum, and cherry.\n\nThe Pine-tree Lovers\n\n     \"The dawn is near,\n     And the hoar-frost falls\n     On the fir-tree twigs;\n     But its leaves' dark green\n     Suffer no change.\n     Morning and evening\n     Beneath its shade\n     The leaves are swept away,\n     Yet they never fail.\n     True it is\n     That these fir-trees\n     Shed not all their leaves;\n     Their verdure remains fresh\n     For ages long,\n     As the Masaka trailing vine;\n     Even amongst evergreen trees--\n     The emblem of unchangeableness--\n     Exalted is their fame\n     As a symbol to the end of time--\n     The fame of the fir-trees that have grown\n       old together.\"\n          \"_Takasago_.\" (Trans. by W. G. Aston.)\n\n\nThe _Takasago_ is generally considered one of the finest of the _N\u014d_,\nor classical dramas. The _N\u014d_ was performed by statuesque players who\nchanted in an ancient dialect. It belonged to that period of Japanese\nformality fittingly described as \"Heav'n to hear tell about, but Hell\nto see.\" The theme of the _Takasago_ seems to be a relic of a phallic\ncult common enough in the history of primitive nations. The pine-tree\nof Takasago symbolises longevity, and in the following chorus from this\ndrama we may gather the potency of this evergreen tree:\n\n     \"And now, world without end,\n     The extended arms of the dancing maidens\n     In sacerdotal robes\n     Will expel noxious influences;\n     Their hands folded to rest in their bosoms\n     Will embrace all good fortune;\n     The hymn of a thousand autumns\n     Will draw down blessings on the people,\n     And the song of ten thousand years\n     Prolong our sovereign's life.\n     And all the while\n     The voice of the breeze,\n     As it blows through the firs\n     That grow old together,\n     Will yield us delight.\"\n\n\nThe efficacy of the pine-tree is still believed in to this day. It is\nconspicuous in the festival of the San-ga-nichi, when pine branches\ndecorate the gateways during the New Year festivities. Both this use\nof the pine-tree and that of this particular _N\u014d_ drama owe their\norigin to the great pine-tree of Takasago, about which we narrate the\nfollowing legend.\n\nIn ancient days there lived at Takasago a fisherman, his wife, and\nlittle daughter Matsue. There was nothing that Matsue loved to do more\nthan to sit under the great pine-tree. She was particularly fond of the\npine-needles that never seemed tired of falling to the ground. With\nthese she fashioned a beautiful dress and sash, saying: \"I will not\nwear these pine-clothes until my wedding-day.\"\n\nOne day, while Matsue was sitting under the pine-tree, she sang the\nfollowing song:\n\n     \"No man so callous but he heaves a sigh\n     When o'er his head the withered cherry flowers\n     Come fluttering down. Who knows? the Spring's soft showers\n     May be but tears shed by the sorrowing sky.\"\n\n\nWhile she thus sang Teoyo stood on the steep shore of Sumiyoshi\nwatching the flight of a heron. Up, up it went into the blue sky,\nand Teoyo saw it fly over the village where the fisherfolk and their\ndaughter lived.\n\nNow Teoyo was a youth who dearly loved adventure, and he thought it\nwould be very delightful to swim across the sea and discover the land\nover which the heron had flown. So one morning he dived into the sea\nand swam so hard and so long that the poor fellow found the waves\nspinning and dancing, and saw the great sky bend down and try to touch\nhim. Then he lay unconscious on the water; but the waves were kind to\nhim after all, for they pressed him on and on till he was washed up at\nthe very place where Matsue sat under the pine-tree.\n\nMatsue carefully dragged Teoyo underneath the sheltering branches, and\nthen set him down upon a couch of pine-needles, where he soon regained\nconsciousness, and warmly thanked Matsue for her kindness.\n\nTeoyo did not go back to his own country, for after a few happy months\nhad gone by he married Matsue, and on her wedding morn she wore her\ndress and sash of pine-needles.\n\nWhen Matsue's parents died her loss only seemed to make her love Teoyo\nthe more. The older they grew the more they loved each other. Every\nnight, when the moon shone, they went hand in hand to the pine-tree,\nand with their little rakes they made a couch for the morrow.\n\nOne night the great silver face of the moon peered through the branches\nof the pine-tree and looked in vain for the old lovers sitting\ntogether on a couch of pine-needles. Their little rakes lay side by\nside, and still the moon waited for the slow and stumbling steps of\nthe Pine-Tree Lovers. But that night they did not come. They had gone\nhome to an everlasting resting-place on the River of Souls. They had\nloved so well and so splendidly, in old age as well as in youth, that\nthe Gods allowed their souls to come back again and wander round the\npine-tree that had listened to their love for so many years. When the\nmoon is full they whisper and laugh and sing and draw the pine-needles\ntogether, while the sea sings softly upon the shore.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: See Chapter XVII.]\n\n[Footnote 2: See Chapter XVI.]\n\n[Footnote 3: This story and the one that follows have been adapted from\n_Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan_, by R. Gordon Smith.]\n\n[Footnote 4: See Chapter XV.]\n\n[Footnote 5: A long-nosed creature referred to elsewhere.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV: MIRRORS\n\n\n\n        \"As the sword is the soul of a _samurai_, so is the\n        mirror the soul of a woman.\"\n\n        \"When the mirror is dim the soul is unclean.\"\n\n                                                 _Japanese Proverbs_.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Significance of Japanese Mirrors\n\nOld Japanese metal mirrors are circular, the surface convex, and the\nback adorned with elaborate designs in relief of flowers, birds, and\nother scenes from Nature. Professor B. H. Chamberlain writes: \"An\nextraordinary peculiarity characterises some of these Japanese mirrors:\nsunlight reflected from their _face_ displays a luminous image of the\ndesign on their _back_! So strange a phenomenon has naturally attracted\nthe attention of men of science. After much speculation, it has been\nclearly proved by Professors Ayrton and Perry to arise from the fact\nthat the curvature of the face of the mirror over the plain part of\nthe back is greater than over the design.\" It is the phenomenon rather\nthan the possible explanation of it that interests us, and no doubt\nthis strange occurrence accounts in some measure for the magical\nsignificance of Nipponese mirrors.\n\nThe great legendary idea underlying Japanese mirrors is just this, that\nthe mirror, through constant reflection of its owner's face, draws\nto itself the very soul of its possessor, and, as we shall see later\non, something of the same idea is to be traced in regard to old but\nmuch-loved Japanese dolls.\n\nHidari Jingor\u014d\n\nThe famous sculptor Hidari Jingor\u014d on one occasion happened to fall\nin love with a very attractive woman whom he met in the street on his\nreturn to his studio. He was so fascinated by her rare beauty that as\nsoon as he had reached his destination he commenced to carve a statue\nof her. Between the chiselled robes he placed a mirror, the mirror\nwhich the lovely woman had dropped, and which her eager lover had at\nonce picked up. Because this mirror had reflected a thousand thousand\ntimes that fair face, it had taken to its shining surface the very body\nand soul of its owner, and because of these strange things the statue\ncame to life, to the extreme happiness of sculptor and maid.\n\nThe Divine Mirror\n\nLong before the Japanese mirror was a familiar object in the house it\nhad a very deep religious significance in connection with Shint\u014dism.\nThe Divine Mirror into which the Sun Goddess gazed reposes at Ise.\nOther mirrors are to be found in Shint\u014d shrines; indeed, these mirrors\nare the essential part of a shrine remarkable for its simplicity. The\nmirror \"typifies the human heart, which, when perfectly placid and\nclear, reflects the very image of the deity.\" In the _Kojiki_ we are\ntold that Izanagi presented his children with a polished silver disc,\nand bade them kneel before it every morning and evening and examine\ntheir reflections. He told them to think of heavenly things, to stifle\npassion and all evil thought, so that the disc should reveal a pure and\nlovely soul.\n\nThe Soul of a Mirror\n\nThe shrine of Ogawachi-My\u014djin fell into decay, and the Shint\u014d priest\nin charge, Matsumura, journeyed to Ky\u014dto in the hope of successfully\nappealing to the Sh\u014dgun for a grant for the restoration of the temple.\n\nMatsumura and his family resided in a house in Ky\u014dto, said to be\nextremely unlucky, and many tenants had thrown themselves into the\nwell on the north-east side of the dwelling. But Matsumura took no\nnotice of these tales, and was not the least afraid of evil spirits.\n\nDuring the summer of that year there was a great drought in Ky\u014dto.\nThough the river-beds dried up and many wells failed for want of rain,\nthe well in Matsumura's garden was full to overflowing. The distress\nelsewhere, owing to want of water, forced many poor people to beg for\nit, and for all their drawing the water in this particular well did not\ndiminish.\n\nOne day, however, a dead body was found lying in the well, that of a\nservant who had come to fetch water. In his case suicide was out of the\nquestion, and it seemed impossible that he should have accidentally\nfallen in. When Matsumura heard of the fatality he went to inspect\nthe well. To his surprise the water stirred with a strange rocking\nmovement. When the motion lessened he saw reflected in the clear\nwater the form of a fair young woman. She was touching her lips with\n_beni_. At length she smiled upon him. It was a strange smile that made\nMatsumura feel dizzy, a smile that blotted out everything else save\nthe beautiful woman's face. He felt an almost irresistible desire to\nfling himself into the water in order that he might reach and hold this\nenchanting woman. He struggled against this strange feeling, however,\nand was able after a while to enter the house, where he gave orders\nthat a fence should be built round the well, and that from thenceforth\nno one, on any pretext whatever, should draw water there.\n\nShortly afterwards the drought came to an end. For three days and\nnights there was a continuous downpour of rain, and the city shook\nwith an earthquake. On the third night of the storm there was a loud\nknocking at Matsumura's door. The priest himself inquired who his\nvisitor might be. He half opened the door, and saw once more the woman\nhe had seen in the well. He refused her admission, and asked why she\nhad been guilty of taking the lives of so many harmless and innocent\npeople.\n\nThus the woman made answer: \"Alas! good priest, I have never desired to\nlure human beings to their death. It is the Poison Dragon, who lived\nin that well, who forced me against my will to entice people to death.\nBut now the Gods have compelled the Poison Dragon to live elsewhere,\nso that to-night I was able to leave my place of captivity. Now there\nis but little water in the well, and if you will search there you will\nfind my body. Take care of it for me, and I shall not fail to reward\nyour goodness.\" With these words she vanished as suddenly as she had\nappeared.\n\nNext day well-cleaners searched the well, and discovered some ancient\nhair ornaments and an old metal mirror.\n\nMatsumura, being a wise man, took the mirror and cleaned it, believing\nthat it might reveal a solution to the mystery.\n\nUpon the back of the mirror he discovered several characters. Many of\nthe ideographs were too blurred to be legible, but he managed to make\nout \"third month, the third day.\" In ancient time the third month used\nto be called _Yayoi_, or Month of Increase, and remembering that the\nwoman had called herself Yayoi, Matsumura realised that he had probably\nreceived a visit from the Soul of the Mirror.\n\nMatsumura took every care of the mirror. He ordered it to be resilvered\nand polished, and when this had been done he laid it in a box specially\nmade for it, and mirror and box were placed in a particular room in the\nhouse.\n\nOne day, when Matsumura was sitting in the apartment where the mirror\nreposed, he once more saw Yayoi standing before him, looking more\nbeautiful than ever, and the refulgence of her beauty was like summer\nmoonlight. After she had saluted Matsumura she explained that she was\nindeed the Soul of the Mirror, and narrated how she had fallen into\nthe possession of Lady Kamo, of the Imperial Court, and how she had\nbecome an heirloom of the Fujiwara House, until during the period of\nH\u014dgen, when the Taira and Minamoto clans were engaged in conflict, she\nwas thrown into a well, and there forgotten. Having narrated these\nthings, and all the horrors she had gone through under the tyranny\nof the Poison Dragon, Yayoi begged that Matsumura would present the\nmirror to the Sh\u014dgun, the Lord Yoshimasa, who was a descendant of her\nformer possessors, promising the priest considerable good fortune if he\ndid so. Before Yayoi departed she advised Matsumura to leave his home\nimmediately, as it was about to be washed away by a great storm.\n\nOn the following day Matsumura left the house, and, as Yayoi had\nprophesied, almost immediately afterwards his late dwelling was swept\naway.\n\nAt length Matsumura was able to present, the mirror to the Sh\u014dgun\nYoshimasa, together with a written account of its strange history. The\nSh\u014dgun was so pleased with the gift that he not only gave Matsumura\nmany personal presents, but he also presented the priest with a\nconsiderable sum of money for the rebuilding of his temple.\n\nA Mirror and a Bell\n\nWhen the priests of Mugenyama required a large bell for their temple\nthey asked the women in the vicinity to contribute their old bronze\nmirrors for the purpose of providing the necessary metal.\n\nHundreds of mirrors were given for this purpose, and all were offered\ngladly, except the mirror presented by a certain farmer's wife. As soon\nas she had given her mirror to the priests she began to regret having\nparted with it. She remembered how old it was, how it had reflected her\nmother's laughter and tears, and even her great-grandmother's. Whenever\nthis farmer's wife went to the temple she saw her coveted mirror lying\nin a great heap behind a railing. She recognised it by the design on\nthe back known as the _Sh\u014d-Chiku-Bai_, or the three emblems of the\nPine, Bamboo, and Plum-flower. She yearned to stretch forth her arm\nbetween the railings and to snatch back her beloved mirror. Her soul\nwas in the shining surface, and it mingled with the souls of those who\nhad gazed into it before she was born.\n\nWhen the Mugenyama bell was in course of construction the bell-founders\ndiscovered that one mirror would not melt. The workers said that it\nrefused to melt because the owner had afterwards regretted the gift,\nwhich had made the metal hard, as hard as the woman's selfish heart.\n\nSoon every one knew the identity of the giver of the mirror that would\nnot melt, and, angry and ashamed, the farmer's wife drowned herself,\nfirst having written the following: \"When I am dead you will be able\nto melt my mirror, and so cast the bell. My soul will come to him who\nbreaks that bell by ringing it, and I will give him great wealth.\"\n\nWhen the woman died her old mirror melted immediately, and the bell\nwas cast and was suspended in its customary place. Many people having\nheard of the message written by the deceased farmer's wife, a great\nmultitude came to the temple, and one by one rang the bell with the\nutmost violence in the hope of breaking it and winning great wealth.\nDay after day the ringing continued, till at last the noise became so\nunbearable that the priests rolled the bell into a swamp, where it lay\nhidden from sight.\n\nThe Mirror of Matsuyama\n\nIn ancient days there lived in a remote part of Japan a man and his\nwife, and they were blessed with a little girl, who was the pet and\nidol of her parents. On one occasion the man was called away on\nbusiness in distant Ky\u014dto. Before he went he told his daughter that\nif she were good and dutiful to her mother he would bring her back\na present she would prize very highly. Then the good man took his\ndeparture, mother and daughter watching him go.\n\nAt last he returned to his home, and after his wife and child had\ntaken off his large hat and sandals he sat down upon the white mats\nand opened a bamboo basket, watching the eager gaze of his little\nchild. He took out a wonderful doll and a lacquer box of cakes and put\nthem into her outstretched hands. Once more he dived into his basket,\nand presented his wife with a metal mirror. Its convex surface shone\nbrightly, while upon its back there was a design of pine-trees and\nstorks.\n\nThe good man's wife had never seen a mirror before, and on gazing into\nit she was under the impression that another woman looked out upon her\nas she gazed with growing wonder. Her husband explained the mystery and\nbade her take great care of the mirror.\n\nNot long after this happy home-coming and distribution of presents the\nwoman became very ill. Just before she died she called to her little\ndaughter, and said: \"Dear child, when I am dead take every care of\nyour father. You will miss me when I have left you. But take this\nmirror, and when you feel most lonely look into it and you will always\nsee me.\" Having said these words she passed away.\n\nIn due time the man married again, and his wife was not at all kind to\nher stepdaughter. But the little one, remembering her mother's last\nwords, would retire to a corner and eagerly look into the mirror, where\nit seemed to her that she saw her dear mother's face, not drawn in pain\nas she had seen it on her death-bed, but young and beautiful.\n\nOne day this child's stepmother chanced to see her crouching in a\ncorner over an object she could not quite see, murmuring to herself.\nThis ignorant woman, who detested the child and believed that her\nstepdaughter detested her in return, fancied that this little one\nwas performing some strange magical art--perhaps making an image and\nsticking pins into it. Full of these notions, the stepmother went to\nher husband and told him that his wicked child was doing her best to\nkill her by witchcraft.\n\nWhen the master of the house had listened to this extraordinary recital\nhe went straight to his daughter's room. He took her by surprise, and\nimmediately the girl saw him she slipped the mirror into her sleeve.\nFor the first time her doting father grew angry, and he feared that\nthere was, after all, truth in what his wife had told him, and he\nrepeated her tale forthwith.\n\nWhen his daughter had heard this unjust accusation she was amazed at\nher father's words, and she told him that she loved him far too well\never to attempt or wish to kill his wife, who she knew was dear to him.\n\n\"What have you hidden in your sleeve?\" said her father, only hair\nconvinced and still much puzzled.\n\n\"The mirror you gave my mother, and which she on her death-bed gave\nto me. Every time I look into its shining surface I see the face of my\ndear mother, young and beautiful. When my heart aches--and oh! it has\nached so much lately--I take out the mirror, and mother's face, with\nsweet, kind smile, brings me peace, and helps me to bear hard words and\ncross looks.\"\n\nThen the man understood and loved his child the more for her filial\npiety. Even the girl's stepmother, when she knew what had really taken\nplace, was ashamed and asked forgiveness. And this child, who believed\nshe had seen her mother's face in the mirror, forgave, and trouble for\never departed from the home.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV: KWANNON AND BENTEN.\n\nDAIKOKU, EBISU, AND HOTEI\n\n\n        \"Adoration to the great merciful Kwannon, who looketh\n        down above the sound of prayer.\"\n\n                                     _An Inscription_.\n\n\n\n\nKwannon\n\nKwannon, the Goddess of Mercy, resembles in many ways the no less\nmerciful and gentle Jiz\u014d, for both renounced the joy of Nirvana\nthat they might bring peace and happiness to others. Kwannon,\nhowever, is a much more complex divinity than Jiz\u014d, and though\nshe is most frequently portrayed as a very beautiful and saintly\nJapanese woman, she nevertheless assumes a multitude of forms. We\nare familiar with certain Indian gods and goddesses with innumerable\nhands, and Kwannon is sometimes depicted as Senjiu-Kwannon, or\nKwannon-of-the-Thousand-Hands.[1] Each hand holds an object of some\nkind, as if to suggest that here indeed was a goddess ready in her love\nto give and to answer prayer to the uttermost.\n\nThen there is Jiu-ichi-men-Kwannon, the Kwannon-of-the-Eleven-Faces.\nThe face of Kwannon is here represented as \"smiling with eternal youth\nand infinite tenderness,\" and in her glowing presence the ideal of the\ndivine feminine is presented with infinite beauty of conception. In\nthe tiara of Jiu-ichi-men-Kwannon are exquisite faces, a radiation, as\nit were, of miniature Kwannons. Sometimes the tiara of Kwannon takes\nanother form, as in Bat\u014d-Kwannon, or Kwannon-with-the-Horse's-Head.\nThe title is a little misleading, for such a graceful creature is very\nfar from possessing a horse's head in any of her manifestations.\nImages of this particular Kwannon depict a horse cut out in the tiara.\nBat\u014d-Kwannon is the Goddess to whom peasants pray for the safety and\npreservation of their horses and cattle, and Bat\u014d-Kwannon is not\nonly said to protect dumb animals, particularly those who labour for\nmankind, but she extends her power to protecting their spirits and\nbringing them ease and a happier life than they experienced while on\nearth. In sharp contrast with the Kwannons we have already described\nis Hito-koto-Kwannon, the Kwannon who will only answer one prayer. The\nGods of Love and Wisdom are frequently represented in conjunction with\nthis Goddess, and the \"Twenty-eight Followers\" are personifications\nof certain constellations. But in all the variations of Kwannon she\npreserves the same virgin beauty, and this Goddess of Mercy has not\ninappropriately been called the Japanese Madonna.\n\nKwannon in Chinese Myth\n\nIn China Kwannon is known as Kwanjin, and is the spiritual son of\nAmit\u00e2bha, but this divinity always appears as a goddess, as her images\nin both China and Japan testify. The Chinese claim that Kwanjin is of\nnative origin, and was originally the daughter of the King of the Chow\ndynasty. She was sentenced to death by her father because she refused\nto marry, but the executioner's sword broke without inflicting a wound.\nWe are told that later on her spirit went to Hell. There was something\nso radiantly beautiful about the spirit of Kwanjin that her very\npresence turned Hell into Paradise. The King of the Infernal Regions,\nin order to maintain the gloomy aspect of his realm, sent Kwanjin back\nto earth again, and he caused her to be miraculously transported on a\nlotus flower to the Island of Pootoo.\n\nAn Incarnation of Kwannon\n\nCh\u016bjo Hime, a Buddhist nun, is generally regarded as the greatest early\nJapanese artist of embroidery, and, according to legend, she was an\nincarnation of Kwannon. Ch\u016bj\u014d Hime met with much cruel treatment from\nher stepmother, until she finally retired to the temple of Toema-dera,\nand there worked upon the wonderful lotus thread embroidery depicting\nthe Buddhist Paradise. The design is so exquisite that we can easily\nunderstand the Japanese belief that the Gods helped this great artist\nin her work.\n\nKwannon the Mother\n\nThere is another remarkable embroidery, by Kano Hogai, depicting\nKwannon as the Divine Mother, pouring forth from a crystal phial the\nwater of creation. As this holy water falls in a series of bubbles,\neach bubble may be seen to contain a little babe with reverently folded\nhands. It is altogether a wonderful piece of work, and, turning from\nits pictorial beauty to study a description of its technicalities, we\nfind that it took three years to execute, and that 12,100 different\nshades of silk, and twelve of gold thread, were used.\n\nThe \"Thirty-three Places\" Sacred to Kwannon\n\nThere are thirty-three shrines sacred to Kwannon. All are carefully\nnumbered, and are to be found in the provinces near Ky\u014dto. The\nfollowing legend may possibly account for the reverence bestowed upon\nthe _Saikoku Sanj\u016b-san Sho_ (the \"Thirty-three Places\").\n\nWhen the great Buddhist abbot of the eighth century, Tokud\u014d Sh\u014dnin,\ndied, he was conducted into the presence of Emma-\u014c, the Lord of the\nDead. The castle in which Emma-\u014c lived was resplendent with silver\nand gold, rosy pearls, and all manner of sparkling jewels. A light\nemanated from Emma-\u014c too, and that dread God had a smile upon his face.\nHe received the distinguished abbot with extreme courtesy, and thus\naddressed him:\n\n\"Tokud\u014d Sh\u014dnin, there are thirty-three places where Kwannon reveals\nher special favour, for behold she has, in her boundless love, divided\nherself into many bodies, so that he who cries for aid shall not cry\nin vain. Alas! men continue to go their evil ways, for they know\nnot of these sacred shrines. They live their sordid lives and pass\ninto Hell, a vast and countless number. Oh, how blind they are, how\nwayward, and how full of folly! If they were to make but a single\npilgrimage to these thirty-three shrines sacred to our Lady of Mercy,\na pure and wonderful light would shine from their feet, feet made\nspiritually strong to crush down all evil, to scatter the hundred and\nthirty-six hells into fragments. If, in spite of this pilgrimage, one\nshould chance to fall into Hell, I will take his place and receive\ninto myself all his suffering, for if this happened my tale of peace\nwould be false, and I should indeed deserve to suffer. Here is a list\nof the thirty-and-three sacred shrines of Kwannon. Take it into the\ntroubled world of men and women, and make known the everlasting mercy\nof Kwannon.\"\n\nTokud\u014d, having carefully listened to all Emma-\u014c had told him, replied:\n\"You have honoured me with such a mission, but mortals are full of\ndoubts and fears, and they would ask for some sign that what I tell\nthem is indeed true.\"\n\nEmma-\u014c at once presented the abbot with his jewelled seal, and, bidding\nhim farewell, sent him on his way accompanied by two attendants.\n\nWhile these strange happenings were taking place in the Underworld the\ndisciples of Tokud\u014d perceived that though their master's body had lain\nfor three days and nights the flesh had not grown cold. The devoted\nfollowers did not bury the body, believing that their master was not\ndead. And such was indeed the case, for eventually Tokud\u014d awakened from\nhis trance, and in his right hand he held the jewelled seal of Emma-\u014c.\n\nTokud\u014d lost no time in narrating his strange adventures, and when he\nhad concluded his story he and his disciples set off on a pilgrimage\nto the thirty-three holy places[2] over which the Goddess of Mercy\npresides.\n\nList of the \"Thirty-three Places\"\n\nThe following is a complete list of the \"Thirty-three Places\" sacred to\nKwannon:\n\n   1.  Fudaraku-ji, at Nachi, in Kish\u016b.\n   2.  Kimii-dera, near Wakayama, in Kish\u016b.\n   3.  Kokawa-dera, in Kish\u016b.\n   4.  Sefuku-ji, in Izumi.\n   5.  Fujii-dera, in Kawachi.\n   6.  Tsubosaka-dera, in Yamato.\n   7.  Oka-dera, in Yamato.\n   8.  Hase-dera, in Yamato.\n   9.  Nan-en\u014d, at Nara, in Yamato.\n  10.  Mimuroto-dera, at Uji, in Yamashiro.\n  11.  Kami Daigo-dera, at Uji, in Yamashiro.\n  12.  Iwama-dera, in \u014cmi.\n  13.  Ishiyama-dera, near \u014ctsu, in \u014cmi.\n  14.  Miidera, near \u014ctsu, in \u014cmi.\n  15.  Ima-Gumano, at Ky\u014dto, in Yamashiro.\n  16.  Kiyomizu-dera, at Ky\u014dto.\n  17.  Rokuhara-dera, at Ky\u014dto.\n  18.  Rokkaku-d\u014d, at Ky\u014dto.\n  19.  K\u014dd\u014d, at Ky\u014dto.\n  20.  Yoshimine-dera, at Ky\u014dto.\n  21.  An\u014dji, in Tamba.\n  22.  S\u014djiji, in Settsu.\n  23.  Katsuo-dera, in Settsu.\n  24.  Nakayama-dera, near K\u014dbe, in Settsu.\n  25.  Shin Kiyomizu-dera, in Harima.\n  26.  Hokkeji, in Harima.\n  27.  Shosha-san, in Harima.\n  28.  Nareai-ji, in Tango.\n  29.  Matsunoo-dera, in Wakasa.\n  30.  Chikubu-shima, island in Lake Biwa, in \u014cmi.\n  31.  Ch\u014dmeiji, in \u014cmi.\n  32.  Kwannonji, in \u014cmi.\n  33.  Tanigumi-dera, near Tarui, in Mino.[3]\n\nThe \"Hall of the Second Moon\"\n\nThe Buddhist temple of Ni-gwarsu-d\u014d (\"Hall of the Second Moon\")\ncontains a small copper image of Kwannon. It has the miraculous power\nof being warm like living flesh, and since the image was enshrined\nspecial services in honour of Kwannon take place in February, and on\nthe 18th of each month the sacred image is exposed for worship.\n\nKwannon and the Deer\n\nAn old hermit named Saion Zenji took up his abode on Mount\nNariai in order that he might be able to gaze upon the beauty of\nAma-no-Hashidate, a narrow fir-clad promontory dividing Lake Iwataki\nand Miyazu Bay. Ama-no-Hashidate is still regarded as one of the\n_Sankei_, or \"Three Great Sights,\" of Japan, and still Mount Nariai is\nconsidered the best spot from which to view this charming scene.\n\nOn Mount Nariai this gentle and holy recluse erected a little shrine to\nKwannon not far from a solitary pine-tree. He spent his happy days in\nlooking upon Ama-no-Hashidate and in chanting the Buddhist Scriptures,\nand his charming disposition and holy ways were much appreciated by the\npeople who came to pray at the little shrine he had so lovingly erected\nfor his own joy and for the joy of others.\n\nThe hermit's abode, delightful enough in mild and sunny weather, was\ndreary in the winter-time, for when it snowed the good old man was cut\noff from human intercourse. On one occasion the snow fell so heavily\nthat it was piled up in some places to a height of twenty feet. Day\nafter day the severe weather continued, and at last the poor old\nhermit found that he had no food of any kind. Chancing to look out one\nmorning, he saw that a deer was lying dead in the snow. As he gazed\nupon the poor creature, which had been frozen to death, he remembered\nthat it was unlawful in the sight of Kwannon to eat the flesh of\nanimals; but on thinking over the matter more carefully it seemed to\nhim that he could do more good to his fellow creatures by partaking of\nthis deer than by observing the strict letter of the law and allowing\nhimself to starve in sight of plenty.\n\nWhen Saion Zenji had come to this wise decision he went out and cut\noff a piece of venison, cooked it, and ate half, with many prayers of\nthanksgiving for his deliverance. The rest of the venison he left in\nhis cooking-pot.\n\nEventually the snow melted, and several folk hastily wended their way\nfrom the neighbouring village, and ascended Mount Nariai, expecting to\nsee that their good and much-loved hermit had forever passed away from\nthis world. As they approached the shrine, however, they were rejoiced\nto hear the old man chanting, in a clear and ringing voice, the sacred\nBuddhist Scriptures.\n\nThe folk from the village gathered about the hermit while he narrated\nthe story of his deliverance. When, out of curiosity, they chanced to\npeep into his cooking-pot, they saw, to their utter amazement, that it\ncontained no venison, but a piece of wood covered with gold foil. Still\nwondering what it all meant, they looked upon the image of Kwannon in\nthe little shrine, and found that a piece had been cut from her loins,\nand when they inserted the piece of wood the wound was healed. Then it\nwas that the old hermit and the folk gathered about him realised that\nthe deer had been none other than Kwannon, who, in her boundless love\nand tender mercy, had made a sacrifice of her own divine flesh.\n\nBenten\n\n     \"The wild flowers fade, the maple-leaves,\n     Touched by frost-fingers, float to earth;\n     But on the bosom of the sea\n     The flowers to which her waves give birth\n     Fade not, like blossoms on the land,\n     Nor feel the chill of Autumn's hand.\"\n                          _Yasuhide_. (Trans. by Clara A. Walsh.)\n\nBenten, the Goddess of the Sea, is also one of the Seven Divinities\nof Luck; and she is romantically referred to as the Goddess of Love,\nBeauty, and Eloquence. She is represented in Japanese art as riding on\na dragon or serpent, which may account for the fact that in certain\nlocalities snakes are regarded as being sacred. Images of Benten depict\nher as having eight arms. Six hands are extended above her head and\nhold a bow, arrow, wheel, sword, key, and sacred jewel, while her two\nremaining hands are reverently crossed in prayer. She resembles Kwannon\nin many ways, and images of the two goddesses are frequently seen\ntogether, but the shrines of Benten are usually to be found on islands.\n\nBenten and the Dragon\n\nWe have already referred to Benten riding on a dragon, and the\nfollowing legend may possibly be connected with this particular\nrepresentation.\n\nIn a certain cave there lived a formidable dragon, which devoured\nthe children of the village of Koshigoe. In the sixth century Benten\nwas determined to put a stop to this monster's unseemly behaviour,\nand having caused a great earthquake she hovered in the clouds over\nthe cave where the dread dragon had taken up his abode. Benten then\ndescended from the clouds, entered the cavern, married the dragon,\nand was thus able, through her good influence, to put an end to the\nslaughter of little children. With the coming of Benten there arose\nfrom the sea the famous Island of Enoshima,[4] which has remained to\nthis day sacred to the Goddess of the Sea.\n\nBenten-of-the-Birth-Water\n\nHanagaki Baish\u016b, a young poet and scholar, attended a great festival\nto celebrate the rebuilding of the Amadera temple. He wandered about\nthe beautiful grounds, and eventually reached the place of a spring\nfrom which he had often quenched his thirst. He found that what had\noriginally been a spring was now a pond, and, moreover, that at one\ncorner of the pond there was a tablet bearing the words _Tanj\u014d-Sui_\n(\"Birth-Water\"), and also a small but attractive temple dedicated to\nBenten. While Baish\u016b was noting the changes in the temple grounds the\nwind blew to his feet a charmingly written love-poem. He picked it up,\nand discovered that it had been inscribed by a female hand, that the\ncharacters were exquisitely formed, and that the ink was fresh.\n\nBaish\u016b went home and read and re-read the poem. It was not long before\nhe fell in love with the writer, and finally he resolved to make her\nhis wife. At length he went to the temple of Benten-of-the-Birth-Water,\nand cried: \"Oh, Goddess, come to my aid, and help me to find the woman\nwho wrote these wind-blown verses!\" Having thus prayed, he promised\nto perform a seven days' religious service, and to devote the seventh\nnight in ceaseless worship before the sacred shrine of Benten, in the\ngrounds of the Amadera.\n\nOn the seventh night of the vigil Baish\u016b heard a voice calling for\nadmittance at the main gateway of the temple grounds. The gate was\nopened, and an old man, clad in ceremonial robes and with a black\ncap upon his head, advanced and silently knelt before the temple of\nBenten. Then the outer door of the temple mysteriously opened, and a\nbamboo curtain was partially raised, revealing a handsome boy, who thus\naddressed the old man: \"We have taken pity on a young man who desires a\ncertain love-union, and have called you to inquire into the matter, and\nto see if you can bring the young people together.\"\n\nThe old man bowed, and then drew from his sleeve a cord which he wound\nround Baish\u016b's body, igniting one end in a temple-lantern, and waving\nhis hand the while, as if beckoning some spirit to appear out of the\ndark night. In a moment a young girl entered the temple grounds, and,\nwith her fan half concealing her pretty face, she knelt beside Baish\u016b.\n\nThen the beautiful boy thus addressed Baish\u016b: \"We have heard your\nprayer, and we have known that recently you have suffered much. The\nwoman you love is now beside you.\" And having uttered these words the\ndivine youth departed, and the old man left the temple grounds.\n\nWhen Baish\u016b had given thanks to Benten-of-the-Birth-Water he proceeded\nhomeward. On reaching the street outside the temple grounds he saw a\nyoung girl, and at once recognised her as the woman he loved. Baish\u016b\nspoke to her, and when she replied the gentleness and sweetness of\nher voice filled the youth with joy. Together they walked through the\nsilent streets until at last they came to the house where Baish\u016b lived.\nThere was a moment's pause, and then the maiden said: \"Benten has made\nme your wife,\" and the lovers entered the house together.\n\nThe marriage was an extremely fortunate one, and the happy Baish\u016b\ndiscovered that his wife, apart from her excellent domestic qualities,\nwas accomplished in the art of arranging flowers and in the art of\nembroidery, and that her delicate writing was not less pleasing than\nher charming pictures. Baish\u016b knew nothing about her family, but as she\nhad been presented to him by the Goddess Benten he considered that it\nwas unnecessary to question her in the matter. There was only one thing\nthat puzzled the loving Baish\u016b, and that was that the neighbours seemed\nto be totally unaware of his wife's presence.\n\nOne day, while Baish\u016b was walking in a remote quarter of Ky\u014dto, he saw\na servant beckoning to him from the gateway of a private house. The man\ncame forward, bowed respectfully, and said: \"Will you deign to enter\nthis house? My master is anxious to have the honour of speaking to\nyou.\" Baish\u016b, who knew nothing of the servant or his master, was not a\nlittle surprised by this strange greeting, but he allowed himself to\nbe conducted to the guest-room, and thus his host addressed him:\n\n\"I most humbly apologise for the very informal manner of my invitation,\nbut I believe that I have acted in compliance with a message I received\nfrom the Goddess Benten. I have a daughter, and, as I am anxious to\nfind a good husband for her, I sent her written poems to all the\ntemples of Benten in Ky\u014dto. In a dream the Goddess came to me, and\ntold me that she had secured an excellent husband for my daughter, and\nthat he would visit me during the coming winter. I was not inclined to\nattach very much importance to this dream; but last night Benten again\nrevealed herself to me in a vision, and said that to-morrow the husband\nshe had chosen for my daughter would call upon me, and that I could\nthen arrange the marriage. The Goddess described the appearance of the\nyoung man so minutely that I am assured that you are my daughter's\nfuture husband.\"\n\nThese strange words filled Baish\u016b with sorrow, and when his courteous\nhost proposed to present him to the lady he was unable to summon up\nsufficient courage to tell his would-be father-in-law that he already\nhad a wife. Baish\u016b followed his host into another apartment, and to his\namazement and joy he discovered that the daughter of the house was none\nother than his own wife! And yet there was a subtle difference, for the\nwoman who now smiled upon him was the body of his wife, and she who had\nappeared before the temple of Benten-of-the-Birth-Water was her soul.\nWe are told that Benten performed this miracle for the sake of her\nworshippers, and thus it came to pass that Baish\u016b had a strange dual\nmarriage with the woman he loved.\n\n\nDaikoku\n\nDaikoku, the God of Wealth, Ebisu, his son, the God of Labour, and\nHotei, the God of Laughter and Contentment, belong to that cycle of\ndeities known as the Gods of Luck. Daikoku is represented with a Magic\nMallet, which bears the sign of the Jewel, embodying the male and\nfemale spirit, and signifies a creative deity. A stroke of his Mallet\nconfers wealth, and his second attribute is the Rat. Daikoku is, as\nwe should suppose, an extremely popular deity, and he is frequently\nportrayed as a prosperous Chinese gentleman, richly apparelled, and is\nusually shown standing on bales of rice, with a bag of precious things\non his shoulder. This genial and beneficent God is also depicted as\nseated on bales of rice, or showing his treasures to some eager and\nexpectant child, or holding the Red Sun against his breast with one\nhand and grasping the Magic Mallet with the other.\n\nDaikoku's Rat\n\nDaikoku's attribute, a Rat, has an emblematic and moral meaning\nin connection with the wealth hidden in the God's bag. The Rat is\nfrequently portrayed either in the bale of rice with its head peeping\nout, or in it, or playing with the Mallet, and sometimes a large number\nof rats are shown.\n\nAccording to a certain old legend, the Buddhist Gods grew jealous of\nDaikoku. They consulted together, and finally decided that they would\nget rid of the too popular Daikoku, to whom the Japanese offered\nprayers and incense. Emma-\u014c, the Lord of the Dead, promised to send\nhis most cunning and clever _oni_, Shiro, who, he said, would have no\ndifficulty in conquering the God of Wealth. Shiro, guided by a sparrow,\nwent to Daikoku's castle, but though he hunted high and low he could\nnot find its owner. Finally Shiro discovered a large storehouse, in\nwhich he saw the God of Wealth seated. Daikoku called his Rat and bade\nhim find out who it was who dared to disturb him. When the Rat saw\nShiro he ran into the garden and brought back a branch of holly, with\nwhich he drove the _oni_ away, and Daikoku remains to this day one of\nthe most popular of the Japanese Gods. This incident is said to be the\norigin of the New Year's Eve charm, consisting of a holly leaf and a\nskewer, or a sprig of holly fixed in the lintel of the door of a house\nto prevent the return of the _oni_.\n\nThe Six Daikoku\n\n1. Makura Daikoku, ordinary form with Mallet on lotus leaf.\n\n2. Ojikara Daikoku, with sword and _vajra_.\n\n3. Bika Daikoku, a priest, with Mallet in right hand, _vajra_-hilted\nsword in left.\n\n4. Yasha Daikoku, with Wheel of the Law in his right hand.\n\n5. Shinda Daikoku, a boy seated with a crystal in his left hand.\n\n6. Mahakara Daikoku, seated female, with small bale of rice on her head.\n\nEbisu\n\nEbisu and his father Daikoku are usually pictured together: the God\nof Wealth seated upon bales of rice, pressing the Red Sun against his\nbreast with one hand, and with the other holding the wealth-giving\nMallet, while Ebisu is depicted with a fishing-rod and a great _tai_\nfish under his arm.\n\n\nHotei\n\nHotei, the God of Laughter and Contentment, is one of the most\nwhimsical of the Japanese Gods. He is represented as extremely fat,\ncarrying on his back a linen bag (_ho-tei_), from which he derives\nhis name. In this bag he stows the Precious Things, but when in a\nparticularly playful mood he uses it as a receptacle for merry and\ninquisitive children. Sometimes Hotei is represented in a broken-down\nand extremely shabby carriage drawn by boys, and is then known as the\nWaggon Priest. Again he is portrayed as carrying in one hand a Chinese\nfan and in the other his bag, or balancing at either end of a pole the\nbag of Precious Things and a boy.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: The title is not accurate, for in reality this form of\nKwannon possesses only forty hands. No doubt the name is intended to\nsuggest munificence on the part of this Goddess.]\n\n[Footnote 2: \"In imitation of the original Thirty-three Holy Places,\nthirty-three other places have been established in Eastern Japan, and\nalso in the district of Chichibu.\"--_Murray's Handbook for Japan_, by\nBasil Hall Chamberlain and W. B. Mason.]\n\n[Footnote 3: Compiled from _Murray's Handbook for Japan._]\n\n[Footnote 4: See _Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan_, by Lafcadio Hearn,\nvol. i. pp. 62-104.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI: DOLLS AND BUTTERFLIES\n\n\n        \"I asked a charming Japanese girl: 'How can a doll\n        live?' 'Why,' she answered, '_if you love it enough_, it\n        will live!'\"\n\n                                                Lafcadio Hearn.\n\n\n\nThe English and Japanese Doll\n\nOur English dolls, with their flaxen hair, blue eyes, and simpering\nfaces, are certainly not a credit to the toy-maker's art if they are\nto be regarded as bearing even a remote likeness to living children.\nPut in a horizontal position, something will click in their little\nheads and their blue eyes will close, or more correctly roll backward;\na pinch will make them emit a tolerable imitation of the words \"Papa!\"\n\"Mamma!\" and yet in spite of these mechanical devices they have nothing\nmore to their credit than a child's short-lived love. They are speedily\nbroken, or liable at any moment to be decapitated by a little brother\nwho has learnt too well the story of Lady Jane Grey!\n\nIn Japan, however, the doll is not merely a play-thing by which little\nchildren may become make-believe mothers, but in earlier days it was\nregarded as a means to make a wife a mother. Lafcadio Hearn writes:\n\"And if you see such a doll, though held quite close to you, being\nmade by a Japanese mother to reach out its hands, to move its little\nbare feet, and to turn its head, you would be almost afraid to venture\na heavy wager that it was only a doll.\" It is this startling likeness\nthat is perhaps accountable for the quaint and beautiful love connected\nwith Japanese dolls.\n\n\nLive Dolls\n\nAt one time certain dolls were actually said to become alive, to take\nto their small bodies a human soul, and the belief is merely an echo of\nthe old idea that much love will quicken to life the image of a living\nthing. In Old Japan the doll was handed down from one generation to\nanother, and sometimes remained in an excellent condition for over a\nhundred years. A hundred years spent in little children's arms, served\nwith food, put to bed regularly every night, and the object of constant\nendearments, will no doubt work wonders in the poetic imagination of a\nhappy and childlike people.\n\nThe tiny doll known as O-Hina-San does not come within the region\nof our present study; it was simply a toy and nothing more. It is\nthe life-size dolls we must deal with, those dolls so cunningly\nrepresenting little children two or three years old. The girl doll of\nthis class is known as O-Toku-San and the boy doll as Tokutar\u014d-San.\nIt was believed that if these dolls were ill-treated or neglected in\nany way they would weep, become angry, and bring misfortune upon their\npossessors. They had in addition many other supernatural powers.\n\nIn a certain old family there was a Tokutar\u014d-San which received a\nreverence almost equal to that shown to Kishib\u014djin, the Goddess to whom\nJapanese wives pray for offspring. This Tokutar\u014d-San was borrowed by\nchildless couples. They gave it new clothes and tended it with loving\ncare, assured that such a doll which had a soul would make them happy\nby answering their prayers for a child. Tokutar\u014d-San, according to\nlegend, was very much alive, for when the house caught fire it speedily\nran into the garden for safety!\n\n\nA Doll's Last Resting-place\n\nWhat happens to a Japanese doll when after a very long and happy\nlife it eventually gets broken? Though finally regarded as dead, its\nremains are treated with the utmost respect. It is not thrown away\nwith rubbish, or burned, or even reverently laid upon running water,\nas is often the case with dead Japanese flowers. It is not buried, but\ndedicated to K\u014djin, frequently represented as a deity with many arms.\nK\u014djin is supposed to reside in the _enoki_ tree, and in front of this\ntree there is a small shrine and _torii_. Here, then, the remains of\na very old Japanese doll are reverently laid. Its little face may be\nscratched, its silk dress torn and faded and its arms and legs broken,\nbut it once had a soul, once had the mysterious _desire_ to give\nmaternity to those who longed for it.\n\nOn March 3 the Girls' Festival takes place. It is known as _J\u014dmi no\nSekku_, or _Hina Matsuri_, the Feast or Dolls.\n\nButterflies\n\n     \"Where the soft drifts lie\n     Of fallen blossoms, dying,\n     Did one flutter now,\n     From earth to its brown bough?\n     Ah, no! 'twas a butterfly,\n     Like fragile blossom flying!\"\n                    _Arakida Mortitake_.\n                    (Trans. by Clara A. Walsh.)\n\n\nIt is in China rather than in Japan that the butterfly is connected\nwith legend and folk-lore. The Chinese scholar R\u014dsan is said to have\nreceived visits from two spirit maidens who regaled him with ghostly\nstories about these bright-winged insects.\n\nIt is more than probable that the legends concerning butterflies in\nJapan have been borrowed from China. Japanese poets and artists were\nfond of choosing for their professional appellation such names as\n\"Butterfly-Dream,\" \"Solitary Butterfly,\" \"Butterfly-Help,\" and so on.\nThough probably of Chinese origin, such ideas naturally appealed to\nthe \u00e6sthetic taste of the Japanese people, and no doubt they played\nin early days the romantic game of butterflies. The Emperor Gens\u014d\nused to make butterflies choose his loves for him. At a wine-party\nin his garden fair ladies would set caged butterflies free. These\nbright-coloured insects would fly and settle upon the fairest damsels,\nand those maidens immediately received royal favours.\n\nButterflies of Good and Evil Omen\n\nIn Japan the butterfly was at one time considered to be the soul of a\nliving man or woman. If it entered a guest-room and pitched behind the\nbamboo screen it was a sure sign that the person whom it represented\nwould shortly appear in the house. The presence of a butterfly in the\nhouse was regarded as a good omen, though of course everything depended\non the individual typified by the butterfly.\n\nThe butterfly was not always the harbinger of good. When\nTaira-no-Masakado was secretly preparing for a revolt Ky\u014dto was the\nscene of a swarm of butterflies, and the people who saw them were much\nfrightened. Lafcadio Hearn suggests that these butterflies may have\nbeen the spirits of those fated to fall in battle, the spirits of the\nliving who were stirred by a premonition of the near approach of death.\nButterflies may also be the souls of the dead, and they often appear in\nthis form in order to announce their final leave-taking from the body.\n\n\n\"The Flying Hairpin of Koch\u014d\"\n\nThe Japanese drama contains reference to the ghostly significance of\nbutterflies. In the play known as _The Flying Hairpin of Koch\u014d_, the\nheroine, Koch\u014d, kills herself on account of false accusations and cruel\ntreatment. Her lover seeks to discover who has been the cause of her\nuntimely death. Eventually Koch\u014d's hairpin turns into a butterfly and\nhovers over the hiding-place of the villain who has caused all the\ntrouble.\n\nThe White Butterfly\n\nThere is a quaint and touching Japanese legend connected with the\nbutterfly. An old man named Takahama lived in a little house behind\nthe cemetery of the temple of S\u014dzanji. He was extremely amiable and\ngenerally liked by his neighbours, though most of them considered him\nto be a little mad. His madness, it would appear, entirely rested upon\nthe fact that he had never married or evinced desire for intimate\ncompanionship with women.\n\nOne summer day he became very ill, so ill, in fact, that he sent for\nhis sister-in-law and her son. They both came and did all they could to\nbring comfort during his last hours. While they watched Takahama fell\nasleep; but he had no sooner done so than a large white butterfly flew\ninto the room, and rested on the old man's pillow. The young man tried\nto drive it away with a fan; but it came back three times, as if loth\nto leave the sufferer.\n\nAt last Takahama's nephew chased it out into the garden, through the\ngate, and into the cemetery beyond, where it lingered over a woman's\ntomb, and then mysteriously disappeared. On examining the tomb the\nyoung man found the name \"Akiko\" written upon it, together with a\ndescription narrating how Akiko died when she was eighteen. Though\nthe tomb was covered with moss and must have been erected fifty years\npreviously, the boy saw that it was surrounded with flowers, and that\nthe little water-tank had been recently filled.\n\nWhen the young man returned to the house he found that Takahama had\npassed away, and he returned to his mother and told her what he had\nseen in the cemetery.\n\n\"Akiko?\" murmured his mother. \"When your uncle was young he was\nbetrothed to Akiko. She died of consumption shortly before her\nwedding-day. When Akiko left this world your uncle resolved never to\nmarry and to live ever near her grave. For all these years he has\nremained faithful to his vow, and kept in his heart all the sweet\nmemories of his one and only love. Every day Takahama went to the\ncemetery, whether the air was fragrant with summer breeze or thick\nwith falling, snow. Every day he went to her grave and prayed for her\nhappiness, swept the tomb and set flowers there. When Takahama was\ndying, and he could no longer perform his loving task, Akiko came for\nhim. That white butterfly was her sweet and loving soul.\"\n\nJust before Takahama passed away into the Land of the Yellow Spring he\nmay have murmured words like those of Yone Noguchi:\n\n     \"Where the flowers sleep,\n     Thank God! I shall sleep to-night.\n     Oh, come, butterfly!\"[1]\n\n[Footnote 1: Legends concerning other insects will be found in Chapter\nXXIII.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII: FESTIVALS\n\n\nThe New Year\n\nThe _San-ga-nichi_, or \"three days\" of the New Year, is one of the most\nimportant of the Japanese festivals, for the Japanese make far more of\nthe New Year than we do in this country. They regard the first three\ndays of the year as a fitting occasion when it is most important to\ninsure good luck and happiness for the days that follow, and in order\nto bring this about many quaint and ancient observances take place.\nBefore the houses are decorated a thorough winter cleaning is carried\nout. \"In ancient times,\" writes Mrs. C. M. Salwey, \"from the Court of\nthe Emperor to the hut of the peasant, this attention was observed to\nsuch an extent that the Sh\u014dgun's Court provided overseers, who visited\nwith ornamented dusting poles, to overhaul the labour of the servants,\npassing their official brooms over ledges and crevices, and in so doing\nflourishing in a certain manner their mystic wands to demonstrate\nthe Chinese ideograph which signified water.\" Not only is the house\nthoroughly cleaned and everything put in order, but evil spirits are\ngot rid of by throwing out peas and beans from the open _shoji_, or\npaper slides.\n\nOn the festival of the New Year the houses and gate-posts are adorned\nwith straw ropes, and these are often made to represent such lucky\nChinese numbers as three, five, and seven. The food chiefly eaten on\nthis occasion comprises lobsters (their bent and ancient appearance\nsuggesting long life), oranges, and certain varieties of edible\nseaweeds. In addition there are mirror cakes, associated with the Sun\nGoddess, and these cakes, composed of rice, are eaten with the oranges\nand lobster, and served on pure white trays. One other important\ndecoration must not be overlooked, and that is the branches of the\npine-tree. These branches symbolise long life, and for some unknown\nreason they are burnt when the festival is over.\n\nOne of the most picturesque customs associated with this festival,\nand one particularly appealing to children, is the Treasure Ship\nwith the Seven Gods of Good Luck on board, to which we have referred\nelsewhere.[1]\n\nThe Boys' Festival\n\nThe _Tango no Sekku_, or Boys' Festival, takes place on May 5, and is\nintended to inspire the youth of Japan with warlike qualities. It is\nthe day when flags are to be seen in every direction, when the roofs of\nthe houses are decorated with the leaves of iris, so that Nature's flag\nand the flag made by human hands are both conspicuous on this joyous\nfestival, which is popularly known as the Feast of Flags. Boys are\npresented with small figures representing certain great heroes of the\npast, while ancient swords, bows, arrows, spears, &c., are handed down\nfrom one generation of children to another.\n\nPerhaps the dominant feature of this festival is the paper flag\nshaped like a carp. It is hollow, and when inflated with wind has the\nappearance of vigorously flying through the air. The carp symbolises\nsomething more than the crude spirit of warfare, for it typifies\ntenacity of purpose and indomitable courage. As the carp swims against\nthe stream, so is the Japanese youth expected to fight against all\nthe fierce currents of adversity. This idea is probably derived from\nthe fascinating Chinese legend of the Dragon Carp which, after a long\nstruggle, succeeded in swimming past the Dragon Gate rapids, lived a\nthousand years, and finally rose into the sky.\n\n\nThe Festival of the Dead\n\nThe Festival of the Dead, or _Bommatsuri_, deserves mention here\nbecause it contains much that is legendary. The Japanese peasant's\nconception of a future life is not a very delightful one. At death\nthe body is washed and shaven and then arrayed in a pure white\ngarment--indeed, in the garment of a pilgrim. Round the neck is hung a\nwallet containing three or six _rin_, according to the custom of the\nplace in which the death occurs, and these _rin_ are buried with the\ndeceased. The idea of burying coin with the dead is to be found in the\nbelief that all who die, children alone excepted, must journey to the\nSanzu-no-Kawa, or \"The River of the Three Roads.\" On the bank of this\ndismal river Sodzu-Baba, the Old Woman of the Three Roads, awaits the\ncoming of souls, together with her husband, Ten Datsu-Ba. If three\n_rin_ are not paid to the Old Woman she takes away the white garments\nof the dead and, regardless of entreaties, hangs them on trees. Then\nthere is the no less formidable Emma-\u014c, the Lord of the Dead; and when\nwe add to these dread figures some of the terrors of the Buddhist hells\nit is not surprising that the gentle and poetical Japanese should have\nfounded a festival that will afford a pleasant, if all too brief,\nrespite from the horrors of Hades.\n\nThe festival takes place from July 13 to 15. At such a time most of\nthe houses are mere skeletons, being open to the summer breeze on all\nsides. People saunter about in the lightest of garments. Butterflies\nand dragon-flies disport in countless numbers, flying over a cool\nstretch of lotus or settling on the purple petal of an iris. Fuji rears\nher great head into the clear blue sky, bearing like a white scarf a\npatch of fast-fading snow.\n\nWhen the morning of the 13th arrives new mats of rice straw are spread\nupon all Buddhist altars and on the little household shrines. Every\nJapanese home on that day is provided with a quaint, minute meal in\nreadiness for the great company of ghosts.\n\nAt sunset the streets are bright with the flames of torches, and the\nentrances of houses gay with brightly coloured lanterns. Those to\nwhom this festival applies in a particular sense and not in a general\none--that is to say, those who have recently lost some dear one--go out\non this night to the cemeteries, and there pray, make offerings, burn\nincense, and pour out water. Lanterns are lit and bamboo vases filled\nwith flowers.\n\nOn the evening of the 15th the ghosts of the Circle of Penance or\nGakid\u014d are fed, and in addition those ghosts who have no friends among\nthe living to care for them. There is a legend bearing upon this\nparticular phase of the Festival of the Dead. Dai-Mokenren, a great\ndisciple of Buddha, was once permitted to see the soul of his mother\nin the Gakid\u014d. He grieved so much on account of intense suffering that\nhe gave her a bowl containing choice food. Every time she tried to eat\nthe food would suddenly turn into fire, and finally to ashes. Then\nMokenren asked Buddha to tell him what he could do to ease his mother's\nsuffering. He was told to feed the ghosts of the great priests of all\ncountries \"on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.\" When this had\nbeen done Mokenren returned, to find his mother dancing for joy. In\nthis happy dance after much tribulation we trace the origin of the\n_Bon-odori_, which takes place on the third night of the festival.\n\nWhen the evening of the third day arrives preparations are made for the\ndeparture of the ghosts. Thousands of little boats are packed with food\nand loving messages of farewell. Into these boats step the departing\nghosts. Loving hands set these frail craft upon river, lake, or sea.\nA small lantern glows at the prow, while pale blue clouds of incense\nfloat up from the stern. Hearn writes: \"Down all the creeks and rivers\nand canals the phantom fleets go glimmering to the sea; and all the sea\nsparkles to the horizon with the lights of the dead, and the sea wind\nis fragrant with incense.\"\n\nThere is a pathetic charm about this festival. It is by no means\nunique, for it corresponds to the Indian _Sraddha_; but in Japan it\nis touched with a more delicate and haunting beauty. No one has been\nable to solve conclusively the origin of the _Torii_, that wonderful\ngateway that leads nowhere. What a charming entrance or exit for a\ncompany of wandering souls! What a place for ghosts to play and dream\nawhile is a Japanese garden, with its lake and moon-shaped bridge, its\nstone lantern, its paths of silver sand! And what a street for ghosts\nto wander in is the Street Everlasting that is so near to the Street\nof Aged Men! Thus Yone Noguchi sums up the magic of a Japanese night,\none of those three nights when souls come in touch with old earthly\nmemories:\n\n     \"The scented purple breezes of the Japanese night!\n     The old moon like a fairy ship of gold\n     Softly through the dream sea begins to rock on:\n     (I hear the unheard song of Beauty in the moon ship,\n     I hear even the whisper of her golden dress.)\n     The hundred lanterns burning in love and prayer,\n     Float on the streets like haunting memories.\n     The silvery music of wooden clogs of the Japanese girls!\n     Are they not little ghosts out of the bosom of ancient age?\n     Are they returning to fulfil their thousand fancies forgotten?\n     O the fancy world of the Japanese night\n     Born out of the old love and unfulfilled desires!\n     The crying love-song of the Japanese night,\n     The _samisen_ music of hungry passion and tears!\n     O the long wail of heart through the darkness and love!\"\n\n\nThe Laughing Festival of Wasa\n\nNumerous other Japanese festivities take place during the year, and\ntwo, the Festival of Dolls and the Festival of Tanabata, the Weaving\nMaiden, have been referred to elsewhere. Perhaps in some way the\nLaughing Festival of Wasa is the most quaint of all the Japanese\nfestivities. During the month of October a number of old men form a\nprocession carrying two boxes full of oranges and persimmons spitted\non sticks. These old men are followed by children with similar fruit\non bamboo rods. Just as the leader reaches the shrine he turns round\nand makes a most ludicrous grimace, which is immediately followed by a\nmerry peal of laughter, and this irresistible merriment has its origin\nin the following legend.\n\nIn the month of October the Gods used to assemble in a great temple at\nIzumo, and they met for the purpose of arranging the love-affairs of\nthe people. When the Gods were sitting in the temple one of them said:\n\"Where is Miwa Daimy\u014d-jin?\" All the Gods looked everywhere for him, but\nhe was not to be found. Now Miwa Daimy\u014d-jin was extremely deaf, and,\nowing to this defect, he had mistaken the great day when the Gods met\ntogether. When he reached Izumo the meeting had been dissolved, and\nall the Gods laughed very much when they heard about it, a laughter\nthat is imitated year by year in the Laughing festival to which we have\nreferred.\n\nThe Torii\n\nWe have referred in this chapter and elsewhere to the _torii_, and\nthough authorities agree to differ in regard to its use and origin, the\ntheme is a fascinating one and well worthy of study. According to a\npopular account the word _torii_ means \"fowl-dwelling\" or \"bird-rest.\"\nOn the top beam of this imposing gateway the fowls heralded the\napproach of dawn, and in their cry bade the priests attend to their\nearly morning prayers. In one legend we are informed that the sun\ndescends to earth in the form of the Ho-Ho Bird, messenger of love,\npeace, and goodwill, and rests upon one of the _torii_.\n\nProfessor B. H. Chamberlain regards the \"bird-rest\" etymology and\nthe theories derived from it as erroneous, and believes that the\n_torii_ came originally from Asia. He writes, in _Things Japanese_:\n\"The Koreans erect somewhat similar gateways at the approach of their\nroyal palaces; the Chinese _p'ai lou_, serving to record the virtues\nof male or female worthies, seem related in shape as well as in use;\nand the occurrence of the word _turan_ in Northern India and of the\nword _tori_ in Central India, to denote gateways of strikingly cognate\nappearance, gives matter for reflection.\" Dr. W. G. Aston also believes\nthat the _torii_ came from abroad, \"but holds that it was fitted with\na pre-existing name, which would have originally designated 'a lintel'\nbefore it came to have its present sacred associations.\"[2]\n\nIn regard to the construction of these gateways, Mrs. C. M. Salwey\nwrites: \"The oldest _torii_ of Japan ... were constructed of plain\nunvarnished wood. In fact, they were built of straight, upright trunks\nof trees in their natural state, though sometimes bereft of the outer\nbark. Later on the wood was painted a deep, rich vermilion, possibly\nto heighten the effect when the background was densely wooded.\" Though\nthe _torii_ was originally associated with Shint\u014dism, it was later\non adopted by the Buddhists, who considerably altered its simple but\nbeautiful construction by turning up the corners of the horizontal\nbeams, supplying inscriptions and ornaments of various kinds.\n\n\"The Footstool of the King\"\n\nWhatever the origin and significance of the Shint\u014d _torii_ may be, no\none will deny its exquisite beauty, and many will agree in believing it\nto be the most perfect gateway in the world. Perhaps the most wonderful\n_torii_ is the one that stands before the Itsukushima shrine on the\nIsland of Myajima, and it is called \"The Footstool of the King,\" \"The\nGateway of Light,\" or \"The Water Gate of the Sacred Island.\"\n\nMrs. Salwey writes: \"Is not this Gateway the symbol of the Right\nDirection, according to the dogmas of the Shint\u014d Cult, the Goal towards\nwhich the face should be turned--'The Way of the Gods.' Are they not\nmonitors writing their mystic message as an ideographic sign over the\nLord of the Gods before the rising and setting sun, enhancing by their\npresence the dense luxuriance of cryptomerian avenue, reflecting within\ndark, still rivers or the silver ripples of the Inland Sea?\" We must\nbe content with this pleasing interpretation of the symbolism of the\n_torii_, for it takes us through the gate of conflicting theories, and\ngives us something more satisfying than the ramifications of etymology.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: Chapter VII.: \"Legend in Japanese Art.\"]\n\n[Footnote 2: _Things Japanese_, by Professor B. H. Chamberlain.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII: THE PEONY LANTERN[1]\n\n\n\"Morning-Dew\"\n\nTsuyu (\"Morning Dew\") was the only daughter of Iijima. When her father\nmarried again she found she could not live happily with her stepmother,\nand a separate house was built for her, where she lived with her\nservant-maid Yon\u00e9.\n\nOne day Tsuyu received a visit from the family physician, Yamamoto\nShij\u014d accompanied by a handsome young _samurai_ named Hagiwara\nShinzabur\u014d. These young people fell in love with each other, and at\nparting Tsuyu whispered to Shinzabur\u014d: \"_Remember! if you do not come\nto see me again I shall certainly die_!\"\n\nShinzabur\u014d had every intention of seeing the fair Tsuyu as frequently\nas possible. Etiquette, however, would not allow him to visit her\nalone, so that he was compelled to rely on the old doctor's promise\nto take him to the villa where his loved one lived. The old doctor,\nhowever, having seen more than the young people had supposed, purposely\nrefrained from keeping his promise.\n\nTsuyu, believing that the handsome young _samurai_ had proved\nunfaithful, slowly pined away and died. Her faithful servant Yon\u00e9 also\ndied soon afterwards, being unable to live without her mistress, and\nthey were buried side by side in the cemetery of Shin-Banzui-In.\n\nShortly after this sad event had taken place the old doctor called\nupon Shinzabur\u014d and gave him full particulars of the death of Tsuyu and\nher maid.\n\n[Illustration: Shinzabur\u014d recognised Tsuyu and her maid Yon\u00e9--228]\n\nShinzabur\u014d felt the blow keenly. Night and day the girl was in his\nthoughts. He inscribed her name upon a mortuary tablet, placed\nofferings before it, and repeated many prayers.\n\nThe Dead Return\n\nWhen the first day of the Festival of the Dead[2] arrived he set food\non the Shelf of Souls and hung out lanterns to guide the spirits during\ntheir brief earthly sojourn. As the night was warm and the moon at\nher full, he sat in his verandah and waited. He felt that all these\npreparations would not be in vain, and in his heart he believed that\nthe soul of Tsuyu would come to him.\n\nSuddenly the stillness was broken by the sound of _kara-kon_,\n_kara-kon_, the soft patter of women's _geta_. There was something\nstrange and haunting about the sound. Shinzabur\u014d rose and peeped over\nthe hedge. He saw two women. One was carrying a long-shaped lantern\nwith silk peonies stuck in at the upper end; the other wore a lovely\nrobe covered with designs of autumnal blossom. In another moment he\nrecognised the sweet figure of Tsuyu and her maid Yon\u00e9.\n\nWhen Yon\u00e9 had explained that the wicked old doctor had told them that\nShinzabur\u014d was dead, and the young _samurai_ had likewise informed his\nvisitors that he, too, had learnt from the same source that his loved\none and her maid had departed this life, the two women entered the\nhouse, and remained there that night, returning home a little before\nsunrise. Night after night they came in this mysterious manner, and\nalways Yon\u00e9 carried the shining peony-lantern, always she and her\nmistress departed at the same hour.\n\n\nA Spy\n\nOne night Tomoz\u014d, one of Shinzabur\u014d's servants, who lived next door to\nhis master, chanced to hear the sound of a woman's voice in his lord's\napartment. He peeped through a crack in one of the sliding doors, and\nperceived by the night-lantern within the room that his master was\ntalking with a strange woman under the mosquito-net. Their conversation\nwas so extraordinary that Tomoz\u014d was determined to see the woman's\nface. When he succeeded in doing so his hair stood on end and he\ntrembled violently, for he saw the face of a dead woman, a woman long\ndead. There was no flesh on her fingers, for what had once been fingers\nwere now a bunch of jangling bones. Only the upper part of her body had\nsubstance; below her waist there was but a dim, moving shadow. While\nTomoz\u014d gazed with horror upon such a revolting scene a second woman's\nfigure sprang up from within the room. She made for the chink and for\nTomoz\u014d's eye behind it. With a shriek of terror the spying Tomoz\u014d fled\nto the house of Haku\u014dd\u014d Yusai.\n\nYusai's Advice\n\nNow Yusai was a man well versed in all manner of mysteries; but\nnevertheless Tomoz\u014d's story made considerable impression upon him, and\nhe listened to every detail with the utmost amazement. When the servant\nhad finished his account of the affair Yusai informed him that his\nmaster was a doomed man if the woman proved to be a ghost, that love\nbetween the living and the dead ended in the destruction of the living.\n\nHowever, apart from critically examining this strange event, Yusai\ntook practical steps to rescue this young _samurai_ from so horrible\na fate. The next morning he discussed the matter with Shinzabur\u014d, and\ntold him pretty clearly that he had been loving a ghost, and that the\nsooner he got rid of that ghost the better it would be for him. He\nended his discourse by advising the youth to go to the district of\nShitaya, in Yanaka-no-Sasaki, the place where these women had said they\nlived.\n\nThe Mystery is Revealed\n\nShinzabur\u014d carried out Yusai's advice, but nowhere in the quarter of\nYanaka-no-Sasaki could he find the dwelling-place of Tsuyu. On his\nreturn home he happened to pass through the temple Shin-Banzui-In.\nThere he saw two tombs placed side by side, one of no distinction, and\nthe other large and handsome, adorned with a peony-lantern swinging\ngently in the breeze. Shinzabur\u014d remembered that this lantern and the\none carried by Yon\u00e9 were identical, and an acolyte informed him that\nthe tombs were those of Tsuyu and Yon\u00e9. Then it was that he realised\nthe strange meaning of Yon\u00e9's words: \"_We went away, and found a very\nsmall house in Yanaka-no-Sasaki. There we are now just barely able to\nlive by doing a little private work_.\" Their house, then, was a grave.\nThe ghost of Yon\u00e9 carried the peony-lantern, and the ghost of Tsuyu\nwound her fleshless arms about the neck of the young _samurai_.\n\nHoly Charms\n\nShinzabur\u014d, now fully aware of the horror of the situation, hastily\nretraced his steps and sought counsel from the wise, far-seeing\nYusai. This learned man confessed his inability to help him further\nin the matter, but advised him to go to the high-priest Ry\u014dseki, of\nShin-Banzui-In, and gave him a letter explaining what had taken place.\n\nRy\u014dseki listened unmoved to Shinzabur\u014d's story, for he had heard so\nmany bearing on the same theme, the evil power of Karma. He gave the\nyoung man a small gold image of Buddha, which he instructed him to wear\nnext his skin, telling him that it would protect the living from the\ndead. He also gave him a holy _sutra_, called \"Treasure-Raining Sutra,\"\nwhich he was commended to recite in his house every night; and lastly\nhe gave him a bundle of sacred texts. Each holy strip he was to paste\nover an opening in his house.\n\nBy nightfall everything was in order in Shinzabur\u014d's house. All the\napertures were covered with sacred texts, and the air resounded with\nthe recitation of the \"Treasure-Raining Sutra,\" while the little\ngold Buddha swayed upon the _samurai's_ breast. But somehow or other\npeace did not come to Shinzabur\u014d that night. Sleep refused to close\nhis weary eyes, and just as a temple bell ceased booming he heard the\nold _karan-koron, karan-koron_--the patter of ghostly _geta_! Then\nthe sound ceased. Fear and joy battled within Shinzabur\u014d's heart. He\nstopped reciting the holy _sutra_ and looked forth into the night. Once\nmore he saw Tsuyu and her maid with the peony-lantern. Never before had\nTsuyu looked so beautiful or so alluring; but a nameless terror held\nhim back. He heard with bitter anguish the women speaking together.\nHe heard Yon\u00e9 tell her mistress that his love had changed because\nhis doors had been made fast against them, followed by the plaintive\nweeping of Tsuyu. At last the women wandered round to the back of the\nhouse. But back and front alike prevented their entry, so potent were\nthe sacred words of the Lord Buddha.\n\n\nThe Betrayal\n\nAs all the efforts of Yon\u00e9 to enter Shinzabur\u014d's house were of no\navail, she went night after night to Tomoz\u014d and begged him to remove\nthe sacred texts from his master's dwelling. Over and over again, out\nof intense fear, Tomoz\u014d promised to do so, but with the coming of\ndaylight he grew brave and decided not to betray one to whom he owed\nso much. One night, however, Yon\u00e9 refused to be trifled with. She\nthreatened Tomoz\u014d with awful hatred if he did not take away one of the\nsacred texts, and in addition she pulled such a terrible face that\nTomoz\u014d nearly died of fright.\n\nTomoz\u014d's wife Min\u00e9 happened to awake and hear the voice of a strange\nwoman speaking to her husband. When the ghost-woman had vanished Min\u00e9\ngave her lord cunning counsel to the effect that he should consent to\ncarry out Yon\u00e9's request provided that she would reward him with a\nhundred _ry\u014d_.\n\nTwo nights later, when this wicked servant had received his reward, he\ngave Yon\u00e9 the little gold image of Buddha, took down from his master's\nhouse one of the sacred texts, and buried in a field the _sutra_ which\nhis master used to recite. This enabled Yon\u00e9 and her mistress to enter\nthe house of Shinzabur\u014d once more, and with their entry began again\nthis horrible love of the dead, presided over by the mysterious power\nof Karma.\n\nWhen Tomoz\u014d came the next morning to call his master as usual, he\nobtained no response to his knocking. At last he entered the apartment,\nand there, under the mosquito-net, lay his master dead, and beside him\nwere the white bones of a woman. The bones of \"Morning Dew\" were twined\nround the neck of one who had loved her too well, of one who had loved\nher with a fierce passion that at the last had been his undoing.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: This story, though inspired by a Chinese tale, is Japanese\nin local colour, and serves to illustrate, in an extremely weird way,\nthe power of Karma, or human desire, referred to in Chapter X. We have\nclosely followed Lafcadio Hearn's rendering, to be found in _In Ghostly\nJapan_.]\n\n[Footnote 2: See Chapter XVII.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX: K\u014cB\u014c DAISHI, NICHIREN, AND SH\u014cD\u014c SHONIN\n\n\n        \"When he died it was as though a bright light had gone\n        out in the midst of a black night.\"\n\n               \"_Namudaishi_.\" (Trans. by Arthur Lloyd.)\n\n\n\n\n\nThe \"Namudaishi\"\n\nK\u014db\u014d Daishi[1] (\"Glory to the Great Teacher\"), who was born A.D. 774,\nwas the most holy and most famous of the Japanese Buddhist saints. He\nfounded the Shingon-sh\u016b, a Buddhist sect remarkable for its magical\nformul\u00e6 and for its abstruse and esoteric teachings, and he is also\nsaid to have invented the _Hiragana_ syllabary, a form of running\nscript. In the _Namudaishi_, which is a Japanese poem on the life\nof this great saint, we are informed that Kobo Daishi brought back\nwith him from China a millstone and some seeds of the tea-plant, and\nthus revived the drinking of this beverage, which had fallen into\ndisuse. We are also told in the same poem that it was K\u014db\u014d Daishi who\n\"demonstrated to the world the use of coal.\" He was renowned as a\ngreat preacher, but was not less famous as a calligraphist, painter,\nsculptor, and traveller.\n\n\"A Divine Prodigy\"\n\nK\u014db\u014d Daishi, however, is essentially famous for the extraordinary\nmiracles which he performed, and numerous are the legends associated\nwith him. His conception was miraculous, for when he was born in the\nBaron's Hall, on the shore of By\u014dbu, a bright light shone, and he came\ninto the world with his hands folded as if in prayer. When but five\nyears of age he would sit among the lotuses and converse with Buddhas,\nand he kept secret all the wisdom he thus obtained. His heart was\ntroubled by the sorrow and pain of humanity. While on Mount Shashin he\nsought to sacrifice his own life by way of propitiation, but he was\nprevented from doing so by a number of angels who would not allow this\nardent soul to suffer death until he had fulfilled his destiny. His\nvery games were of a religious nature. On one occasion he built a clay\npagoda, and he was immediately surrounded by the Four Heavenly Kings\n(originally Hindu deities). The Imperial Messenger, who happened to\npass by when this miracle took place, was utterly amazed, and described\nthe young K\u014db\u014d Daishi as \"a divine prodigy.\" While at Muroto, in Tosa,\nperforming his devotions, we are told in the _Namu-daishi_ that a\nbright star fell from Heaven and entered his mouth, while at midnight\nan evil dragon came forth against him, \"but he spat upon it, and with\nhis saliva he killed it.\"\n\nIn his nineteenth year he wore the black silk robes of a Buddhist\npriest, and with a zeal that never failed him sought for enlightenment.\n\"Many are the ways,\" he said; \"but Buddhism is the best of all.\"\nDuring his mystical studies he came across a book containing the\nShingon doctrine, a doctrine that closely resembles the old Egyptian\nspeculations. The book was so abstruse that even K\u014db\u014d Daishi failed\nto master it; but, nothing daunted, he received permission from the\nEmperor to visit China, where he ultimately unravelled its profound\nmysteries, and attained to that degree of saintship associated with the\nmiraculous.\n\nGohitsu-Osh\u014d\n\nWhen K\u014db\u014d Daishi was in China the Emperor, hearing of his fame, sent\nfor him and bade him rewrite the name of a certain room in the royal\npalace, a name that had become obliterated by the effacing finger of\nTime. K\u014db\u014d Daishi, with a brush in each hand, another in his mouth,\nand two others between the toes, wrote the characters required upon\nthe wall, and for this extraordinary performance the Emperor named him\nGohitsu-Osh\u014d (\"The Priest who writes with Five Brushes\").\n\nWriting on Sky and Water\n\nWhile still in China K\u014db\u014d Daishi met a boy standing by the side of a\nriver. \"If you be K\u014db\u014d Daishi,\" said he, \"be honourably pleased to\nwrite upon the sky, for I have heard that no wonder is beyond your\npower.\"\n\nK\u014db\u014d Daishi raised his brush; it moved quickly in the air, and writing\nappeared in the blue sky, characters that were perfectly formed and\nwonderfully beautiful.\n\nWhen the boy had also written upon the sky with no less skill, he said\nto K\u014db\u014d Daishi: \"We have both written upon the sky. Now I beg that you\nwill write upon this flowing river.\"\n\nK\u014db\u014d Daishi readily complied. Once again his brush moved, and this\ntime a poem appeared on the water, a poem written in praise of that\nparticular river. The letters lingered for a moment, and then were\ncarried away by the swift current.\n\nThere seems to have been a contest in magical power between these two\nworkers of marvels, for no sooner had the letters passed out of sight\nthan the boy also wrote upon the running water the character of the\nDragon, and it remained stationary.\n\nK\u014db\u014d Daishi, who was a great scholar, at once perceived that the boy\nhad omitted the _ten_, a dot which rightly belonged to this character.\nWhen K\u014db\u014d Daishi pointed out the error, the boy told him that he had\nforgotten to insert the _ten_, and begged that the famous saint would\nput it in for him. No sooner had K\u014db\u014d Daishi done so than the Dragon\ncharacter became a Dragon. Its tail lashed the waters, thunder-clouds\nsped across the sky, and lightning flashed. In another moment the\nDragon arose from the water and ascended to heaven.\n\nThough K\u014db\u014d Daishi's powers of magic excelled those of the boy, he\ninquired who this youth might be, and the boy replied: \"I am Monju\nBosatsu, the Lord of Wisdom.\" Having spoken these words, he became\nillumined by a radiant light; the beauty of the Gods shone upon his\ncountenance, and, like the Dragon, he ascended into heaven.\n\nHow K\u014db\u014d Daishi Painted the Ten\n\nOn one occasion K\u014db\u014d Daishi omitted the _ten_ on a tablet placed above\none of the gates of the Emperor's palace.[2] The Emperor commanded that\nladders should be brought; but K\u014db\u014d Daishi, without making use of them,\nstood upon the ground, and threw up his brush, which, after making the\n_ten_, fell into his hand.\n\nKino Momoye and Onomo Toku\n\nKino Momoye once ridiculed some of K\u014db\u014d Daishi's characters, and said\nthat one of them resembled a conceited wrestler. On the night he made\nthis foolish jest Momoye dreamed that a wrestler struck him blow upon\nblow--moreover, that his antagonist leapt upon his body, causing him\nconsiderable pain. Momoye awoke, and cried aloud in his agony, and as\nhe cried he saw the wrestler suddenly change into the character he\nhad so unwisely jeered at. It rose into the air, and went back to the\ntablet from whence it had come.\n\nMomoye was not the only man who imprudently scoffed at the great K\u014db\u014d\nDaishi's work. Legend records that one named Onomo Toku said that the\nsaint's character _Shu_ was far more like the character \"rice.\" That\nnight Onomo Toku had good reason to regret his folly, for in a dream\nthe character _Shu_ took bodily form and became a rice-cleaner, who\nmoved up and down the offender's body after the manner of hammers that\nwere used in beating this grain. When Onomo Toku awoke it was to find\nthat his body was covered with bruises and that his flesh was bleeding\nin many places.\n\nK\u014db\u014d Daishi's Return\n\nWhen K\u014db\u014d Daishi was about to leave China and return to his own country\nhe went down to the seashore and threw his _vajra_[3] across the ocean\nwaves, and it was afterwards found hanging on the branch of a pine-tree\nat Takano, in Japan.\n\nWe are not told anything about K\u014db\u014d Daishi's voyage to his own land;\nbut directly he arrived in Japan he gave thanks for the divine\nprotection he had received during his travels. On the Naked Mountain\nhe offered incantations of so powerful a nature that the once barren\nmountain became covered with flowers and trees.\n\nK\u014db\u014d Daishi, as time advanced, became still more holy. During a\nreligious discussion the Divine Light streamed from him, and he\ncontinued to perform many great marvels. He made brackish water pure,\nraised the dead to life, and continued to commune with certain gods. On\none occasion Inari,[4] the God of Rice, appeared on Mount Fushim\u00e9 and\ntook from the great saint the sacrifice he offered. \"Together, you and\nI,\" said K\u014db\u014d Daishi, \"we will protect this people.\"\n\nThe Death of K\u014db\u014d Daishi\n\nIn A.D. 834 this remarkable saint died, and we are told that a very\ngreat gathering, both lay and priestly, wept at the graveyard of\nOkunoin, in K\u014dya, where he was buried. His death, however, by no\nmeans meant a sudden cessation of miracles on his part, for when the\nEmperor Saga died \"his coffin was mysteriously borne through the air\nto K\u014dya, and K\u014db\u014d himself, coming forth from his grave, performed the\nfuneral obsequies.\" Nor did the wonders cease with this incident, for\nthe Emperor Uda received from K\u014db\u014d Daishi the sacred Baptism. When\nthe Imperial Messenger to the temple where K\u014db\u014d Daishi was worshipped\nwas unable to see the face of this great saint, K\u014db\u014d \"guided the\nworshipper's hand to touch his knee. Never, as long as he lived, did\nthe Messenger forget that feeling!\"\n\nA Miraculous Image\n\nAt Kawasaki there is a temple dedicated to K\u014db\u014d Daishi. \"Local legend\nattributes the sanctity of this place to an image of K\u014db\u014d Daishi carved\nby that saint himself while in China, and consigned by him to the\nwaves. It floated to this coast, where it was caught in a fisherman's\nnet, and, being conveyed ashore, performed numerous miracles. The trees\nin the temple grounds, trained in the shape of junks under sail, attest\nthe devotion paid to this holy image by the seafaring folk.\"[5]\n\n\nNichiren\n\nNichiren was the founder of the Buddhist sect which bears his name. His\nname means Sun Lotus, and was given to him because his mother dreamt\nthat the sun rested on a lotus when she conceived him. Nichiren was\nan iconoclast of very marked character. He received, by revelation, a\ncomplete knowledge of Buddhist mysteries, though in reading the story\nof his life one would have supposed that he acquired his remarkable\nreligious wisdom through arduous study. During his lifetime Japan was\nvisited by a terrible earthquake, followed by a destructive hurricane,\npestilence, and famine. So great were these calamities that men prayed\nto die rather than live amidst such universal misery. Nichiren saw\nin these great disasters the hand of Fate. He saw that religion and\npolitics had become corrupt, and that Nature had rebelled against\nthe numerous evils that existed at that time. Nichiren realised that\nBuddhism was no longer the simple teaching of the Lord Buddha. In the\nvarious Buddhist sects he had studied so diligently he found that the\npriests had neglected Shaka Muni (the Buddha), and worshipped Amida,\na manifestation of the Lord Buddha, instead. Nor did their heresy end\nthere, for he found that priests and people also worshipped Kwannon and\nother divinities. Nichiren desired to sweep these deities aside and to\nrestore Buddhism to its old purity and singleness of purpose. He cried\nin one of his sermons: \"Awake, men, awake! Awake and look around you.\nNo man is born with two fathers or two mothers. Look at the heavens\nabove you: there are no two suns in the sky. Look at the earth at your\nfeet: no two kings can rule a country.\" In other words, he implied that\nno one can serve two masters, and the only master he found to be worthy\nof service and worship was Buddha himself. With this belief he sought\nto replace the ordinary _mantra_, _Namu Amida Butsu_, by _Namu My\u014dh\u014d\nRenge Ky\u014d_ (\"Oh, the Scripture of the Lotus of the Wonderful Law!\").\n\nNichiren wrote _Rissh\u014d Ank\u014dku Ron_ (\"Book to Tranquillise the\nCountry\"), which contained the prediction of a Mongol invasion and\nmany bitter attacks against the other Buddhist sects. At length H\u014dj\u014d\nTokiyori was compelled to exile him to Ito for thirty years. He\nescaped, however, and renewed his heated attacks upon the rival sects.\nNichiren's enemies sought assistance from the Regent Tokimune, who\ndecided to have the monk beheaded, and the vindictive Nichiren was\nfinally sent to the beach of Koshigoye to be executed. While awaiting\nthe fatal stroke Nichiren prayed to Buddha, and the sword broke as\nit touched his neck. Nor was this the only miracle, for immediately\nafter the breaking of the sword a flash of lightning struck the palace\nat Kamakura, and a heavenly light surrounded the saintly Nichiren.\nThe official entrusted with the deed of execution was considerably\nimpressed by these supernatural events, and he sent a messenger, to the\nRegent for a reprieve. Tokimune, however, had sent a horseman bearing\na pardon, and the two men met at a river now called Yukiai (\"Place of\nMeeting.\")\n\nNichiren's miraculous escape was followed by an even more vigorous\nattack on those whom he considered were not of the true religion. He\nwas again exiled, and finally took up his abode on Mount Minobu. It is\nsaid that a beautiful woman came to this mountain whilst Nichiren was\npraying. When the great saint saw her, he said: \"Resume your natural\nstate.\" After the woman had drunk water she changed into a snake nearly\ntwenty feet long, with iron teeth and golden scales.\n\n\nSh\u014dd\u014d Shonin\n\nSh\u014dd\u014d Shonin was the founder of the first Buddhist temple at Nikko, and\nthe following legend is supposed to have led to the construction of the\nsacred bridge of Nikko. One day, while Sh\u014dd\u014d Shonin was on a journey,\nhe saw four strange-looking clouds rise from the earth to the sky. He\npressed forward in order to see them more clearly, but could not go\nfar, for he found that his road was barred by a wild torrent. While he\nwas praying for some means to continue his journey a gigantic figure\nappeared before him, clad in blue and black robes, with a necklace\nof skulls. The mysterious being cried to him from the opposite bank,\nsaying: \"I will help you as I once helped Hiuen.\" Having uttered these\nwords, the Deity threw two blue and green snakes across the river, and\non this bridge of snakes the priest was able to cross the torrent. When\nSh\u014dd\u014d Shonin had reached the other bank the God and his blue and green\nsnakes disappeared.\n\n\n\n[Footnote 1: The saint's name when living was K\u016bkai. K\u014db\u014d Daishi was a\nposthumous title, and it is by this title that he is generally known.]\n\n[Footnote 2: Hence the Japanese proverb: \"Even K\u014db\u014d Daishi sometimes\nwrote wrong.\"]\n\n[Footnote 3: An instrument of incantation somewhat resembling a\nthunder-bolt.]\n\n[Footnote 4: At a later period Inari was known as the Fox God. See\nChapter V.]\n\n[Footnote 5: _Murray's Handbook for Japan_, by B. H. Chamberlain and W.\nB. Mason.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX: FANS\n\n\nThe Significance of the Japanese Fan\n\n\"Her weapons are a smile and a little fan.\" This quotation from Mr.\nYone Noguchi only illustrates one phase of the Japanese fan, the phase\nwith which we are familiar in our own country. The Japanese fan is not\nmerely a dainty feminine trifle to be used in conjunction with a smile\nor with eyes peeping behind some exquisite floral design. Nippon's fan\nhas a fascinating history quite outside the gentle art of coquetry, and\nthose who are interested in this subject would do well to consult Mrs.\nC. M. Salwey's _Fans of Japan_. Here the reader will find that the fan\nof the Land of the Rising Sun has performed many important offices.\nIt has been used by ancient warriors on the battlefield as a means of\ngiving emphasis to their commands. On one occasion it was the mark of\nNasu no Yoichi's bow, and although the sun-marked fan was whirling in\nthe wind, tied to a staff in the gunwale of one of the Taira ships,\nYoichi brought it down:\n\n     \"Alas! the fan!\n     Now driftwood on the sea.\n     The lord Nasu,\n     Skilful with the bow,\n     Yoichi's fame is spread.\"\n\nA certain Japanese fan, of gigantic size, is used in the festival of\nthe Sun Goddess in Ise, and there is a pretty story told of the widow\nof Atsumori becoming a nun and curing a priest by fanning him with the\nfirst folding fan, which is said to have been her own invention.\n\nOne of the most important parts of the Japanese fan, as of any other,\nis the rivet, and concerning the rivet there is the following legend.\nKashima on one occasion stuck his sword through the earth, with the\nidea of steadying the world and thus preventing earthquakes, phenomena\nstill prevalent in Japan. Eventually the sword turned into stones, and\nit was called _Kanam\u00e9 ishi_, or the Rivet Rock, and this was the origin\nof the name _kanam\u00e9_ as applied to Japanese fans.\n\nMrs. C. M. Salwey tells us in an article entitled _On Symbolism and\nSymbolic Ceremonies of the Japanese_[1] that the folding fan symbolises\nlife itself. She writes: \"The rivet end typifies the starting-point,\nthe radiating limbs the road of life.... The outside frame-sticks\nspecify the parents, the inside limbs the children, to show that\nchildren must be under control all their life long.\" On the frame there\nis often a cat's eye, suggesting the rapid passing of time, or, again,\nthere is a series of circles, one linked into the other--an incomplete\ndesign, showing that \"life and wisdom can never be exhausted.\"\n\nThere is a legend concerning the Japanese fan that is extremely\npleasing, and neither war nor philosophy figures in it. Though the\nstory of the Japanese fan is wide and varied, it appeals to us most\nin its more tender aspect. The Japanese fan that has a love-poem upon\nit and a love-story behind it is the fan that will always be the most\nprecious to those who still keep a place for romance in their hearts.\nThe following legend is from _The Diary of a Convolvulus_.\n\nThe Love of Asagao\n\n     \"The morning glory\n     Her leaves and bells has bound\n     My bucket-handle round.\n     I would not break the bands\n     Of those soft hands.\n\n     The bucket and the well to her I left:\n     Lend me some water, for I come bereft.\"\n         _From the Japanese_. (Trans. by Sir Edwin Arnold.)\n\n\n\nKomagawa Miyagi a retainer of one of the _daimy\u014ds_, came to a suburb of\nKy\u014dto. As it happened to be a warm summer evening he hired a boat, and,\nforgetting all his worries, he watched many bright-robed little ladies\ncatching fireflies. In the air and on the grass these bright insects\nshone, so that the laughing ladies had many opportunities of catching\nthese living jewels and placing them for a moment in their hair, upon\npoised finger, or against a silk flower on a _kimono_.\n\nWhile Komagawa watched this pretty scene he saw that one of the\nladies was in difficulty with her boat. Komagawa at once came to her\nassistance, and there and then fell desperately in love with her. They\nlingered together in a cool recess on the river, and no longer troubled\nabout fireflies, for both were eager to express their love.\n\nIn order to pledge their vows these two lovers, according to an ancient\ncustom, exchanged fans. On Miyuki's fan there was a painting of a\nconvolvulus. Komagawa wrote a poem about this lovely flower upon his\nown fan before presenting it to the woman he loved. So it was that\ntheir fans and their vows were exchanged, and the convolvulus, in\npicture and in verse, became the pledge of their troth.\n\nEventually the lovers separated, to meet again a few days later at\nAkasha, where it chanced that their ships touched each other. When\nthey had exchanged many a fair and loving word they returned to their\nrespective homes.\n\nWhen Miyuki reached her home, radiant with thoughts of her true love,\nshe discovered that her parents had already arranged a marriage for\nher with some one the poor little woman had never seen.\n\nMiyuki heard this piece of news with an aching heart. She knew that\nchildren must obey their parents, and when she was lying down on her\n_futon_ she did her utmost to comply with her parents' wish. But the\nstruggle proved useless, for the form of her lover kept on coming back\nto her, and the river and the gleaming fireflies. So she arose, crept\nout of the house, and walked towards a certain town, hoping to find\nKomagawa, only to discover on her arrival that he had departed, no one\nknew whither.\n\nThis bitter disappointment much affected Miyuki, and she wept for many\ndays; Her salt tears flowed so persistently that she soon became quite\nblind, as helpless a creature as \"a bird without feathers or a fish\nwithout fins.\"\n\nMiyuki, after she had given way to grief for some time, discovered that\nif she did not wish to starve she must do something to earn a living.\nShe made up her mind to make use of her excellent voice and to sing in\nstreets or in tea-houses. Her voice, combined with her beautiful and\npathetic face, won instant recognition. People wept over her plaintive\nsinging without knowing why. She loved to sing the little poem about\nthe convolvulus Komagawa had written on his fan, so the people who\nheard her called her Asagao (\"Convolvulus\").\n\nThe blind maiden was led from place to place by her friend Asaka\n(\"Slight Fragrance \"), till some one killed her, and Asagao was left\nalone to tap out her dark journeys without a loving hand to guide her.\nThere was only one thought that consoled Asagao, and that was that she\nmight, in her wanderings, eventually meet her lover.\n\nWhen a few years had passed by it chanced that Komagawa, accompanied by\nIwashiro Takita, was sent on business by his _Daimy\u014d_. While on their\njourney they happened to enter a certain tea-house. Iwashiro Takita was\nsullen and morose, and sat in gloomy silence, not deigning to notice\nhis surroundings. Komagawa, on the other hand, looked about him, and\nsaw on a screen the very poem he had written about the convolvulus,\nthe poem he had so lovingly inscribed for Asagao. While pondering the\nmatter in his mind the master of the tea-house entered the apartment.\nKomagawa questioned him concerning this little love-poem, and the\nmaster of the tea-house told the following story:\n\n\"It is a very sad story,\" said he. \"The poem was sung by a poor blind\nlady. She ran away from her home because she could not marry the man\nher parents had chosen for her. She was unable to consent to the union\nbecause she already had a lover, and this lover she sought up and down\nthe country, ever singing this little poem about the convolvulus, in\nthe hope that some day she might have the good fortune to meet him.\nHonourable sir, at this very moment she is in my tea-garden!\"\n\nKomagawa could scarcely conceal his joy when he requested that the\nmaster of the tea-house would bring in the blind woman.\n\nIn another moment Asagao stood before him. He saw in her delicate face\nan added beauty, the beauty of a hope, of a love kept bright and clear\nthrough the long, sorrowful years of waiting.\n\nAsagao touched the _samisen_.[2] Very gently she sang:\n\n     \"Down fell the shower of silver rain and wet the poor Convolvulus,\n     The sweet dew on the leaves and flowers being taken away by the\n       jealous sun.\"\n\nKomagawa listened intently, longing to speak, longing to reveal his\nlove, yet keeping silent because his ill-bred companion still remained\nin the room. He watched her dark eyes fixed upon him, but they were\nwithout expression, for they could not see. Still the _samisen_\ntinkled, and still the voice sounded sweet and low and unspeakably\npathetic in the apartment. With an aching heart and without a word of\nlove he dismissed her with the usual fee. She walked out of the room\nas if conscious of a new, acute sorrow. There was something in her\npatron's voice that was extremely tender, something that moved her\ndeeply, and it made her heart ache and yearn without knowing why.\n\nThe next day Komagawa gave the master of the tea-house a fan, saying:\n\"Give this fan and money to Asagao. She will understand.\" With these\nwords Komagawa and his companion proceeded on their journey.\n\nWhen Asagao had received the fan she felt it eagerly with her small\nwhite fingers. \"Who has given me this fan and money?\" she inquired.\n\"Oh, tell me what the fan is like. Has it a drawing of a convolvulus?\"\n\nThe master of the tea-house looked at her gently, \"He to whom you\nsang last night gave you this fan,\" said he. \"There is a drawing of a\nconvolvulus upon it.\"\n\nAsagao gave a cry of joy. \"Last night,\" she said softly, \"I was with my\nlover again! And now, and now....\"\n\nAt this very moment a servant from Asagao's old home arrived, asserting\nthat he had been sent by her parents to bring her back again. But\nAsagao, true to her old love, determined to fight down all opposition.\n\nNow it happened that the master of this tea-house had once been\nemployed by Asagao's father. He had committed a great wrong in that\ncapacity, a wrong worthy of death; but Asagao's father had taken\npity upon him. He had dismissed him with money, which had enabled the\nwrongdoer to set up in business for himself. During this crisis the\nmaster of the tea-house thought oven the kindness that had been shown\nhim, and resolved to commit _seppuku_ in order that his old master's\nchild might receive her sight again by means of this brave man's\nliver.[3]\n\nSo the master of the tea-house killed himself, and Asagao received\nher sight. That very night, though there was a fierce tempest raging,\nshe set out in search of her lover, accompanied by a faithful little\nband of servants. All night the maiden journeyed over rough and rugged\nroads. She scarcely noticed the heavy rain or her bleeding feet. She\nwas urged on by a joyous love, by the fond hope of finding her lover\nagain.\n\nAs she climbed a mountain, now bathed in sunlight, she fancied she\nheard a voice calling her name. She looked about her and discovered\nKomagawa. Peace came to her then. All the weariness of long search and\nalmost endless waiting were over for ever, and in a little while the\nlovers were married. The convolvulus, or morning glory, is a flower\nthat only blooms for a few hours; but Asagao's love had the beauty of\nthe convolvulus combined with the strength and long life of the pine.\nIn their happy union they had remained true to the pledge of love upon\ntheir fans, and out of blindness and much suffering Asagao could hold\nup her fair head to the dew and sunshine of her lover's sheltering arms.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: _Asiatic Quarterly Review_, October 1894.]\n\n[Footnote 2: \"The _samisen_, or 'three strings,' now the favourite\ninstrument of the singing-girls and of the lower classes generally,\nseems to have been introduced from Manila as recently as the year\n1700.\"--_Things Japanese_, by B. H. Chamberlain.]\n\n[Footnote 3: The liver, both of man and animal, was supposed to have\nremarkable medicinal properties. It frequently occurs in Japanese\nlegends, but the idea was probably borrowed from the strangest\npharmacop\u0153ia in the world, that of the Chinese.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI: THUNDER\n\n\n        \"The earth is full of saltpetre and sulphur, which rise\n        in the form of mist, and, uniting in the sky, become a\n        vapour that possesses the properties of gunpowder. When\n        this nears the intense heat of the sun it explodes,\n        like a natural gas; and the terrible sound is heard by\n        all the world. The shock, striking animals and birds\n        wandering in the clouds, hurls them to the ground.\n        Therefore thunder, and lightning, and the creatures that\n        tumble from the clouds during a storm, are not one and\n        the same thing.\"\n\n                   \"_Shin-rai-ki_\" (_Record of Thunder_).\n\n\n\nRaiden\n\nThere are many quaint legends in regard to thunder, and in Bakin's\n_Kumono Tayema Ama Yo No Tsuki_[1] (\"The Moon, shining through a\nCloud-rift, on a Rainy Night\") the famous Japanese novelist, who is an\nardent believer in many of the superstitions of his country, has much\nto say in regard to Raiden, the God of Thunder, and the supernatural\nbeings associated with him. Raiden is usually depicted as having red\nskin, the face of a demon, with two claws on each foot, and carrying on\nhis back a great wheel or arc of drums. He is often found in company\nwith Fugin, or with his son, Raitaro. When the Mongols attempted to\ninvade Japan they were prevented from doing so by a great storm, and,\naccording to legend, only three men escaped to tell the tale. Raiden's\nassistance in favour of Japan is often portrayed in Japanese art. He\nis depicted sitting on the clouds emitting lightnings and sending\nforth a shower of arrows upon the invaders. In China the Thunder God\nis regarded as a being ever on the look-out for wicked people. When he\nfinds them, the Goddess of Lightning flashes a mirror upon those whom\nthe God wishes to strike.\n\nThe Thunder Animal\n\nRaij\u016b, or Thunder Animal, appears to be more closely associated with\nlightning than with thunder. He is seen in forms resembling a weasel,\nbadger, or monkey. In the _Shin-rai-ki_ (\"Thunder Record\") we read\nthe following: \"On the twenty-second day of the sixth month of the\nsecond year of Meiwa [July 1766] a Thunder Animal fell at Oyama [Great\nMountain], in the province of Sagami. It was captured by a farmer, who\nbrought it to Yedo, and exhibited it for money on the Riyo-goku Bridge.\nThe creature was a little larger than a cat, and resembled a weasel:\nit had black hair, and five claws on each paw. During fine weather it\nwas very tame and gentle; but, before and during a storm, exceedingly\nsavage and unmanageable.\" In China the Thunder Animal is described as\nhaving \"the head of a monkey, with crimson lips, eyes like mirrors,\nand two sharp claws on each paw.\" During a storm the Thunder Animal of\nJapan springs from tree to tree, and if any of the trees are found to\nhave been struck by lightning it is believed to be the savage work of,\nthe Thunder Animal's claws. This being, in common with the Thunder God\nhimself, is said to have a weakness for human navels, so that for this\nreason many superstitious people endeavour, if possible, to lie flat on\ntheir stomachs during a thunderstorm. Bark torn by the Thunder Animal\nis carefully preserved, and is supposed to be an excellent remedy for\ntoothache.\n\nThe Thunder Bird and Thunder Woman\n\nRaicho, Thunder Bird, resembles a rook, but it has spurs of flesh,\nwhich, when struck together, produce a horrible sound. This is the\nbird to which the Emperor of Goto-bain referred in the following poem:\n\n     \"In the shadow of the pine-tree of Shiro-yama\n     Thunder-birds rest, and spend the night.\"\n\nThese birds feed upon the tree-frog named _rai_ (thunder), and are\nalways seen flying about in the sky during a thunderstorm.\n\nLittle is known concerning Kaminari (Thunder Woman), except that on one\noccasion she is said to have appeared in the guise of a Chinese Empress.\n\nA Strange Belief\n\nBakin remarks that those who are afraid of thunder have the _In_, or\nfemale principle, predominating, while those who are not afraid have\nthe _Yo_, or the male principle, in the ascendency. The same writer\ngives the following custom in regard to those who have suffered as the\nresult of a thunderstorm, and we must note that emphasis is laid upon\n_thunder_ as the destructive power--noise rather than light: \"When\nany one is struck by thunder make him lie upon his back, and place a\nlive carp in his bosom. If the carp jumps and moves the patient will\nrecover. This is infallible. When thunder scorches the flesh burn _Ko_\n(incense) under the sufferer's nose. This will cause him to cough, and\nbreak the spell of the Thunder God.\"\n\nThe Child of the Thunder God\n\nMost of the legends relating to Raiden and his kindred spirits are of a\nmalevolent nature; but in the following story we learn that the Thunder\nGod's child brought considerable prosperity.\n\nNear Mount Hakuzan there once lived a very poor farmer named Bimbo. His\nplot of land was extremely small, and though he worked upon it from\ndawn till sunset he had great difficulty in growing sufficient rice\nfor himself and his wife.\n\nOne day, after a protracted drought, Bimbo dismally surveyed his\ndried-up rice sprouts. As he thus stood fearing starvation in the near\nfuture, rain suddenly descended, accompanied by loud claps of thunder.\nJust as Bimbo was about to take shelter from the storm he was nearly\nblinded by a vivid flash of lightning, and he prayed fervently to\nBuddha for protection. When he had done so he looked about him, and to\nhis amazement saw a little baby boy laughing and crooning as he lay in\nthe grass.\n\nBimbo took the infant in his arms, and gently carried him to his humble\ndwelling, where his wife greeted him with surprise and pleasure. The\nchild was called Raitaro, the Child of Thunder, and lived with his\nfoster-parents a happy and dutiful boy. He never played with other\nchildren, for he loved to roam in the fields, to watch the stream and\nthe swift flight of clouds overhead.\n\nWith the coming of Raitaro there came prosperity to Bimbo, for Raitaro\ncould beckon to clouds and bid them throw down their rain-drops only on\nhis foster-father's field.\n\nWhen Raitaro had grown into a handsome youth of eighteen he once again\nthanked Bimbo and his wife for all they had done for him, and told them\nthat he must now bid farewell to his benefactors.\n\nAlmost before the youth had finished speaking, he suddenly turned into\na small white dragon, lingered a moment, and then flew away.\n\nThe old couple ran to the door. As the white dragon ascended into the\nsky it grew bigger and bigger, till it was hidden behind a great cloud.\n\nWhen Bimbo and his wife died a white dragon was carved upon their tomb\nin memory of Raitaro, the Child of Thunder.\n\n\nShokuro and the Thunder God\n\nShokuro, in order to stand well with Tom, the magistrate of his\ndistrict, promised him that he would catch the Thunder God. \"If,\" said\nShokuro, \"I were to tie a human navel to the end of a kite, and fly it\nduring a stormy day, I should be sure to catch Raiden, for the Thunder\nGod would not be able to resist such a repast. The most difficult part\nof the whole business is to secure the meal.\"\n\nWith this scheme in view Shokuro set out upon a journey in quest of\nfood for the Thunder God. On reaching a wood he chanced to see a\nbeautiful woman named Chiyo. The ambitious Shokuro, without the least\ncompunction, killed the maid, and, having secured his object, flung her\ncorpse into a deep ditch. He then proceeded on his way with a light\nheart.\n\nRaiden, while sitting on a cloud, happened to notice the woman's body\nlying in a ditch. He descended quickly, and, being fascinated by the\nbeauty of Chiyo, he took from his mouth a navel, restored her to life,\nand together they flew away into the sky.\n\nSome days later Shokuro was out hunting for the Thunder God, his kite,\nwith its gruesome relic, soaring high over the trees as it flew hither\nand thither in a strong wind. Chiyo saw the kite, and descended nearer\nand nearer to the earth. At last she held it in her hands and saw what\nwas attached. Filled with indignation, she looked down in order to\nsee who was flying the kite, and was much astonished to recognise her\nmurderer. At this juncture Raiden descended in a rage, only to receive\nsevere chastisement at the hands of Shokuro, who then made his peace\nwith Chiyo, and afterwards became a famous man in the village. Truly an\nastonishing story!\n\n\n[Footnote 1: See translation, entitled _A Captive of Love_, by Edward\nGreey.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII: ANIMAL LEGENDS\n\n\nMagical Animals\n\nMany of the following stories are the tales a Japanese mother narrates\nto her child, for animal stories make a universal appeal to the\nchild-mind. They are generally regarded as fairy stories, but they\ncontain so much legendary material that it is necessary to include\nthem in a book of this kind, for they tend to illustrate our subject\nin a lighter vein, where the miraculous is mingled with the humorous.\nWe have devoted a separate chapter to fox legends on account of the\nimportance of the subject, but it must be borne in mind that the\nsupernatural characteristics of this animal apply also to the badger\nand cat, for in Japanese legend all three animals have been associated\nwith an incalculable amount of mischief.\n\nThe Hare\n\nThe hare is supposed to attain, like the fox, tortoise, crane, and\ntiger, a fabulous age, extending to no less than a thousand years. In\nTaoist legends the hare is said to live in the moon, and is occupied in\npounding, with pestle and mortar, the drugs that compose the Elixir of\nLife, while in other legends, as we have seen elsewhere, this animal is\nrepresented as pounding rice. Shaka Muni (the Lord Buddha), according\nto legend, is said to have sacrificed himself as a hare in order that\nhe might appease the hunger of Indra, who drew the animal upon the moon\nby way of showing his admiration. The fur of the hare becomes white\nwhen it has lived for five hundred years, and we give below the famous\nlegend from the _Kojiki_ known as \"The White Hare of Inaba.\"\n\n\nThe White Hare of Inaba\n\nIn ancient days there were eighty-one brothers, who were Princes in\nJapan. With the exception of one brother they were quarrelsome fellows,\nand spent their time in showing all manner of petty jealousy, one\ntoward the other. Each wanted to reign over the whole kingdom, and,\nin addition, each had the misfortune to wish to marry the Princess of\nYakami, in Inaba. Although these eighty Princes were at variance in\nmost things, they were at one in persistently hating the brother who\nwas gentle and peaceful in all his ways.\n\nAt length, after many angry words, the eighty brothers decided to go\nto Inaba in order to visit the Princess of Yakami, each brother fully\nresolved that he and he alone should be the successful suitor. The kind\nand gentle brother accompanied them, not, indeed, as a wooer of the\nfair Princess, but as a servant who carried a large and heavy bag upon\nhis back.\n\nAt last the eighty Princes, who had left their much-wronged brother far\nbehind, arrived at Cape Keta. They were about to continue their journey\nwhen they saw a white hare lying on the ground looking very miserable\nand entirely divested of fur.\n\nThe eighty Princes, who were much amused by the sorry plight of the\nhare, said: \"If you want your fur to grow again, bathe in the sea,\nand, when you have done so, run to the summit of a high mountain and\nallow the wind to blow upon you.\" With these words the eighty heartless\nPrinces proceeded on their way.\n\nThe hare at once went down to the sea, delighted at the prospect of\nregaining his handsome white fur. Having bathed, he ran up to the top\nof a mountain and lay down upon it; but he quickly perceived that\nthe cold wind blowing on a skin recently immersed in salt water was\nbeginning to crack and split. In addition to the humiliation of having\nno fur he now suffered considerable physical pain, and he realised that\nthe eighty Princes had shamefully deceived him.\n\nWhile the hare was lying in pain upon the mountain the kind and gentle\nbrother approached, slowly and laboriously, owing to the heavy bag he\ncarried. When he saw the weeping hare he inquired how it was that the\npoor animal had met with such a misfortune.\n\n\"Please stop a moment,\" said the hare, \"and I will tell you how it\nall happened. I wanted to cross from the Island of Oki to Cape Keta,\nso I said to the crocodiles: 'I should very much like to know how\nmany crocodiles there are in the sea, and how many hares on land.\nAllow me first of all to count you.' And having said these words the\ncrocodiles formed themselves into a long line, stretching from the\nIsland of Oki to Cape Keta. I ran across their horny bodies, counting\neach as I passed. When I reached the last crocodile, I said: 'O foolish\ncrocodiles, it doesn't matter to me how many there are of you in the\nsea, or how many hares on land! I only wanted you for a bridge in order\nthat I might reach my destination.' Alas! my miserable boast cost me\ndear, for the last crocodile raised his head and snapped off all my\nfur!\"\n\n\"Well,\" said the gentle brother, \"I must say you were in the wrong and\ndeserved to suffer for your folly. Is that the end of your story?\"\n\n\"No,\" continued the hare. \"I had no sooner suffered this indignity than\nthe eighty Princes came by, and lyingly told me that I might be cured\nby salt water and wind. Alas! not knowing that they deceived me, I\ncarried out their instructions, with the result that my body is cracked\nand extremely sore.\"\n\n\"Bathe in fresh water, my poor friend,\" said the good brother, \"and\nwhen you have done so scatter the pollen of sedges upon the ground and\nroll yourself in it. This will indeed heal your sores and cause your\nfur to grow again.\"\n\nThe hare walked slowly to the river, bathed himself, and then rolled\nabout in sedge pollen. He had no sooner done so than his skin healed\nand he was covered once more with a thick coat of fur.\n\nThe grateful hare ran back to his benefactor. \"Those eighty wicked and\ncruel brothers of yours,\" said he, \"shall never win the Princess of\nInaba. It is you who shall marry her and reign over the country.\"\n\nThe hare's prophecy came true, for the eighty Princes failed in their\nmission, while the brother who was good and kind to the white hare\nmarried the fair Princess and became King of the country.\n\nThe Crackling Mountain\n\nAn old man and his wife kept a white hare. One day a badger came and\nate the food provided for the pet. The mischievous animal was about to\nscamper away when the old man, seeing what had taken place, tied the\nbadger to a tree, and then went to a neighbouring mountain to cut wood.\n\nWhen the old man had gone on his journey the badger began to weep and\nto beg that the old woman would untie the rope. She had no sooner done\nso than the badger proclaimed vengeance and ran away.\n\nWhen the good white hare heard what had taken place he set out to warn\nhis master; but during his absence the badger returned, killed the old\nwoman, assumed her form, and converted her corpse into broth.\n\n\"I have made such excellent broth,\" said the badger, when the old man\nreturned from the mountain. \"You must be hungry and tired: pray sit\ndown and make a good meal!\"\n\nThe old man, not suspecting treachery of any kind, consumed the broth\nand pronounced it excellent.\n\n\"Excellent?\" sneered the badger. \"You have eaten your wife! Her bones\nlie over there in that corner,\" and with these words he disappeared.\n\nWhile the old man was overcome with sorrow, and while he wept and\nbewailed his fate, the hare returned, grasped the situation, and\nscampered off to the mountain fully resolved to avenge the death of his\npoor old mistress.\n\nWhen the hare reached the mountain he saw the badger carrying a bundle\nof sticks on his back. Softly the hare crept up, and, unobserved, set\nlight to the sticks, which began to crackle immediately.\n\n\"This is a strange noise,\" said the badger. \"What is it?\"\n\n\"The Crackling Mountain,\" replied the hare.\n\nThe fire began to burn the badger, so he sprang into a river and\nextinguished the flames; but on getting out again he found that his\nback was severely burnt, and the pain he suffered was increased by a\ncayenne poultice which the delighted hare provided for that purpose.\n\nWhen the badger was well again he chanced to see the hare standing by a\nboat he had made.\n\n\"Where are you going in that vessel?\" inquired the badger.\n\n\"To the moon,\" replied the hare. \"Perhaps you would like to come with\nme?\"\n\n\"Not in your boat!\" said the badger. \"I know too well your tricks on\nthe Crackling Mountain. But I will build a boat of clay for myself, and\nwe will journey to the moon.\"\n\nDown the river went the wooden boat of the hare and the clay boat of\nthe badger. Presently the badger's vessel began to come to pieces. The\nhare laughed derisively, and killed his enemy with his oar. Later on,\nwhen the loyal animal returned to the old man, he justly received much\npraise and loving care from his grateful master.\n\nThe Badger\n\nThe badger in legend has much in common with the fox. It can adopt\nhuman form and assume the shape of the moon; but in many legends it\nis described as a humorous creature, an animal intensely fond of a\npractical joke. The badger is frequently depicted in legend and art as\nplaying a tattoo on its protuberant and drum-like stomach, and it is\nfor this reason that Japanese jesters are sometimes called badgers.\n\nKadzutoyo and the Badger\n\nOn one occasion Kadzutoyo and his retainer went fishing. They had had\nexcellent sport, and were about to return home, when a violent shower\ncame on, and they were forced to take shelter under a willow-tree.\nAfter waiting for some time the rain showed no sign of abating, and as\nit was already growing dark they decided to continue their journey in\nspite of the inclement weather. They had not proceeded far when they\nperceived a young girl weeping bitterly. Kadzutoyo regarded her with\nsuspicion, but his retainer was charmed by the maiden's great beauty,\nand inquired who she was and why she lingered on such a stormy night.\n\n\"Alas! good sir,\" said the maiden, still weeping, \"my tale is a\nsad one. I have long endured the taunts and cruelties of my wicked\nstepmother, who hates me. To-night she spat upon me and beat me. I\ncould bear the bitter humiliation no longer, and I was on the way\nto my aunt, who lives in yonder village, there to receive peace and\nshelter, when I was stricken down with a strange malady, and compelled\nto remain here until the pain subsided.\"\n\nThese words much affected the kind-hearted retainer, and he fell\ndesperately in love with this fair maiden; but Kadzutoyo, after\ncarefully considering the matter, drew his sword and cut off her head.\n\n\"Oh! my lord,\" said the retainer, \"what awful deed is this? How can you\nkill a harmless girl? Believe me, you will have to pay for your folly.\"\n\n\"You do not understand,\" replied Kadzutoyo, \"but all I ask is that you\nkeep silence in the matter.\"\n\nWhen they reached home Kadzutoyo soon fell asleep; but his retainer,\nafter brooding over the murder of the fair maiden, went to his lord's\nparents and told them the whole pitiful story.\n\nKadzutoyo's father was stricken with anger when he heard the dreadful\ntale. He at once went to his son's room, roused him, and said: \"Oh,\nmiserable murderer! How could you slay an innocent girl without the\nleast provocation? You have shamed the honourable name of _samurai_, a\nname that stands for true chivalry and for the defence of the weak and\nhelpless. You have brought dishonour upon our house, and it is my duty\nto take your life.\" Having said these words, he drew his sword.\n\n\"Sir,\" replied Kadzutoyo, without flinching at the shining weapon,\n\"you, like my retainer, do not understand. It has been given me to\nsolve certain mysteries, and with that knowledge I assure you that I\nhave not been guilty of so foul a crime as you suppose, but have been\nloyal to the fair calling of a _samurai_. The girl I cut down with my\nsword was no mortal. Be pleased to go to-morrow with your retainers to\nthe spot where this scene occurred. If you find the corpse of a girl\nyou will have no need to take my life, for I will disembowel myself.\"\n\nEarly next day, when the sun had scarce risen in the sky, Kadzutoyo's\nfather, together with his retainers, set out upon the journey. When\nthey reached the place where the tragedy had taken place the father\nsaw lying by the roadside, not the corpse of a fair maiden as he had\nfeared, but the body of a great headless badger.\n\nWhen the father reached home again he questioned his son: \"How is it,\"\nsaid he, \"that what appeared to be a girl to your retainer seemed to\nyou to be a badger?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" replied Kadzutoyo, \"the creature I saw last night appeared to\nme as a girl; but her beauty was strange, and not like the beauty of\nearthly women. Moreover, although it was raining hard, I observed that\nthe garments of this being did not get wet, and having noticed this\nweird occurrence, I knew at once that the woman was none other than\nsome wicked goblin. The creature took the form of a lovely maiden with\nthe idea of bewitching us with her many charms, in the hope that she\nmight get our fish.\"\n\nThe old Prince was filled with admiration for his son's cleverness.\nHaving discovered so much foresight and prudence, he resolved to\nabdicate, and proclaim Kadzutoyo Prince of Tosa in his stead.\n\nThe Miraculous Tea-kettle\n\nOne day a priest of the Morinji temple put his old tea-kettle on the\nfire in order that he might make himself a cup of tea. No sooner had\nthe kettle touched the fire than it suddenly changed into the head,\ntail, and legs of a badger. The novices of the temple were called in\nto see the extraordinary sight. While they gazed in utter astonishment,\nthe badger, with the body of a kettle, rushed nimbly about the room,\nand finally flew into the air. Round and round the room went the merry\nbadger, and the priests, after many efforts, succeeded in capturing the\nanimal and thrusting it into a box.\n\nShortly after this event had taken place a tinker called at the temple,\nand the priest thought it would be an excellent idea if he could induce\nthe good man to buy his extraordinary tea-kettle. He therefore took\nthe kettle out of its box, for it had now resumed its ordinary form,\nand commenced to bargain, with the result that the unsuspecting tinker\npurchased the kettle, and took it away with him, assured that he had\ndone a good day's work in buying such a useful article at so reasonable\na price.\n\nThat night the tinker was awakened by hearing a curious sound close\nto his pillow. He looked out from behind his quilts and saw that the\nkettle he had purchased was not a kettle at all, but a very lively and\nclever badger.\n\nWhen the tinker told his friends about his remarkable companion,\nthey said: \"You are a fortunate fellow, and we advise you to take\nthis badger on show, for it is clever enough to dance and walk on\nthe tight-rope. With song and music you certainly have in this very\nstrange creature a series of novel entertainments which will attract\nconsiderable notice, and bring you far more money than you would earn\nby all the tinkering in the world.\"\n\nThe tinker accordingly acted upon this excellent advice, and the fame\nof his performing badger spread far and wide. Princes and princesses\ncame to see the show, and from royal patronage and the delight of the\ncommon people he amassed a great fortune. When the tinker had made\nhis money he restored the kettle to the Morinji temple, where it was\nworshipped as a precious treasure.\n\nThe Cat\n\n        \"Feed a dog for three days and he will remember your\n        kindness for three years; feed a cat for three years and\n        she will forget your kindness in three days.\"\n\n                                           _A Japanese Proverb_.\n\n\n\n\nThe Japanese cat, with or without a tail, is very far from being\npopular, for this animal and the venomous serpent were the only two\ncreatures that did not weep when the Lord Buddha died. Nipponese cats\nseem to be under a curse, and for the most part they are left to their\nown resources, resources frequently associated with supernatural\npowers. Like foxes and badgers, they are able to bewitch human beings.\nProfessor B. H. Chamberlain writes in _Things Japanese_: \"Among\nEuropeans an irreverent person may sometimes be heard to describe an\nugly, cross old woman as a cat. In Japan, the land of topsy-turvydom,\nthat nickname is colloquially applied to the youngest and most\nattractive--the singing-girls.\" The comparison seems strange to us, but\nthe allusion no doubt refers to the power of witchery common alike to\nthe singing-girl and the cat.\n\nThe Japanese cat, however, is regarded with favour among sailors,\nand the _mike-neko_, or cat of three colours, is most highly prized.\nSailors the world over are said to be superstitious, and those of Japan\ndo their utmost to secure a ship's cat, in the belief that this animal\nwill keep off the spirits of the deep. Many sailors believe that those\nwho are drowned at sea never find spiritual repose; they believe that\nthey everlastingly lurk in the waves and shout and wail as junks pass\nby. To such men the breakers beating on the seashore are the white,\ngrasping hands of innumerable spirits, and they believe that the sea is\ncrowded with _O-bak\u00e9_, honourable ghosts. The Japanese cat is said to\nhave control over the dead.\n\nThe Vampire Cat\n\nThe Prince of Hizen, a distinguished member of the Nab\u00e9shima family,\nlingered in the garden with O Toyo, the favourite among his ladies.\nWhen the sun set they retired to the palace, but failed to notice that\nthey were being followed by a large cat.\n\nO Toyo went to her room and fell asleep. At midnight she awoke and\ngazed about her, as if suddenly aware of some dreadful presence in the\napartment. At length she saw, crouching close beside her, a gigantic\ncat, and before she could cry out for assistance the animal sprang upon\nher and strangled her. The animal then made a hole under the verandah,\nburied the corpse, and assumed the form of the beautiful O Toyo.\n\nThe Prince, who knew nothing of what had happened, continued to love\nthe false O Toyo, unaware that in reality he was caressing a foul\nbeast. He noticed, little by little, that his strength failed, and\nit was not long before he became dangerously ill. Physicians were\nsummoned, but they could do nothing to restore the royal patient. It\nwas observed that he suffered most during the night, and was troubled\nby horrible dreams. This being so his councillors arranged that a\nhundred retainers should sit with their lord and keep watch while he\nslept.\n\nThe watch went into the sick-room, but just before ten o'clock it was\novercome by a mysterious drowsiness. When all the men were asleep the\nfalse O Toyo crept into the apartment and disturbed the Prince until\nsunrise. Night after night the retainers came to guard their master,\nbut always they fell asleep at the same hour, and even three loyal\ncouncillors had a similar experience.\n\nDuring this time the Prince grew worse, and at length a priest named\nRuiten was appointed to pray on his behalf. One night, while he was\nengaged in his supplications, he heard a strange noise proceeding from\nthe garden. On looking out of the window he saw a young soldier washing\nhimself. When he had finished his ablutions he stood before an image of\nBuddha, and prayed most ardently for the recovery of the Prince.\n\nRuiten, delighted to find such zeal and loyalty, invited the young man\nto enter his house, and when he had done so inquired his name.\n\n\"I am Ito Soda,\" said the young man, \"and serve in the infantry of\nNab\u00e9shima. I have heard of my lord's sickness and long to have the\nhonour of nursing him; but being of low rank it is not meet that I\nshould come into his presence. I have, nevertheless, prayed to the\nBuddha that my lord's life may be spared. I believe that the Prince of\nHizen is bewitched, and if I might remain with him I would do my utmost\nto find and crush the evil power that is the cause of his illness.\"\n\nRuiten was so favourably impressed with these words that he went\nthe next day to consult with one of the councillors, and after much\ndiscussion it was arranged that Ito Soda should keep watch with the\nhundred retainers.\n\nWhen Ito Soda entered the royal apartment he saw that his master slept\nin the middle of the room, and he also observed the hundred retainers\nsitting in the chamber quietly chatting together in the hope that they\nwould be able to keep off approaching drowsiness. By ten o'clock all\nthe retainers, in spite of their efforts, had fallen asleep. Ito Soda\ntried to keep his eyes open, but a heaviness was gradually overcoming\nhim, and he realised that if he wished to keep awake he must resort to\nextreme measures. When he had carefully spread oil-paper over the mats\nhe stuck his dirk into his thigh. The sharp pain he experienced warded\noff sleep for a time, but eventually he felt his eyes closing once\nmore. Resolved to outwit the spell which had proved too much for the\nretainers, he twisted the knife in his thigh, and thus increased the\npain and kept his loyal watch, while blood continually dripped upon the\noil-paper.\n\nWhile Ito Soda watched he saw the sliding doors drawn open and a\nbeautiful woman creep softly into the apartment. With a smile she\nnoticed the sleeping retainers, and was about to approach the Prince\nwhen she observed Ito Soda. After she had spoken curtly to him she\napproached the Prince and inquired how he fared, but the Prince was\ntoo ill to make a reply. Ito Soda watched every movement, and believed\nshe tried to bewitch the Prince, but she was always frustrated in her\nevil purpose by the dauntless eyes of Ito Soda, and at last she was\ncompelled to retire.\n\nIn the morning the retainers awoke, and were filled with shame when\nthey learnt how Ito Soda had kept his vigil. The councillors loudly\npraised the young soldier for his loyalty and enterprise, and he was\ncommanded to keep watch again that night. He did so, and once more the\nfalse O Toyo entered the sick-room, and, as on the previous night, she\nwas compelled to retreat without being able to cast her spell over the\nPrince.\n\nIt was discovered that immediately the faithful Soda had kept guard\nthe Prince was able to obtain peaceful slumber, and, moreover, that\nhe began to get better, for the false O Toyo, having been frustrated\non two occasions, now kept away altogether, and the guard was not\ntroubled with mysterious drowsiness. Soda, impressed by these strange\ncircumstances, went to one of the councillors and informed him that the\nso-called O Toyo was a goblin of some kind.\n\nThat night Soda planned to go to the creature's room and try to kill\nher, arranging that in case she should escape there should be eight\nretainers outside waiting to capture her and despatch her immediately.\n\nAt the appointed hour Soda went to the creature's apartment, pretending\nthat he bore a message from the Prince.\n\n\"What is your message?\" inquired the woman.\n\n\"Kindly read this letter,\" replied Soda, and with these words he drew\nhis dirk and tried to kill her.\n\nThe false O Toyo seized a halberd and endeavoured to strike her\nadversary. Blow followed blow, but at last perceiving that flight would\nserve her better than battle she threw away her weapon, and in a moment\nthe lovely maiden turned into a cat and sprang on to the roof. The\neight men waiting outside in case of emergency shot at the animal, but\nthe creature succeeded in eluding them.\n\nThe cat made all speed for the mountains, and caused trouble among the\npeople who lived in the vicinity, but was finally killed during a hunt\nordered by the Prince Hizen. The Prince became well again, and Ito Soda\nreceived the honour and reward he so richly deserved.\n\nThe Dog\n\nGenerally speaking the dog in Japan is looked upon as a friendly\nanimal, and in most legends he acquits himself well; but in the\nOki Islands many of the inhabitants believe that all dogs have\nsupernatural power, attributed to the fox elsewhere. Professor B. H.\nChamberlain writes: \"The human beings in league with them are termed\n_inu-gami-mochi_--that is, 'dog-god owners.' When the spirit of such a\nmagic dog goes forth on an errand of mischief its body remains behind,\ngrowing gradually weaker, and sometimes dying and falling to decay.\nWhen this happens the spirit on its return takes up its abode in the\nbody of a wizard, who thereupon becomes more powerful than ever.\"\n\nShippeitar\u014d and the Phantom Cats\n\nA certain knight took shelter in a lonely and dilapidated mountain\ntemple. Towards midnight he was awakened by hearing a strange noise.\nGazing about him, he saw a number of cats dancing and yelling and\nshrieking, and over and over again he heard these words: \"_Tell it not\nto Shippeitar\u014d_!\"\n\nAt midnight the cats suddenly disappeared, stillness reigned in the\nruined temple, and our warrior was able to resume his slumber.\n\nThe next morning the young knight left the haunted building, and came\nto one or two small dwellings near a village. As he passed one of these\nhouses he heard great wailing and lamentation, and inquired the cause\nof the trouble.\n\n\"Alas!\" said those who thronged about the knight, \"well may you ask why\nwe are so sorely troubled. This very night the mountain spirit will\ntake away our fairest maiden in a great cage to the ruined temple where\nyou have spent the night, and in the morning she will be devoured by\nthe wicked spirit of the mountain. Every year we lose a girl in this\nway, and there is none to help us.\"\n\nThe knight, greatly moved by these pitiful words, and anxious to be of\nservice, said: \"Who or what is Shippeitar\u014d? The evil spirits in the\nruined temple used the name several times.\"\n\n\"Shippeitar\u014d,\" said one of the people, \"is a brave and very fine dog,\nand belongs to the head man of our Prince.\" The knight hastened off,\nwas successful in securing Shippeitar\u014d for one night, and took the dog\nback with him to the house of the weeping parents. Already the cage was\nprepared for the damsel, and into this cage he put Shippeitar\u014d, and,\nwith several young men to assist him, they reached the haunted temple.\nBut the young men would not remain on the mountain, for they were full\nof fear, and, having performed their task, they took their departure,\nso that the knight and the dog were left alone.\n\nAt midnight the phantom cats again appeared, this time surrounding a\ntomcat of immense size and of great fierceness. When the monster cat\nsaw the cage he sprang round it with screams of delight, accompanied by\nhis companions.\n\nThe warrior, choosing a suitable opportunity, opened the cage, and\nShippeitar\u014d sprang out and held the great cat in his teeth. In another\nmoment his master drew forth his sword and slew the wicked creature.\nThe other cats were too amazed at what they had seen to make good their\nescape, and the valiant Shippeitar\u014d soon made short work of them. Thus\nthe village was no longer troubled with ravages of the mountain spirit,\nand the knight, in true courtly fashion, gave all the praise to the\nbrave Shippeitar\u014d.\n\nThe Old Man Who Made the Trees to Blossom\n\nOne day, while an old man and his wife were in the garden, their dog\nsuddenly became very excited as he lowered his head and sniffed the\nground in one particular place. The old people, believing that their\npet had detected something good to eat, brought a spade and commenced\nto dig, and to their amazement they dug up a great number of gold and\nsilver pieces and a variety of precious treasures as well. With this\nnewly acquired wealth the old couple lost no time in distributing alms\namong the poor.\n\nWhen the people next door heard about their neighbours' good fortune\nthey borrowed the dog, and spread before him all manner of delicacies\nin the hope that the animal would do them a good turn too. But the dog,\nwho had been on previous occasions ill-treated by his hosts, refused\nto eat, and at length the angry couple dragged him into the garden.\nImmediately the dog began to sniff, and exactly where he sniffed the\ngreedy couple began to dig; but they dug up no treasure, and all they\ncould find was very objectionable refuse. The old couple, angry and\ndisappointed, killed the dog and buried him under a pine-tree.\n\nThe good old man eventually learnt what had befallen his faithful dog,\nand, full of sorrow, he went to the place where his pet was buried, and\narranged food and flowers on the grave, weeping as he did so.\n\nThat night the spirit of the dog came to his master, and said: \"Cut\ndown the tree where I am buried, and from the wood fashion a mortar,\nand think of me whenever you use it.\"\n\nThe old man carried out these instructions, and he found that when he\nground the grains of rice in the pine mortar every grain turned into a\nprecious treasure.\n\nThe wicked old couple, having borrowed the dog, had no compunction\nin borrowing the mortar too, but with these wicked people the rice\nimmediately turned into filth, so that in their anger they broke and\nburnt the precious vessel.\n\nOnce again the spirit of the dog appeared before his master, and\ninformed him what had taken place, adding: \"If you will sprinkle the\nashes of the mortar over withered trees they will immediately become\nfull of blossom,\" and having uttered these words the spirit departed.\n\nThe kind-hearted old man secured the ashes, and, placing them in a\nbasket, journeyed from village to village and from town to town, and\nover withered trees he threw the ashes, and, as the dog had promised,\nthey suddenly came into flower. A prince heard of these wonders, and\ncommanded the old man to appear before him, requesting that he would\ngive an exhibition of his miraculous power. The old man did so, and\njoyfully departed with the many royal gifts bestowed upon him.\n\nThe old man's neighbours, hearing of these miracles, collected together\nthe remaining ashes of the wonderful mortar, and the wicked fellow\nwent about the country claiming to be able to revive withered or dead\ntrees. Like the original worker of wonders, the greedy old man appeared\nin the palace, and was commanded to restore a withered tree. The old\nman climbed up into a tree and scattered the ashes, but the tree still\nremained withered, and the ashes almost blinded and suffocated the\nPrince. Upon this the old impostor was almost beaten to death, and he\nwent away in a very miserable state indeed.\n\nThe kind old man and his wife, after rebuking their neighbours for\ntheir wickedness, allowed them to share in their wealth, and the once\nmean, cruel, and crafty couple led good and virtuous lives.\n\nThe Jelly-fish and the Monkey[1]\n\nRin-Jin, the King of the Sea, took to wife a young and beautiful Dragon\nPrincess. They had not been married long when the fair Queen fell\nill, and all the advice and attention of the great physicians availed\nnothing.\n\n[Illustration: The Jelly Fish and the Monkey.--272]\n\n\"Oh,\" sobbed the Queen, \"there is only one thing that will cure me of\nmy illness!\"\n\n\"What is that?\" inquired Rin-Jin.\n\n\"If I eat the liver of a live monkey I shall immediately recover. Pray\nget me a monkey's liver, for I know that nothing else will save my\nlife.\"\n\nSo Rin-Jin called a jelly-fish to his side, and said: \"I want you to\nswim to the land and return with a live monkey on your back, for I wish\nto use his liver that our Queen may be restored to health again. You\nare the only creature who can perform this task, for you alone have\nlegs and are able to walk about on shore. In order to induce the monkey\nto come you must tell him of the wonders of the deep and of the rare\nbeauties of my great palace, with its floor of pearl and its walls of\ncoral.\"\n\nThe jelly-fish, delighted to think that the health and happiness of\nhis mistress depended upon the success of his enterprise, lost no\ntime in swimming to an island. He had no sooner stepped on shore than\nhe observed a fine-looking monkey playing about in the branches of a\npine-tree.\n\n\"Hello!\" said the jelly-fish, \"I don't think much of this island. What\na dull and miserable life you must lead here! I come from the Kingdom\nof the Sea, where Rin-Jin reigns in a palace of great size and beauty.\nIt may be that you would like to see a new country where there is\nplenty of fruit and where the weather is always fine. If so, get on my\nback, and I shall have much pleasure in taking you to the Kingdom of\nthe Sea.\"\n\n\"I shall be delighted to accept your invitation,\" said the monkey, as\nhe got down from the tree and comfortably seated himself on the thick\nshell of the jelly-fish.\n\n\"By the way,\" said the jelly-fish, when he had accomplished about half\nof the return journey, \"I suppose you have brought your liver with you,\nhaven't you?\"\n\n\"What a personal question!\" replied the monkey. \"Why do you ask?\"\n\n\"Our Sea Queen is dangerously ill,\" said the foolish jelly-fish, \"and\nonly the liver of a live monkey will save her life. When we reach the\npalace a doctor will make use of your liver and my mistress will be\nrestored to health again.\"\n\n\"Dear me!\" exclaimed the monkey, \"I wish you had mentioned this matter\nto me before we left the island.\"\n\n\"If I had done so,\" replied the jelly-fish, \"you would most certainly\nhave refused my invitation.\"\n\n\"Believe me, you are quite mistaken, my dear jelly-fish. I have several\nlivers hanging up on a pine-tree, and I would gladly have spared one in\norder to save the life of your Queen. If you will bring me back to the\nisland again I will get it. It was most unfortunate that I should have\nforgotten to bring a liver with me.\"\n\nSo the credulous jelly-fish turned round and swam back to the island.\nDirectly the jelly-fish reached the shore the monkey sprang from his\nback and danced about on the branches of a tree.\n\n\"_Liver_\" said the monkey, chuckling, \"did you say _liver_? You silly\nold jelly-fish, you'll certainly never get mine!\"\n\nThe jelly-fish at length reached the palace, and told Rin-Jin his\ndismal tale. The Sea King fell into a great passion. \"Beat him to a\njelly!\" he cried to those about him. \"Beat this stupid fellow till he\nhasn't a bone left in his body!\"\n\nSo the jelly-fish lost his shell from that unfortunate hour, and all\nthe jelly-fishes that were born in the sea after his death were also\nwithout shells, and have remained nothing but jelly to this day.\n\nThe Horse of Bronze\n\nUpon the festival of the _Minige_, or \"The Body-escaping,\" the Deity\nof Kitzuki, Oho-kuninushi, is said to ride through the streets on the\nBronze Horse. The rite connected with the festival is of so mysterious\na kind that the officiating priest can only impart the secret after\nhis death to his son through the medium of the deceased man's spirit.\nThe great carved dragon of Kitzuki was supposed at one time to crawl\nover the roofs of many houses, but when his wooden throat was cut he\nremained simply a work of art and no longer troubled the inhabitants.\nBronze deer of Matsue, a stag and a doe, also had miraculous power and\nwere able to run about the streets at night. These visitations were so\nfrequent and so disturbing that eventually their heads were cut and\ntheir escapades came to an end. The gigantic tortoise of the Gessh\u014dji\ntemple, a stone colossus very nearly sixteen feet in height, was on\nmany occasions seen endeavouring to swim across a pond covered with\nlotus. This creature, like those we have just mentioned, was mutilated,\nand his midnight wanderings permanently checked.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: The Three Mystic Apes figure in Japanese legend. Mizaru\nis represented with his hands over his eyes, Kikazaru with his hands\ncovering his ears, and Iwazaru with his hands laid upon his mouth.\nThese mystic apes symbolise (1) He who sees no evil, (2) He who hears\nno evil, (3) He who speaks no evil.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIII: BIRD AND INSECT LEGENDS\n\n\nBirds\n\nWe have already noticed certain birds mentioned in Japanese legend,\nthe pheasant in the story of Momotaro, the _Ho-Ho_ Bird, the Bridge of\nMagpies in the account of Tanabata, the mysterious light said to shine\nfrom the blue heron, the Thunder Bird, &c. The _sekirei_, or wagtails,\nare sacred to Izanagi and Izanami, for it was through these birds that\nthese divinities first learnt the art of love, and not even the God of\nScarecrows can frighten them. When the great hero Yamato-take died he\nwas supposed to have been transformed into a white bird, and we read in\nthe _H\u014d-j\u014d-ki_[1] that Ch\u014dmei fancied he heard in the note of a copper\npheasant the cry of his mother. Mythical creatures such as the _Tengu_\npossess certain bird-like qualities, but they cannot be classed under\nthe heading of birds, and for this reason they are dealt with elsewhere.\n\nThe Cock\n\nThe God of Mionoseki detests cocks and hens and everything pertaining\nto these birds, and the inhabitants respect his very marked dislike.\nOn one occasion a certain steamer, shortly after making for the open\nsea, encountered a severe storm, and it was thought that the God\nof Mionoseki, who is the God of Mariners, must have been seriously\noffended. At length the captain discovered that one of his passengers\nwas smoking a pipe adorned with the figure of a crowing cock. The pipe\nwas immediately thrown into the sea, and the storm abated.\n\nWe are able to gather the reason for the hatred of the cock from the\nfollowing legend. In the _Kojiki_ we are informed that the son of the\nDeity of Kitsuki spent many an hour at Mionoseki in catching birds and\nfish. At that time the cock was his trusted friend, and it was the duty\nof this bird to crow lustily when it was time for the God to return\nfrom his sport. On one occasion, however, the cock forgot to crow, and\nin consequence, in the God's hurry to go back in his boat he lost his\noars, and was compelled to propel the vessel with his hands, which were\nseverely bitten by fishes.\n\nHow Yoritomo was Saved by Two Doves\n\nYoritomo, having been defeated in a battle against Oba Kage-chika, was\nforced to retreat with six of his followers. They ran with all speed\nthrough a forest, and, finding a large hollow tree, crept inside for\nshelter.\n\nIn the meantime Oba Kage-chika said to his cousin, Oba Kagetoki: \"Go\nand search for Yoritomo, for I have good reason to believe that he lies\nhidden in this forest. I will so arrange my men that the flight of our\nenemy will be impossible.\"\n\nOba Kagetoki departed, none too pleased with the mission, for he had\nonce been on friendly terms with Yoritomo. When he reached the hollow\ntree and saw through a hole in the trunk that his old friend lay\nconcealed within, he took pity on him, and returned to his cousin,\nsaying: \"I believe that Yoritomo, our enemy, is not in this wood.\"\n\nWhen Oba Kage-chika heard these words he cried fiercely: \"You lie! How\ncould Yoritomo make his escape so soon and with my men standing on\nguard about the forest? Lead the way, and I and some of my men will\nfollow you. No cunning this time, cousin, or you shall severely suffer\nfor it.\"\n\nIn due time the party reached the hollow tree, and Kage-chika was about\nto enter it, when his cousin cried: \"Stay! What folly is this? Cannot\nyou see that there is a spider's web spun across the opening? How could\nany one enter this tree without breaking it? Let us spend our time more\nprofitably elsewhere.\"\n\nKage-chika, however, was still suspicious concerning his cousin, and he\nthrust his bow into the hollow trunk. It almost touched the crouching\nYoritomo, when two white doves suddenly flew out of the cavity.\n\n\"Alas!\" exclaimed Kage-chika, \"you are right, our enemy cannot lie\nconcealed here, for doves and a cobweb would not admit of such a thing.\"\n\nBy the timely aid of two doves and a spider's web the great hero\nYoritomo made good his escape, and when, in later years, he became\nSh\u014dgun he caused shrines to be erected to Hachiman, the God of War, in\nrecognition of his deliverance, for the doves of Japan are recognised\nas the messengers of war, and not of peace, as is the case in our own\ncountry.\n\nThe Hototogisu\n\n     \"A solitary voice!\n     Did the Moon cry?\n     'Twas but the _hototogisu_.\"\n                          _From the Japanese_.\n\nThere is a mysterious bird called the _hototogisu_ which\nplaintively cries its own name, dividing it into syllables thus:\n\"_ho-to-to-gi-su_.\" According to legend it is no earthly bird, but\nwanders from the Realm of the Dead at the end of May, and warns all\npeasants who see it that it is time to sow the rice. Some interpret\nthe bird's note as meaning, \"Has the _kakemono_ been suspended?\"\nothers that it gently repeats: \"Surely it is better to return home.\"\nThe latter interpretation is characteristically Japanese, for if it\nis believed that souls return in the summer-time, it is reasonable to\nsuppose that at least one of the birds should fly back to the old woods\nand streams and hills of Nippon.\n\nThe Tongue-cut Sparrow\n\nA cross old woman was at her wash-tub when her neighbour's pet sparrow\nate up all the starch, mistaking it for ordinary food. The old woman\nwas so angry at what had happened that she cut out the sparrow's\ntongue, and the unfortunate bird flew away to a mountain.\n\nWhen the old couple to whom the sparrow belonged heard what had taken\nplace they left their home and journeyed a great distance until they\nhad the good fortune to find their pet again.\n\nThe sparrow was no less delighted to meet his master and mistress, and\nbegged them to enter his house. When they had done so they were feasted\nwith an abundance of fish and _sak\u00e9_, were waited upon by the sparrow's\nwife, children, and grandchildren, and, not content with these deeds of\nhospitality, the feathered host danced a jig called the Sparrow's Dance.\n\nWhen it was time for the old couple to return home the sparrow brought\nforth two wicker baskets, saying: \"One is heavy, and the other is\nlight. Which would you rather have?\"\n\n\"Oh, the light one,\" replied the old couple, \"for we are aged and the\njourney is a long one.\"\n\nWhen the old people reached their home they opened the basket, and to\ntheir delight and amazement discovered gold and silver, jewels and\nsilk. As fast as they took the precious things out an inexhaustible\nsupply came to their place, so that the wonderful basket of treasure\ncould not be emptied, and the happy old couple grew rich and\nprosperous.\n\nIt was not long before the old woman who had cut out the sparrow's\ntongue heard about the good fortune of her neighbours, and she hastened\nto inquire where this wonderful sparrow was to be seen.\n\nHaving gained the information, she had no difficulty in finding the\nsparrow. When the bird saw her he asked which of two baskets she would\nprefer to take away with her, the heavy or light one? The cruel and\ngreedy old woman chose the heavy one, believing that this basket would\ncontain more treasure than the light one; but when, after much labour,\nshe reached home and opened it, devils sprang upon her and tore her to\npieces.\n\nA Noble Sacrifice\n\nThere was once a man who was extremely fond of shooting birds. He\nhad two daughters, good Buddhists, and each in turn pointed out the\nfolly of their father's cruel sport, and begged him not to destroy\nlife wantonly. However, the man was obstinate and would not listen\nto his daughters' entreaties. One day a neighbour asked him to shoot\ntwo storks, and he promised to do so. When the women heard what their\nfather was about to do, they said: \"Let us dress in pure white garments\nand go down upon the shore to-night, for it is a place much frequented\nby storks. If our father should kill either of us in mistake for the\nbirds, it will teach him a lesson, and he will surely repent his evil\nways, which are contrary to the gentle teaching of the Lord Buddha.\"\n\nThat night the man went to the shore, and the cloudy sky made it\ndifficult for him to discover any storks. At last, however, he saw two\nwhite objects in the distance. He fired; the bodies fell immediately,\nand he ran to where they lay, only to discover that he had shot both\nhis noble, self-sacrificing daughters. Stricken with sorrow, the man\nerected a funeral pyre and burnt the bodies of his poor children.\nHaving done these things, he shaved his head, went into the woods, and\nbecame a hermit.\n\nA Pair of Phoenix\n\nA clever woman named Saijosen was engaged in embroidery. One day an\nold man called upon her, and said: \"Work for me on a piece of cloth a\npair of phoenix.\" Saijosen readily complied, and when the birds were\nworked the old man closed his eyes and pointed at the phoenix with his\nfinger. Immediately the birds became alive, and the girl and the old\nman mounted upon their backs and disappeared into the sky.\n\nInsects\n\nMuch has been written about the Japanese _semi_, or tree-crickets, and\nit seems strange to us that these little creatures should be bought and\nplaced in minute cages, where they sing with extraordinary sweetness.\nLafcadio Hearn in _Kott\u014d_ gives us a pathetic story concerning one of\nthese insects. He tells us that his servant forgot to feed it, and that\ngradually it ceased to sing, being forced at last to eat its own minute\nlimbs.\n\nThe _minminzemi's_ singing resembles the chanting of a Buddhist priest,\nwhile the green _semi_, or _higurashi_, makes a sound like the trilling\nof a tiny bell. The carrying of a dried beetle is said to increase\none's wardrobe. It must be remembered in the legends that follow that\naccording to Buddhist teaching all life is sacred, and, moreover, that\non account of some sin the Buddhists believe that the soul of a man or\nwoman can enter even the minute form of an insect.\n\n\nDragon-flies\n\n     \"The gold sun shimmering in noontide skies\n     Shines down, where the red-burnished dragon-flies\n     Flit to and fro in the translucent haze\n     Over the village of eventless days!\"\n                                   Trans. by Clara A. Walsh.\n\nThe dragon-fly is frequently mentioned in Japanese poetry, but nowhere\nmore pathetically than in the following lines written by Chiyo after\nthe death of her little son:\n\n     \"How far, I wonder, did he stray,\n     Chasing the burnished dragon-fly to-day?\"\n\nChiyo, in this exquisite fragment, suggests a very great deal, for in\nher mother-love there is no dismal conception of Death. She regards the\nfuture life of her little one as the happiest hour of playtime. Once\nmore in these lines there is the Japanese idea of the soul coming back\nagain.\n\nThe most charming Japanese dragon-fly is called _Tenshi-tomb\u014d_, \"the\nEmperor's dragon-fly.\" There is a larger variety particularly sought\nafter by children, and of this species there are many more females than\nmales. Boys tie a female to a tree, and sing: \"Thou, the male, King\nof Korea, dost thou not feel shame to flee away from the Queen of the\nEast?\" This quaint song is an allusion to the legendary conquest of\nKorea, to which we shall refer later on, and it succeeds in attracting\nthe male dragon-fly. It is also believed that if a certain ideograph\nis traced in the air it has the power to paralyse the dragon-fly one\nwishes to catch.\n\nTama's Return\n\nKazariya Ky\u016bbei, a merchant, had a maid-servant called Tama. Tama\nworked well and cheerfully, but she was negligent in regard to her\ndress. One day, when she had been five years in Ky\u016bbei's house, her\nmaster said to her: \"Tama, how is it that, unlike most girls, you\nseem to have no desire to look your best? When you go out you wear\nyour working dress. Surely you should put on a pretty robe on such\noccasions.\"\n\n\"Good master,\" said Tama, \"you do well to rebuke me, for you do not\nknow why, during all these years, I have worn old clothes and have\nmade no attempt to wear pretty ones. When my father and mother died I\nwas but a child, and as I had no brothers or sisters it rested upon me\nto have Buddhist services performed on behalf of my parents. In order\nthat this might come to pass I have saved the money you have given me,\nand spent as little upon myself as possible. Now my parents' mortuary\ntablets are placed in the J\u014drakuji temple, and, having given my money\nto the priests, the sacred rites have now been performed. I have\nfulfilled my wish, and, begging for your forgiveness, I will in future\ndress more becomingly.\"\n\nBefore Tama died she asked her mistress to keep the remaining money\nshe had saved. Shortly after her death a large fly entered Ky\u016bbei's\nhouse. Now at that time of the year, the Period of the Greatest Cold,\nit was unusual for flies to appear, and the master of the house was\nconsiderably puzzled. He carefully put the insect outside the house;\nbut it flew back immediately, and every time it was ejected it came\nback again. \"This fly,\" said Ky\u016bbei's wife, \"may be Tama.\" Ky\u016bbei cut\na small piece out of the insect's wings, and this time carried it some\ndistance from his abode. But the next day it returned once more, and\nthis time the master painted the fly's wings and body with rouge, and\ntook it even further away from his dwelling. Two days later the fly\nreturned, and the nick in its wings and the rouge with which it was\ncovered left no doubt in the minds of Ky\u016bbei and his wife that this\npersistent insect was indeed Tama.\n\n\"I believe,\" said Ky\u016bbei's wife, \"that Tama has returned to us because\nshe wants us to do something for her. I have the money she asked me to\nkeep. Let us give it to the priests in order that they may pray for\nher soul.\" When these words had been spoken the fly fell dead upon the\nfloor.\n\nKy\u016bbei and his wife placed the fly in a box, and with the girl's money\nthey went to the priests. A _sutra_ was recited over the body of the\ninsect, and it was duly buried in the temple grounds.\n\nSanemori and Shiwan\n\nSanemori, who was a great warrior, was on one occasion, while riding\non a horse, engaged in fighting an enemy. During the conflict his\nhorse slipped and rolled into a rice-field. As the result of this\nmishap his antagonist was able to slay him, and from that hour Sanemori\nbecame a rice-devouring insect, known by the peasantry of Izumo as\nSanemori-San. During certain summer nights the peasants light fires\nin their rice-fields in order to attract the insect, play upon flutes\nand beat gongs, crying: \"O Sanemori, augustly deign to come hither!\" A\nreligious rite is then performed, and a straw representation of a rider\nupon a horse is either burnt or thrown into water. It is believed that\nthis ceremony will successfully free the fields from the rice-devouring\ninsect.\n\nThe _shiwan_, a small yellow insect that feeds upon cucumbers, is said\nto have once been a physician. This physician, guilty of some intrigue,\nwas forced to leave his home, but in attempting to make his escape his\nfoot caught in the sinuous coils of a cucumber vine, and he was killed\nby his pursuers. His angry ghost became a _shiwan_, and from that day\nto this the insect feeds upon cucumbers.\n\nFireflies\n\n        \"For this willow-tree the season of budding would seem\n        to have returned in the dark--look at the fireflies.\"\n\nIn ancient days firefly-hunting was one of the amusements of great\nnobles, but to-day it is the pastime of children only. These hunting\nparties, however, have lost none of their picturesqueness, and the\nflashing insect has been the theme of many an exquisite poem, such as:\n\"Ah, the cunning fireflies! being chased, they hide themselves in the\nmoonlight!\"\n\nGrown-up people, however, go out to see the fireflies with the same\nardour with which they indulge in flower-viewing. To the minds of these\ngreat Nature-lovers the fireflies resemble dazzling petals of some\nstrange fire-flower or a host of wondering stars that has left the sky\nto wander upon the earth. During the summer thousands of people visit\nUji in order to see the _Hotaru-Kassen_, or Firefly Battle. From the\nriver-bank dart myriads of these flashing insects, and in a moment they\nform a great silver-shining cloud. The cloud breaks and the flowing\nriver, once dark as black velvet, becomes a winding stretch of gleaming\njewels. No wonder the Japanese poet cries: \"Do I see only fireflies\ndrifting with the current? Or is the Night itself drifting, with its\nswarming of stars?\"\n\nThere is a legend connected with this fascinating spectacle. It is\nbelieved that the Minamoto-Firefly and the Taira-Firefly are the ghosts\nof the old warriors of the Minamoto and Taira clans. On the night of\nthe twentieth day of the fourth month they fight a great battle on\nthe Uji River. On that night all caged fireflies are set free in order\nthat they may fight again the old clan battles of the twelfth century.\nThe ghostly significance of fireflies is further strengthened by the\nfact that these insects are fond of swarming round willow-trees--the\nmost eerie trees in Japan. Fireflies in ancient days were supposed to\npossess medicinal properties. Firefly ointment was said to render all\npoisons harmless, and, moreover, it had the power to drive away evil\nspirits and to preserve a house from the attacks of robbers.\n\nA Strange Dream\n\nA young man of Matsue was returning home from a wedding-party when\nhe saw, just in front of his house, a firefly. He paused a moment,\nsurprised to see such an insect on a cold winter's night with snow on\nthe ground. While he stood and meditated the firefly flew toward him,\nand the young man struck at it with his stick, but the insect flew away\nand entered the garden adjoining his own.\n\nThe next day he called at his neighbour's house, and was about to\nrelate the experience of the previous night when the eldest daughter\nof the family entered the room, and exclaimed: \"I had no idea you were\nhere, and yet a moment ago you were in my mind. Last night I dreamt\nthat I became a firefly. It was all very real and very beautiful, and\nwhile I was darting hither and thither I saw you, and flew toward you,\nintending to tell you that I had learnt to fly, but you thrust me aside\nwith your stick, and the incident still frightens me.\"\n\n[Illustration: The Firefly Battle.--286]\n\nThe young man, having heard these words from the lips of his betrothed,\nheld his peace.\n\n\nThe Vengeance of Kanshiro[2]\n\nIn the village of Funakami there lived a devout old farmer called\nKanshiro. Every year the old man made various pilgrimages to certain\nshrines, where he prayed and asked the blessings of the deities. At\nlast, however, he became so infirm that he realised that his earthly\ndays were numbered, and that he would probably only have strength to\npay one more visit to the great shrines at Ise. When the people of the\nvillage heard this noble resolution they generously gave him a sum of\nmoney in order that the respected old farmer might present it to the\nsacred shrines.\n\nKanshiro set off upon his pilgrimage carrying the money in a bag, which\nhe hung round his neck. The weather was extremely hot, and the heat\nand fatigue of the journey made the old man so ill that he was forced\nto remain for a few days in the village of Myojo. He went to a small\ninn and asked Jimpachi, the innkeeper, to take care of his money,\nexplaining that it was an offering to the Gods at Ise. Jimpachi took\nthe money, and assured the old man that he would take great care of it,\nand, moreover, that he himself would attend upon him.\n\nOn the sixth day the old man, though still far from well, paid his\nbill, took the bag from the innkeeper, and proceeded on his journey.\nAs Kanshiro observed many pilgrims in the vicinity he did not look\ninto the bag, but carefully concealed it in the sack containing spare\nraiment and food.\n\nWhen Kanshiro at length rested under a pine-tree he took out the bag\nand looked inside. Alas! the money had been stolen, and stones of the\nsame weight inserted in its place. The old man hastily returned to the\ninnkeeper and begged him to restore the money. Jimpachi grew extremely\nangry, and gave him a severe beating.\n\nThe poor old man crawled away from the village, and three days later,\nwith indomitable courage, he succeeded in reaching the sacred shrines\nat Ise. He sold his property in order to refund the money his good\nneighbours had given him, and with what remained he continued his\npilgrimage, till at last he was forced to beg for food.\n\nThree years later Kanshiro went to the village of Myoto, and found\nthat the innkeeper who had treated him so badly was now comparatively\nwell off, and lived in a large house. The old man went to him, and\nsaid: \"You have stolen sacred money from me, and I have sold my little\nproperty in order that I might refund it to those who had given it to\nme. Ever since that time I have been a beggar, but be assured vengeance\nshall fall upon you!\"\n\nJimpachi cursed the old man and told him that he had not stolen his\nmoney. During the heated dispute a watchman seized Kanshiro, dragged\nhim away from the house, and told him that he would be arrested if he\ndared to return. At the end of the village the old man died, and a\nkindly priest took his body to a temple, respectfully burnt it, and\noffered up many holy prayers for his good and loyal soul.\n\nImmediately after Kanshiro's death Jimpachi grew afraid of what he had\ndone, and became so ill that he was forced to take to his bed. When\nhe had lost all power of movement a great company of fireflies flew\nout of the farmer's tomb and surrounded Jimpachi's mosquito-curtain,\nand tried to break it down. Many of the villagers came to Jimpachi's\nassistance and killed a number of fireflies, but the stream of shining\ninsects that flew from Kanshiro's tomb never lessened. Hundreds were\nkilled, but thousands came to take their place. The room was ablaze\nwith firefly light, and the mosquito-curtain sank beneath their\never-increasing weight. At this remarkable sight some of the villagers\nmurmured: \"Jimpachi stole the old man's money after all. This is the\nvengeance of Kanshiro.\"\n\nEven while they spoke the curtain broke and the fireflies rushed\ninto the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose of the terrified Jimpachi. For\ntwenty days he screamed aloud for mercy; but no mercy came. Thicker\nand thicker grew the stream of flashing, angry insects, till at last\nthey killed the wicked Jimpachi, when from that hour they completely\ndisappeared.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: Translated by F. Victor Dickins.]\n\n[Footnote 2: Adapted from _Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan_, by &\nGordon Smith.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIV: CONCERNING TEA[1]\n\n\n        \"The first cup moistens my lips and throat, the second\n        cup breaks my loneliness, the third cup searches\n        my inmost being.... The fourth cup raises a slight\n        perspiration--all the wrong of life passes away through\n        my pores. At the fifth cup I am purified; the sixth\n        cup calls me to the realms of immortals. The seventh\n        cup--ah, but I could take no more! I only feel the\n        breath of cool wind that rises in my sleeves. Where is\n        Horaisan?[2] Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft\n        away thither.\"\n\n                                           _Lotung_.\n\n\n\n\nTea-drinking in England and Japan\n\nIn England we regard tea simply as a beverage, a refreshing and mild\nstimulant over which ladies are wont to gossip with their neighbours.\nThere is nothing romantic about our tea-pots and kettles and spoons;\nthey come from the kitchen and are returned to the kitchen with\nprescribed regularity. We have a few stock comments on the subject\nof tea, and can quote the exact price our grandmothers paid for this\nbeverage. We have our opinions as to whether it is best taken with or\nwithout sugar, and have sometimes found it efficacious in driving away\na headache.\n\nWhen tea reached our own country in 1650 it was referred to as \"that\nexcellent and by all physicians approved China drink, called by the\nChineans Tcha, and by other nations Tay, alias Tee.\" In 1711 the\n_Spectator_ remarked: \"I would therefore in a particular manner\nrecommend these my speculations to all well-regulated families that\nset apart an hour every morning for tea, bread and butter; and\nwould earnestly advise them for their good to order this paper\nto be punctually served up and to be looked upon as a part of the\ntea-equipage.\" Dr. Johnson described himself as \"a hardened and\nshameless tea-drinker, who for twenty years diluted his meals with only\nthe infusion of the fascinating plant; who with tea amused the evening,\nwith tea solaced the midnight, and with tea welcomed the morning.\" But\nthere is no romance, no old tradition associated with our tea-drinking\nin this country. Perhaps it is as well that the ladies sitting in our\nfashionable drawing-rooms are unacquainted with the grim and pathetic\nlegend that narrates how a Buddhist priest fell asleep during his\nmeditations. When he awoke he cut off his offending eyelids and flung\nthem on the ground, where they were immediately transformed into the\nfirst tea-plant.\n\nIn Japan tea-drinking has become a ritual. It is not so much a\nsocial function as a time for peaceful meditation. The elaborate\ntea ceremonies, _cha-no-yu_, have their tea-masters, etiquette,\nand numerous observances. A cup of Japanese tea is combined with\nspiritual and artistic enlightenment. But before discussing these very\ninteresting ceremonies we must learn something about the significance\nof tea in China, for it was the drinking of this beverage in the\nCelestial Kingdom, associated with the rarest porcelain and \u00e6sthetic\nand religious thought, that inspired the tea cult in the Land of the\nGods.\n\nTea in China\n\nThe tea-plant, a native of Southern China, was originally regarded as\na medicine. It was referred to in the classics by such names as _Tou,\nTseh, Chung, Kha_, and _Ming_, and was much esteemed on account of\nits medicinal properties. It was regarded as an excellent lotion for\nstrengthening the eyes, and, moreover, had the power to banish fatigue,\nstrengthen the will, and delight the soul. It was sometimes made in\nthe form of a paste, and was believed to be efficacious in reducing\nrheumatic pain. The Taoists went so far as to claim that tea was one of\nthe ingredients of the Elixir of Life, while the Buddhist priests drank\nit whenever it was necessary for them to meditate during the long hours\nof the night.\n\nLuwuh and the \"Chaking\"\n\nIn the fourth and fifth centuries we find that tea became a highly\nfavoured beverage among the people of the Yangtse-Kiang valley. At\nthis time, too, poets waxed eloquent in its praise, and described it\nas the \"froth of the liquid jade.\" But tea at that time was a very\nhorrible concoction indeed, for it was boiled with rice, salt, ginger,\norange-peel, and not infrequently with onions! However, Luwuh, who\nlived in the eighth century, discountenanced the strange mixture we\nhave just referred to. He was the first Chinese tea-master, and not\nonly did he idealize tea, but he saw, with keen poetic insight, that\nthe ceremony of drinking it made for harmony and order in daily life.\n\nIn his _Chaking_ (\"The Holy Scripture of Tea\") he describes the nature\nof the tea-plant, and how its leaves should be gathered and selected.\nHe was of the opinion that the best leaves should have \"creases like\nthe leathern boot of Tartar horsemen, curl like the dewlap of a mighty\nbullock, unfold like a mist rising out of a ravine, gleam like a lake\ntouched by a zephyr, and be wet and soft like fine earth newly swept\nby rain.\" Luwuh describes the various utensils connected with the tea\nceremony, and asserts that the green beverage should be drunk from blue\nporcelain cups. He discourses on the subject of the choice of water\nand the manner of boiling it. In poetical language he describes the\nthree stages of boiling. He compares the little bubbles of the first\nboil with the eyes of fishes, the bubbles of the second boil with a\nfountain crowned with clustering crystal beads, and the final boil is\ndescribed as resembling the surge of miniature billows. The concluding\nchapters of the _Chaking_ deal with the vulgar and unorthodox methods\nof drinking tea, and the ardent master gives a list of celebrated\ntea-drinkers, and enumerates the famous Chinese tea plantations.\nLuwuh's fascinating book was regarded as a masterpiece. He was sought\nafter by the Emperor Taisung, attracted many disciples, and was\nregarded as the greatest authority on tea and tea-drinking. His fame\ndid not die with him, for since his death Chinese tea-merchants have\nworshipped him as a tutelary god.\n\nThe Japanese Tea Ceremony\n\nIt is believed that the great Buddhist saint, Dengy\u014d Daishi, introduced\ntea into Japan from China in A.D. 805. In any case tea-drinking in\nNippon was associated with Buddhism, and most particularly with the\nZen sect, which had incorporated so many of the Taoist doctrines. The\npriests of this order drank tea from a single bowl before the image\nof Bodhi Dharma (Daruma). They did so in the spirit of reverence,\nand regarded the tea-drinking as a holy sacrament. It was this Zen\nobservance, strictly of a religious nature, which finally developed\ninto the Japanese tea ceremony.\n\n\"The tea ceremonies,\" writes Professor B. H. Chamberlain, \"have\nundergone three transformations during the six or seven hundred years\nof their existence. They have passed through a medico-religious stage,\na luxurious stage, and, lastly, an \u00e6sthetic stage.\" In the religious\nstage the Buddhist priest Eisai wrote a pamphlet entitled _The\nSalutary Influence of Tea-drinking_, in which he asserted that this\nbeverage had the power to drive away evil spirits. He introduced a\nreligious ceremonial in regard to the worship of ancestors, accompanied\nby the beating of drums and the burning of incense. Eisai wrote his\ntract with the intention of converting Minamoto-no-Sanetomo from his\nvicious love of the wine-cup, and endeavoured to show the superiority\nof the tea-plant over the juice of the grape.\n\nWe find that the tea ceremonies for the time being lost their religious\nsignificance: \"The Daimy\u014ds,\" writes Professor Chamberlain, \"who daily\ntook part in them reclined on couches spread with tiger-skins and\nleopard-skins. The walls of the spacious apartments in which the\nguests assembled were hung, not only with Buddhist pictures, but\nwith damask and brocade, with gold and silver vessels, and swords in\nsplendid sheaths. Precious perfumes were burnt, rare fishes and strange\nbirds were served up with sweetmeats and wine, and the point of the\nentertainment consisted in guessing where the material for each cup of\ntea had been produced; for as many brands as possible were brought in,\nto serve as a puzzle or _jeu de soci\u00e9t\u00e9_.... Every right guess procured\nfor him who made it the gift of one of the treasures that were hung\nround the room. But he was not allowed to carry it away himself. The\nrules of the tea ceremonies, as then practised, ordained that all the\nthings rich and rare that were exhibited must be given by their winners\nto the singing and dancing-girls, troupes of whom were present to help\nthe company in their carousal.\"\n\nThis variety of tea ceremony, which appears to have been more of an\norgy than anything else, reflected the luxurious and dissolute age in\nwhich it was practised. The tea ceremony, in its more enduring and\ncharacteristic form, was destined to abandon all vulgar display, to\nembrace a certain amount of religion and philosophy, and above all to\nafford a means of studying art and the beauty of Nature. The tea-room\nbecame, not a place of carousal, but a place where the wayfarer might\nfind peace in solemn meditation. Even the garden path leading to the\ntea-room had its symbolic meaning, for it signified the first stage of\nself-illumination. The following was Kobori-Enshiu's idea of the path\nleading to the tea-room:\n\n     \"A cluster of summer trees,\n     A bit of the sea,\n     A pale evening moon.\"\n\nSuch a scene was intended to convey to the wayfarer a sense of\nspiritual light. The trees, sea, and moon awakened old dreams, and\ntheir presence made the guest eager to pass into the greater joys of\nthe tea-room. No _samurai_ was allowed to take his sword into the\nfragrant sanctuary of peace, and in many tea-rooms there was a low\ndoor through which the guests entered with bowed head, as a sign of\nhumility. In silence the guests made obeisance before a _kakemono_, or\nsome simple and beautiful flower on the _tokonoma_ (alcove), and then\nseated themselves upon the mats. When they had done so the host entered\nand the water was heard to boil in the kettle with a musical sound,\nbecause of some pieces of iron which it contained. Even the boiling of\nthe kettle was associated with poetical ideas, for the song of water\nand metal was intended to suggest \"the echoes of a cataract muffled by\nclouds, of a distant sea breaking among the rocks, a rainstorm sweeping\nthrough a bamboo forest, or of the soughing of pines on some far-away\nhill.\" There was a sense of harmony in the tea-room. The light was like\nthe mellow light of evening, and the garments of the company were as\nquiet and unobtrusive as the grey wings of a moth. In this peaceful\napartment the guests drank their tea and meditated, and went forth into\nthe world again better and stronger for having contemplated in silence\nthe beautiful and the noble in religion, art, and nature. \"Seeking\nalways to be in harmony with the great rhythm of the universe, they\nwere ever prepared to enter the unknown.\"\n\nThe Passing of Rikiu\n\nRikiu was one of the greatest of tea-masters, and for long he remained\nthe friend of Taiko-Hideyoshi; but the age in which he lived was full\nof treachery. There were many who were jealous of Rikiu, many who\nsought his death. When a coldness sprang up between Hideyoshi and\nRikiu, the enemies of the great tea-master made use of this breach of\nfriendship by spreading the report that Rikiu intended to add poison to\na cup of tea and present it to his distinguished patron. Hideyoshi soon\nheard of the rumour, and without troubling to examine the matter he\ncondemned Rikiu to die by his own hand.\n\nOn the last day of the famous tea-master's life he invited many of his\ndisciples to join with him in his final tea ceremony. As they walked up\nthe garden path it seemed that ghosts whispered in the rustling leaves.\nWhen the disciples entered the tea-room they saw a _kakemono_ hanging\nin the _tokonoma_, and when they raised their sorrowful eyes they saw\nthat the writing described the passing of all earthly things. There\nwas poetry in the singing of the tea-kettle, but it was a sad song\nlike the plaintive cry of an insect. Rikiu came into the tea-room calm\nand dignified, and, according to custom, he allowed the chief guest to\nadmire the various articles associated with the tea ceremony. When all\nthe guests had gazed upon them, noting their beauty with a heavy heart,\nRikiu presented each disciple with a souvenir. He took his own cup in\nhis hand, and said: \"Never again shall this cup, polluted by the lips\nof misfortune, be used by man.\" Having spoken these words, he broke the\ncup as a sign that the tea ceremony was over, and the guests bade a sad\nfarewell and departed. Only one remained to witness, not the drinking\nof another cup of tea, but the passing of Rikiu. The great master took\noff his outer garment, and revealed the pure white robe of Death. Still\ncalm and dignified, he looked upon his dagger, and then recited the\nfollowing verse with unfaltering voice:\n\n     \"Welcome to thee,\n     O sword of eternity!\n     Through Buddha\n     And through Daruma alike\n     Thou hast cleft thy way.\"\n\nHe who loved to quote the old poem, \"To those who long only for flowers\nfain would I show the full-blown spring which abides in the toiling\nbuds of snow-covered hills,\" has crowned the Japanese tea ceremony with\nan immortal flower.\n\nThe Legend of the Tea-plant[3]\n\nDaruma was an Indian sage, whose image, as we have already seen, was\nassociated with the ritualistic drinking of tea by the Zen sect in\nJapan. He is said to have been the son of a Hindu king, and received\ninstruction from Panyatara. When he had completed his studies he\nretired to Lo Yang, where he remained seated in meditation for nine\nyears. During this period the sage was tempted after the manner of St.\nAnthony. He wrestled with these temptations by continually reciting\nsacred scriptures; but the frequent repetition of the word \"jewel\"\nlost its spiritual significance, and became associated with the\nprecious stone worn in the ear of a certain lovely woman. Even the word\n\"lotus,\" so sacred to all true Buddhists, ceased to be the symbol of\nthe Lord Buddha and suggested to Daruma the opening of a girl's fair\nmouth. His temptations increased, and he was transported to an Indian\ncity, where he found himself among a vast crowd of worshippers. He saw\nstrange deities with horrible symbols upon their foreheads, and Rajahs\nand Princes riding upon elephants, surrounded by a great company of\ndancing-girls. The great crowd of people surged forward, and Daruma\nwith them, till they came to a temple with innumerable pinnacles, a\ntemple covered with a multitude of foul forms, and it seemed to Daruma\nthat he met and kissed the woman who had changed the meaning of jewel\nand lotus. Then suddenly the vision departed, and Daruma awoke to\nfind himself sitting under the Chinese sky. The sage, who had fallen\nasleep during his meditation, was truly penitent for the neglect of his\ndevotions, and, taking a knife from his girdle, he cut off his eyelids\nand cast them upon the ground, saying: \"O Thou Perfectly Awakened!\"\nThe eyelids were transformed into the tea-plant, from which was made a\nbeverage that would repel slumber and allow good Buddhist priests to\ntheir vigils.\n\nDaruma\n\nDaruma is generally represented without legs, for according to one\nversion of the legend we have just given he lost his limbs as the\nresult of the nine-year meditation. _Netsuke_[4]-carvers depict him in\na full, bag-like like garment, with a scowling face and lidless eyes.\nHe is sometimes presented in Japanese art as being surrounded with\ncobwebs, and there is a very subtle variation of the saint portrayed\nas a female Daruma, which is nothing less than a playful jest against\nJapanese women, who could not be expected to remain silent for nine\nyears! An owl is frequently associated with Daruma, and in his journey\nto Japan he is pictured as standing on waves, supported by a millet\nstalk. Three years after Daruma's death he was seen walking across the\nwestern mountains of China, and it was observed that he carried one\nshoe in his right hand. When Daruma's tomb was opened by the order of\nthe Emperor it was found only to contain a shoe, which the saint had\nforgotten to take away with him.[5]\n\n[Footnote 1: We have derived most of the material for this chapter from\n_The Book of Tea_, by Okakura-Kakuzo, and we warmly commend this very\ncharming volume to those who are interested in the subject.]\n\n[Footnote 2: The Chinese Paradise.]\n\n[Footnote 3: A full account of this beautiful legend will be found in\nLafcadio Hearn's _Some Chinese Ghosts_.]\n\n[Footnote 4: \"Originally a kind of toggle for the medicine-box or\ntobacco-pouch, carved out of wood or ivory.\"--_Things Japanese_, by B.\nH. Chamberlain.]\n\n[Footnote 5: Reference to Yuki-Daruma, or Snow-Daruma, and toy-Daruma,\ncalled _Okiagari-koboshi_ (\"The Getting-up Little Priest\"), will be\nfound in Lafcadio Hearn's _A Japanese Miscellany_.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXV: LEGENDS OF THE WEIRD[1]\n\n\n\"H\u014d\u00efchi-the-Earless\"\n\nIn the stories concerning Yoshitsune and his loyal retainer Benkei we\nhave already referred to the battle of Dan-no-ura, the last conflict\nbetween the Taira and Minamoto clans.[2] In this great sea-fight the\nTaira perished, including their infant Emperor, Antoku Tenno. Thus is\nthe memorable scene described in the _Heike Monogatari_, translated by\nDr. W. G. Aston:\n\n        \"'This world is the region of sorrow, a remote spot\n        small as a grain of millet. But beneath the waves\n        there is a fair city called the Pure Land of Perfect\n        Happiness. Thither it is that I am taking you.' With\n        such words she soothed him. The child then tied his\n        top-knot to the Imperial robe of the colour of a\n        mountain-dove, and tearfully joined together his lovely\n        little hands. First he turned to the East, and bade\n        adieu to the shrine of the great God of Ise and the\n        shrine of Hachiman. Next he turned to the West, and\n        called upon the name of Buddha. When he had done so,\n        Niidono made bold to take him in her arms, and, soothing\n        him with the words, 'There is a city away below the\n        waves,' sank down to the bottom one thousand fathoms\n        deep.\"\n\nIt is said that for seven hundred years after this great battle the sea\nand coast in the vicinity have been haunted by the ghosts of the Taira\nclan. Mysterious fires shone on the waves, and the air was filled with\nthe noise of warfare. In order to pacify the unfortunate spirits the\ntemple of Amidaji was built at Akamagas\u00e9ki, and a cemetery was made\nclose by, in which were various monuments inscribed with the names\nof the drowned Emperor and his principal followers. This temple and\ncemetery pacified the ghostly visitants to a certain extent, but from\ntime to time many strange things happened, as we shall gather from the\nfollowing legend.\n\nThere once lived at the Amidaji temple a blind priest named H\u014d\u00efchi. He\nwas famous for his recitation and for his marvellous skill in playing\nupon the _biwa_ (a four-stringed lute), and he was particularly fond\nof reciting stories in connection with the protracted war between the\nTaira and Minamoto clans.\n\nOne night H\u014d\u00efchi was left alone in the temple, and as it was a very\nwarm evening he sat out on the verandah, playing now and again upon\nhis _biwa_. While thus occupied he heard some one approaching, some\none stepping across the little back garden of the temple. Then a deep\nvoice cried out from below the verandah: \"H\u014d\u00efchi!\" Yet again the voice\nsounded: \"H\u014d\u00efchi!\"\n\nH\u014d\u00efchi, now very much alarmed, replied that he was blind, and would be\nglad to know who his visitor might be.\n\n\"My lord,\" began the stranger, \"is now staying at Akamagas\u00e9ki with many\nnoble followers, and he has come for the purpose of viewing the scene\nof the battle of Dan-no-ura. He has heard how excellently you recite\nthe story of the conflict, and has commanded me to escort you to him in\norder that you may show him your skill. Bring your _biwa_ and follow\nme. My lord and his august assembly now await your honourable presence.\"\n\nH\u014d\u00efchi, deeming that the stranger was some noble _samurai_, obeyed\nimmediately. He donned his sandals and took his _biwa_. The stranger\nguided him with an iron hand, and they marched along very quickly.\nH\u014d\u00efchi heard the clank of armour at his side; but all fear left him,\nand he looked forward to the honour of showing his skill before a\ndistinguished company.\n\nArriving at a gate, the stranger shouted: \"_Kaimon_!\" Immediately the\ngate was unbarred and opened, and the two men passed in. Then came\nthe sound of many hurrying feet, and a rustling noise as of screens\nbeing opened. H\u014d\u00efchi was assisted in mounting a number of steps,\nand, arriving at the top, he was commanded to leave his sandals. A\nwoman then led him forward by the hand till he found himself in a\nvast apartment, where he judged that a great company of people were\nassembled. He heard the subdued murmur of voices and the soft movement\nof silken garments. When H\u014d\u00efchi had seated himself on a cushion the\nwoman who had led him bade him recite the story of the great battle of\nDan-no-ura.\n\nH\u014d\u00efchi began to chant to the accompaniment of his _biwa_. His skill\nwas so great that the strings of his instrument seemed to imitate the\nsound of oars, the movement of ships, the shouting of men, the noise\nof surging waves, and the whirring of arrows. A low murmur of applause\ngreeted H\u014d\u00efchi's wonderful performance. Thus encouraged, he continued\nto sing and play with even greater skill. When he came to chant of the\nperishing of the women and children, the plunge of Niidono into the sea\nwith the infant Emperor in her arms, the company began to weep and wail.\n\nWhen the performance was over the woman who had led H\u014d\u00efchi told him\nthat her lord was well pleased with his skill, and that he desired him\nto play before him for the six following nights. \"The retainer,\" added\nshe, \"who brought you to-night will visit your temple at the same hour\nto-morrow. You must keep these visits secret, and may now return to\nyour abode.\"\n\nOnce more the woman led H\u014d\u00efchi through the apartment, and having\nreached the steps the same retainer led him back to the verandah at the\nback of the temple where he lived.\n\nThe next night H\u014d\u00efchi was again led forth to entertain the assembly,\nand he met with the same success. But this time his absence was\ndetected, and upon his return his fellow priest questioned him in\nregard to the matter. H\u014d\u00efchi evaded his friend's question, and told him\nthat he had merely been out to attend some private business.\n\nHis questioner was by no means satisfied. He regretted H\u014d\u00efchi's\nreticence and feared that there was something wrong, possibly that,\nthe blind priest had been bewitched by evil spirits. He bade the\nmen-servants keep a strict watch upon H\u014d\u00efchi, and to follow him if he\nshould again leave the temple during the night.\n\nOnce more H\u014d\u00efchi left his abode. The men-servants hastily lit their\nlanterns and followed him with all speed; but though they walked\nquickly, looked everywhere, and made numerous inquiries, they failed\nto discover H\u014d\u00efchi, or learn anything concerning him. On their\nreturn, however, they were alarmed to hear the sound of a _biwa_ in\nthe cemetery of the temple, and on entering this gloomy place they\ndiscovered the blind priest. He sat at the tomb of Antoku Tenno, the\ninfant Emperor, where he twanged his _biwa_ loudly, and as loudly\nchanted the story of the battle of Dan-no-ura. About him on every side\nmysterious fires glowed, like a great gathering of lighted candles.\n\n\"H\u014d\u00efchi! H\u014d\u00efchi!\" shouted the men. \"Stop your playing at once! You are\nbewitched, H\u014d\u00efchi!\" But the blind priest continued to play and sing,\nrapt, it seemed, in a strange and awful dream.\n\nThe men-servants now resorted to more extreme measures. They shook\nhim, and shouted in his ear: \"H\u014d\u00efchi, come back with us at once!\"\n\nThe blind priest rebuked them, and said that such an interruption would\nnot be tolerated by the noble assembly about him.\n\nThe men now dragged H\u014d\u00efchi away by force. When he reached the temple\nhis wet clothes were taken off and food and drink set before him.\n\nBy this time H\u014d\u00efchi's fellow priest was extremely angry, and he\nnot unjustly insisted upon a full explanation of his extraordinary\nbehaviour. H\u014d\u00efchi, after much hesitation, told his friend all that\nhad happened to him. When he had narrated his strange adventures, the\npriest said:\n\n\"My poor fellow! You ought to have told me this before. You have not\nbeen visiting a great house of a noble lord, but you have been sitting\nin yonder cemetery before the tomb of Antoku Tenno. Your great skill\nhas called forth the ghosts of the Taira clan. H\u014d\u00efchi, you are in great\ndanger, for by obeying these spirits you have assuredly put yourself in\ntheir power, and sooner or later they will kill you. Unfortunately I am\ncalled away to-night to perform a service, but before I go I will see\nthat your body is covered with sacred texts.\"\n\nBefore night approached H\u014d\u00efchi was stripped, and upon his body an\nacolyte inscribed, with writing-brushes, the text of the _sutra_ known\nas _Hannya-Shin-Ky\u014d_. These texts were written upon H\u014d\u00efchi's breast,\nhead, back, face, neck, legs, arms, and feet, even upon the soles\nthereof.\n\n[Illustration: H\u014d\u00efchi the Earless.--304]\n\nThen the priest said: \"H\u014d\u00efchi, you will be called again to-night.\nRemain silent, sit very still, and continually meditate. If you do\nthese things no harm will befall you.\"\n\nThat night H\u014d\u00efchi sat alone in the verandah, scarcely moving a muscle\nand breathing very softly.\n\nOnce more he heard the sound of footsteps. \"H\u014d\u00efchi!\" cried a deep\nvoice. But the blind priest made no answer. He sat very still, full of\na great fear.\n\nHis name was called over and over again, but to no effect. \"This won't\ndo,\" growled the stranger. \"I must see where the fellow is.\" The\nstranger sprang into the verandah and stood beside H\u014d\u00efchi, who was now\nshaking all over with the horror of the situation.\n\n\"Ah!\" said the stranger. \"This is the _biwa_, but in place of the\nplayer I see--only two ears! Now I understand why he did not answer. He\nhas no mouth, only his two ears! Those ears I will take to my lord!\"\n\nIn another moment H\u014d\u00efchi's ears were torn off, but in spite of the\nfearful pain the blind priest remained mute. Then the stranger\ndeparted, and when his footsteps had died away the only sound H\u014d\u00efchi\nheard was the trickling of blood upon the verandah, and thus the priest\nfound the unfortunate man upon his return.\n\n\"Poor H\u014d\u00efchi!\" cried the priest. \"It is all my fault. I trusted my\nacolyte to write sacred texts on every part of your body. He failed\nto do so on your ears. I ought to have seen that he carried out my\ninstructions properly. However, you will never be troubled with those\nspirits in future.\" From that day the blind priest was known as\n_Mimi-nashi-H\u014d\u00efchi_, \"H\u014d\u00efchi-the-Earless.\"\n\nThe Corpse-eater\n\nMus\u014d Kokushi, a priest, lost his way while travelling through the\nprovince of Mino. Despairing of finding a human abode, he was about to\nsleep out in the open, when he chanced to discover a little hermitage,\ncalled _anjitsu_. An aged priest greeted him, and Mus\u014d requested that\nhe would give him shelter for the night. \"No,\" replied the old priest\nangrily, \"I never give shelter to any one. In yonder valley you will\nfind a certain hamlet; seek a night's repose there.\"\n\nWith these rather uncivil words, Mus\u014d took his departure, and reaching\nthe hamlet indicated he was hospitably received at the headman's\ndwelling. On entering the principal apartment, the priest saw a number\nof people assembled together. He was shown into a separate room, and\nwas about to fall asleep, when he heard the sound of lamentation, and\nshortly afterwards a young man appeared before him, holding a lantern\nin his hand.\n\n\"Good priest,\" said he, \"I must tell you that my father has recently\ndied. We did not like to explain the matter upon your arrival, because\nyou were tired and much needed rest. The number of people you saw in\nthe principal apartment had come to pay their respects to the dead. Now\nwe must all go away, for that is the custom in our village when any one\ndies, because strange and terrible things happen to corpses when they\nare left alone; but perhaps, being a priest, you will not be afraid to\nremain with my poor father's body.\"\n\nMus\u014d replied that he was in no way afraid, and told the young man\nthat he would perform a service, and watch by the deceased during\nthe company's absence. Then the young man, together with the other\nmourners, left the house, and Mus\u014d remained to perform his solitary\nnight vigil.\n\nAfter Mus\u014d had undertaken the funeral ceremonies, he sat meditating\nfor several hours. When the night had far advanced, he was aware of\nthe presence of a strange Shape, so terrible in aspect that the priest\ncould neither move nor speak. The Shape advanced, raised the corpse,\nand quickly devoured it. Not content with this horrible meal, the\nmysterious form also ate the offerings, and then vanished.\n\nThe next morning the villagers returned, and they expressed no\nsurprise, on hearing that the corpse had disappeared. After Mus\u014d had\nnarrated his strange adventure he inquired if the priest on the hill\ndid not sometimes perform the funeral service. \"I visited him last\nnight at his _anjitsu_, and though he refused me shelter, he told me\nwhere I might rest.\"\n\nThe villagers were amazed at these words, and informed Mus\u014d that there\nwas certainly no priest and no _anjitsu_ on yonder hill. They were\npositive in their assertion, and assured Mus\u014d that he had been deluded\nin the matter by some evil spirit. Mus\u014d did not reply, and shortly\nafterwards he took his departure, determined if possible to unravel the\nmystery.\n\nMus\u014d had no difficulty in finding the _anjitsu_ again. The old priest\ncame out to him, bowed, and exclaimed that he was sorry for his former\nrudeness. \"I am ashamed,\" added he, \"not only because I gave you no\nshelter, but because you have seen my real shape. You have seen me\ndevour a corpse and the funeral offerings. Alas! good sir, I am a\n_jikininki_ [man-eating goblin], and if you will bear with me I will\nexplain my wretched condition.\n\n\"Many years ago I used to be a priest in this district, and I performed\na great number of burial services; but I was not a good priest, for I\nwas not influenced by true religion in performing my tasks, and thought\nonly of the good and fine clothes I could get out of my calling. For\nthat reason I was reborn a _jikininki_, and have ever since devoured\nthe corpses of all those who died in this district. I beg that you\nwill have pity on my miserable plight, and repeat certain prayers on\nmy behalf, that I may speedily find peace and make an end of my great\nwickedness.\"\n\nImmediately after these words had been spoken, the recluse and his\nhermitage suddenly vanished, and Mus\u014d found himself kneeling beside\na moss-covered tomb, which was probably the tomb of the unfortunate\npriest.\n\nThe Ghost Mother\n\nA pale-faced woman crept down a street called Nakabaramachi, entered\na certain shop, and purchased a small quantity of _midzu-ame_.[3]\nEvery night, at a late hour, she came, always haggard of countenance\nand always silent. The shopkeeper, who took a kindly interest in her,\nfollowed her one night, but seeing that she entered a cemetery, he\nturned back, puzzled and afraid.\n\nOnce again the mysterious woman came to the little shop, and this time\nshe did not buy _midzu-ame_, but beckoned the shopkeeper to follow her.\nDown the street went the pale-faced woman, followed by the seller of\namber syrup and some of his friends. When they reached the cemetery\nthe woman disappeared into a tomb, and those without heard the weeping\nof a child. When the tomb was opened they saw the corpse of the woman\nthey had followed, and by her side a living child, laughing at the\nlantern-light and stretching forth its little hands towards a cup of\n_midzu-ame_. The woman had been prematurely buried and her babe born in\nthe tomb. Every night the silent mother went forth from the cemetery in\norder that she might bring back nourishment for her child.\n\n\nThe Futon of Tottori\n\nIn Tottori there was a small and modest inn. It was a new inn, and as\nthe landlord was poor he had been compelled to furnish it with goods\npurchased from a second-hand shop in the vicinity. His first guest was\na merchant, who was treated with extreme courtesy and given much warm\n_sak\u00e9_. When the merchant had drunk the refreshing rice wine he retired\nto rest and soon fell asleep. He had not slumbered long when he heard\nthe sound of children's voices in his room, crying pitifully: \"Elder\nBrother probably is cold?\" \"Nay, thou probably art cold?\" Over and\nover again the children repeated these plaintive words. The merchant,\nthinking that children had strayed into his room by mistake, mildly\nrebuked them and prepared to go to sleep again. After a moment's\nsilence the children again cried: \"Elder Brother probably is cold?\"\n\"Nay, thou probably art cold?\"\n\nThe guest arose, lit the _andon_ (night-light), and proceeded to\nexamine the room. But there was no one in the apartment; the cupboards\nwere empty, and all the _sh\u014dji_ (paper-screens) were closed. The\nmerchant, lay down again, puzzled and amazed. Once more he heard the\ncry, close to his pillow: \"Elder Brother probably is cold?\" \"Nay, thou\nprobably art cold?\" The cries were repeated, and the guest, cold with\nhorror, found that the voices proceeded from his _futon_ (quilt).\n\nHe hurriedly descended the stairs and told the innkeeper what had\nhappened. The landlord was angry. \"You have drunk too much warm\n_sak\u00e9_,\" said he. \"Warm _sak\u00e9_ has brought you evil dreams.\" But the\nguest paid his bill and sought lodging elsewhere.\n\nOn the following night another guest, slept in the haunted room, and\nhe, too, heard the same mysterious voices, rated the innkeeper, and\nhastily took his departure. The landlord then entered the apartment\nhimself. He heard the pitiful cries of children coming from one\n_futon_, and now was forced to believe the strange story his two guests\nhad told him.\n\nThe next day the landlord went to the second-hand shop where he had\npurchased the _futon_, and made inquiries. After going from one shop to\nanother, he finally heard the following story of the mysterious _futon_:\n\nThere once lived in Tottori a poor man and his wife, with two children,\nboys of six and eight years respectively. The parents died, and the\npoor children were forced to sell their few belongings, until one day\nthey were left with only a thin and much-worn _futon_ to cover them\nat night. At last they had no money to pay the rent, and not even the\nwherewithal to purchase food of any kind.\n\nWhen the period of the greatest cold came, the snow gathered so thickly\nabout the humble dwelling that the children could do nothing but wrap\nthe _futon_ about them, and murmur to each other in their sweet,\npathetic way: \"Elder Brother probably is cold?\" \"Nay, thou probably art\ncold?\" And sobbing forth these words they clung together, afraid of the\ndarkness and of the bitter, shrieking wind.\n\nWhile their poor little bodies nestled together, striving to keep each\nother warm, the hard-hearted landlord entered, and finding that there\nwas no one to pay the rent, he turned the children out of the house,\neach clad only in one thin _kimono_. They tried to reach a temple\nof Kwannon, but the snow was too heavy, and they hid behind their\nold home. A _futon_ of snow covered them and they fell asleep on the\nmerciful bosom of the Gods, and were finally buried in the cemetery of\nthe Temple of Kwannon-of-the-Thousand-Arms.\n\nWhen the innkeeper heard this sad story he gave the _futon_ to the\npriests of the Kwannon temple, prayers were recited for the children's\nsouls, and from that hour the _futon_ ceased to murmur its plaintive\ncries.\n\nThe Return\n\nIn the village of Mochida-no-ura there lived a peasant. He was\nextremely poor, but, notwithstanding, his wife bore him six children.\nDirectly a child was born, the cruel father flung it into a river and\npretended that it had died at birth, so that his six children were\nmurdered in this horrible way.\n\nAt length, as years went by, the peasant found himself in a more\nprosperous position, and when a seventh child was born, a boy, he was\nmuch gratified and loved him dearly.\n\nOne night the father took the child in his arms, and wandered out into\nthe garden, murmuring ecstatically: \"What a beautiful summer night!\"\n\nThe babe, then only five months old, for a moment assumed the speech of\na man, saying: \"The moon looks just as it did when you last threw me in\nthe river!\"\n\nWhen the infant had uttered these words he became like other children;\nbut the peasant, now truly realising the enormity of his crime, from\nthat day became a priest.\n\nA Test of Love\n\nThere was once a certain fair maiden who, contrary to Japanese custom,\nwas permitted to choose her own husband. Many suitors sought her hand,\nand they brought her gifts and fair poems, and said many loving words\nto her. She spoke kindly to each suitor, saying: \"I will marry the man\nwho is brave enough to bear a certain test I shall impose upon him,\nand whatever that test of love may be, I expect him, on the sacred\nhonour of a _samurai_, not to divulge it.\" The suitors readily complied\nwith these conditions, but one by one they left her, with horror upon\ntheir faces, ceased their wooing, but breathed never a word concerning\nthe mysterious and awful secret.\n\nAt length a poor _samurai_, whose sword was his only wealth, came to\nthe maiden, and informed her that he was prepared to go through any\ntest, however severe, in order that he might make her his wife.\n\nWhen they had supped together the maiden left the apartment, and long\nafter midnight returned clad in a white garment. They went out of the\nhouse together, through innumerable streets where dogs howled, and\nbeyond the city, till they came to a great cemetery. Here the maiden\nled the way while the _samurai_ followed, his hand upon his sword.\n\nWhen the wooer was able to penetrate the darkness he saw that the\nmaiden was digging the ground with a spade. She dug with extreme\nhaste, and eventually tore off the lid of a coffin. In another moment\nshe snatched up the corpse of a child, tore off an arm, broke it, and\ncommenced to eat one piece, flinging the other to her wooer, crying:\n\"If you love me, eat what I eat!\"\n\nWithout a moment's hesitation the _samurai_ sat down by the grave\nand began to eat one half of the arm. \"Excellent!\" he cried, \"I pray\nyou give me more!\" At this point of the legend the horror happily\ndisappears, for neither the _samurai_ nor the maiden ate a corpse--the\narm was made of delicious confectionery!\n\nThe maiden, with a cry of joy, sprang to her feet, and said: \"At last\nI have found a brave man! I will marry you, for you are the husband I\nhave ever longed for, and until this night have never found.\"\n\n\n[Footnote 1: The legends in this chapter are adapted from stories in\nLafcadio Hearn's _Kwaidan_ and _Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan_.]\n\n[Footnote 2: See Chapter II.]\n\n[Footnote 3: A syrup made from malt and given to children when milk is\nnot available.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVI: THREE MAIDENS\n\n\nThe Maiden of Unai\n\nThe Maiden Unai dwelt with her parents in the village of Ashin\u00f3ya.\nShe was extremely beautiful, and it so happened that she had two most\nardent and persistent lovers--Mubara, who was a native of the same\ncountryside, and Chinu; who came from Izumi. These two lovers might\nvery well have been twins, for they resembled each other in age, face,\nfigure, and stature. Unfortunately, however, they both loved her with\nan equal passion, so that it was impossible to distinguish between\nthem. Their gifts were the same, and there appeared to be no difference\nin their manner of courting. We get a good idea of the formidable\naspect of these two lovers in the following, taken from Mushimaro's\npoem on the subject:\n\n     \"With jealous love these champions twain\n       The beauteous girl did woo;\n     Each had his hand on the hilt of his sword,\n       And a full-charged quiver, too,\n\n     \"Was slung o'er the back of each champion fierce,\n       And a bow of snow-white wood\n     Did rest in the sinewy hand of each;\n       And the twain defiant stood.\"\n                           Trans. by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\nIn the meantime, the Maiden of Unai grew sick at heart. She never\naccepted the gifts of either Mubara or Chinu, and yet it distressed her\nto see them standing at the gate month after month, never relaxing for\na moment the ardent expression of their feeling toward her.\n\nThe Maiden of Unai's parents do not seem to have appreciated the\ncomplexity of the situation, for they said to her: \"Sad it is for us to\nhave to bear the burden of thine unseemly conduct in thus carelessly\nfrom month to month, and from year to year, causing others to sorrow.\nIf thou wilt accept the one, after a little time the other's love will\ncease.\"\n\nThese well-meant words brought no consolation or assistance to the\npoor Maiden of Unai, so her parents sent for the lovers, explained the\npitiful situation, and decided that he who should shoot a water-bird\nswimming in the river Ikuta, which flowed by the platform on which the\nhouse was built, should have their daughter in marriage. The lovers\nwere delighted at this decision, and anxious to put an end to this\ncruel suspense. They pulled their bow-strings at the same instant, and\ntogether their arrows struck the bird, one in the head and the other in\nthe tail, so that neither could claim to be the better marksman. When\nthe Maiden of Unai saw how entirely hopeless the whole affair was, she\nexclaimed:\n\n     \"Enough, enough! yon swiftly flowing wave\n     Shall free my soul from her long anxious strife:\n     Men call fair Settsu's stream the stream of life,\n     But in that stream shall be the maiden's grave!\"\n\nTrans. by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\nWith these melodramatic words she flung herself from the platform into\nthe surging water beneath.\n\n[Illustration: The Maiden of Unai.--314]\n\nThe maid's parents, who witnessed the scene, shouted and raved on the\nplatform, while the devoted lovers sprang into the river. One held the\nmaiden's foot, and the other her hand, and in a moment the three sank\nand perished. In due time the maiden was buried with her lovers on\neither side, and to this day the spot is known as the \"Maiden's Grave.\"\nIn the grave of Mubara there was a hollow bamboo-cane, together with\na bow, a quiver, and a long sword; but nothing had been placed in the\ngrave of Chinu.\n\nSome time afterwards a stranger happened to pass one night in the\nneighbourhood of the grave, and he was suddenly disturbed by hearing\nthe sound of fighting. He sent his retainers to inquire into the\nmatter, but they returned to him saying they could hear or see nothing\nof an unusual nature. While the stranger pondered over the love-story\nof the Maiden of Unai he fell asleep. He had no sooner done so than\nhe saw before him, kneeling on the ground, a blood-stained man, who\ntold him that he was much harassed by the persecutions of an enemy,\nand begged that the stranger would lend him his sword. This request\nwas reluctantly granted. When the stranger awoke he was inclined to\nthink the whole affair a dream; but it was no passing fantasy of the\nnight, for not only was his sword missing, but he heard near at hand\nthe sound of a great combat. Then the clash of weapons suddenly ceased,\nand once more the blood-stained man stood before him, saying: \"By thine\nhonourable assistance have I slain the foe that had oppressed me during\nthese many years.\" So we may infer that in the spirit world Chinu\nfought and slew his rival, and after many years of bitter jealousy was\nfinally able to call the Maiden of Unai his own.\n\nThe Grave of the Maiden of Unai\n\n     \"I stand by the grave where they buried\n     The Maiden of Unai,\n     Whom of old the rival champions\n     Did woo so jealously.\n\n     \"The grave should hand down through the ages\n     Her story for evermore,\n     That men yet unborn might love her,\n     And think on the days of yore.\n\n     \"And so beside the causeway\n     They piled up the boulders high;\n     Nor e'er, till the clouds that o'ershadow us\n     Shall vanish from the sky,\n\n     \"May the pilgrim along the causeway\n     Forget to turn aside,\n     And mourn o'er the grave of the Maiden;\n     And the village folk, beside,\n\n     \"Ne'er cease from their bitter weeping,\n     But cluster around her tomb;\n     And the ages repeat her story,\n     And bewail the Maiden's doom.\n\n     \"Till at last e'en I stand gazing\n     On the grave where she lies low,\n     And muse with unspeakable sadness\n     On the old days long ago.\"\n         _Sakimaro_. (Trans. by B. H. Chamberlain.)\n\n\n\nThe Maiden of Katsushika\n\n     \"Where in the far-off eastern land\n     The cock first crows at dawn,\n     The people still hand down a tale\n     Of days long dead and gone.\n\n     \"They tell of Katsushika's maid,\n     Whose sash of country blue\n     Bound but a frock of home-spun hemp,\n     And kirtle coarse to view;\n\n     \"Whose feet no shoe had e'er confined,\n     Nor comb passed through her hair;\n     Yet all the queens in damask robes\n     Might nevermore compare\n\n     \"With this dear child, who smiling stood,\n     A flow'ret of the spring--\n     In beauty perfect and complete,\n     Like to the full moon's ring.\n\n     \"And, as the summer moths that fly\n     Towards the flame so bright,\n     Or as the boats that seek the port\n     When fall the shades of night,\n\n     \"So came the suitors; but she said:\n     'Why take me for your wife?\n     Full well I know my humble lot,\n     I know how short my life.'\n\n     \"So where the dashing billows beat\n     On the loud-sounding shore,\n     Hath Katsushika's tender maid\n     Her home for evermore.\n\n     \"Yes! 'tis a tale of days long past;\n     But, list'ning to the lay,\n     It seems as I had gazed upon\n     Her face but yesterday.\"\n                Trans. by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\n\n\nTo the translation of this Japanese ballad Professor B. H. Chamberlain\nadds the following note: \"To the slight, but undoubtedly very ancient,\ntradition preserved in the foregoing ballad, there is nothing to add\nfrom any authentic source. Popular fancy, however, has been busy\nfilling up the gaps, and introduces a cruel stepmother, who, untouched\nby the piety of the maiden in drawing water for her every day from the\nonly well whose water she cares to drink, is so angry with her for, by\nher radiant beauty, attracting suitors to the house, that the poor girl\nends by drowning herself, upon which the neighbours declare her to be a\ngoddess, and erect a temple in her honour. Both the temple and the well\nare still among the show-places in the environs of T\u014dky\u014d.\"\n\nThe Maiden with the Wooden Bowl\n\nIn ancient days there lived an old couple with their only child, a girl\nof remarkable charm and beauty. When the old man fell sick and died\nhis widow became more and more concerned for her daughter's future\nwelfare.\n\nOne day she called her child to her, and said: \"Little one, your father\nlies in yonder cemetery, and I, being old and feeble, must needs follow\nhim soon. The thought of leaving you alone in the world troubles me\nmuch, for you are beautiful, and beauty is a temptation and a snare to\nmen. Not all the purity of a white flower can prevent it from being\nplucked and dragged down in the mire. My child, your face is all too\nfair. It must be hidden from the eager eyes of men, lest it cause you\nto fall from your good and simple life to one of shame.\"\n\nHaving said these words, she placed a lacquered bowl upon the maiden's\nhead, so that it veiled her attractions. \"Always wear it, little one,\"\nsaid the mother, \"for it will protect you when I am gone.\"\n\nShortly after this loving deed had been performed the old woman\ndied, and the maiden was forced to earn her living by working in the\nrice-fields. It was hard, weary work, but the girl kept a brave heart\nand toiled from dawn to sunset without a murmur. Over and over again\nher strange appearance created considerable comment, and she was known\nthroughout the country as the \"Maiden with the Bowl on her Head.\"\nYoung men laughed at her and tried to peep under the vessel, and not\na few endeavoured to pull off the wooden covering; but it could not\nbe removed, and laughing and jesting, the young men had to be content\nwith a glimpse of the lower part of the fair maiden's face. The poor\ngirl bore this rude treatment with a patient but heavy heart, believing\nthat out of her mother's love and wisdom would come some day a joy that\nwould more than compensate for all her sorrow.\n\nOne day a rich farmer watched the maiden working in his rice-fields.\nHe was struck by her diligence and the quick and excellent way she\nperformed her tasks. He was pleased with that bent and busy little\nfigure, and did not laugh at the wooden bowl on her head. After\nobserving her for some time, he came to the maiden, and said: \"You work\nwell and do not chatter to your companions. I wish you to labour in my\nrice-fields until the end of the harvest.\"\n\nWhen the rice harvest had been gathered and winter had come the wealthy\nfarmer, still more favourably impressed with the maiden, and anxious to\ndo her a service, bade her become an inmate of his house. \"My wife is\nill,\" he added, \"and I should like you to nurse her for me.\"\n\nThe maiden gratefully accepted this welcome offer. She tended the sick\nwoman with every care, for the same quiet diligence she displayed\nin the rice-fields was characteristic of her gentle labour in the\nsick-room. As the farmer and his wife had no daughter they took very\nkindly to this orphan and regarded her as a child of their own.\n\nAt length the farmer's eldest son returned to his old home. He was a\nwise young man who had studied much in gay Ky\u014dto, and was weary of a\nmerry life of feasting and frivolous pleasure. His father and mother\nexpected that their son would soon grow tired of his father's house and\nits quiet surroundings, and every day they feared that he would come to\nthem, bid farewell, and return once more to the city of the Mikado. But\nto the surprise of all the farmer's son expressed no desire to leave\nhis old home.\n\nOne day the young man came to his father, and said: \"Who is this maiden\nin our house, and why does she wear an ugly black bowl upon her head?\"\n\nWhen the farmer had told the sad story of the maiden his son was deeply\nmoved; but, nevertheless, he could not refrain from laughing a little\nat the bowl. The young man's laughter, however, did not last long.\nDay by day the maiden became more fascinating to him. Now and again\nhe peeped at the girl's half-hidden face, and became more and more\nimpressed by her gentleness of manner and her nobility of nature. It\nwas not long before his admiration turned into love, and he resolved\nthat he would marry the Maiden with the Bowl on her Head. Most of his\nrelations were opposed to the union. They said: \"She is all very well\nin her way, but she is only a common servant. She wears that bowl in\norder to captivate the unwary, and we do not think it hides beauty, but\nrather ugliness. Seek a wife elsewhere, for we will not tolerate this\nambitious and scheming maiden.\"\n\nFrom that hour the maiden suffered much. Bitter and spiteful things\nwere said to her, and even her mistress, once so good and kind, turned\nagainst her. But the farmer did not change his opinion. He still liked\nthe girl, and was quite willing that she should become his son's wife,\nbut, owing to the heated remarks of his wife and relations, he dared\nnot reveal his wishes in the matter.\n\nAll the opposition, none too kindly expressed, only made the young\nman more desirous to achieve his purpose. At length his mother and\nrelations, seeing that their wishes were useless, consented to the\nmarriage, but with a very bad grace.\n\nThe young man, believing that all difficulties had been removed,\njoyfully went to the Maiden with the Bowl on her Head, and said: \"All\ntroublesome opposition is at an end, and now nothing prevents us from\ngetting married.\"\n\n\"No,\" replied the poor maiden, weeping bitterly, \"I cannot marry you.\nI am only a servant in your father's house, and therefore it would be\nunseemly for me to become your bride.\"\n\nThe young man spoke gently to her. He expressed his ardent love over\nand over again, he argued, he begged; but the maiden would not change\nher mind. Her attitude made the relations extremely angry. They said\nthat the woman had made fools of them all, little knowing that she\ndearly loved the farmer's son, and believed, in her loyal heart, that\nmarriage could only bring discord in the home that had sheltered her in\nher poverty.\n\nThat night the poor girl cried herself to sleep, and in a dream her\nmother came to her, and said: \"My dear child, let your good heart be\ntroubled no more. Marry the farmer's son and all will be well again.\"\nThe maiden woke next morning full of joy, and when her lover came to\nher and asked once more if she would become his bride, she yielded with\na gracious smile.\n\nGreat preparations were made for the wedding, and when the company\nassembled, it was deemed high time to remove the maiden's wooden bowl.\nShe herself tried to take it off, but it remained firmly fixed to\nher head. When some of the relations, with not a few unkind remarks,\ncame to her assistance, the bowl uttered strange cries and groans. At\nlength the bridegroom approached the maiden, and said: \"Do not let this\ntreatment distress you. You are just as dear to me with or without the\nbowl,\" and having said these words, he commanded that the ceremony\nshould proceed.\n\nThen the wine-cups were brought into the crowded apartment and,\naccording to custom, the bride and bridegroom were expected to drink\ntogether the \"Three times three\" in token of their union. Just as the\nmaiden put the wine-cup to her lips the bowl on her head broke with\na great noise, and from it fell gold and silver and all manner of\nprecious stones, so that the maiden who had once been a beggar now had\nher marriage portion. The guests were amazed as they looked upon the\nheap of shining jewels and gold and silver, but they were still more\nsurprised when they chanced to look up and see that the bride was the\nmost beautiful woman in all Japan.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVII: LEGENDS OF THE SEA\n\n\n     \"Oh! that the white waves far out\n     On the sea of Ise\n     Were but flowers,\n     That I might gather them\n     And bring them as a gift to my love.\"\n                      _Prince Aki_. (Trans. by W. G. Aston.)\n\n\n\nThe Tide of the Returning Ghosts\n\nOn the last day of the Festival of the Dead the sea is covered\nwith countless _sh\u014dry\u014dbune_ (soul-ships), for on that day, called\n_Hotoke-umi_, which means Buddha-Flood, or the Tide of the Returning\nGhosts, the souls go back to their spirit world again. The sea shines\nwith the light of the departed, and from over the waves comes the sound\nof ghosts whispering together. No human being would dream of putting\nout to sea amid such sacred company, for the sea that night belongs to\nthe dead; it is their long pathway to the realm where Emma-\u014c reigns\nsupreme.\n\nIt sometimes happens, however, that a vessel fails to come to port\nbefore the departure of the soul-ships, and on such occasions the dead\narise from the deep, stretch forth their arms, and implore that buckets\nmay be given them. Sailors comply with this request, but present the\nghosts with one that has no bottom, for if they gave the dead sound\nbuckets, the angry spirits would use them for the purpose of sinking\nthe vessel.\n\nUrashima\n\n     \"'Tis Spring, and the mists come stealing\n     O'er Sumin\u00f3ye's shore,\n     And I stand by the seaside musing\n     On the days that are no more.\n\n     \"I muse on the old-world story,\n     As the boats glide to and fro,\n     Of the fisher-boy Urashima,\n     Who a-fishing lov'd to go.\"\n                     Trans. by B. H. Chamberlain.\n\n\n\n\"The legend of Urashima,\" writes Professor B. H. Chamberlain in\n_Japanese Poetry_, \"is one of the oldest in the language, and traces of\nit may even be found in the official annals.\" In the popular version,\nwhich we give below, \"the Evergreen Land,\" recorded in the Japanese\nballad, \"The Fisher Boy Urashima,\" appears as the Dragon Palace.\nProfessor Chamberlain writes: \"The word Dragon Palace is in Japanese\n_ry\u016bg\u016b_, or, more properly, _ry\u016bky\u016b_, which is likewise the Japanese\npronunciation of the name of the islands we call Luchu, and the Chinese\nLiu-kiu; and it has been suggested that the Dragon Palace may be but a\nfanciful name given by some shipwrecked voyager to those sunny southern\nisles, whose inhabitants still distinguish themselves, even above their\nChinese and Japanese neighbours, by their fondness for the dragon\nas an artistic and architectural adornment. There is one ode in the\n_Man-y\u014dsh\u016b_ which would favour this idea, speaking as it does of the\norange having first been brought to Japan from the 'Evergreen Land'\nlying to the south.\"\n\nUrashima and the Tortoise\n\nOne day Urashima, who lived in a little fishing village called\nMidzunoe, in the province of Tango, went out to fish. It so happened\nthat he caught a tortoise, and as tortoises are said to live many\nthousands of years, the thoughtful Urashima allowed the creature to\nreturn to the sea, rebaited his hook, and once more waited for the bite\nof a fish. Only the sea gently waved his line to and fro. The sun beat\ndown upon his head till at last Urashima fell asleep.\n\nHe had not been sleeping long when he heard some one calling his name:\n\"Urashima, Urashima!\"\n\nIt was such a sweet, haunting voice that the fisher-lad stood up in his\nboat and looked around in every direction, till he chanced to see the\nvery tortoise he had been kind enough to restore to its watery home.\nThe tortoise, which was able to speak quite fluently, profusely thanked\nUrashima for his kindness, and offered to take him to the _ry\u016bky\u016b_, or\nPalace of the Dragon King.\n\nThe invitation was readily accepted, and getting on the tortoise's\nback, Urashima found himself gliding through the sea at a tremendous\nspeed, and the curious part about it was he discovered that his clothes\nremained perfectly dry.\n\nIn the Sea King's Palace\n\nArriving at the Sea King's Palace, red bream, flounder, sole, and\ncuttlefish came out to give Urashima a hearty welcome. Having expressed\ntheir pleasure, these vassals of the Dragon King escorted the\nfisher-lad to an inner apartment, where the beautiful Princess Otohime\nand her maidens were seated. The Princess was arrayed in gorgeous\ngarments of red and gold, all the colours of a wave with the sunlight\nupon it.\n\nThis Princess explained that she had taken the form of a tortoise by\nway of testing his kindness of heart. The test had happily proved\nsuccessful, and as a reward for his virtue she offered to become his\nbride in a land where there was eternal youth and everlasting summer.\n\nUrashima bashfully accepted the high honour bestowed upon him. He had\nno sooner spoken than a great company of fishes appeared, robed in long\nceremonial garments, their fins supporting great coral trays loaded\nwith rare delicacies. Then the happy couple drank the wedding cup of\n_sak\u00e9_, and while they drank, some of the fishes played soft music,\nothers sang, and not a few, with scales of silver and golden tails,\nstepped out a strange measure on the white sand.\n\nAfter the festivities were over, Otohime showed her husband all the\nwonders of her father's palace. The greatest marvel of all was to\nsee a country where all the seasons lingered together.[1] Looking to\nthe east, Urashima saw plum- and cherry-trees in full bloom, with\nbright-winged butterflies skimming over the blossom, and away in the\ndistance it seemed that the pink petals and butterflies had suddenly\nbeen converted into the song of a wondrous nightingale. In the south\nhe saw trees in their summer glory, and heard the gentle note of the\ncricket. Looking to the west, the autumn maples made a fire in the\nbranches, so that if Urashima had been other than a humble fisher-lad\nhe might have recalled the following poem:\n\n     \"Fair goddess of the paling Autumn skies,\n     Fain would I know how many looms she plies,\n     Wherein through skilful tapestry she weaves\n     Her fine brocade of fiery maple leaves--\n     Since on each hill, with every gust that blows,\n     In varied hues her vast embroidery glows?\"\n                             Trans. by Clara A. Walsh.\n\n\n\nIt was, indeed, a \"vast embroidery,\" for when Urashima looked toward\nthe north he saw a great stretch of snow and a mighty pond covered\nwith ice. All the seasons lingered together in that fair country where\nNature had yielded to the full her infinite variety of beauty.\n\nAfter Urashima had been in the Sea King's Palace for three days, and\nseen many wonderful things, he suddenly remembered his old parents,\nand felt a strong desire to go and see them. When he went to his wife,\nand told her of his longing to return home, Otohime began to weep, and\ntried to persuade him to stop another day. But Urashima refused to be\ninfluenced in the matter. \"I must go,\" said he, \"but I will leave you\nonly for a day. I will return again, dear wife of mine.\"\n\n[Illustration: Urashima and the Sea King's Daughter--326]\n\nThe Home-coming of Urashima\n\nThen Otohime gave her husband a keepsake in remembrance of their\nlove. It was called the _Tamate-Bako_ (\"Box of the Jewel Hand\"). She\nexplained that he was on no account to open the box, and Urashima,\npromising to fulfil her wish, said farewell, mounted a large tortoise,\nand soon found himself in his own country. He looked in vain for\nhis father's home. Not a sign of it was to be seen. The cottage had\nvanished, only the little stream remained.\n\nStill much perplexed, Urashima questioned a passer-by, and he learnt\nfrom him that a fisher-lad, named Urashima, had gone to sea three\nhundred years ago and was drowned, and that his parents, brothers,\nand their grandchildren had been laid to rest for a long time. Then\nUrashima suddenly remembered that the country of the Sea King was a\ndivine land, where a day, according to mortal reckoning, was a hundred\nyears.\n\nUrashima's reflections were gloomy in the extreme, for all whom he had\nloved on earth were dead. Then he heard the murmur of the sea, and\nrecalled the lovely Otohime, as well as the country where the seasons\njoined hands and made a fourfold pageant of their beauty--the land\nwhere trees had emeralds for leaves and rubies for berries, where the\nfishes wore long robes and sang and danced and played. Louder the sea\nsounded in Urashima's ears. Surely Otohime called him? But no path\nopened out before him, no obliging tortoise appeared on the scene to\ncarry him to where his wife waited for him. \"The box! the box!\" said\nUrashima softly, \"if I open my wife's mysterious gift, it may reveal\nthe way.\"\n\nUrashima untied the red silk thread and slowly, fearfully opened the\nlid of the box. Suddenly there rushed out a little white cloud; it\nlingered a moment, and then rolled away far over the sea. But a sacred\npromise had been broken, and Urashima from a handsome youth became old\nand wrinkled. He staggered forward, his white hair and beard blowing in\nthe wind. He looked out to sea, and then fell dead upon the shore.\n\nProfessor Chamberlain writes: \"Urashima's tomb, together with his\nfishing-line, the casket given him by the maiden, and two stones said\nto be precious, are still shown at one of the temples in Kanagawa.\"\n\nThe Land of the Morning Calm\n\nChosen, the Land of the Morning Calm, was the old name for Korea,[2]\nand however poetical the phrase may be, it was, nevertheless, totally\ninapplicable to actual fact. In its early history it was a country\ndivided against itself, and later on it was troubled with the invading\narmies of China and Japan, to say nothing of minor skirmishes with\nother countries. There is certainly a pathetic calm in Korea to-day,\nbut it is the calm of a long-vanquished and persecuted nation. It\nnow rests with Japan whether or not the Koreans rise from serfdom\nand regain something of that old hardihood that was at one time so\nprominent a feature of her northern men.\n\nLong ago Korea came under the glamour of the Chinese civilisation, and\nit haunts her people to this day. Japan borrowed from Korea what Korea\nhad borrowed from China. It was because Japan went on borrowing from\nthe West when she had exhausted all that Korea and China could teach\nher that she eventually became, with the progressive stream of thought\nand action flowing vigorously through her, a world-power, while Korea\nremained a forlorn example of an almost stagnant country.\n\nWhen Japan had succeeded in convincing Korea that she alone could\nbe her faithful guide, Russia came, like a thief in the night, and\nestablished a military outpost at Wiju. The Russo-Japanese War\nresulted, and Korea became a Japanese colony, an experimental ground\nfor social and political reform. Japan has waited long for Korea.\nMay she find it at last, not a turbulent and rebellious country, but\nin very deed the Land of the Morning Calm. Korea in the past has\ncontributed to the making of Japan's greatness in handing on the\nreligion, art, and literature of China. Now it is Japan's turn to\nsuccour an impoverished country, and if the Morning Calm is united\nwith the Rising Sun, there should be peace and prosperity in her new\npossession.\n\nProfessor J. H. Longford, in _The Story of Korea_, writes in regard\nto the invasion of the Empress Jingo: \"Dr. Aston....contemptuously\ndismisses the whole as a myth founded on two very distinct historical\nfacts--that there was, at the time of the alleged invasion, an Empress\nof Japan, a woman of real determination and ability, and that not\none, but several Japanese invasions of Korea did occur, though at\nlater periods, in which the Japanese did not invariably meet with the\ntriumphant success that they claim for the Empress.\" We give below the\npicturesque legend of Japan's first invasion of Korea.\n\nThe Tide Jewels\n\nOne night the Empress Jingo, as she lay asleep in her tent, had a\nstrange dream. She dreamt that a spirit came to her and told her of\na wonderful land, a land in the West, full of treasures of gold and\nsilver, a dazzling land, fair to look upon as a beautiful woman. The\nspirit informed her that the name of this country was Chosen (Korea),\nand that it might belong to Japan if she would set out and conquer this\nwealthy land.\n\nThe next day the Empress Jingo informed her husband about her dream;\nbut the Emperor, a stolid, matter-of-fact man, did not believe in\ndreams. However, as his wife persisted in thrusting upon him what he\ndeemed to be a foolish scheme, he climbed a high mountain, and looking\ntoward the setting sun saw no land in the West. When the Emperor had\ncome down from the mountain, he informed his wife that he would on no\naccount give his consent to invade and conquer a country which simply\nowed its existence to a disordered dream. But the Gods were angry with\nthe Emperor, and shortly after he had uttered his prohibition he died\nin battle.\n\nThe Gift of the Dragon King\n\nWhen the Empress Jingo became sole ruler she was determined to go to\nthis country she had heard about in a dream; but as she was resolved\nto make her expedition no puny and tame affair, she called upon the\nSpirit of the Mountain to give her timber and iron for her ships. The\nSpirit of Fields gave her rice and other grain for her army, while the\nSpirit of Grass presented her with hemp for rope. The Wind God looked\nfavourably upon her scheme, and promised to blow her ships towards\nKorea. All the spirits appeared in compliance with the Empress Jingo's\nwishes except Isora, the Spirit of the Seashore.\n\nIsora was a lazy fellow, and when he finally appeared above the waves\nof the sea, he did so without gorgeous apparel, for he was covered with\nslime and shells, and seaweed adorned his unkempt person. When the\nEmpress saw him she bade him go to his master, the Dragon King, and ask\nhim to give her the Tide Jewels.\n\nIsora obeyed, dived down into the water, and presently stood before the\nDragon King and made his request.\n\nThe Dragon King took out the Tide Jewels from a casket, placed them on\na great shell, and bade Isora promptly return to the Empress Jingo with\nthis precious gift.\n\nIsora sprang from his master's palace to the surface of the sea, and\nthe Empress Jingo placed the Tide Jewels in her girdle.\n\nThe Voyage\n\nNow that the Empress had obtained the Jewel of the Flood-Tide and the\nJewel of the Ebb-Tide she had three thousand ships built and launched,\nand during the tenth month she started on her great expedition. Her\nfleet had not proceeded far when a mighty storm arose, so that the\nvessels crashed together and were likely to sink to the bottom of the\nsea. The Dragon King, however, commanded great sea-monsters to go to\nthe rescue; some bore up the ships with their great bodies, others\npushed their heads against the sterns of many vessels, thus propelling\nthem through a heavy sea which had very nearly driven them back whence\nthey came. Powerful dragon-fishes lent their aid to those pushing and\nsnorting in the rear by holding the ships' cables in their mouths and\ntowing the vessels forward at a surprising speed. Directly the storm\nceased, the sea-monsters and dragon-fishes disappeared.\n\nThe Throwing of the Tide Jewels\n\nAt last the Empress Jingo and her army saw the distant mountains of\nKorea loom out on the horizon. On nearing the coast they perceived\nthat the whole of the Korean army stood upon the shore with their\nships ready to be launched at the word of command. As soon as the\nKorean sentinels perceived the Japanese fleet, they gave the signal for\nembarking, and immediately a great line of war-vessels shot out over\nthe water.\n\nThe Empress stood watching these proceedings with unruffled calm. She\nknew that the victory or defeat of her army lay in her power. When the\nKorean vessels drew near to her fleet she threw into the sea the Jewel\nof the Ebb-Tide. Directly it touched the water it caused the tide to\nrecede from under the very keels of the Korean ships, so that they\nwere left stranded upon dry land. The Koreans, suspecting no magic and\nbelieving their stranded condition to have been the result of a tidal\nwave and, moreover, that the Japanese vessels would succumb to the\nback-wash, sprang from their vessels and rushed over the sand. Now the\nJapanese bowmen twanged their bow-strings, and a great cloud of arrows\nflew into the air, killing many hundreds of the enemy. When the Koreans\nwere quite near the Japanese vessels, the Empress flung forth the Jewel\nof the Flood-Tide. Immediately a great wave rushed over and destroyed\nnearly the whole of the Korean army. It was now an easy matter for\nthe Japanese to land and capture the country. The King of Korea\nsurrendered, and the Empress returned to her own kingdom laden with\nsilk and jewels, books and pictures, tiger-skins and precious robes.\n\nWhen the Tide Jewels had been thrown by the Empress, they did not lie\nlong on the bed of the ocean. Isora speedily rescued them and carried\nthem back to the Dragon King.\n\nPrince Ojin\n\nSoon after the Empress Jingo's return she gave birth to a son named\nOjin. When Ojin had grown into a fair and wise little boy, his mother\ntold him about the wonderful Tide Jewels, and expressed a wish that he,\ntoo, should possess them in order that he might bring honour and glory\nto Japan.\n\nOne day the Prime Minister, who was said to be three hundred and sixty\nyears old, and the counsellor of no less than five Mikados, took Ojin\nwith him in a royal war-barge. The vessel skimmed over the sea with\nits gold silk sails. The Prime Minister in a loud voice called on the\nDragon King to give young Ojin the Tide Jewels.\n\nImmediately the waves about the vessel were churned into foam, and amid\na great thunderous roar the Dragon King himself appeared with a living\ncreature of dreadful countenance for a helmet. Then out of the water\narose a mighty shell, in the recess of which glittered the Tide Jewels.\nAfter presenting these jewels, and making a pretty little speech, he\nreturned to his great green kingdom.\n\nThe Slaughter of the Sea Serpent[3]\n\nOribe Shima had offended the great ruler Hojo Takatoki, and was in\nconsequence banished to Kamishima, one of the Oki Islands, and forced\nto leave his beautiful daughter Tokoyo, whom he deeply loved.\n\nAt last Tokoyo was unable to bear the separation any longer, and she\nwas determined to find her father. She therefore set out upon a long\njourney, and arriving at Akasaki, in the province of Hoki, from which\ncoast town the Oki Islands are visible on a fine day, she besought many\na fisherman to row her to her destination. But the fisher-folk laughed\nat Tokoyo, and bade her relinquish her foolish plan and return home.\nThe maiden, however, would not listen to their advice, and at nightfall\nshe got into the lightest vessel she could find, and by dint of a fair\nwind and persistent rowing the brave girl came to one of the rocky bays\nof the Oki Islands.\n\nThat night Tokoyo slept soundly, and in the morning partook of food.\nWhen she had finished her meal she questioned a fisherman as to where\nshe might find her father. \"I have never heard of Oribe Shima,\" replied\nthe fisherman, \"and if he has been banished, I beg that you will desist\nfrom further search, lest it lead to the death of you both.\"\n\nThat night the sorrowful Tokoyo slept beneath a shrine dedicated to\nBuddha. Her sleep was soon disturbed by the clapping of hands, and\nlooking up she saw a weeping maiden clad in a white garment with a\npriest standing beside her. Just as the priest was about to push the\nmaiden over the rocks into the roaring sea, Tokoyo sprang up and held\nthe maiden's arm.\n\nThe priest explained that on that night, the thirteenth of June, the\nSerpent God, known as Yofun\u00e9-Nushi, demanded the sacrifice of a young\ngirl, and that unless this annual sacrifice was made the God became\nangry and caused terrible storms.\n\n\"Good sir,\" said Tokoyo, \"I am glad that I have been able to save this\npoor girl's life. I gladly offer myself in her place, for I am sad\nof heart because I have been unable to find my father. Give him this\nletter, for my last words of love and farewell go to him.\"\n\n[Illustration: Tokoyo and the Sea Serpent.--334]\n\nHaving thus spoken, Tokoyo took the maiden's white robe and clad\nherself in it, and having prayed to the image of Buddha, she placed a\nsmall dagger between her teeth and plunged into the tempestuous sea.\nDown she went through the moonlit water till she came to a mighty cave\nwhere she saw a statue of Hojo Takatoki, who had sent her poor father\ninto exile. She was about to tie the image on her back when a great\nwhite serpent crept out from the cave with eyes gleaming angrily.\nTokoyo, realising that this creature was none other than Yofun\u00e9-Nushi,\ndrew her dagger and thrust it through the right eye of the God. This\nunexpected attack caused the serpent to retire into the cave, but\nthe brave Tokoyo followed and struck another blow, this time at the\ncreature's heart. For a moment Yofun\u00e9-Nushi blindly stumbled forward,\nthen with a shriek of pain fell dead upon the floor of the cavern.\n\nDuring this adventure the priest and the maiden stood on the rocks\nwatching the spot where Tokoyo had disappeared, praying fervently for\nthe peace of her sorrowful soul. As they watched and prayed they saw\nTokoyo come to the surface of the water carrying an image and a mighty\nfish-like creature. The priest hastily came to the girl's assistance,\ndragged her upon the shore, placed the image on a high rock, and\nsecured the body of the White Sea Serpent.\n\nIn due time the remarkable story was reported to Tameyoshi, lord of the\nisland, who in turn reported the strange adventure to Hojo Takatoki.\nNow Takatoki had for some time been suffering from a disease which\ndefied the skill of the most learned doctors; but it was observed that\nhe regained his health precisely at the hour when his image, which had\nbeen cursed and thrown into the sea by some exile, had been restored.\nWhen Hojo Takatoki heard that the brave girl was the daughter of the\nexiled Oribe Shima, he sent him back with all speed to his own home,\nwhere he and his daughter lived in peace and happiness.\n\nThe Spirit of the Sword\n\nOne night a junk anchored off Fudo's Cape, and when various\npreparations had been made, the Captain, Tarada by name, and his crew\nfell asleep on deck. At about midnight Tarada was awakened by hearing\nan extraordinary rumbling sound that seemed to proceed from the bottom\nof the sea. Chancing to look in the direction of the bow of the vessel,\nhe saw a fair girl clad in white and illumined by a dazzling light.\n\nWhen Tarada had awakened his crew he approached the maiden, who said:\n\"My only wish is to be back in the world again.\" Having uttered these\nwords, she disappeared among the waves.\n\nThe next day Tarada went on shore and asked many who lived in Amakura\nif they had ever heard of a wondrous maiden bathed, as it were, in a\nphosphorescent light. One of the villagers thus made answer: \"We have\nnever seen the maiden you describe, but for some time past we have been\ndisturbed by rumbling noises that seem to come from Fudo's Cape, and\never since, these mysterious sounds have prevented fish from entering\nour bay. It may be that the girl you saw was the ghost of some poor\nmaiden drowned at sea, and the noise we hear none other than the anger\nof the Sea God on account of a corpse or human bones polluting the\nwater.\"\n\nIt was eventually decided that the dumb Sankichi should dive into the\nsea and bring up any corpse he might find there. So Sankichi went\non board Tarada's junk, and having said farewell to his friends, he\nplunged into the water. He searched diligently, but could see no trace\nof corpse or human bones. At length, however, he perceived what looked\nlike a sword wrapped in silk, and on untying the wrapping he found\nthat it was indeed a sword, of great brightness and without a flaw of\nany kind. Sankichi came to the surface and was quickly taken aboard.\nThe poor fellow was gently laid on the deck, but he fainted from\nexhaustion. His cold body was rubbed vigorously and fires were lit. In\na very short time Sankichi became conscious and was able to show the\nsword and give particulars of his adventure.\n\nAn official, by the name of Naruse Tsushimanokami, was of the opinion\nthat the sword was a sacred treasure, and on his recommendation it was\nplaced in a shrine and dedicated to Fudo. Sankichi faithfully guarded\nthe precious weapon, and Fudo's Cape became known as the Cape of the\nWoman's Sword. To the delight of the fisher-folk, the spirit of the\nweapon now being satisfied, the fish came back into the bay again.\n\nThe Love of O Cho San\n\n     \"To-day is the tenth of June. May the rain fall in torrents!\n     For I long to see my dearest O Cho San.\"\n                                     Trans. by R. Gordon Smith.\n\n\n\nIn the isolated Hatsushima Island, celebrated for its _suisenn_\n(jonquils), there once lived a beautiful maiden called Cho, and all the\nyoung men on the island were eager to marry her. One day the handsome\nShinsaku, who was bolder than the rest, went to Gisuke, the brother\nof Cho, and told him that he much desired to marry his fair sister.\nGisuke offered no objections, and calling Cho to him, when the suitor\nhad gone, he said: \"Shinsaku wishes to become your husband. I like the\nfisherman, and think that in him you will make an excellent match. You\nare now eighteen, and it is quite time that you got married.\"\n\nO Cho San fully approved of what her brother had said, and the marriage\nwas arranged to take place in three days' time. Unfortunately, those\ndays were days of discord on the island, for when the other fishermen\nlovers heard the news they began to hate the once popular Shinsaku,\nand, moreover, they neglected their work and were continually fighting\neach other. These lamentable scenes cast such a gloom upon the once\nhappy Hatsushima Island that O Cho San and her lover decided that for\nthe peace of the many they would not marry after all.\n\nThis noble sacrifice, however, did not bring about the desired effect,\nfor the thirty lovers still fought each other and still neglected their\nfishing. O Cho San determined to perform a still greater sacrifice.\nShe wrote loving letters of farewell to her brother and Shinsaku, and\nhaving left them by the sleeping Gisuke, she softly crept out of the\nhouse on a stormy night on the 10th of June. She dropped big stones\ninto her pretty sleeves, and then flung herself into the sea.\n\nThe next day Gisuke and Shinsaku read their letters from O Cho San,\nand, overcome by grief, they searched the shore, where they found the\nstraw sandals of Cho. The two men realised that the fair maid had\nindeed taken her precious life, and shortly after her body was taken\nfrom the sea and buried, and over her tomb Shinsaku placed many flowers\nand wept continually.\n\nOne evening, Shinsaku, unable to bear his sorrow any longer decided to\ntake his life, believing that by doing so he would meet the spirit of O\nCho San. As he lingered by the girl's grave, he seemed to see her white\nghost, and, murmuring her name over and over again, he rushed toward\nher. At this moment Gisuke, awakened by the noise, came out of his\nhouse, and found Shinsaku clinging to his lover's gravestone.\n\nWhen Shinsaku told his friend that he had seen the spirit of O Cho San,\nand intended to take his life in order to be with her for ever, Gisuke\nmade answer thus: \"Shinsaku, great is your love for my poor sister, but\nyou can love her best by serving her in this world. When the great Gods\ncall, you will meet her, but await with hope and courage till that hour\ncomes, for only a brave, as well as a loving, heart is worthy of O Cho\nSan. Let us together build a shrine and dedicate it to my sister, and\nkeep your love strong and pure by never marrying any one else.\"\n\nThe thirty lovers who had shown such unmanly feeling now fully realised\nthe sorrow they had caused, and in order to show their contrition they\ntoo helped to build the shrine of the unfortunate maiden, where to this\nday a ceremony takes place on the 10th of June, and it is said that the\nspirit of O Cho San comes in the rain.\n\nThe Spirit of the Great Awabi\n\nThe morning after a great earthquake had devastated the fishing village\nof Nanao, it was observed that about two miles from the shore a rock\nhad sprung up as the result of the seismic disturbance and, moreover,\nthat the sea had become muddy. One night a number of fishermen\nwere passing by the rock, when they observed, near at hand, a most\nextraordinary light that appeared to float up from the bottom of the\nsea with a glory as bright as the sun. The fishermen shipped their oars\nand gazed upon the wonderful spectacle with considerable surprise, but\nwhen the light was suddenly accompanied by a deep rumbling sound, the\nsailors feared another earthquake and made all speed for Nanao.\n\nOn the third day the wondrous rays from the deep increased in\nbrilliance, so that folk standing on the shore of Nanao could see\nthem distinctly, and the superstitious fishermen became more and more\nfrightened. Only Kansuke and his son Matakichi had sufficient courage\nto go fishing. On their return journey they reached the Rock Island,\nand were drawing in their line when Kansuke lost his balance and fell\ninto the sea.\n\nThough old Kansuke was a good swimmer, he went down like a stone\nand did not rise to the surface. Matakichi, deeming this strange,\ndived into the water, almost blinded by the mysterious rays we have\nalready described. When he at length reached the bottom he discovered\ninnumerable _awabi_ (ear-shells), and in the middle of the group one\nof vast size. From all these shells there poured forth a brilliant\nlight, and though it was like day under the water, Matakichi could\nfind no trace of his father. Eventually he was forced to rise to the\nsurface, only to find that the rough sea had broken his boat. However,\nscrambling upon a piece of wreckage, with the aid of a favourable\nwind and current he at last reached the shore of Nanao, and gave the\nvillagers an account of his remarkable adventure, and of the loss of\nhis old father.\n\nMatakichi, grieving sorely over the death of his parent, went to the\nold village priest and begged that worthy that he would make him one\nof his disciples in order that he might pray the more efficaciously\nfor the spirit of his father. The priest readily consented, and about\nthree weeks later they took boat to the Rock Island, where both prayed\nardently for the soul of Kansuke.\n\nThat night the old priest awoke with a start and saw an ancient man\nstanding by his bedside. With a profound bow the stranger thus spoke:\n\"I am the Spirit of the Great Awabi, and I am more than one thousand\nyears old. I live in the sea near the Rock Island, and this morning\nI heard you praying for the soul of Kansuke. Alas! good priest, your\nprayers have deeply moved me, but in shame and sorrow I confess that I\nate Kansuke. I have bade my followers depart elsewhere, and in order to\natone for my sin I shall take my own wretched life, so that the pearl\nthat is within me may be given to Matakichi.\" And having uttered these\nwords, the Spirit of the Great Awabi suddenly disappeared.\n\nWhen Matakichi awoke next morning and opened the shutters he discovered\nthe enormous _awabi_ he had seen near the Rock Island. He took it to\nthe old priest, who, after listening to his disciple's story, gave an\naccount of his own experience. The great pearl and shell of the _awabi_\nwere placed in the temple, and the body was reverently buried.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: Compare \"The Dream of Rosei\" in Chapter VII.]\n\n[Footnote 2: See _The Story of Korea_, by Joseph H. Longford.]\n\n[Footnote 3: This legend, and those that follow in this chapter, are\nadapted from _Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan_, by R. Gordon\nSmith.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII: SUPERSTITIONS\n\n\nJapanese Superstition\n\nThe subject of Japanese superstition is of special importance, because\nit serves to indicate the channel by which many myths and legends, but\nmore particularly folk-lore, have evolved. Superstition is, as it were,\nthe raw material out of which innumerable strange beliefs are gradually\nfashioned into stories, and an inquiry into the subject will show us\nthe peasant mind striving to counteract certain supernatural forces,\nor to turn them to advantage in every-day life. Many superstitions\nhave already been recorded in these pages, and in the present chapter\nwe shall deal with those that have not been treated elsewhere. It is\nscarcely necessary to point out that these superstitions, selected from\na vast store of quaint beliefs, are necessarily of a primitive kind and\nmust be regarded, excluding, perhaps, those associated with the classic\nart of divination, as peculiar to the more ignorant classes in Japan.\n\nHuman Sacrifice\n\nIn prehistoric times the bow was believed to possess supernatural\npower. It would miraculously appear on the roof of a man's house as a\nsign that the eldest unmarried daughter must be sacrificed. She was\naccordingly buried alive in order that her flesh might be consumed by\nthe Deity of Wild Beasts. Later on, however, the bow was no longer\nthe message of a cruel divinity, for it gradually lost its horrible\nsignificance, and has now become a symbol of security. To this day it\nmay be seen fixed to the ridge-pole of a roof, and is regarded as a\nlucky charm.\n\nWe have another example of human sacrifice in the old repulsive custom\nof burying a man alive with the idea of giving stability to a bridge\nor castle. In the early days, when forced labour existed, there was\nunfortunately scant regard for the sacredness of human life. Those\nwho laboured without reward were under the control of a merciless\nsuperintendent, who emphasised his orders by means of a spear. He\nwas ready to kill all those who were idle or in any way rebellious,\nand many corpses were flung into the masonry. When a river had to be\ndammed, or a fortification constructed with the utmost despatch, this\ndeplorable deed was not unusual.\n\nWhen a new bridge was built its utility and long life were assured,\nnot always by human sacrifice or sorrow, but sometimes by happiness.\nThe first persons allowed to walk over a new bridge were those of\na particularly happy disposition. We are told, that two genial old\nmen, who each had a family of twelve children, first crossed the\nMatsue bridge, accompanied by their wives, children, grandchildren,\nand great-grandchildren. This joyous procession took place amid\nmuch rejoicing and a display of fireworks. The idea of happiness\ncontributing to the success of a Japanese bridge is a pretty\nconception, but, unfortunately, the old bridge of Matsue, now replaced\nby one far less picturesque, is associated with a very unpleasant\ntradition.\n\nWhen Hori\u014d Yoshiharu became _Daimy\u014d_ of Izumo he arranged to build a\nbridge over the turbulent river at Matsue. Many laboured to carry out\nhis wishes, but the work did not prosper. Countless great stones were\nflung into the rushing water with the idea of making a solid base on\nwhich to construct the pillars, but many of the stones were washed\naway, and as soon as the bridge took tangible form it was wrecked by\nthe fierce torrent. It was believed that the spirits of the flood were\nangry, and in order to appease them it was deemed necessary to offer a\nhuman sacrifice. A man was accordingly buried alive below the central\npillar where the water was most turbulent. When this had been done the\nwork prospered, and the bridge remained intact for three hundred years.\nGensuke was the unfortunate victim, and this was the name given to the\ncentral pillar. It is said that on moonless nights a mysterious red\nfire shines from this pillar--the ghostly emanations of poor Gensuke.\n\nClassical Divination\n\nOne of the most popular forms of Japanese superstition is associated\nwith divination, and Confucianism has no doubt contributed much to\nits popularity. The _Yih-King_, or \"Book of Changes,\" is the main\nsource of the art, and Confucius devoted so much time to the study of\nthis mysterious work that it is said that the leathern thongs used\nto hold the leaves together were replaced three times during his\nlifetime. The _Yih-King_ was commenced by Fu Hsi two thousand years\nbefore the birth of Christ, and Confucius added much fresh material. A\nmore complicated method of reading the future than by means of eight\ntrigrams and sixty-four diagrams cannot be imagined. So involved a\nsystem of divination naturally became the art of the learned few, but\nin course of time it underwent various modifications. It lost, to a\ncertain extent, its most classic aspect, and many Japanese diviners\nsprang up in the country professing to read the future for a small\nfee, and without the qualification of having deeply pondered over the\ninstruction to be found in the _Yih-King_. A comparatively simple form\nof divination is with fifty divining rods, shuffled in a particular\nway, and the final position of the rods is supposed to answer the\nvarious questions of the inquirer. Many diviners in Japan to-day are\nmere charlatans working upon the credulity of their patrons, without\nfully understanding the art they practise. But in ancient times\ndivination was associated with a sacred ritual. It was necessary for\nthe diviner, like the old swordsmith, to prepare and fit himself for\nhis task. It was required of him that he should thoroughly cleanse his\nbody, seat himself in a private apartment, and go through the elaborate\nprocess of holding the rods in the spirit of reverence. At a certain\nmoment he was instructed to close his eyes, suspend breathing for a\ntime, and concentrate his thoughts on his work of divination, for the\nold diviner, like the old Shint\u014d priest, believed that he was calling\nthe supernatural to his aid.\n\nOther Forms of Divination\n\nIn other forms of divination, requiring no expert interpretation, we\nfind that the future is supposed to be revealed in the cracks and\nlines of a slightly burnt shoulder-bone of a deer, a method which\nclosely resembles the old English custom of \"reading the speal-bone.\"\nIt was not always easy to secure a deer's shoulder-bone, and as the\nmarkings were of more importance than the bone itself, in course of\ntime burnt tortoise-shell took its place. As hair-combs were usually\nmade of this material, a woman, by charring it, was able to read the\nlines and ascertain the constancy or otherwise of her lover, &c. Girls\nused to read the riddle of the future and see what it had in store\nfor them by going out at night and stringing together the fragmentary\nremarks of passers-by. This method is known as _tsuji-ura_, but it is\nby no means peculiar to Japan, for it is still frequently practised by\nsuperstitious people in our own country. A love-sick maiden tried to\ndiscover whether or not her love would be requited by placing a rod in\nthe ground, surrounding it with various offerings, and listening to the\nconversation of wayfarers who chanced to come that way.[1] A later and\nmore elaborate development of this form of divination required three\nmaidens, and the method employed is as follows. The young women went to\nwhere roads crossed each other, and thrice repeated an invocation to\nthe God of Roads. When they had supplicated this Deity, they flung rice\non the ground, for rice has the power of driving away evil spirits. The\nmaidens then rubbed their fingers against the teeth of a boxwood comb,\nbecause _tsuge_, the Japanese name for this wood, also means \"to tell.\"\nAfter these preparations they each stood in a different position and\npieced together the remarks of passers-by. Occasionally some message\nfrom the future was received while the inquirer stood under a bridge\nand listened to the clatter of feet, and sometimes a priest whistling\nby inhalation was supposed to reveal an omen of some kind.\n\nUnlucky Years and Days\n\nIt is believed that certain periods of life are extremely unlucky. The\ntwenty-fifth, forty-second, and sixty-first years of a man's life are\nconsidered unfortunate, while the unlucky years of a woman's life are\nthe nineteenth, thirty-third, and thirty-seventh. In order to prevent\ncalamity during these periods, it is necessary to devote much time to\nreligious exercises. Men and women are advised not to take a journey\nduring the sixteenth, twenty-fifth, thirty-fourth, forty-third,\nfifty-second, and sixty-first year. When superstitious women wish to\nmake a new garment, they utter an invocation, and later on sprinkle\nthree pinches of salt on the shoulder gusset. No woman should use her\nneedle on a \"monkey\" day, but rather on a \"bird\" day. If the work is\nundertaken on the former day, the garment is in danger of being burnt\nor rent; but if the apparel is made on the latter day, it will have the\nbeauty and durability of the feathers of a bird.\n\nChildren\n\nWhen a child's tooth falls out, it is thrown away under the eaves, with\nthe wish that it may be replaced by the tooth of a demon. Sometimes the\ntooth of a little boy or girl is thrown on the floor with the request\nthat it may be replaced by the tooth of a rat. Children may be immune\nfrom nightmare if the word \"puppy\" is written on their foreheads; and\nif to this precaution is added a sketch of the _Baku_, Eater of Dreams,\nthe little one's slumber will be sure to be of a peaceful kind. The\nword \"dog\" inscribed on a child's forehead is a protection against the\nmagic of foxes and badgers.\n\nSome of the nostrums that are supposed to cure children's ailments are\nvery curious. Blood extracted from a cock's comb cures indigestion,\nwhile an eruption on the head may be driven away by repeating these\nwords: \"In the long days of spring weeds may be removed, but those\nin the garden must be cut down at once.\" Even a Japanese baby cries\noccasionally, but if a red bag containing dog's hair is fastened on its\nback, it will immediately cease to cry, and the plaintive wailing will\ngive place to smiles. Blindness is frequently the result of smallpox,\nbut this calamity may be prevented by throwing seven peas into a well,\nreciting seven prayers, and then drawing off all the water from the\nwell.\n\nCharms\n\nMany Japanese charms are pieces of paper bearing an inscription\ndesigned to avert evil. Another variety is inscribed with the name\nof a god. It takes the form of a long strip which the poor fasten on\nthe outside of their houses, while those who have not to contend with\npoverty regard it as a part of their domestic altar. The imprint of\na child's hand, \"obtained,\" writes Professor Chamberlain, \"by first\nwetting the hand with ink and then applying it to a sheet of paper, is\nbelieved to avert malign influences.\" Fragments of temples, rice-grains\ncarved to represent the Gods of Luck, minute _sutras_, copies of\nBuddha's footprint, and many other quaint conceits are among the\nmultitudinous charms of Japan.\n\nThe Beckoning Leaf\n\nThere is a certain Japanese tree, called _tegashiwa_, and its leaves in\nshape are not unlike a hand. In ancient days, when it was necessary for\na _samurai_ to leave his home, he received just before his departure a\n_tai_ (perch), which was served on the leaf of a _tegashiwa_ tree. This\nwas his farewell repast, and when the _samurai_ had eaten the fish the\nleaf was hung over the door, in the belief that it would guard him on\nhis journey, and bring him safely back to his home again. It was not\nthe shape, but the movement of the _tegashiwa_ leaf that gave rise to\nthis pleasing fancy, for the leaf, when blown by the wind, appeared to\nbeckon after the graceful Japanese manner.\n\n\nBimbogami\n\nDry peas are usually found to be efficacious in driving away evil\nspirits, but Bimbogami, the God of Poverty, is not so easily overcome.\nThere is something pathetic in the idea that poverty should be regarded\nas an obstinate and most unwelcome fellow, for at this point we touch\nreality. However, though Bimbogami takes no notice of dry peas, he may\nbe vanquished by other means.\n\nThe charcoal fire in a Japanese kitchen is blown into a cheerful\nglow by means of a utensil called _hifukidake_, a bamboo tube--a\nmore artistic and simple form of bellows, where the inflated cheeks\ntake the place of our hand-moved leather bag. Before long the bamboo\ntube cracks with the intense heat. When this takes place a copper\ncoin is put inside the tube, an incantation is uttered, and then the\n\"fire-blow-tube\" is thrown either into the street or into a stream.\nThis throwing away of the useless bamboo of the kitchen is always\nsupposed to signify the forced departure of Bimbogami. Most of us are\nfamiliar with what is known as the Death-spider that ticks like a watch\nin our walls. In Japan it is called _Bimbomushi_, \"Poverty-Insect.\"\nIts ticking does not foretell the coming of Death, as is the belief in\nour own country, but it denotes the unwelcome presence of the God of\nPoverty in the Japanese home.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: This variety of divination is of particular interest, for\nthe rod symbolises the God of Roads, the Deity created from Izanagi's\nstaff, which, it will be remembered, he flung behind him when pursued\nin the Under-world by the Eight Ugly Females.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIX: SUPERNATURAL BEINGS\n\n\nThe Kappa\n\nThe _Kappa_ is a river goblin, a hairy creature with the body of a\ntortoise and scaly limbs. His head somewhat resembles that of an ape,\nin the top of which there is a cavity containing a mysterious fluid,\nsaid to be the source of the creature's power. The chief delight of\nthe _Kappa_ is to challenge human beings to single combat, and the\nunfortunate man who receives an invitation of this kind cannot refuse.\nThough the _Kappa_ is fierce and quarrelsome, he is, nevertheless,\nextremely polite. The wayfarer who receives his peremptory summons\ngives the goblin a profound bow. The courteous _Kappa_ acknowledges the\nobeisance, and in inclining his head the strength-giving liquid runs\nout from the hollow in his cranium, and becoming feeble, his warlike\ncharacteristics immediately disappear. To defeat the _Kappa_, however,\nis just as unfortunate as to receive a beating at his hands, for the\nmomentary glory of the conquest is rapidly followed by a wasting away\nof the unfortunate wayfarer. The _Kappa_ possesses the propensities of\na vampire, for he strikes people in the water, as they bathe in lake or\nriver, and sucks their blood. In a certain part of Japan the _Kappa_ is\nsaid to claim two victims every year. When they emerge from the water\ntheir skin becomes blanched, and they gradually pine away as the result\nof a terrible disease.\n\nIn Izumo the village people refer to the _Kappa_ as _Kawako_ (\"The\nChild of the River\"). Near Matsue there is a little hamlet called\nKawachi-mura, and on the bank of the river Kawachi there is a small\ntemple known as Kawako-no-miya, that is, the temple of the _Kawako_\nor _Kappa_, said to contain a document signed by this river goblin.\nConcerning this document the following legend is recorded.\n\n[Illustration: The Kappa and his Victim.--350]\n\nThe Kappa's Promise\n\nIn ancient days a _Kappa_ dwelt in the river Kawachi, and he made\na practice of seizing and destroying a number of villagers, and in\naddition many of their domestic animals. On one occasion a horse went\ninto the river, and the _Kappa_, in trying to capture it, in some way\ntwisted his neck, but in spite of considerable pain he refused to\nlet his victim go. The frightened horse sprang up the river bank and\nran into a neighbouring field with the Kappa still holding on to the\nterrified animal. The owner of the horse, together with many villagers,\nsecurely bound the Child of the River. \"Let us kill this horrible\ncreature,\" said the peasants, \"for he has assuredly committed many\nhorrible crimes, and we should do well to be rid of such a dreadful\nmonster.\" \"No,\" replied the owner of the horse, \"we will not kill him.\nWe will make him swear never to destroy any of the inhabitants or the\ndomestic animals of this village.\" A document was accordingly prepared,\nand the _Kappa_ was asked to peruse it, and when he had done so to sign\nhis name. \"I cannot write,\" replied the penitent _Kappa_, \"but I will\ndip my hand in ink and press it upon the document.\" When the creature\nhad made his inky mark, he was released and allowed to return to the\nriver, and from that day to this the _Kappa_ has remained true to his\npromise.\n\nThe Tengu\n\nWe have already referred to the _Tengu_ in the story of Yoshitsune and\nBenkei.[1] In this legend it will be remembered that Yoshitsune, one\nof the greatest warriors of Old Japan, learnt the art of swordsmanship\nfrom the King of the _Tengu_. Professor B. H. Chamberlain describes\nthe _Tengu_ as \"a class of goblins or gnomes that haunt the mountains\nand woodlands, and play many pranks. They have an affinity to birds;\nfor they are winged and beaked, sometimes clawed. But often the beak\nbecomes a large and enormously long human nose, and the whole creature\nis conceived as human, nothing bird-like remaining but the fan of\nfeathers with which it fans itself. It is often dressed in leaves,\nand wears on its head a tiny cap.\" In brief, the _Tengu_ are minor\ndivinities, and are supreme in the art of fencing, and, indeed, in the\nuse of weapons generally. The ideographs with which the name is written\nsignify \"heavenly dog,\" which is misleading, for the creature bears\nno resemblance to a dog, and is, as we have already described, partly\nhuman and partly bird-like in appearance. There are other confusing\ntraditions in regard to the word _Tengu_, for it is said that the\nEmperor Jomei gave the name to a certain meteor \"which whirled from\neast to west with a loud detonation.\" Then, again, a still more ancient\nbelief informs us that the _Tengu_ were emanations from Susa-no-o, the\nImpetuous Male, and again, that they were female demons with heads of\nbeasts and great ears and noses of such enormous length that they could\ncarry men on them and fly with their suspended burden for thousands\nof miles without fatigue, and in addition their teeth were so strong\nand so sharp that these female demons could bite through swords and\nspears. The _Tengu_ is still believed to inhabit certain forests and\nthe recesses of high mountains. Generally speaking, the _Tengu_ is not\na malevolent being, for he possesses a keen sense of humour, and is\nfond of a practical joke. Sometimes, however, the _Tengu_ mysteriously\nhides human beings, and when finally they return to their homes they\ndo so in a demented condition. This strange occurrence is known as\n_Tengu-kakushi_, or hidden by a _Tengu_.\n\nTobikawa Imitates a Tengu\n\nTobikawa, an ex-wrestler who lived in Matsue, spent his time in hunting\nand killing foxes. He did not believe in the various superstitions\nconcerning this animal, and it was generally believed that his great\nstrength made him immune from the witchcraft of foxes. However, there\nwere some people of Matsue who prophesied that Tobikawa would come\nto an untimely end as the result of his daring deeds and disbelief\nin supernatural powers. Tobikawa was extremely fond of practical\njokes, and on one occasion he had the hardihood to imitate the general\nappearance of a _Tengu_, feathers, long nose, claws, and all. Having\nthus disguised himself he climbed up into a tree belonging to a sacred\ngrove. Presently the peasants observed him, and deeming the creature\nthey saw to be a _Tengu_, they began to worship him and to place many\nofferings about the tree. Alas! the dismal prophecy came true, for\nwhile the merry Tobikawa was trying to imitate the acrobatic antics of\na _Tengu_, he slipped from a branch and was killed.\n\nThe Adventures of Kiuchi Heizayemon\n\nWe have already referred to the _Tengu-kakushi_, and the following\nlegend gives a graphic account of this supernatural occurrence.\n\nOne evening, Kiuchi Heizayemon, a retainer, mysteriously disappeared.\nKiuchi's friends, when they heard of what had taken place, searched\nfor him in every direction. Eventually they discovered the missing\nman's clogs, scabbard, and sword; but the sheath was bent like the\ncurved handle of a tea-kettle. They had no sooner made this lamentable\ndiscovery than they also perceived Kiuchi's girdle, which had been cut\ninto three pieces. At midnight, those who searched heard a strange cry,\na voice calling for help. Suzuki Shichiro, one of the party, chanced\nto look up, and he saw a strange creature with wings standing upon the\nroof of a temple. When the rest of the band had joined their comrade,\nthey all looked upon the weird figure, and one said: \"I believe it\nis nothing but an umbrella flapping in the wind.\" \"Let us make quite\nsure,\" replied Suzuki Shichiro, and with these words he lifted up his\nvoice, and cried loudly: \"Are you the lost Kiuchi?\" \"Yes,\" was the\nreply, \"and I pray that you will take me down from this temple as\nspeedily as possible.\"\n\nWhen Kiuchi had been brought down from the temple roof, he fainted, and\nremained in a swoon for three days. At length, gaining consciousness,\nhe gave the following account of his strange adventure:\n\n\"The evening when I disappeared I heard some one shouting my name over\nand over again, and going out I discovered a black-robed monk, bawling\n'Heizayemon!' Beside the monk stood a man of great stature; his face\nwas red, and his dishevelled hair fell upon the ground. 'Climb up on\nyonder roof,' he shouted fiercely. I refused to obey such an evil-faced\nvillain, and drew my sword, but in a moment he bent the blade and broke\nmy scabbard into fragments. Then my girdle was roughly torn off and\ncut into three pieces. When these things had been done, I was carried\nto a roof, and there severely chastised. But this was not the end of\nmy trouble, for after I had been beaten, I was forced to seat myself\non a round tray. In a moment I was whirled into the air, and the tray\ncarried me with great speed to many regions. When it appeared to me\nthat I had travelled through space for ten days, I prayed to the\nLord Buddha, and found myself on what appeared to be the summit of a\nmountain, but in reality it was the roof of the temple whence you, my\ncomrades, rescued me.\"\n\nA Modern Belief in the Tengu\n\nCaptain Brinkley, in _Japan and China_, informs us that as late as\n1860 the officials of the Yedo Government showed their belief in\nsupernatural beings. Prior to the visit of the _Sh\u014dgun_ to Nikko, they\ncaused the following notice to be exhibited in the vicinity of the\nmausolea:\n\n\"TO THE TENGU AND OTHER DEMONS\n\n        \"Whereas our _Sh\u014dgun_ intends to visit the Nikko\n        Mausolea next April, now therefore ye _Tengu_ and other\n        Demons inhabiting these mountains must remove elsewhere\n        until the _Sh\u014dgun's_ visit is concluded.\n\n                                \"(Signed) Mizuno, Lord of Dewa.\n                                     \"Dated July 1860.\"\n\n\n\nThe local officials were not content with a notice of this kind. After\nduly notifying the _Tengu_ and other demons of the coming of the\n_Sh\u014dgun_, the exact mountains were specified where these creatures\nmight live during the ruler's visit.\n\nThe Mountain Woman and the Mountain Man\n\nThe Mountain Woman's body is covered with long white hair. She is\nlooked upon as an ogre (_kijo_), and, as such, figures in Japanese\nromance. She has cannibalistic tendencies, and is able to fly about\nlike a moth and traverse pathless mountains with ease.\n\nThe Mountain Man is said to resemble a great darkhaired monkey. He\nis extremely strong, and thinks nothing of stealing food from the\nvillages. He is, however, always ready to assist woodcutters, and will\ngladly carry their timber for them in exchange for a ball of rice.\nIt is useless to capture or kill him, for an attack of any kind upon\nthe Mountain Man brings misfortune, and sometimes death, upon the\nassailants.\n\nSennin\n\nThe _Sennin_ are mountain recluses, and many are the legends told in\nconnection with them. Though they have human form, they are, at the\nsame time, immortal, and adepts in the magical arts. The first great\nJapanese _sennin_ was Y\u014dsh\u014d, who was born at Noto A.D. 870. Just before\nhis birth his mother dreamt that she had swallowed the sun, a dream\nthat foretold the miraculous power of her child. Y\u014dsh\u014d was studious\nand devout, and spent most of his time in studying the \"Lotus of the\nLaw.\" He lived very simply indeed, and at length reduced his diet to\na single grain of millet a day. He departed from the earth A.D. 901,\nhaving attained much supernatural power. He left his mantle hanging\non the branch of a tree, together with a scroll bearing these words:\n\"I bequeath my mantle to Emmei of Dogen-ji.\" In due time Emmei became\na _sennin_, and, like his master, was able to perform many marvels.\nShortly after Y\u014dsh\u014d's disappearance his father became seriously ill,\nand he prayed most ardently that he might see his well-loved son again.\nIn reply to his prayers, Y\u014dsh\u014d's voice was heard overhead reciting the\n\"Lotus of the Law.\" When he had concluded his recitations, he said to\nhis stricken father: \"If flowers are offered and incense burned on the\n18th of every month, my spirit will descend and greet you, drawn by the\nperfume of the flowers and the blue smoke of incense.\"\n\n\nSennin in Art\n\n_Sennin_ are frequently depicted in Japanese art: Chokoro releasing\nhis magic horse from a gigantic gourd; Gama with his wizard toad;\nTekkai blowing his soul into space; Roko balancing himself on a flying\ntortoise; and Kum\u00e9, who fell from his chariot of cloud because,\ncontrary to his holy calling, he loved the image of a fair girl\nreflected in a stream.\n\nMiraculous Lights\n\nThere are many varieties of fire apparitions in Japan. There is the\nghost-fire, demon-light, fox-flame, flash-pillar, badger-blaze,\ndragon-torch, and lamp of Buddha. In addition supernatural fire is said\nto emanate from certain birds, such as the blue heron, through the\nskin, mouth, and eyes. There are also fire-wheels, or messengers from\nHades, sea-fires, besides the flames that spring from the cemetery.\n\nA Globe of Fire\n\nFrom the beginning of March to the end of June there may be seen in the\nprovince of Settsu a globe of fire resting on the top of a tree, and\nwithin this globe there is a human face. In ancient days there once\nlived in Nikaido district of Settsu province a priest named Nik\u014db\u014d,\nfamous for his power to exorcise evil spirits and evil influences\nof every kind. When the local governor's wife fell sick, Nik\u014db\u014d was\nrequested to attend and see what he could do to restore her to health\nagain. Nik\u014db\u014d willingly complied, and spent many days by the bedside of\nthe suffering lady. He diligently practised his art of exorcism, and in\ndue time the governor's wife recovered. But the gentle and kind-hearted\nNik\u014db\u014d was not thanked for what he had done; on the contrary, the\ngovernor became jealous of him, accused him or a foul crime, and caused\nhim to be put to death. The soul of Nik\u014db\u014d flashed forth in its anger\nand took the form of a miraculous globe of fire, which hovered over the\nmurderer's house. The strange light, with the justly angry face peering\nfrom it, had its effect, for the governor was stricken with a fever\nthat finally killed him. Every year, at the time already indicated,\nNik\u014db\u014d's ghost pays a visit to the scene of its suffering and revenge.\n\nThe Ghostly Wrestlers\n\nIn Omi province, at the base of the Katada hills, there is a lake.\nDuring the cloudy nights of early autumn a ball of fire emerges from\nthe margin of the lake, expanding and contracting as it floats toward\nthe hills. When it rises to the height of a man it reveals two shining\nfaces, to develop slowly into the torsos of two naked wrestlers, locked\ntogether and struggling furiously. The ball of fire, with its fierce\ncombatants, floats slowly away to a recess in the Katada hills. It\nis harmless so long as no one interferes with it, but it resents any\neffort to retard its progress. According to a legend concerning this\nphenomenon, we are informed that a certain wrestler, who had never\nsuffered a defeat, waited at midnight for the coming of this ball\nof fire. When it reached him he attempted to drag it down by force,\nbut the luminous globe proceeded on its way, and hurled the foolish\nwrestler to a considerable distance.\n\nBaku\n\nIn Japan, among superstitious people, evil dreams are believed to be\nthe result of evil spirits, and the supernatural creature called _Baku_\nis known as Eater of Dreams. The _Baku_ like so many mythological\nbeings, is a curious mingling of various animals. It has the face\nof a lion, the body of a horse, the tail of a cow, the forelock of a\nrhinoceros, and the feet of a tiger. Several evil dreams are mentioned\nin an old Japanese book, such as two snakes twined together, a fox\nwith the voice of a man, blood-stained garments, a talking rice-pot,\nand so on. When a Japanese peasant awakens from an evil nightmare, he\ncries: \"Devour, O _Baku_! devour my evil dream.\" At one time pictures\nof the _Baku_ were hung up in Japanese houses and its name written upon\npillows. It was believed that if the _Baku_ could be induced to eat\na horrible dream, the creature had the power to change it into good\nfortune.\n\nThe Shoj\u014d's White Sak\u00e9[2]\n\nThe _Shoj\u014d_ is a sea monster with bright red hair, and is extremely\nfond of drinking large quantities of sacred white _sak\u00e9_. The following\nlegend will give some account of this creature and the nature of his\nfavourite beverage.\n\nWe have already referred to the miraculous appearance of Mount Fuji.[3]\nOn the day following this alleged miracle a poor man named Yurine, who\nlived near this mountain, became extremely ill, and feeling that his\ndays were numbered, he desired to drink a cup of _sak\u00e9_ before he died.\nBut there was no rice wine in the little hut, and his boy, Koyuri,\ndesiring if possible to fulfil his father's dying wish, wandered along\nthe shore with a gourd in his hand. He had not gone far when he heard\nsome one calling his name. On looking about him he discovered two\nstrange-looking creatures with long red hair and skin the colour of\npink cherry-blossom, wearing green seaweed girdles about their loins.\nDrawing nearer, he perceived that these beings were drinking white\n_sak\u00e9_ from large flat cups, which they continually replenished from a\ngreat stone jar.\n\n\"My father is dying,\" said the boy, \"and he much desires to drink a cup\nof _sak\u00e9_ before he departs this life. But alas! we are poor, and I\nknow not how to grant him his last request.\"\n\n\"I will fill your gourd with this white _sak\u00e9_,\" replied one of the\ncreatures, and when he had done so Koyuri ran with haste to his father.\n\nThe old man drank the white _sak\u00e9_ eagerly. \"Bring me more,\" he cried,\n\"for this is no common wine. It has given me strength, and already I\nfeel new life flowing through my old veins.\"\n\nSo Koyuri returned to the seashore, and the red-haired creatures\ngladly gave him more of their wine; indeed, they supplied him with the\nbeverage for five days, and by the end of that time Yurine was restored\nto health again.\n\nNow Yurine's neighbour was a man called Mamikiko, and when he heard\nthat Yurine had recently obtained a copious supply of _sak\u00e9_ he grew\njealous, for above all things he loved a cup of rice wine. One day he\ncalled Koyuri and questioned him in regard to the matter, saying: \"Let\nme taste the _sak\u00e9_.\" He roughly snatched the gourd from the boy's\nhand and began to drink, making a wry face as he did so. \"This is not\n_sak\u00e9_!\" he exclaimed fiercely; \"it is filthy water,\" and having said\nthese words, he began to beat the boy, crying: \"Take me to those red\npeople you have told me about. I will get from them fine _sak\u00e9_, and\nlet the beating I have given you warn you never again to play a trick\nupon me.\"\n\nKoyuri and Mamikiko went along the shore together, and presently they\ncame to where the red-haired creatures were drinking. When Koyuri saw\nthem he began to weep.\n\n\"Why are you crying?\" said one of the creatures. \"Surely your good\nfather has not drunk all the _sak\u00e9_ already?\"\n\n\"No,\" replied the boy, \"but I have met with misfortune. This man I\nbring with me, Mamikiko by name, drank some of the _sak\u00e9_, spat it out\nimmediately, and threw the rest away, saying that I had played a trick\nupon him and given him foul water to drink. Be so good as to let me\nhave some more _sak\u00e9_ for my father.\"\n\nThe red-haired man filled the gourd, and chuckled over Mamikiko's\nunpleasant experience.\n\n\"I should also like a cup or _sak\u00e9_\" said Mamikiko. \"Will you let me\nhave some?\"\n\nPermission having been granted, the greedy Mamikiko filled the largest\ncup he could find, smiling over the delicious fragrance. But directly\nhe tasted the _sak\u00e9_ he felt sick, and angrily remonstrated with the\nred-haired creature.\n\nThe red man thus made answer: \"You are evidently not aware that I am\na _Shoj\u014d_, and that I live near the Sea Dragon's Palace. When I heard\nof the sudden appearance of Mount Fuji I came here to see it, assured\nthat such an event was a good omen and foretold of the prosperity and\nperpetuity of Japan. While enjoying the beauty of this fair mountain I\nmet Koyuri, and had the good fortune to save his honest father's life\nby giving him some of our sacred white _sak\u00e9_ that restores youth to\nhuman beings, together with an increase in years, while to _Shoj\u014d_ it\nvanquishes death. Koyuri's father is a good man, and the _sak\u00e9_ was\nthus able to exert its full and beneficent power upon him; but you are\ngreedy and selfish, and to all such this _sak\u00e9_ is poison.\"\n\n\"_Poison_?\" groaned the now contrite Mamikiko. \"Good _Shoj\u014d_, have\nmercy upon me and spare my life!\"\n\nThe _Shoj\u014d_ gave him a powder, saying: \"Swallow this in _sak\u00e9_ and\nrepent of your wickedness.\"\n\nMamikiko did so, and this time he found that the white _sak\u00e9_ was\ndelicious. He lost no time in making friends with Yurine, and some\nyears later these men took up their abode on the southern side of Mount\nFuji, brewed the _Shoj\u014d's_ white _sak\u00e9_, and lived for three hundred\nyears.\n\nThe Dragon\n\nThe Dragon is undoubtedly the most famous of mythical beasts, but,\nthough Chinese in origin, it has become intimately associated with\nJapanese mythology. The creature lives for the most part in the ocean,\nriver, or lake, but it has the power of flight and rules over clouds\nand tempests. The Dragon of China and Japan resemble each other,\nwith the exception that the Japanese variety has three claws, while\nthat of the Celestial Kingdom has five. The Chinese Emperor Yao was\nsaid to be the son of a dragon, and many rulers of that country were\nmetaphorically referred to as \"dragon-faced.\" The Dragon has the head\nof a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a hare, scales of a carp, paws of\na tiger, and claws resembling those of an eagle. In addition it has\nwhiskers, a bright jewel under its chin, and a measure on the top of\nits head which enables it to ascend to Heaven at will. This is merely\na general description and does not apply to all dragons, some of which\nhave heads of so extraordinary a kind that they cannot be compared with\nanything in the animal kingdom. The breath of the Dragon changes into\nclouds from which come either rain or fire. It is able to expand or\ncontract its body, and in addition it has the power of transformation\nand invisibility. In both Chinese and Japanese mythology the watery\nprinciple is associated with the Dragon, as we have already seen in the\nstory of Urashima, the Empress Jingo, and the adventures of Hoori, &c.\n\nThe Dragon (_Tatsu_) is one of the signs of the zodiac, and the four\nseas, which in the old Chinese conception limited the habitable earth,\nwere ruled over by four Dragon Kings. The Celestial Dragon ruled over\nthe Mansions of the Gods, the Spiritual Dragon presided over rain, the\nEarth Dragon marked the courses of rivers, and the Dragon or Hidden\nTreasure guarded precious metals and stones.\n\nA white Dragon, which lived in a pond at Yamashiro, transformed\nitself every fifty years into a bird called _O-Goncho_, with a voice\nresembling the howling of a wolf. Whenever this bird appeared it\nbrought with it a great famine. On one occasion, while Fuk Hi was\nstanding by the Yellow River, the Yellow Dragon presented him with a\nscroll inscribed with mystic characters. This tradition is said to be\nthe legendary origin of the Chinese system of writing.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: _See_ Chapter II.]\n\n[Footnote 2: Adapted from _Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan_, by R.\nGordon Smith.]\n\n[Footnote 3: See Chapter IX.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXX: THE TRANSFORMATION OF ISSUNBOSHI, AND KINTARO, THE GOLDEN\nBOY\n\n\nA Prayer to the Empress Jingo\n\nAn old married couple went to the shrine of the deified Empress\nJingo,[1] and prayed that they might be blessed with a child, even\nif it were no bigger than one of their fingers. A voice was heard\nfrom behind the bamboo curtain of the shrine, and the old people were\ninformed that their wish would be granted.\n\nIn due time the old woman gave birth to a child, and when she and her\nhusband discovered that this miniature piece of humanity was no bigger\nthan a little finger, they became extremely angry, and thought that the\nEmpress Jingo had treated them very meanly indeed, though, as a matter\nof fact, she had fulfilled their prayer to the letter.\n\n\"One-Inch Priest\"\n\nThe little fellow was called Issunboshi (\"One-Inch Priest\"), and every\nday his parents expected to see him suddenly grow up as other boys; but\nat thirteen years of age he still remained the same size as when he was\nborn. Gradually his parents became exasperated, for it wounded their\nvanity to hear the neighbours describe their son as Little Finger, or\nGrain-of-Corn. They were so much annoyed that at last they determined\nto send Issunboshi away.\n\nThe little fellow did not complain. He requested his mother to give him\na needle, a small soup-bowl, and a chop-stick, and with these things he\nset off on his adventures.\n\n\nIssunboshi becomes a Page\n\nHis soup-bowl served as a boat, which he propelled along the river with\nhis chop-stick. In this fashion he finally reached Ky\u014dto. Issunboshi\nwandered about this city until he saw a large roofed gate. Without the\nleast hesitation he walked in, and having reached the porch of a house,\nhe cried out in a very minute voice: \"I beg an honourable inquiry!\"\n\nPrince Sanjo himself heard the little voice, and it was some time\nbefore he could discover where it came from. When he did so he was\ndelighted with his discovery, and on the little fellow begging that he\nmight live in the Prince's house, his request was readily granted. The\nboy became a great favourite, and was at once made the Princess Sanjo's\npage. In this capacity he accompanied his mistress everywhere, and\nthough so very small, he fully appreciated the honour and dignity of\nhis position.\n\nAn Encounter with Oni\n\nOne day the Princess Sanjo and her page went to the Temple of Kwannon,\nthe Goddess of Mercy, \"under whose feet are dragons of the elements and\nthe lotuses of Purity.\" As they were leaving the temple two _oni_ (evil\nspirits) sprang upon them. Issunboshi took out his needle-sword from\nits hollow straw, and loudly denouncing the _oni_, he flourished his\nsmall weapon in their evil-looking faces.\n\nOne of the creatures laughed. \"Why,\" said he scornfully, \"I could\nswallow you, as a cormorant swallows a trout, and what is more, my\nfunny little bean-seed, I will do so!\"\n\nThe _oni_ opened his mouth, and Issunboshi found himself slipping\ndown a huge throat until he finally stood in the creature's great\ndark stomach. Issunboshi, nothing daunted, began boring away with his\nneedle-sword. This made the evil spirit cry out and give a great cough,\nwhich sent the little fellow into the sunny world again.\n\nThe second _oni_, who had witnessed his companion's distress, was\nextremely angry, and tried to swallow the remarkable little page, but\nwas not successful. This time Issunboshi climbed up the creature's\nnostril, and when he had reached the end of what seemed to him to be a\nvery long and gloomy tunnel, he began piercing the _oni's_ eyes. The\ncreature, savage with pain, ran off as fast as he could, followed by\nhis yelling companion.\n\nNeedless to say, the Princess was delighted with her page's bravery,\nand told him that she was sure her father would reward him when he was\ntold about the terrible encounter.\n\nThe Magic Mallet\n\nOn their way home the Princess happened to pick up a small wooden\nmallet. \"Oh!\" said she, \"this must have been dropped by the wicked\n_oni_, and it is none other than a lucky mallet. You have only to\nwish and then tap it upon the ground, and your wish, no matter what,\nis always granted. My brave Issunboshi, tell me what you would most\ndesire, and I will tap the mallet on the ground.\"\n\nAfter a pause the little fellow said: \"Honourable Princess, I should\nlike to be as big as other people.\"\n\nThe Princess tapped the mallet on the ground, calling aloud the wish of\nher page. In a moment Issunboshi was transformed from a bijou creature\nto a lad just like other youths of his age.\n\nThese wonderful happenings excited the curiosity of the Emperor, and\nIssunboshi was summoned to his presence. The Emperor was so delighted\nwith the youth that he gave him many gifts and made him a high\nofficial. Finally, Issunboshi became a great lord and married Prince\nSanjo's youngest daughter.\n\nKintaro, the Golden Boy\n\nSakata Kurando was an officer of the Emperor's bodyguard, and though\nhe was a brave man, well versed in the art of war, he had a gentle\ndisposition, and during his military career chanced to love a beautiful\nlady named Ya\u00e9giri. Kurando eventually fell into disgrace, and was\nforced to leave the Court and to become a travelling tobacco merchant.\nYa\u00e9giri, who was much distressed by her lover's flight, succeeded in\nescaping from her home, and wandered up and down the country in the\nhope of meeting Kurando. At length she found him, but the unfortunate\nman, who, no doubt, felt deeply his disgrace and his humble mode of\nliving, put an end to his humiliation by taking his miserable life.\n\nAnimal Companions\n\nWhen Ya\u00e9giri had buried her lover she went to the Ashigara Mountain,\nwhere she gave birth to a child, called Kintaro, or the Golden Boy. Now\nKintaro was remarkable for his extreme strength. When only a few years\nold his mother gave him an axe, with which he felled trees as quickly\nand easily as an experienced woodcutter. Ashigara Mountain was a lonely\nand desolate spot, and as there were no children with whom Kintaro\ncould play, he made companions of the bear, deer, hare, and monkey, and\nin a very short time was able to speak their strange language.\n\nOne day, when Kintaro was sitting on the mountain, with his favourites\nabout him, he sought to amuse himself by getting his companions to\njoin in a friendly wrestling match. A kindly old bear was delighted\nwith the proposal, and at once set to work to dig up the earth and\narrange it in the form of a small da\u00efs. When this had been made a\nhare and a monkey wrestled together, while a deer stood by to give\nencouragement and to see that the sport was conducted fairly. Both\nanimals proved themselves to be equally strong, and Kintaro tactfully\nrewarded them with tempting rice-cakes.\n\nAfter spending a pleasant afternoon in this way, Kintaro proceeded to\nreturn home, followed by his devoted friends. At length they came to\na river, and the animals were wondering how they should cross such a\nwide stretch of water, when Kintaro put his strong arms round a tree\nwhich was growing on the bank, and pulled it across the river so that\nit formed a bridge. Now it happened that the famous hero, Yorimitsu,\nand his retainers witnessed this extraordinary feat of strength, and\nsaid to Watana\u00e9 Isuna: \"This child is truly remarkable. Go and find out\nwhere he lives and all about him.\"\n\nA Famous Warrior\n\nSo Watanab\u00e9 Isuna followed Kintaro and entered the house where he lived\nwith his mother. \"My master,\" said he, \"Lord Yorimitsu, bids me find\nout who your wonderful son is.\" When Ya\u00e9giri had narrated the story of\nher life and informed her visitor that her little one was the son of\nSakata Kurando, the retainer departed and told Yorimitsu all he had\nheard.\n\nYorimitsu was so pleased with what Watanab\u00e9 Isuna told him that he went\nhimself to Ya\u00e9giri, and said: \"If you will give me your child I will\nmake him my retainer.\" The woman gladly consented, and the Golden\nBoy went away with the great hero, who named him Sakata Kintoki. He\neventually became a famous warrior, and the stories of his wonderful\ndeeds are recited to this day. Children regard him as their favourite\nhero, and little boys, who would fain emulate the strength and bravery\nof Sakata Kintoki, carry his portrait in their bosoms.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: Deifying the mighty dead is one of the teachings of\nShint\u014dism.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXI: MISCELLANEOUS LEGENDS\n\n\nKato Sayemon\n\nKato Sayemon lived in the palace of the Sh\u014dgun Ashikaga, where he had\nhis separate apartments, and as there was no war at that time, he\nremained contentedly with his wife and concubines. Kato Sayemon was a\nman who loved luxury and ease, and he regarded domestic peace as the\ngreatest of all earthly blessings. He honestly believed that among all\nhis smiling, courteous women there was nothing but harmony, and this\nthought made life particularly sweet to him.\n\nOne evening Kato Sayemon went into the palace garden and was enchanted\nby the ever-moving cloud of fireflies, and he was scarcely less pleased\nwith the gentle song of certain insects. \"What a charming scene,\"\nmurmured Sayemon, \"and what a charming world we live in! Bows and\nsmiles and abject humility from my women. Oh, it's all very wonderful\nand very delightful! I would have life always so.\"\n\nThus voicing his thoughts in this self-satisfied manner, he chanced to\npass his wife's room, and peeped in with a loving and benevolent eye.\nHe observed that his wife was playing _go_ with one of his concubines.\n\"Such polite decorum,\" murmured Sayemon. \"Surely their words are as\nsweet as honey and as soft and fair as finely spun silk. But stay! What\nstrange thing is this? The hair of my wife and the hair of my concubine\nhave turned into snakes that twist and rear their heads in anger.\nAll the time these women smile and bow and move their pieces with\nwell-ordered charm and grace. Gentle words come from their lips, but\nthe snakes of their hair mock them, for these twisting reptiles tell\nof bitter jealousy in their hearts.\"\n\n[Illustration: Kato Sayemon in his Palace of the Sh\u014dgun Ashikaga.--370]\n\nSayemon's beautiful dream of domestic happiness was for ever shattered.\n\"I will go forth,\" said he, \"and become a Buddhist priest. I will leave\nbehind the hot malice and envy of my wife and concubines, and in the\nteaching of the Blessed One I shall indeed find true peace.\"\n\nThe next morning Sayemon left the palace secretly, and though search\nwas made for him, he could not be found. About a week later Sayemon's\nwife reduced the establishment and lived quietly with her little son,\nIshidomaro. Two years went by and still there came no news of her\nhusband.\n\nAt length Sayemon's wife and child went in search of the missing man.\nFor five years they wandered about the country, till at length they\ncame to a little village in Kishu, where an old man informed the weary\nand travel-stained wanderers that Sayemon was now a priest, and that a\nyear ago he lived in the temple of Kongobuji, on Mount Koya.\n\nThe next day the woman and her son found that at the temple of\nKongobuji no women were permitted to enter, so Ishidomaro, after\ncarefully listening to his mother's instructions, ascended the mountain\nalone. When the boy, after a long and arduous climb, reached the\ntemple, he saw a monk, and said: \"Does a priest called Kato Sayemon\nlive here? I am his little son, and my good mother awaits me in yonder\nvalley. Five years we have sought for him, and the love that is in our\nhearts will surely find him.\"\n\nThe priest, who was none other than Sayemon himself, thus addressed his\nson: \"I am sorry to think that your journey has been in vain, for no\none of the name of Kato Sayemon lives in this temple.\"\n\nSayemon spoke with outward coldness, but within his heart there was a\nstruggle between his religion and love for his son. Knowing, however,\nthat he had left his wife and child well provided for, he yielded to\nthe teaching of the Lord Buddha and crushed out his parental feelings.\n\nIshidomaro, however, was not satisfied, for he felt instinctively\nthat the man before him was in reality his father, and once again he\naddressed the priest: \"Good sir, on my left eye there is a mole, and\nmy mother told me that on the left eye of my father there is a similar\nmark, by which I might at once recognise him. You have the very mark,\nand in my heart I know that you are my father.\" And having said these\nwords the boy wept bitterly, longing for arms that never came to caress\nand soothe the unhappy little fellow.\n\nSayemon's feelings were again stirred; but with a great effort to\nconceal his emotion, he said: \"The mark of which you speak is very\ncommon. I am certainly not your father, and you had better dry your\neyes and seek him elsewhere.\" With these words the priest left the boy\nin order to attend an evening service.\n\nSayemon continued to live in the temple. He had found peace in serving\nthe Lord Buddha, and he cared not what became of his wife and child.\n\nHow an Old Man lost his Wen\n\nThere was once an old man who had a wen on his right cheek. This\ndisfigurement caused him a good deal of annoyance, and he had spent a\nconsiderable sum of money in trying to get rid of it. He took various\nmedicines and applied many lotions, but instead of the wen disappearing\nor even diminishing, it increased in size.\n\nOne night, while the old man was returning home laden with firewood,\nhe was overtaken by a terrible thunderstorm, and was forced to seek\nshelter in a hollow tree. When the storm had abated, and just as\nhe was about to proceed on his journey, he was surprised to hear a\nsound of merriment close at hand. On peeping out from his place of\nretreat, he was amazed to see a number of demons dancing and singing\nand drinking. Their dancing was so strange that the old man, forgetting\ncaution, began to laugh, and eventually left the tree in order that he\nmight see the performance better. As he stood watching, he saw that\na demon was dancing by himself, and, moreover, that the chief of the\ncompany was none too pleased with his very clumsy antics. At length\nthe leader of the demons said: \"Enough! Is there no one who can dance\nbetter than this fellow?\"\n\nWhen the old man heard these words, it seemed that his youth returned\nto him again, and having at one time been an expert dancer, he offered\nto show his skill. So the old man danced before that strange gathering\nof demons, who congratulated him on his performance, offered him a cup\nof _sak\u00e9_, and begged that he would give them the pleasure of several\nother dances.\n\nThe old man was extremely gratified by the way he had been received,\nand when the chief of the demons asked him to dance before them on the\nfollowing night, he readily complied. \"That is well,\" said the chief,\n\"but you must leave some pledge behind you. I see that you have a wen\non your right cheek, and that will make an excellent pledge. Allow me\nto take it off for you.\" Without inflicting any pain, the chief removed\nthe wen, and having accomplished this extraordinary feat, he and his\ncompanions suddenly vanished.\n\nThe old man, as he walked towards his home, kept on feeling his right\ncheek with his hand, and could scarcely realise that after many\nyears of disfigurement he had at last the good fortune to lose his\ntroublesome and unsightly wen. At length he entered his humble abode,\nand his old wife was none the less pleased with what had taken place.\n\nA wicked and cantankerous old man lived next door to this good old\ncouple. For many years he had been afflicted with a wen on his left\ncheek, which had failed to yield to all manner of medical treatment.\nWhen he heard of his neighbour's good fortune, he called upon him and\nlistened to the strange adventures with the demons. The good old man\ntold his neighbour where he might find the hollow tree, and advised him\nto hide in it just before sunset.\n\nThe wicked old man found the hollow tree and entered it. He had not\nremained concealed more than a few minutes when he rejoiced to see the\ndemons. Presently one of the company said: \"The old man is a long time\ncoming. I made sure he would keep his promise.\"\n\nAt these words the old man crept out of his hiding-place, flourished\nhis fan, and began to dance; but, unfortunately, he knew nothing about\ndancing, and his extraordinary antics caused the demons to express\nconsiderable dissatisfaction. \"You dance extremely ill,\" said one of\nthe company, \"and the sooner you stop the better we shall be pleased;\nbut before you depart we will return the pledge you left with us last\nnight.\" Having uttered these words, the demon flung the wen at the\nright cheek of the old man, where it remained firmly fixed, and could\nnot be removed. So the wicked old man, who had tried to deceive the\ndemons, went away with a wen on either side of his face.\n\nA Japanese Gulliver[1]\n\nShikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye was a man of Nagasaki, and possessed considerable\nlearning, but disliked visitors. On the eighth day of the eighth\nmonth, in order to escape the admirers of the full moon, he set off\nin his boat, and had proceeded some distance, when the sky looked\nthreatening, and he attempted to return, but the wind tore his sail\nand broke his mast. The poor man was tossed for three months on the\nwaves, until at last he came to the Sea of Mud, where he nearly died of\nhunger, for there were no fishes to be caught.\n\nAt length he reached a mountainous island, where the air was sweet with\nthe fragrance of many flowers, and in this island he found a spring,\nthe waters of which revived him. At length Was\u014dbi\u014dye met Jofuku, who\nled him through the streets of the main city, where all the inhabitants\nwere spending their time in pursuit of pleasure. There was no death\nor disease on this island; but the fact that here life was eternal\nwas regarded by many as a burden, which they tried to shake off by\nstudying the magic art of death and the power of poisonous food, such\nas globe-fish sprinkled with soot and the flesh of mermaids.\n\nWhen twenty years had passed by Was\u014dbi\u014dye grew weary of the island, and\nas he had failed in his attempts to take his life, he started upon a\njourney to the Three Thousand Worlds mentioned in Buddhist Scriptures.\nHe then visited the Land of Endless Plenty, the Land of Shams, the Land\nof the Followers of the Antique, the Land of Paradoxes, and, finally,\nthe Land of Giants.\n\nAfter Was\u014dbi\u014dye had spent five months riding on the back of a stork\nthrough total darkness, he at length reached a country where the sun\nshone again, where trees were hundreds of feet in girth, where weeds\nwere as large as bamboos, and men sixty feet in height. In this strange\nland a giant picked up Was\u014dbi\u014dye, took him to his house, and fed him\nfrom a single grain of monster rice, with chopsticks the size of a\nsmall tree. For a few weeks Was\u014dbi\u014dye attempted to catechise his host\nin regard to the doctrines of the old world whence he came, but the\ngiant laughed at him and told him that such a small man could not be\nexpected to understand the ways of big people, for their intelligences\nwere in like proportion to their size.\n\nThe Jewel-tears of Sam\u00e9bito\n\nOne day, while T\u014dtar\u014d was crossing the Long Bridge of S\u00e9ta, he saw a\nstrange-looking creature. It had the body of a man, with a skin blacker\nthan that of a negro; its eyes glowed like emeralds, and its beard was\nlike the beard of a dragon. T\u014dtar\u014d was not a little startled at seeing\nsuch an extraordinary being; but there was so much pathos in its green\neyes that T\u014dtar\u014d ventured to ask questions, to which the strange fellow\nreplied:\n\n\"I am Sam\u00e9bito [\"A Shark-Person\"], and quite recently I was in the\nservice of the Eight Great Dragon Kings as a subordinate officer in the\nDragon Palace. I was dismissed from this glorious dwelling for a very\nslight fault, and I was even banished from the sea. Ever since I have\nbeen extremely miserable, without a place of shelter, and unable to get\nfood. Pity me, good sir! Find me shelter, and give me something to eat!\"\n\nT\u014dtar\u014d's heart was touched by Sam\u00e9bito's humility, and he took him to a\npond in his garden and there gave him a liberal supply of food. In this\nquiet and secluded spot this strange creature of the sea remained for\nnearly half a year.\n\n[Illustration: T\u014dtar\u014d and Sam\u00e9bito.--376]\n\nNow in the summer of that year there was a great female pilgrimage to\nthe temple called Miidera, situated in the neighbouring town of \u014ctsu.\nT\u014dtar\u014d attended the festival, and there saw an extremely charming girl.\n\"Her face was fair and pure as snow; and the loveliness of her lips\nassured the beholder that their very utterance would sound 'as sweet\nas the voice of a nightingale singing upon a plum-tree.'\"\n\nT\u014dtar\u014d at once fell in love with this maiden. He discovered that her\nname was Tamana, that she was unmarried, and would remain so unless\na young man could present her with a betrothal gift of a casket\ncontaining no fewer than ten thousand jewels.\n\nWhen T\u014dtar\u014d learnt that this fair girl was only to be won by what\nseemed to him an impossible gift, he returned home with a heavy heart.\nThe more he thought about the beautiful Tamana, the more he fell in\nlove with her. But alas! no one less wealthy than a prince could make\nsuch a betrothal gift--ten thousand jewels!\n\nT\u014dtar\u014d worried himself into an illness, and when a physician came to\nsee him, he shook his head, and said: \"I can do nothing for you, for no\nmedicine will cure the sickness of love.\" And with these words he left\nhim.\n\nNow Sam\u00e9bito gained tidings of the sickness of his master, and when\nthe sad news reached him, he left the garden pond and entered T\u014dtar\u014d's\nchamber.\n\nT\u014dtar\u014d did not speak about his own troubles. He was full of concern for\nthe welfare of this creature of the sea. \"Who will feed you, Sam\u00e9bito,\nwhen I am gone?\" said he mournfully.\n\nWhen Sam\u00e9bito saw that his good master was dying, he uttered a strange\ncry, and began to weep. He wept great tears of blood, but when they\ntouched the floor they suddenly turned into glowing rubies.\n\nWhen T\u014dtar\u014d saw these jewel-tears he shouted for joy, and new life came\nback to him from that hour. \"I shall live! I shall live!\" he cried with\ngreat delight. \"My good friend, you have more than repaid me for the\nfood and shelter I have given you. Your wonderful tears have brought me\nuntold happiness.\"\n\nThen Sam\u00e9bito stopped weeping, and asked his master to be so good as to\nexplain the nature of his speedy recovery.\n\nSo T\u014dtar\u014d told the Shark-Man of his love-affair and of the\nmarriage-gift demanded by the family of Tamana. \"I thought,\" added\nT\u014dtar\u014d, \"that I should never be able to get ten thousand jewels, and it\nwas that thought that brought me so near to death. Now your tears have\nturned into jewels, and with these the maid will become my wife.\"\n\nT\u014dtar\u014d proceeded to count the jewels with great eagerness. \"Not enough!\nNot enough!\" he exclaimed with considerable disappointment. \"Oh,\nSam\u00e9bito, be so good as to weep a little more!\"\n\nThese words made Sam\u00e9bito angry. \"Do you think,\" said he, \"I can weep\nat will like women? My tears come from the heart, the outward sign of\ntrue and deep sorrow. I can weep no longer, for you are well again.\nSurely the time has come for laughter and merrymaking, and not for\ntears.\"\n\n\"Unless I get ten thousand jewels, I cannot marry the fair Tamana,\"\nsaid T\u014dtar\u014d. \"What am I to do? Oh, good friend, weep, weep!\"\n\nSam\u00e9bito was a kindly creature. After a pause, he said: \"I can shed no\nmore tears to-day. Let us go to-morrow to the Long Bridge of S\u00e9ta, and\ntake with us a good supply of wine and fish. It may be that as I sit\non the bridge and gaze toward the Dragon Palace, I shall weep again,\nthinking of my lost home, and longing to return once more.\"\n\nOn the morrow they went to the S\u00e9ta Bridge, and after Sam\u00e9bito had\ntaken a good deal of wine, he gazed in the direction of the Dragon\nKingdom. As he did so his eyes filled with tears, red tears that turned\ninto rubies as soon as they touched the bridge. T\u014dtar\u014d, without very\nmuch concern for his friend's sorrow, picked up the jewels, and found\nat last that he had ten thousand lustrous rubies.\n\nJust at that moment they heard a sound of sweet music, and from the\nwater there rose a cloud-like palace, with all the colours of the\nsetting sun shining upon it. Sam\u00e9bito gave a shout of joy and sprang\nupon the parapet of the bridge, saying: \"Farewell, my master! The\nDragon Kings are calling!\" With these words he leaped from the bridge\nand returned to his old home again.\n\nT\u014dtar\u014d lost no time in presenting the casket containing ten thousand\njewels to Tamana's parents, and in due season he married their lovely\ndaughter.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: Adapted from Professor B. H. Chamberlain's translation in\nthe _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan_, vol. vii.]\n\n\n\n\nA NOTE ON JAPANESE POETRY\n\n\nThere is a subtle charm about Japanese poetry peculiarly its own.\nI recall with pleasure the unforgettable hours I spent in reading\nMr. Yone Noguchi's _The Pilgrimage_. I was compelled, through sheer\ndelight, to read the two volumes at a sitting. It is true that Mr.\nNoguchi is very much under the influence of Walt Whitman, and it has\nleft its impress upon his work; but that only tends to heighten the\neffect of the purely Japanese element. A brief, haunting phrase of Mr.\nNoguchi has far more charm than an imitation of his American master's\ntorrential manner. Japan has no need to imitate as far as her poetry is\nconcerned. In the old days one of the characteristics of that country's\npoetry was its almost entire freedom from outside influences, not even\nexcepting that of China, from whom, in other directions, she borrowed\nso much. I have mentioned Mr. Yone Noguchi because his work forms\nan excellent starting-point for the study of Japanese poetry. This\ncharming poet, writing in English, has given us for the first time an\nintimate knowledge of the very spirit of Japanese poetry. When a book\nis written on comparative poetry, that of Japan will take a very high\nplace.\n\nIt is far easier to describe what Japanese poetry is not than what it\nactually is. To begin with, there are no Japanese epics, such as the\n_Iliad_ and _Odyssey_, the _Kalevala_, and the _Mahabharata_, and their\nphrase _naga-uta_ (\"long poetry\") is to us a misnomer, for they have no\nreally long poems. Philosophy, religion, satire are not themes for the\nJapanese poet; he even goes so far as to consider war no fit subject\nfor a song.\n\n\nThe Tanka and Hokku\n\nWhere, then, are the charm and wonder of Japan's Pegasus? The real\ngenius is to be found in the _tanka_, a poem of five lines or phrases\nand thirty-one syllables. In many ways the _tanka_ shows far more\nlimitation than an English sonnet, and our verbose poets would do\nwell to practise a form that engenders suppression and delicately\ngives suggestion the supreme place. It is surprising what music and\nsentiment are expressed within these limits. The _tanka_ is certainly\nbrief in form, but it frequently suggests, with haunting insistency,\nthat the fragment really has no end, when imagination seizes it and\nturns it into a thousand thousand lines. The _tanka_ belongs as much\nto Japan as Mount Fuji itself. One cannot regard it without thinking\nthat a Japanese poet must essentially have all the finer instincts of\nan artist. In him the two arts seem inseparable. He must convey in\nfive lines, in the most felicitous language at his disposal, the idea\nhe wishes to express. That he does so with extraordinary success is\nbeyond dispute. These brief poems are wonderfully characteristic of\nthe Japanese people, for they have such a love for little things. The\nsame love that delights in carving a _netsuke_, the small button on a\nJapanese tobacco-pouch, or the fashioning of a miniature garden in a\nspace no bigger than a soup-plate is part of the same subtle genius.\n\nThere is an even more Lilliputian form of verse. It is called the\n_hokku_, and contains only seventeen syllables, such as: \"What I saw\nas a fallen blossom returning to the branch, lo! it was a butterfly,\"\nButterflies were no mere flying insects in Old Japan. The sight of such\na brightly coloured creature heralded the approach of some dear friend.\nOn one occasion great clouds of butterflies were thought to be the\nsouls of an army.\n\nThe Hyaku-nin-isshiu\n\nThose who are familiar with the _Hyaku-nin-isshiu_[1] (\"Single Verses\nby a Hundred People\"), written before the time of the Norman Conquest,\nwill recognise that much of the old Japanese poetry depended on the\ndexterous punning and the use of \"pivot\" and \"pillow\" words. The art\nwas practised, not with the idea of provoking laughter, which was\nthe aim of Thomas Hood, but rather with the idea of winning quiet\nadmiration for a clever and subtle verbal ornament. No translation can\ndo full justice to this phase of Japanese poetry; but the following\n_tanka_, by Yasuhide Bunya, may perhaps give some idea of their\nword-play:\n\n     \"The mountain wind in autumn time\n     Is well called 'hurricane';\n     It _hurries canes_ and twigs along,\n     And whirls them o'er the plain\n     To scatter them again.\"\n\nThe cleverness of this verse lies in the fact that _yama kaze_\n(\"mountain wind\") is written with two characters. When these characters\nare combined they form the word _arashi_ (\"hurricane\"). Clever as these\n\"pillow\" and \"pivot\" words were, they were used but sparingly by the\npoets of the classical period, to be revived again in a later age when\ntheir extravagant use is to be condemned as a verbal display that quite\novershadowed the spirit of the poetry itself.\n\nLove Poems\n\nThere are Japanese love poems, but they are very different from\nthose with which we are familiar. The tiresome habit of enumerating\na woman's charms, either briefly or at length, is happily an\nimpossibility in the _tanka_. There is nothing approaching the\nsensuousness of a Swinburne or a D. G. Rossetti in Japanese poetry, but\nthe sentiments are gentle and pleasing nevertheless. No doubt there\nwere love-lorn poets in Japan, as in every other country, poets who\npossibly felt quite passionately on the subject; but in their poetry\nthe fire is ghostly rather than human, always polite and delicate. What\ncould be more na\u00efve and dainty than the following song from the \"Flower\nDance\" of Bingo province?\n\n     \"If you want to meet me, love,\n     Only we twain,\n     Come to the gate, love,\n     Sunshine or rain;\n     And if people pry\n     Say that you came, love,\n     To watch who went by.\n\n     \"If you want to meet me, love,\n     Only you and I,\n     Come to the pine-tree, love,\n     Clouds or clear sky;\n     Stand among the spikelets, love,\n     And if folks ask why,\n     Say that you came, love,\n     To catch a butterfly.\"\n\n\nOr again, the following _tanka_ by the eleventh-century official,\nMichimasa:\n\n     \"If we could meet in privacy,\n     Where no one else could see,\n     Softly I'd whisper in thy ear\n     This little word from me--\n     I'm dying, Love, for thee.\"\n\n\nThere is a good deal more ingenuity in this poem than would appear\non the surface. It was addressed to the Princess Masako, and though\n_omoi-taenamu_ may be correctly translated, \"I'm dying, Love, for\nthee,\" it may also mean, \"I shall forget about you.\" The poem was\npurposely written with a double meaning, in case it miscarried and fell\ninto the hands of the palace guards.\n\nNature Poems\n\nCharming as are many of the Japaneses love poems, they are not so\npleasing or so distinguished as those describing some mood, some scene\nfrom Nature, for the Japanese poets are essentially Nature poets.\nOur National Anthem is very far from being poetry. Here is Japan's,\nliterally rendered into English: \"May our Lord's Empire live through\na thousand ages, till tiny pebbles grow into giant boulders covered\nwith emerald mosses.\" It is based on an ancient song mentioned in\nthe _Kokinshiu_, and, like all ancient songs in praise of kingship,\nexpresses a desire for an Emperor whose very descent from the Sun shall\nbaffle Death, one who shall live and rule past mortal reckoning. There\nis a symbolic meaning attached to Japanese rocks and stones, closely\nassociated with Buddhism. They represent something more than mere\nstolidity; they represent prayers. It is the Nature poems of Japan that\nare supremely beautiful, those describing plum- and cherry-blossom,\nmoonlight on a river, the flight of a heron, the murmuring song of a\nblue pine, or the white foam of a wave. The best of these poems are\ntouched with pathos. Here is one by Is\u00e9:\n\n     \"Cold as the wind of early Spring,\n     Chilling the buds that still lie sheathed\n     In their brown armour with its sting,\n     And the bare branches withering--\n     So seems the human heart to me!\n     Cold as the March wind's bitterness;\n     I am alone, none comes to see\n     Or cheer me in these days of stress.\"\n\n\nCh\u014dmei\n\nI often think of that twelfth-century Japanese recluse Ch\u014dmei. He lived\nin a little mountain hut far away from City Royal, and there he read\nand played upon the _biwa_, went for walks in the vicinity, picking\nflowers and fruit and branches of maple-leaves, which he set before\nthe Lord Buddha as thank-offerings. Ch\u014dmei was a true lover of Nature,\nfor he understood all her many moods. In the spring he gazed upon \"the\nfestoons of the wistaria, fine to see as purple clouds.\" In the west\nwind he heard the song of birds, and when autumn came he saw the gold\ncolouring of the trees, while the piling and vanishing of snow caused\nhim to think of \"the ever waxing and waning volume of the world's\nsinfulness.\" He wrote in his charming _H\u014d-j\u014d-ki_, the most tender and\nhaunting autobiography in the Japanese language: \"All the joy of my\nexistence is concentrated around the pillow which giveth me nightly\nrest; all the hope of my days I find in the beauties of Nature that\never please my eyes.\" He loved Nature so well that he would fain have\ntaken all the colour and perfume of her flowers through death into the\nlife beyond. That is what he meant when he wrote:\n\n     \"Alas! the moonlight\n     Behind the hill is hidden\n     In gloom and darkness!\n     Oh, would her radiance ever\n     My longing eyes rejoiced!\"\n\n\nHere is a touching _hokku_, written by Chiyo, after the death of her\nlittle son:\n\n     \"How far, I wonder, did he stray,\n     Chasing the burnished dragon-fly to-day?\"\n\nThe souls of Japanese children are often pictured as playing in a\ncelestial garden with the same flowers and butterflies they used\nto play with while on earth. It is just this subtle element of the\nchildlike disposition in Japanese people that has helped them to\ndiscover the secrets of flowers, and birds, and trees, has enabled them\nto catch their timorous, fleeting shadows, and to hold them, as if by\nmagic, in a picture, on a vase, or in a delicate and wistful poem.\n\n\"The Ah-ness of Things\"\n\nThere is a Japanese phrase, _mono no aware wo shiru_ (\"the Ah-ness\nof things\"), which seems to describe most accurately the whole\nsignificance of Japanese poetry. There is a plaintive and intimate\nunion between the poet and the scene from Nature he is writing about.\nOver and over again he suggests that Spring, with all her wealth of\ncherry- and plum-blossom, will continue to grace his country long\nafter he has departed. Nearly all Japan's people, from the peasant to\nthe Mikado himself, are poets. They write poetry because they live\npoetry every day of their lives--that is to say, before Japan dreamed\nof wearing a bowler hat and frock-coat, or became a wholesale buyer of\neverything Western. They live poetry, always that poetry steeped in\nan intimate communion with Nature. And when in July the Festival of\nthe Dead takes place, there comes a great company of poet souls to see\nNippon's blossom again, to wander down old familiar gardens, through\nred _torii_, or to lean upon a stone lantern, and drink in the glory of\na summer day, which is sweeter to them than life beyond the grave.\n\n\n[Footnote 1: _See_ translation by William N. Porter.]\n\n\n\n\nGODS AND GODDESSES\n\nAizen My\u014d-\u014d.              The God of Love.\nAji-shi-ki.               A Shint\u014d God who was mistaken for\n                            his deceased friends _Ame-wake_.\nAma-no-ho.                The first of the Divine Messengers sent\n                            to prepare the way for the coming\n                            _Ninigi_.\nAma-terasu.               The Sun Goddess.\nAme-waka.                 \"Heaven-young-Prince,\" and one of\n                            the Divine Messengers.\nAmida.                    A Buddhist Deity, originally an abstraction,\n                            the ideal of boundless light.\n                          The _Daibutsu_ at Kamakura represents\n                            this God.\nAnan.                     A cousin of Buddha, and, like Bishamon,\n                            gifted with great knowledge and a\n                            wonderful memory.\nBenten.                   One of the Seven Deities of Luck.\nBimbogami.                The God of Poverty.\nBinzuru.                  A disciple of Buddha, and worshipped\n                            by the lower classes on account of\n                            his miraculous power to cure all\n                            human ailments.\nBishamon.                 The God of Wealth and also of War.\nBosatsu.                  A term applied to Buddhist saints.\nBuddha.                   See _Shaka_.\nDaikoku.                  The God of Wealth.\nDainichi Nyorai.          A personification of purity and wisdom.\n                          One of the Buddhist Trinity.\nDaishi.                   \"Great Teacher,\" a term applied to\n                            many Buddhist saints.\nDaruma.                   A follower of Buddha.\nD\u014dsojin.                  The God of Roads.\nEbisu.                    A God of Luck and of Daily Food.\n                          He is the patron of honest labour,\n                            and is represented as a fisherman\n                            carrying in his hand a _tai_-fish.\nEkibiogami.               The God of Pestilence.\nEmma-\u014c.                   The Lord of Hell and Judge of the\n                            Dead.\nFu Daishi.                A deified Chinese priest.\nFud\u014d.                     The God of Wisdom.\nFugen.                    The divine patron of those who\n                            practise a special kind of ecstatic\n                            meditation.  He is usually depicted\n                            as sitting on the right hand of _Shaka_.\nFukurokuju.               A God of Luck, and typifies longevity\n                            and wisdom.\nGaki.                     Evil Gods.\nGo-chi Nyorai.            The Five Buddhas of Contemplation,\n                            viz.: _Yakushi, Tah\u014d, Dainichi, Ashuku_,\n                            and _Shaka_.\nGongen.                   A generic name for the Shint\u014d incarnations\n                            of Buddhas. It is also applied\n                            to deified heroes.\nGwakk\u014d Bosatsu.           A Buddhist moon-deity.\nHachiman.                 The God of War. He is the deified\n                          Emperor \u014cjin, patron of the Minamoto\n                            clan.\nHoderi.                   \"Fire Shine,\" and son of _Ninigi_.\nHoori.                    \"Fire Fade,\" and son of _Ninigi_.\nHoso-no-Kami.             The God of Smallpox.\nHotei.                    A God of Luck who typifies contentment.\nHotoke.                   The name of all Buddhas, and frequently\n                            applied to the dead generally.\nIda Ten.                  A protector of Buddhism.\nIha-naga.                 \"Princess Long-as-the-Rocks,\" eldest\n                            daughter of the Spirit of Mountains.\nInari.                    The Goddess of Rice, and also associated\n                            with the Fox God.\nIsora.                    The Spirit of the Seashore.\nIzanagi and Izanami.      The Creator and Creatress of Japan,\n                            and from them the deities of the\n                            Shint\u014d pantheon are descended.\nJiz\u014d.                     The God of Children.\nJur\u014djin.                  A God of Luck.\nKami.                     A general name for all Shint\u014d deities.\nKash\u014d.                    One of the greatest disciples of Buddha.\nKaze-no-Kami.             The God of Wind and Bad Colds.\nKengy\u016b.                   The Herdsman lover of the Weaving\n                            Maiden.\nKen-ro-ji-jin.            The Earth God.\nKishi Bojin.              An Indian Goddess, worshipped by\n                            the Japanese as the protectress of\n                            children.\nK\u014db\u014d Daishi.              A deified Buddhist sage.\nKodomo-no-Inari.          The children's Fox God.\nK\u014djin.                    The God of the Kitchen. Worn-out\n                            dolls are offered to this deity.\nKokuz\u014d Bosatsu.           A female Buddhist saint.\nKompira.                  A Buddhist deity of obscure origin,\n                            identified with _Susa-no-o_ and other\n                            Shint\u014d Gods.\nK\u014dshin.                   The God of Roads. A deification of\n                            the day of the Monkey, represented\n                            by the Three Mystic Apes.\nKuni-toko-tachi.          \"The Earthly Eternally Standing\n                             One.\" A self-created Shint\u014d God.\nKwannon.                  The Goddess of Mercy, represented in\n                            various forms:\n                          1. _Sh\u014d-Kwannon_ (Kwannon the Wise).\n                          2. _J\u016b-ichi-men Kwannon_ (Eleven-Faced).\n                          3. _Sen-ju Kwannon_ (Thousand-Handed).\n                          4. _Ba-t\u014d-Kwannon_ (Horse-Headed).\n                          5. _Nyo-i-rin Kwannon_ (Omnipotent).\nMarishiten.               In Japanese and Chinese Buddhism she\n                            is represented as the Queen of\n                            Heaven. She has eight arms, two\n                            of which hold the symbols of the\n                            sun and moon. In Brahminical\n                            theology she is the personification\n                            of Light, and also a name of Krishna.\nMaya Bunin.               The mother of Buddha.\nMiroku.                   Buddha's successor, and known as the\n                            Buddhist Messiah.\nMiwa-daimy\u014d-jin.          The deity associated with the Laughing\n                                 Festival of Wasa.\nMonju Bosatu.             The Lord of Wisdom.\nMusubi-no-Kami.           The God of Marriage.\nNikk\u014d Bosatsu.            A Buddhist solar deity.\nNinigi.                   The grandson of Amer-terasu, the Sun\n                            Goddess.\nNi-\u014d.                     Two gigantic and fierce kings who\n                            guard the outer gates of temples.\nNominosukune.             Patron deity of wrestlers.\nNyorai.                   An honorific title applied to all\n                            Buddhas.\nO-ana-mochi.              \"Possessor of the Great Hole\" of\n                          Mount Fuji.\nOho-yama.                 The Spirit of the Mountains.\n\u014cnamuji or \u014ckuni-nushi.   Son of _Susa-no-o_. He ruled in Izumo,\n                            but retired in favour of _Ninigi_.\nOni.                      A general name for evil spirits.\nOtohime.                  The daughter of the Dragon King.\nRaiden.                   The God of Thunder.\nRaitaro.                  The son of the Thunder God.\nRakan.                    A name used to designate the perfected\n                            saint and also the immediate disciples\n                            of Buddha.\nRoku-bu-ten.              A collective name for the Buddhist\n                            Gods _Bonten, Taishaku_, and the _Shi-Tenn\u014d_.\nRin-jin.                  The Dragon, or Sea King.\nSaruta-hiko.              A terrestrial deity who greeted _Ninigi_.\nSengen.                   The Goddess of Mount Fuji. She is\n                            also known as _Asama_ or\n                            _Ko-no-Hana-Saku-ya-Hime_,\n                            \"The Princess who makes the Flowers\n                            of the Trees to Blossom.\"\nShaka Muni.               The founder of Buddhism, also called\n                            Gautama, but most generally knows\n                            as the Buddha.\nSharihotsu.               The wisest of Buddha's ten chief disciples.\nShichi Fukujin.           The Seven Gods of Luck, viz.: _Ebisu,\n                          Daikoku, Benten, Fukurokuju, Bishamon,\n                          Jur\u014djin_, and _Hotei_.\nShita-teru-hime.          \"Lower-shine-Princess,\" and wife of\n                             _Ame-waka_.\nShi-Tenn\u014d.                The Four Heavenly Kings who protect\n                            the earth from demons each defending\n                            one quarter of the horizon. Their\n                            names are _Jikoku_, East; _K\u014dmoku_,\n                            South; _K\u014dch\u014d_, West; and _Tamon_,\n                            also called _Bishamon_, North. Their\n                            images are placed at the inner gate\n                            of the temple.\nSh\u014dden.                   The Indian Ganesa, God of Wisdom.\nSohodo-no-kami.           The God of Scarecrows.\nSukuna-Bikona.            A deity sent from Heaven to assist\n                            _\u014cnamuji_ in pacifying his realm.\nSusa-no-o.                \"The Impetuous Male,\" brother of\n                            the Sun Goddess.\nTaishaku.                 The Brahminical God Indra.\nTanabata or Shokujo.      The Weaving Maiden.\nTen.                      A title equivalent to the Sanskrit _Diva_.\nTenjin.                   The God of Calligraphy.\nTennin.                   Female Buddhist Angels.\nT\u014dsh\u014dg\u016b.                  The deified name of the great Sh\u014dgun\n                            Ieyasu or Gongen Sama.\nToyokuni.                 The deified name of Hideyoshi.\nToyo-tama.                The Dragon King's daughter.\nToyo-uke-bime.            The Shint\u014d Goddess of Earth or Food.\nTsuki-yumi.               The Moon God.\nUzume.                    The Goddess of Dancing.\nYakushi Nyorai.           \"The Healing Buddha.\"\nYofun\u00e9-nushi.             The Serpent God.\nYuki-Onna.                The Lady of the Snow.\n\n\n\nGENEALOGY OF THE AGE OF THE GODS\n\n\nThe Heavenly parent, Ame yudzuru hi ame no sa-giri kuni\nyudzuru tsuki kuni no sa-giri Mikoto.\n\nFIRST GENERATION.\n\nCompanion-born heavenly Gods.\n\n     Ame no mi-naka-nushi no Mikoto.\n     _Heaven middle master_.\n\n     Umashi-ashi-kabi hikoji no Mikoto.\n     _Sweet reed-shoot prince elder_.\n\nSECOND GENERATION.\n\nCompanion-born heavenly Gods.\n\n     Kuni no toko tachi no Mikoto.\n     _Land eternal stand_.\n\n     Toyo-kuni-nushi no Mikoto.\n     _Rich land master_.\n\nA Branch.\n\n     Ame-ya-kudari no Mikoto.\n     _Heaven eight descend_.\n\nTHIRD GENERATION.\n\nHeavenly Gods born as mates.\n\n     Tsuno-gui no Mikoto.\n     _Horn stake_.\n\n  Iku-gui no Mikoto, his younger sister or wife.\n  _Live stake_.\n\nA Branch.\n\n     Ame mi kudari no Mikoto.\n     _Heaven three descend_.\n\nFOURTH GENERATION.\n\nHeavenly Gods born as mates.\n\n     Uhiji-ni no Mikoto.\n     _Mud earth_ (honorific affix).\n\n  Suhiji-ni no Mikoto, his younger sister or wife.\n  _Sand earth_.\n\nA Branch.\n\n     Ama-ahi no Mikoto.\n     _Heaven meet_.\n\nFIFTH GENERATION.\n\nHeavenly Gods born as mates.\n\n     Oho-toma-hiko no Mikoto.\n     _Great mat prince_.\n\n  Oho-toma-he no Mikoto, his younger sister or wife.\n  _Great mat place_.\n\nA Branch.\n\n     Ame ya-wo-hi no Mikoto.\n     _Heaven eight hundred days_.\n\nSIXTH GENERATION.\n\nHeavenly Gods born as mates.\n\n     Awo-kashiki ne no Mikoto.\n     _Green awful_ (honorific).\n\n  Aya-kashiki ne no Mikoto, his younger sister or wife.\n  _Ah! awful_.\n\nA Branch.\n\n     Ame no ya-so-yorodzu-dama no Mikoto.\n     _Eighty myriad spirits_.\n\nSEVENTH GENERATION.\n\nHeavenly Gods born as mates.\n\n     Izanagi no Mikoto.\n  Izanami no Mikoto, his younger sister or wife.\n\nA Branch.\n\n     Taka mi-musubi no Mikoto.\n     _High august growth_.\n\nChildren.\n\n     Ama no omohi-game no Mikoto.\n     _Heaven thought-compriser_.\n\n     Ama no futo-dama no Mikoto.\n     _Big jewel_.\n\n     Ama no woshi-hi no Mikoto.\n     _Endure sun_.\n\n     Ama no kamu-dachi no Mikoto.\n     _God stand_.\n\nNext there was--\n\n     Kamu mi musubi no Mikoto.\n     _Above growth_.\n\nChildren.\n\n     Ame no mi ke mochi no Mikoto.\n     _August food hold_.\n\n     Ame no michi ne no Mikoto.\n     _Road_ (honorific).\n\n     Ame no kami-dama no Mikoto.\n     _God jewel_.\n\n     Iku-dama no Mikoto.\n     _Live jewel_.\n\nNext there was--\n\n     Tsu-haya-dama no Mikoto.\n     _Port quick jewel_.\n\nChildren.\n\n     Ichi-chi-dama no Mikoto.\n     _Market thousandjewel_.\n\n     Kogoto-dama no Mikoto.\n     Ama no ko-yane no Mikoto.\n     _Child-roof_.\n\n     Takechi-nokori no Mikoto.\n     _Brave milk remnant_.\n\nNext there was--\n\n     Furu-dama no Mikoto.\n     _Shake jewel_.\n\nChildren.\n\n     Saki-dama no Mikoto.\n     _First jewel_.\n\n     Ama no woshi-dachi no Mikoto.\n     _Endure stand_.\n\nNext there was--\n\n     Yorodzu-dana no Mikoto.\n     _Myriad jewel_.\n\nChild.\n\n     Ama no koha-kaha no Mikoto\n     _Hard river_.\n\n\n\n\nBIBLIOGRAPHY\n\n\nAnderson, William.\n     _The Pictorial Arts of Japan.\n     Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of Japanese and Chinese\n       Paintings in the British Museum.\n     History of Japanese Art_.\nAston, W. G.\n     _A History of Japanese Literature.\n     A Grammar of the Japanese Written Language.\n     A Grammar of the Japanese Spoken Language.\n     The Nihongi. Transactions of the Japan Society_, 1896.\nAudsley, G. A.\n     _Ornamental Arts of Japan_.\nAudsley, G. A., and Tomkinson, M.\n     _The Art Carvings of Japan_.\nAyrton, W. E., and Perry, J.\n     _On the Magic Mirrors of Japan. Proceedings of the Royal Society_,\n       Vol. xxvii.\nBacon, A. M.\n     _In the Land of the Gods.\n     Japanese Girls and Women_.\nBallard, S.\n     _Fairy-Tales from Far Japan_.\nBatchelor, Rev. J.\n     _The Ainu of Japan_.\nBinyon, Laurence.\n     _The Flight of the Dragon_.\nBishop, Mrs.\n     _Unbeaten Tracks in Japan_.\nBrinkley, Captain F.\n     _Japan and China_.\nChamberlain, Basil Hall.\n     _Things Japanese.\n     Japanese Poetry.\n     The Language, Mythology, and Geographical Nomenclature of Japan,\n       Viewed in the Light of Aino Studies.\n     Handbook of Colloquial Japanese.\n     Practical Introduction to Study of Japanese Writing.\n     Murray's Handbook for Japan_. (In collaboration with W. B.\n       Mason.)\nChamberlain, Basil Hall (_continued_).\n     _A Translation of the \"Kojiki,\" or \"Records of Ancient Matters,\"\n       with Introduction and Commentary_. Published as Supplement\n       to Vol. x. of the _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan.\n     The Japanese Fairy-Tales Series_.\nConder, J.\n     _The Floral Art of Japan.\n     Flowers of Japan.\n     Landscape Gardening in Japan_.\nDavidson, J. W.\n     _The Island of Formosa, Fast and Present: History, People, Resources,\n       and Commercial Prospects_.\nDavis, F. Hadland.\n     _The Land of the Yellow Spring, other Japanese Stories_.\n\nDe Benneville, James S.\n     _Sait\u014d Musashi-B\u014d Benkei. Tales of the Wars of Gempei_.\nDenning, Walter.\n     _Life of Hideyoshi.\n     Japan in Days of Yore_.\nDick, Stewart.\n     _Arts and Crafts of Old Japan_.\nDickins, F. Victor.\n     _The Old Bamboo-hewer's Story_. (A translation of the _Taketori\n       Monogatari_.)\n     _Primitive and Medi\u00e6val Japanese Texts.\n     H\u014d-J\u014d-Ki_ (\"Notes from a Ten Feet Square Hut\"). From\n       the Japanese of Kamo No Ch\u014dmei.\n     _The Chiushingura; or, The Loyal League_. Translated with Notes\n       and an Appendix containing _The Ballad of Takasago_.\nDu Cane, Florence.\n     _Flowers and Gardens of Japan_.\nEdwards, Osman.\n     _Japanese Plays and Playfellows_.\nGiles, H. A.\n     _A History of Chinese Literature.\n     Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio_.\nGonse, Louis.\n     _Art Japonais_.\nGowland, W.\n     _Dolmens and Burial Mounds in Japan_.\nGriffis, Rev. W. E.\n     _The Japanese Nation in Evolution.\n     The Mikado's Empire.\n     Japan in History, Folk-lore, and Art.\n     Fairy-Tales of Old Japan_.\nGulic, Rev. S. L.\n     _Evolution of the Japanese_.\nHearn, Lafcadio.\n     _Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan.\n     Out of the East.\n     In Ghostly Japan.\n     Shadowings.\n     Gleanings in Buddha-Fields.\n     Kokoro: Hints and Echoes of Japanese Inner Life.\n     A Japanese Miscellany.\n     Exotics and Retrospectives.\n     Kott\u014d.\n     Kwaidan.\n     The Romance of the Milky Way.\n     Japan: An Interpretation.\n     The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn_. By Elizabeth Bisland.\n     _The Japanese Letters of Lafcadio Hearn_. Edited by Elizabeth\n       Bisland.\nHincks, M. A.\n     _The Japanese Dance_.\nHuish, M. B.\n     _Japan and its Art_.\nInoue, Jukichi.\n     _Sketches of T\u014dky\u014d Life_.\nJames, Grace.\n     _Green Willow, and other Japanese Fairy-Tales_.\nJoly, Henri L.\n     _Legend in Japanese Art_.\nKaempfer, E.\n     _History of Japan_.\nKnapp, A. M.\n     _Feudal and Modern Japan_.\nLay, A. H.\n     _Japanese Funeral Rites. Transactions of the Asiatic Society of\n       Japan_, Vol. xix.\nLeech, J. H.\n     _Butterflies from Japan_.\nLloyd, Rev. Arthur.\n     _The Creed of Half Japan_.\nLongford, Joseph H.\n     _The Story of Old Japan.\n     The Story of Korea_.\nLowell, Percival.\n     _The Soul of the Far East.\n     Occult Japan_.\nMcClatchie, T. R. H.\n     _Japanese Heraldry_.\nMitford, A. B. (Lord Redesdale).\n     _Tales of Old Japan_.\nMorrison, Arthur.\n     _The Painters of Japan_.\nMunro, N. G.\n     _Coins of Japan_.\nNitobe, Inazo.\n     _Bushido: The Soul of Japan_.\nNoguchi, Yone.\n     _From the Eastern Sea.\n     The Pilgrimage.\n     Lafcadio Hearn in Japan_.\nOkakura, K.\n     _The Book of Tea.\n     Ideals of the East_.\nOkakura, Y.\n     _The Japanese Spirit_.\nOkuma, Count.\n     _Fifty Years of New Japan_. English edition. Edited by Marcus\n       B. Huish.\nOzaki, Y. T.\n     _The Japanese Fairy Book.\n     Warriors of Old Japan.\n     Buddha's Crystal_.\nPasteur, Violet M.\n     _Gods and Heroes of Old Japan_.\nPiggott, Sir F. T.\n     _The Garden of Japan.\n     The Music and Musical Instruments of Japan_.\nPorter, Robert P.\n     _The Full Recognition of Japan_.\nPorter, William N.\n     _A Tear of Japanese Epigrams.\n     A Hundred Verses from Old Japan_. A translation of the _Hyaku-nin-isshiu_,\n       or \"Single Verses by a Hundred People.\"\nRein, J. J.\n     _Japan.\n     The Industries of Japan_.\nRinder, F.\n     _Old-world Japan_.\nSalwey, C. M.\n     _Fans of Japan.\n     Japanese Monographs. Asiatic Quarterly Review_.\nSargent, C. S.\n     _Forest Flora of Japan_.\nSatow, Sir Ernest.\n     _The Shint\u014d Temples of Ise.\n     The Revival of Pure Shint\u014d.\n     Ancient Japanese Rituals_. See Vols. ii., iii., vii., and ix. of the\n       _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan_.\nSmith, R. Gordon.\n     _Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan_.\nStrange, Edward F.\n     _Japanese Colour Prints_.\nTomita, K., and Lee, G. A.\n     _Japanese Treasure Tales_.\nTomkinson, M.\n     _A Japanese Collection_.\nWalsh, Clara A.\n     _The Master-Singers of Japan_.\nWenckstern, Fr. von.\n     _Bibliography of the Japanese Empire_.\nWeston, Rev. Walter.\n     _Japanese Alps_.\n\n\n\n\nINDEX TO POETICAL QUOTATIONS\n\n\n  Arnold, Sir Edwin, 244, 245 (translation)\n  Aston, W. G., 30, 32, 186 (translation), 323 (translation)\n  Chamberlain, B.H. (translations), 95, 96, 97, 98, 120, 121, 127, 128,\n   175, 313, 315, 316, 317, 323, 324\n  Chiyo, 385\n  Ch\u014dmei, 385\n  Dickins, F. V., 154 (translation)\n  \"Flower Dance\" (of Bingo province), 383\n  Hearn, Lafcadio, 108\n  Is\u00e9, 384\n  Japanese, From the, 177, 278\n  Nonguchi, Yone, 82, 116, 130, 131, 169, 224\n  Smith, R. Gordon, 337 (translation)\n  Walsh, Clara A., 105, (translations) 118, 149, 206, 216, 282, 326\n  Yasuhide Bunya, 382\n\n\n\n\nGLOSSARY AND INDEX\n\n\nTHE PRONUNCIATION OF JAPANESE NAMES\n\n\"Remember, in pronouncing Japanese, that the consonants are to be\nsounded approximately as in English, the vowels as in Spanish or\nItalian; that is to say,\n\n     _a_ as in 'father.'          _o_ as in 'pony.'\n     _e_  \"    'pet.'             _u_   \"   'full.'\n     _i_  \"    'pin.'\n\n\"There is scarcely any tonic accent; in other words, all the syllables\nare pronounced equally, or nearly so. But particular care must be taken\nto distinguish long _\u014d_ and _\u016b_. The short vowels are pronounced in a\nvery light, staccato manner. Thus _O tori nasai_ means 'Please take\nthis'; but _O t\u014dri nasai_ means 'Please come [or go; lit., pass] in.'\nShort _i_ and _u_ sometimes become almost inaudible.... In diphthongs\neach vowel retains its original force. Thus:\n\n     _ai_ as in the English word 'sky.'\n     _au_      \"       \"      \"  'cow.'\n     _ei_      \"       \"      \"  'hay.'\n\n\"_g_ is hard, as in 'give,' never soft, as in 'gin'; but in T\u014dky\u014d\nand Eastern Japan it sounds like _ng_ when in the middle of a word,\nexactly as in the English words 'singer,' 'springy' (_not_ 'sing-ger,'\n'spring-gy'). _s_ is always sharp, as in 'mouse.' _w_ is often omitted\nafter _k_ or _g_, as in _kashi_, 'cake,' for _kwashi_. Be very careful\nto pronounce double consonants really double, as in English words\n'sho_t-t_ower,' 'mea_nn_ess,' 'coc_kc_row.' Thus _kite_ with one _t_\nmeans 'coming'; but _kitte_ with two _t's_ means 'a ticket'; _ama_ is\na nun, _amma_ a shampooer.\"--_Murray's Handbook for Japan_, by B. H.\nChamberlain and W. B. Mason.\n\n\n\nA\n\n Abe no Miushi. The Sadaijin Dainagon;\n   one of Kaguya's five suitors, 66-71\n Aino Goddess of Fire. The name of Mount Fuji\n   probably derived from Fuchi, the, 131\n Aino-land. Professor B. H. Chamberlain writes _re_, 131\n Ainu, or Aino. Probably first inhabitants of Japan, xiii;\n   rising of, subdued by Prince Yamato, 54-56\n Aji-shi-ki. Friend of Ame-waka;\n   forms mountain of Moyama, 31, 32\n Akamages\u00e9ki. Temple of Amidaji built at, 300\n Akasaki. Tokoyo arrives at, in province of Hoki, 334\n Ako, The Lord of. Princess Aya marries the second son of, 173\n Amadera Temple. Hanagaki Baish\u016b attends festival in, 207\n Ama-no-Hashidate. A fir-clad promontory dividing Lake Iwataki\n   and Miyazu Bay, 204;\n   one of the \"Three Great Sights\" of Japan, 204;\n   Saion  Zenji gazes on, 204-206\n Ama-no-ho. Envoy sent out to prepare way of Ninigi, 31\n Ama-Terasu. Daughter of Izanagi and Izanami;\n   the Sun Goddess, 23;\n   ascends the Ladder of Heaven, 23;\n   persecuted by Susa-no-o, 27;\n   flees to a dark cave, 27;\n   tempted by, to Heaven, 27, 28;\n   Ninigi grandson of, 32;\n   her gifts to Ninigi, 32, 33;\n   Prince Yamato craves the blessing of, 51\n Ame-waka. Envoy sent out to prepare way of Ninigi, 31;\n   weds Shita-teru-hime, 31; punished by the Gods, 31, 32\n Amida Butsu. Story of, and the whale, 82\n Amidaji. Temple of, built at Akamagas\u00e9ki, 300\n Amit\u00e2bha. Kwanjin (Chinese Kwannon) the spiritual son of, 200\n Anderson, Dr. William. Legend from the _Catalogue of Japanese\n   and Chinese Paintings in the British Museum_, 49, footnote\n Animals. Legends referring to, 255-275\n An\u014dji. Place in Tamba; one of the thirty-three places sacred\n   to Kwannon, 204\n Antoko Tenno. _See_ Tenno, 300\n Arnold, Sir Edwin. Reference to his _Seas and Lands_, xi\n Art, Japanese. Due to Buddhism, 114;\n   quickened by Chinese influence, 114;\n   extreme beauty and ugliness found in, 114;\n   woman in, 112-114;\n   the Treasure Ship in, 115-116;\n   the miraculous in, 116;\n   ghosts and goblins in, 118;\n   _sennin_ in, 357\n Asagao. Legend from _The Diary of a Convolvulus_\n   regarding the love of, 244-249;\n   otherwise Miyuki, 245, 246;\n   her love for Komagawa Mi-yagi, 245-249\n Asaka (\"Slight Fragrance\"). Friend of Asagao, 246\n Ashigara Mountain. Ya\u00e9giri goes to, and gives birth to Kintaro there, 367\n Ashi-nadzuchi (Foot-stroke-elder). An earthly deity, husband\n   of Tenadzuchi, and father of Kushi-nada-hime, 29;\n   gives his daughter in marriage to Susa-no-o, 29, 30\n Ashin\u00f3ya. Village in which Maiden of Unai dwelt, 313-315\n Aston, Dr. W. G. Reference to the _torii_, by, 226;\n   description in the _Heike Monogatari_ of great sea-fight\n   between Taira and Minamoto clans translated by, 300\n Atsumori. Story regarding her use of the fan, 243\n Awabi, The Great. A group of, 340, 341;\n   the Spirit of, appears to Kansuke, 341\n Aya, Princess. The Spirit of the Peony and, 171-173;\n   love for the Spirit of the Peony in the form of a young\n   and handsome samurai, 172, 173;\n   Sadayo, maid of, 172\n Ayame, The Lady. Married to Yorimasa, 39\n Ayrton, Professor. Japanese mirrors and, 190\n\n B\n\n Badger-s. Story of the hare and the, on the Crackling Mountain, 258-260;\n   description of, in legend, 260;\n   Kadzutoyo and the, 260, 262\n Baelz, Dr., of the Imperial University of Japan. Opinion of,\n   _re_ the Japanese and Mongols, xiii; reference to, 94\n Baish\u016b, Hanagaki. _See_ Hanagaki Baish\u016b, 207-209\n Bakin. A famous Japanese novelist;\n   his _Kumono Tayema Ama Yo No Tsuki_ and thunder legends, 250;\n   the _In_ (female principle) and the _Yo_ (male principle)\n   associated with thunder, remarks on by, 252\n Baku. A supernatural creature known as the Eater of Dreams, 358, 359\n Bat\u014d-Kwannon. _See_ Kwannon, 200\n Bell-s. Japanese, described, 140;\n   the largest in the Jodo temple of Chion, at Ky\u014dto, 140;\n   the bell of Enkakuji the largest in Kamakura, 140;\n   the bell of Miidera, 141, 142\n Benkei. One of the most lovable of Japanese heroes, xvi;\n   compared with Little John, Will Scarlet, and Friar Tuck combined, 39;\n   conflicting traits in his character, 40;\n   became a Buddhist priest at age of seventeen, 40;\n   adventure with Tamamushi, 40;\n   breaks from priestcraft and becomes a lawless warrior, 41;\n   his doings at Mount Hiei, 42;\n   waylays knights crossing the Gojo Bridge of Ky\u014dto, 42;\n   conquered by Yoshitsune, 42, 43;\n   assists Yoshitsune finally to drive out the Taira, 43, 44;\n   carries off the bell of Miidera, 142, 143;\n   reference to story of, 351, 352\n Benten. One of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, 115, 206;\n   variants, Goddess of the Sea, of Love, of Beauty,\n   and Eloquence, 115, 206;\n   resembles Kwannon, 206;\n   the Dragon and, 207;\n   famous Island of Enoshima and the coming of, 207;\n   temple of the \"Birth Water\" sacred to, 207;\n   Hanagaki Baish\u016b and, 207-209\n Bibliography. _See_ 397-401\n Bimbo. Raitaro (the Child of Thunder) and, 252, 253\n Bimbogami. The God of Poverty;\n   Japanese superstitions and, 349\n Bimbomushi (\"Poverty-Insect\").\n   Superstition _re_, 349\n Bird-s. Legends of, 276-280;\n   the _hototogisu_, a mysterious, 278;\n   the Tongue-cut Sparrow, 279;\n   killing of, contrary to teaching of the Lord Buddha, 280;\n   Saijosen and the Phoenix, 281;\n   called _O-Goncho_, 363;\n   birds beloved of Ch\u014dmei, 385\n Bishamon. One of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, 115\n Biwa, Lake. Hidesato's encounters with the Dragon King of, 62-64;\n   Visu sees lake bearing name of, 137;\n   Professor Chamberlain's opinion _re_, 137\n Banko, Admiral. Kohaku Jo sends treasures by, to temple of Kofukuji, 89\n Bon Odori. A dance at the Festival of the Dead, 181;\n   origin of, 223;\n   corresponds to the Indian _sraddha_, 224\n Bowl. The Begging-bowl of the Lord Buddha, _see_ Buddha, 67-69;\n   the Maiden with the, on her head, 316-322\n \"Box of the Jewel Hand.\" See _Tamate-Bako_, 327\n Breath, God of Long. Yosoji visits shrine of, 134\n Brinkley, Captain. His reference in _Japan and China_ to the\n   belief of Yedo Government officials in _Tengu_, 355\n Bronze Buddha. _See_ Buddha, 82\n Buddha Flood. Otherwise the Tide of the Returning Ghosts, 323\n Buddha, The Lord. Begging-bowl of, 67;\n   the legend of the Golden Lotus and, 80-82;\n   the Bronze, of Kamakura, and the whale, 82-86;\n   the Crystal of, 86;\n   has compassion on spirit of the Death-Stone, 98;\n   the White Lotus the sacred flower of, 130;\n   the eight Intelligences of--Perception, Purpose, Speech, Conduct,\n   Living, Effort, Mindfulness, Contemplation, 130;\n   cat and serpent only creatures that did not weep at death of, 264;\n   copies of footprint of, as charms, 348; lamp of, 357\n Buddhism. Its contribution to Japanese religion and art, xii;\n   success in Japan, secured not by sweeping out Gods of Shint\u014d\n   but in clever adaptations from India and China, 80;\n   Japan owed art to, 114; pictorial art given to Nippon by, 114;\n   the power of Karma one of the great doctrines of, 143;\n   the lotus the sacred flower of, 169;\n   the _torii_ adopted by, 226;\n   Nichiren attempts to restore to original purity, 240, 241\n Buddhist. Shingon-sh\u016b, a sect founded by K\u014db\u014d Daishi, 234;\n   Nichiren sect founded by Nichiren, 240;\n   first temple at Nikko, Sh\u014dd\u014d Shonin founder of, 242;\n   saint, Dengy\u014d Daishi, introduced tea into Japan, 293\n Buddhist Divinities. Jiz\u014d the most lovable of, 104;\n   jealousy of, toward Daikoku, 211, 212\n Butterfly-ies. Connected with folk-lore, 216;\n   legends _re_, borrowed by Japanese from China, 217;\n   Japanese poets and \"butterfly names,\" 217;\n   romantic game of, 217;\n   Emperor Gens\u014d and, 217;\n   of good and evil omen, 217;\n   suggestion of Lafcadio Hearn _re_, 217;\n   references in Japanese drama _re_, 218;\n   legend of the White, 218-219;\n   significance in Old Japan, 381, 382\n\n C\n\n Carp. Legend of the Dragon, 221;\n   flag shaped like a, 221;\n   symbolism of the, 221;\n   Bakin's reference to, 252\n Cathay, Great. Spirit of Death-Stone took form of H\u014dji in, 97\n Cat-s. The Japanese, not popular, 264;\n   the serpent and the, did not weep when the Lord Buddha died, 264;\n   story of the vampire, 265-268;\n   Shippeitar\u014d and the phantom, 269, 270\n Celestial River. Hikoboshi and\n   Tanabata separated at the, 126, 127\n Chamberlain, Professor Basil Hall. Reference to his works,\n   _Things Japanese, Kojiki_ (translation of), _Handbook for\n   Japan_, and _Japanese Poetry_, v;\n   legend of the Death-Stone translated by, 95;\n   reference to his translation of _Ha-Goromo_, 127;\n   his reference to Mount Fuji, 131;\n   designs on Chinese banners described by, 162;\n   Japanese mirrors described by, 190;\n   reference to the _torii_ by, 226;\n   reference to temple at Kawasaki sacred to K\u014db\u014d Daishi, in\n   _Murray's Handbook for Japan_, by, 239;\n   reference to _samisen_, the favourite instrument of the\n   singing-girls, by, 247;\n   reference to cats in _Things Japanese_, 264;\n   reference to Japanese dogs, 268;\n   on tea ceremonies, 293;\n   his translation of the ballad of \"The Maiden of Katsushika,\" 316, 317;\n   the legend of Urashima and, 324;\n   his explanation _re_ the Japanese equivalent for Dragon Palace, 324;\n   his reference to Urashima's tomb, 328;\n   reference to Japanese charms, 348;\n   description of the _Tengu_ by, 352;\n   story of Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye adapted from his translation in the\n   _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan_, 374\n Charms. _See_ Superstitions, 348\n Chikubu-shima. Island in Lake Biwa, in \u014cmi, one of the thirty-three\n   places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Children. Jiz\u014d the God of the, 104-111;\n   the Cave of the Ghosts of the, 109;\n   superstitions relating to, 347, 348\n China. Emperor Koso wooes and weds Kohaku Jo, daughter\n   of Kamatari, 86-88;\n   butterfly connected with folk-lore in, 216;\n   Thunder God in, 250; thunder animal in, 251;\n   tea-drinking in, 291, 292;\n   Dragon of, 362\n Chinu. Of Izumi, one of the Maiden of Unai's lovers, 313-316\n Chinese. Japan called Jih-p\u00e9n by, xiv;\n   banners, described, 162;\n   myth, Kwannon known as Kwanjin in, 200\n Chiyo. A beautiful woman slain by Shokuro, 254;\n   restored to life by Raiden, 254;\n   Shokuro makes peace with, 254;\n   a poetess of the same name makes pathetic reference to\n   a dragon-fly, 282;\n   a touching _hokku_ by, 385\n Chiyod\u014d. Child of Heitaro and Higo (Willow), 180\n Chokoro. Depicted releasing his magic horse from a gigantic gourd, 357\n Ch\u014dmei. Twelfth-century Buddhist recluse; reference to\n   his _H\u014d-j\u014d-ki_, 160, 385\n Ch\u014dmeiji. Place in \u014cmi; one of the thirty-three places sacred\n   to Kwannon, 204\n Chosen. Otherwise the Land of the Morning Calm, the old name\n   for Korea, 328\n Chow Dynasty. Kwanjin originally the daughter of the King of the, 200\n Chronicles of Japan (\"Ni-hongi\"). Reference to, xv\n Chrysanthemum. The Japanese flag and the, 161-163;\n   Japan's national flower, the, 162;\n   poetical naming of the, 163;\n   Lady White and Lady Yellow, story of, 163-165;\n   Kikuo (\"Chrysanthemum-Old-Man\"), retainer of Tsugaru, story of, 165-167\n Ch\u016bj\u014d Hime. A Buddhist nun, the greatest early Japanese artist\n   of embroidery, an incarnation of Kwannon, 201;\n   retires to temple of Toema-dera, 201\n Conder, Josiah. Tells of custom connected with pine-trees at\n   wedding feasts, 159\n Confucius. Added fresh material to the _Yih-King_\n   (\"Book of Changes\"), 344\n Contentment, The God of. _See_ Hotei, 211-213\n Corpse-eater. _See_ Mus\u014d Kokushi, 305-308;\n   maiden who tested the love of her suitors as a, 311, 312\n Crystal, The, of Buddha, 89-91\n\n D\n\n Daibutsu, The. _See_ Buddha (the Bronze), 82\n Daikoku. One of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, 115;\n   associated with Ebisu (his son) and Hotei, the God of Laughter, 211;\n   his wonderful Mallet, 211;\n   a Rat the second attribute of, 211;\n   old legend regarding jealousy of Buddhist Gods toward, 211, 212;\n   the sixfold representation of, 212;\n   usually pictured with his son, Ebisu, 212\n Dai-Mokenren. A great disciple of Buddha; sees soul of his mother\n   in the Gakid\u014d, 223\n Daimy\u014d. Lady White reaches palace of, 164, 165\n Dan-doku, Mount. The Lord Buddha's meditations upon, 80\n Dan-no-ura. The Taira clan finally driven into the sea by Benkei\n   and Yoshitsune, 43, 44;\n   H\u014d\u00efchi receives stranger, who wishes to view scene of the\n   battle of, 301-304\n Daruma. Son of a Hindu king, 297;\n   tempted like St. Anthony, 297;\n   Indian sage whose image was associated with the ritualistic\n   drinking of tea by the Zen sect in Japan, 297-299;\n   reference to, will be found in _Some Chinese Ghosts_ and\n   _A Japanese Miscellany_, by Lafcadio Hearn, 297, 299\n Davis, F. Hadland. Reference to _Land of the Yellow Spring_\n   (page 113), by, 93, 149\n Dead, Lord of the. Emma-\u014c, the, 110, 201\n Death-Spider. Japanese _Bimbomushi_ (\"Poverty-Insect\")\n   equivalent to our, 349\n Death-Stone. Warning remarks of spirit of the, to the Buddhist\n   priest Genno, 95;\n   legend of, related, 95-98\n Demoniacal Possession. Attributed to evil influence of foxes, 94\n Dengy\u014d Daishi. Buddhist saint who first introduced tea into Japan, 293\n Destiny. Jiz\u014d at foot of, 109\n Divination, Classical. Associated with Japanese superstition, 344;\n   _Yih-King_ (\"Book of Changes\") main source of the art, 344;\n   various forms of, 344-346\n Dog. In Japan, looked on as a friendly animal, 268\n Doll-s. Comparison of English and Japanese, 214-216;\n   last resting-place, 216;\n   dedicated to K\u014djin when dead, 177, 216;\n   the Feast of, otherwise the Girls' Festival, 216\n Dragon. Intimately associated with Japanese mythology, 362;\n   of Japan, and of China, 362;\n   one of the signs of the Zodiac, 363;\n   in old Chinese conception of earth, four seas ruled over by four\n   Dragon Kings, the Celestial, the Spiritual, the Earth, and the\n   Dragon of the Hidden Treasure, 363;\n   a bird called _O-Goucho_, transformation into a white, 363\n Dragon-flies. Mention of, in Japanese poetry, 282;\n   Chiyo and her pathetic reference to, 282\n Dragon King (of the Sea).\n   Steals Crystal of Buddha, 90;\n   Urashima at the palace of, 325-328;\n   Otohime the daughter of 325;\n   sends Tide Jewels to Empress Jingo by Isora, 331;\n   presents Tide Jewels to Ojin, 333;\n   Mamikiko meets a _Shoj\u014d_ who lives near palace of, 361\n Dragon Kingdom. Sam\u00e9bito and, 376-379\n Dragon Palace. The Evergreen Land appears in the ballad\n   \"The Fisher Boy Urashima\" as, 324;\n   Professor Chamberlain's explanation _re_ the equivalent\n   in Japanese, 324;\n   Sam\u00e9bito and the, 378\n Dreams, Eater of. The _Baku_ known as the, 358, 359\n Du Cane, Miss Florence. Her descriptions concerning Japanese\n   rocks and stones, 157\n\n E\n\n Earth and Heaven. Elements which comprised, 21\n East, Sir Alfred. Japanese art described by, 112\n Ebb-Tide Jewel. _See_ Jewels, 331, &c.\n Ebisu. One of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, 115;\n   son of Daikoku, 211;\n   the God of Labour, 211;\n   usually pictured with his father, Daikoku, 212\n Egyptian. Cosmogony stories, reference to, 21;\n   conception of the future life, 117\n Eight-Arms-Length-Spear. Given to Yamato, 54\n Eighty Myriad Gods. Make entertainment to tempt the\n   Sun Goddess (Ama-terasu) back to Heaven, 28\n Eisai. A Buddhist priest who wrote a pamphlet entitled\n   _The Salutary Influence of Tea-drinking_, 294;\n   effort to convert Minamoto-no-Sanetomo from wine-cup, 294\n Elixir of Life. Brought by Moonfolk to Lady Kaguya, 78;\n   Rosei drinks of, 121;\n   Mount Fuji the abode of the, 132\n Emma-\u014c. The Lord and Judge of the dead, 110;\n   Jiz\u014d pleads with, on behalf of Soga Sadayoshi, iii;\n   Festival of the Dead and, 117;\n   Ono-no-Kimi appears before, 140;\n   Tokud\u014d Sh\u014dnin conducted into the presence of, 201;\n   Shiro sent by, to conquer the God of Wealth, 211, 212;\n   Festival of the Dead and, 222, 323\n Emmei of Dogen-ji. Becomes a _sennin_, 356\n England. Tea-drinking in Japan and, 290, 291\n Enkakuji. The great bell of, 140, 141\n Enoshima. A famous island, associated with the coming of Benten, 207\n Eternal Land. The God \"Thought-combining\" brings birds from, 27\n Eternity. Its meaning to the famous artist, Hokusai, 117\n Evergreen Land. _See_ Dragon Palace, 324;\n   orange first brought from, to Japan, 324\n\n F\n\n Fan, Japanese. Significance of, 243; use of, 243;\n   use at festival of Sun Goddess in Ise, 243;\n   symbolism of, described by Mrs. C. M. Salwey, 244;\n   legend, \"The Love of Asagao,\" from _The Diary of a\n   Convolvulus_, 244-249\n Festival-s. Of the Dead, 117, 161, 181;\n   of Tanabata, 126;\n   New Year, 176, 220;\n   the Girls', 216; the Dolls', 216;\n   the Boys', 221;\n   the Laughing, of Wasa, 225;\n   of the _Minige_, and Oho-kuninushi the Bronze Horse, at, 275\n Festival of Tanabata. Alternative, the Weaving Lady;\n   most romantic of Japanese festivals, 126\n Festival of the Dead. Afforded a joyous exit from the world\n   of Emma-\u014c, 117;\n   the greatest argument for Japan's love of Nature found in the, 161;\n   Bon Odori, a dance at the, 181;\n   customs and rites connected with the, 222-224;\n   the Tide of the Returning Ghosts and, 323;\n   poet souls and the, 386\n Field-paths, Deity of. Accosted by Uzume, 33\n Fields, The Spirit of the, 330\n Fire Apparitions. Varieties in Japan, 357, 358\n Fireflies. Stories _re_, 285-289; the Minamoto and the Taira\n   believed to be the ghosts of the Minamoto and Taira clans, 285, 286\n Fire God. Kagu-tsuchi, child of Izanagi and Izanami, the, 23\n Firmament, God of the. Tanabata daughter of, 126\n Flag, Japanese. The chrysanthemum and, 161-163\n Floating Bridge of Heaven. Uzume and her companions rest on the, 33\n Flood-Tide Jewel. _See_ Jewels, 331, &c.\n Flowers. The love of, its growth and symbolism among Japanese, 154-156;\n   legends of, 163-173\n Footstool of the King. _Torii_ before the Itsukushima shrine\n   on Island of Myajima; alternatives, \"The Gateway of Light\" and\n   \"The Water Gate of the Sacred Island,\" 227\n Fox God. _See_ Inari\n Fox Legends. \"The Death-Stone\" one of the most remarkable, 95\n Fudaraku-ji. Place at Nachi, in Kish\u016b; one of the thirty-three\n   places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Fudo.\n   I. God. Identified with Dainichi, the God of Wisdom;\n   Kiyo visits shrine of, 147;\n   temple on Oki-Yama dedicated to, 180;\n   the one-eyed priest at temple of, 180-182.\n   II. Cape. Known as the Cape of the Woman's Sword, 337\n Fugin. Raiden, the Thunder God, often found in company with, 250\n Fuji (_Fuji-yama_--i.e., Never Dying). Name given to highest\n   mountain in Suruga, 79 (_see_ Suruga);\n   seems to be typically Japanese, 130;\n   the mountain of the Lotus and the Fan, 130;\n   a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years, 131;\n   its peak described by Lafcadio Hearn as \"the Supreme Altar\n   of the Sun,\" 131;\n   an extinct volcano, 131;\n   name derived from Huchi, or Fuchi, the Aino Goddess of Fire, 131;\n   the deities of, 132;\n   the abode of the Elixir of Life, 132;\n   Jofuku at, 133; Sentaro visits, 133;\n   the Goddess of, 134, 138;\n   Visu's adventures near, 136-139;\n   Yurine lived near, 359\n Fujii-dera. Place in Kawachi; one of the thirty-three places\n   sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Fukurokuju. One of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, 115\n Fusago. Sent by the Mikado to Kaguya, 73\n Futon (Quilt), The, of Tottori, 309-311\n\n G\n\n Gama. With his wizard toad, depicted as a _sennin_ in Japanese art, 357\n Garden-s. English and Japanese contrasted, 154;\n   general description of Japanese, 156;\n   Kobori-Enshi\u016b, the great Japanese designer of, 156;\n   the _torii_, or arch, a characteristic of Japanese, 157\n Garden of Skulls. Idea of, borrowed by Hiroshige from\n   _Heike Monogatari_, 119\n Genealogy. Table showing the Age of the Gods, 393-396\n Genno. A Buddhist priest; warning of the Spirit of the Death-stone to, 95;\n   story of the Jewel Maiden related to, 95-98\n Gensuke. Victim at building of bridge over river at Matsue, 344\n Gessh\u014dji Temple, The. The gigantic tortoise of, 275\n Ghost-s. Of the Circle of Penance, fed in connection with the\n   Festival of the Dead, 223;\n   the ghost mother, 308;\n   the Tide of the Returning, and the Festival of the Dead, 323\n Gilbert and Sullivan. Reference to their _The Mikado_, xi\n Gisuke. Brother of O Cho San, 338;\n   favours suit of Shinsaku, 338;\n   builds shrine to O Cho San, 339\n Goblin King. Shutendoji, the; his doings on Mount Oye, 44-48\n Goblins. Ghosts and, 118\n God of Roads, The. The pine-tree and, 176;\n   love-test by invoking the, 346\n God of the Sea. Hoori visits palace of, 35;\n   father of Toyo-Tama (\"Rich-jewel\"), 36;\n   presents Hoori with the Jewels of the Flowing Tide and the\n   Ebbing Tide, 36\n Gods and Goddesses. A general summary of, 387-391\n Go-Fukakusa, Emperor. Saimyoji Tokiyori a celebrated\n   Regent during reign of, 182\n Gohitsu-Osh\u014d. Name given to K\u014db\u014d Daishi by Chinese emperor, 236\n Gojo Bridge of Ky\u014dto. Benkei's lawless doings towards knights\n   happening to cross the, 42\n Golden Lotus. Legend of, 80-82\n Gongen. Two of Raiko's knights visit shrine of, 45\n Go-Toba. The silent pine and the Emperor, 177\n Grass, The Spirit of, 330\n Grass-Cleaving-Sword. Given to Yamato, 54;\n   the origin of its name, 55\n Great-Mountain-Possessor.\n   Identical with Oho-yama, the Spirit of the Mountains, 34\n Greey, Edward. The legend of the Golden Lotus, version of, by, 80\n Gulliver. Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye of Nagasaki a Japanese, 374-376\n\n H\n\n Hachiman. The God of War;\n   two of Raiko's intending companions visit the temple of, 45;\n   temple of, still remains, 82;\n   Yoritomo erects shrines to, 278;\n   infant Emperor, Antoku Tenno, at shrine of, 300\n Hades (_see_ Yomi), 23; messages from, 357\n Hanagaki Baish\u016b. A young poet; and Benten-of-the-Birth-Water, 207-210\n Happiness, Land of Perfect. _See_ Land, 300\n Hara-kiri, or Seppuku. Term applied to suicide among the\n   samurai class, 161\n Hare. Legends _re_, 255-260;\n   Taoist legends and the, 255;\n   story of hare and badger on the Crackling Mountain, 258-260\n Hase-dera. Place in Yamato; one of the thirty-three places\n   sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Hat of Invisibility. Part of cargo of the Treasure Ship, 115\n Hatsushima Island. Celebrated for its jonquils, 337;\n   Cho dwells on, 337\n Hazoku, Prince. Pays homage to demon in Ind, 97\n Hearn, Lafcadio. Reference to,\n   as an authority on Japanese subjects, v;\n   works referred to, vi;\n   subject of fox in Japan described by, 94;\n   Jiz\u014d, the God of the Children, and, 105;\n   reference to the Cave of the Children's Ghosts and Jiz\u014d, 109;\n   describes peak of Mount Fuji as \"the Supreme Altar of the Sun,\" 131;\n   his narrative illustrating the power of Karma, 143;\n   his story of a Japanese nun with a love for things\n   in miniature, 158, 159;\n   describes the Lotus of Paradise, 169;\n   Japanese dolls described by, 214;\n   the suggestion of, _re_ butterflies, 217;\n   the _Bon-odori_, reference to, by, 224;\n   story of Japanese _semi_ (tree-cricket) in _Kott\u014d_, 281;\n   reference to Yuki-Daruma in _A Japanese Miscellany_ by, 299;\n   legends of the Weird adapted from stories by, in _Kwaidan_\n   and _Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan_, 300\n Heaven. Ladder of, 23;\n   High Plain of, 25;\n   River of, 27;\n   Hikoboshi's ox wanders over High Plain of, 126\n Heaven and Earth. Elements which comprised, 21\n Heitaro. A farmer who married Willow Wife, 178-180\n Hell. Kwannon's concern for who pass into, told by Emma-\u014c\n   to Tokud\u014d Sh\u014dnin, 202\n Hi. River in province of Idzumo; Susa-no-o arrives at, 29\n Hidaka. A river, on the bank of which Kiyo lived, 145\n Hidari Jingor\u014d. The famous sculptor; legend of, reminds\n   us of story of Pygmalion, 116;\n   falls in love with a beautiful woman, 190\n Hidesato. Variants: Tawara Toda, \"My Lord Bag of Rice\";\n   his encounter with the Dragon King of Lake Biwa, 62-64\n Hiei, Mount. Yoshitsune hears of priest Benkei as living at, 42\n Higo (\"Willow\"). Wife of Heitaro, 177-180\n Hikoboshi. Husband of Tanabata, 126\n Hinako-Nai-Shinn\u014d. The miraculous chestnut and the Princess, 177\n Hinokawa. River in which Yamato swims with Idzumo Takeru, 53\n Hiroshige. Idea for one of his pictures borrowed from the\n   _Heike Monogatari_, 119\n Hito-koto-Kwannon. _See_ Kwannon, 200\n Hizen, Prince of.\n   Story of his love for a cat in form of a woman named O Toyo, 265-268;\n   the priest Ruiten prays for, 266;\n   Ito Soda discovers cause of illness of, 266-269\n Hoderi (\"Fire-shine\"). Son of Ninigi and Ko-no-Hana, 34;\n   quarrels with his brother Hoori, 35;\n   reconciled to his brother, 37\n H\u014d\u00efchi-the-Earless. A blind priest who lived at the Amidaji temple, 301;\n   his recitals in connection with the war between the Taira and Minamoto\n   clans, 301;\n   unknowingly visits tomb of Antoku Tenno, 304;\n   how he gained his name, 305\n H\u014dji. Spirit of Death-Stone takes form of, in Great Cathay, 97\n H\u014dj\u014d. Kamakura, the seat of Regents of family, 82\n \"H\u014d-j\u014d-ki.\" F. Victor Dickins's translation of, v, 160, 385\n H\u014dj\u014d Takatoki. A great ruler, whom Oribe Shima offends, 333\n H\u014dj\u014d Tokiyori. Nichiren exiled to Ito by, 241\n Hokkeji. Place in Harima;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n \"Hokku.\" See Japanese Poetry, 380-386\n Hokusai. A famous artist;\n   and his \"Hundred Views of Fuji,\" 117;\n   Eternity, and its meaning to, 117\n Holy One, The. Alternative title for the Lord Buddha, 80\n Hoori (\"Fire-fade\"). Son of Ninigi and Ko-no-Hana, 34;\n   grandfather of the first Mikado of Japan, 34;\n   conveyed to the Palace of the Sea God by Shiko-tsutsu no Oji\n   (\"Salt-sea-elder\"), 35;\n   weds Toyo-tama (\"Rich-jewel\"), daughter of the Sea God, 36;\n   presented with jewels of the Flowing Tide and Ebbing Tide, 36;\n   departs from Sea God's Palace, 37\n Horai. Mountain;\n   Kuramochi required to fare to, 67;\n   the Jewel-bearing Branch of, 69, 70\n Hori\u014d Yoshiharu. _Daimy\u014d_ of Izumo; builds bridge over river\n   at Matsue, 343\n Horse. The Deity of Kitzuki (Oho-kuninushi) and the Bronze, 275\n Hotei. One of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, 115;\n   the God of Laughter and Contentment, 211;\n   known as the Waggon Priest, &c., 213\n Huchi. _See_ Fuji and Aino Goddess of Fire, 131\n Hunt, Royal. The Mikado orders, 74;\n   the Mikado surprises Kaguya by means of, 74\n \"Hyaku-nin-isshiu\" (\"Single Verses by a Hundred People\").\n   Written before the time of the Norman Conquest; _see_\n   Japanese Poetry, 382\n\n I\n\n Ichijo, Emperor.\n   Stories current in Ky\u014dto regarding the Goblin of Oyeyama during\n   reign of, 44;\n   Raiko despatched by, to seek out and slay the Goblin, 45\n Iha-naga. Variant, Princess Long-as-the-Rocks; daughter of Oho-yama, 34\n Iijima. Father of Tsuyu (\"Morning Dew\"), 228\n Ima-Gumano. Place at Ky\u014dto, in Yamashiro;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Impetuous Male. _See_ Susa-no-o, 23, 352\n \"In\" and \"Yo.\" Male and female principles, not yet divided, 21;\n   correspond to the Chinese _Yang_ and _Yin_, 21;\n   associated with thunder, according to Bakin, 252\n INABA. Legend of the White Hare of, 256-260\n INARI. Originally the God of Rice, and later (eleventh century)\n   associated with the Fox God, 93, 238;\n   answers a woman's prayer, 101;\n   appears to K\u014db\u014d Daishi, 238, 239\n Increase, The Month of. _Yayoi_, the, 193\n Ind. Place where demon received homage of Hazoku, 97\n Indian _Sraddha_. Corresponds to Japanese Festival of the Dead, 223, 224\n Inexhaustible Purse. Part of the cargo of the Treasure Ship, 115, 116\n Infernal Regions. Kwanjin sent to, and from, the, 200\n Insect-S. Legends _re_, 281-289;\n   Buddhists believe that soul of a man or woman may enter minute\n   form of, 281;\n   Sanemori, a rice-devouring, 284;\n   the _shiwan_ described, 284, 285\n Intelligences, The Eight, of Buddhism, 130\n Ippai, Murata. Unwittingly destroys a number of lotus and commits\n   _hara-kiri_, 171\n Isaburo. Kyuzaemon visits, concerning the mysterious appearance\n   of Oyasu, 153\n Ise. Prince Yamato prays at  shrine of, 51;\n   the Divine Mirror into which the Sun Goddess gazes reposes at, 191;\n   gigantic fan used in festival of, 243;\n   infant Emperor Antoku Tenno at shrine of, 300;\n   poem by, 384\n Ishidomaro. Son of Kato Sayemon, 371-372\n Ishiyama-dera. Place near Otsu, in \u014cmi;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Ishizukuri, Prince. One of Kaguya's five suitors, 66-72\n Isora. The Spirit of the Seashore; takes Tide Jewels to Empress Jingo\n   as a gift from the Dragon King, 331\n Issunboshi (\"One-Inch Priest\").\n   Otherwise Little Finger and Grain-of-Corn, 364-367;\n   marries youngest daughter of Prince Sanjo, 367\n Itsukushima. Shrine on Island of Myajima, 227;\n   _torii_ called \"The Footstool of the King\" before, 227\n Iuwao, Emperor.\n   Spirit of Death-Stone the consort of, in Great Cathay, 97\n Iwama-Dera. Place in Omi;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Iwazaru. The three mystic Apes which figure in Japanese legend\n   are Mizaru, Kikazaru, and, 272\n Izanagi and Izanami (\"Male-who-invites\" and \"Female-who-invites\").\n   Two important deities, 21;\n   island of Onogoro-jima formed by spear of, 22;\n   though related as brother and sister, desire to become husband and\n   wife, 22;\n   their marriage, 22; marriage produces islands, seas, rivers, herbs,\n   and trees, 22;\n   desire to produce a Lord of the Universe, 22;\n   the wish fulfilled in birth of Ama-terasu, the Sun Goddess, 23;\n   send Ama-terasu up Ladder of Heaven, 23;\n   parents of Tsukiyumi, the Moon God, who is sent up Ladder of Heaven\n   to be consort of Ama-terasu, 23;\n   Susa-no-o (\"The Impetuous Male\"), son of, 23;\n   Kagu-tsuchi, the Fire God, born to, 23;\n   Izanami creeps into the Land of Yomi (Hades), 23;\n   Izanagi follows his wife into Land of Yomi (Hades), 23;\n   Izanami angry with Izanagi for putting her to shame, 24;\n   Izanagi escapes from the Underworld, 24;\n   pursuit by the Eight Ugly Females, 24;\n   he reaches the Even Pass of Yomi, 24;\n   is divorced from Izanami, 24;\n   builds himself a perpetual home in island of Ahaji, 25;\n   wagtails sacred to, 276\n Izumi. Place from which Chinu came, 313\n Izumo. Queer custom in, associated with Jiz\u014d, 105, 106;\n   assembly of Gods in October in temple at, 225;\n   the _Kappa_ referred to as _Kawako_ by people\n   of village of, 350\n\n J\n\n Japan. Equivalent, \"Land of the Rising Sun,\" xi;\n   reference to her victory over Russia, xi;\n   evolution of, how wrought, xii;\n   first inhabitants of, xiii;\n   Ainu, Mongol, and Malay elements formed one nation by A.D. 500, xiii;\n   national characteristics of, xiii;\n   called Jih-p\u00e9n by Chinese, xiv;\n   general equivalents, xiv;\n   Kama-Yamato-Iware-Biko first human Emperor of, 37;\n   Buddhism in, India and China borrowed from, in regard to religious\n   teaching, 80;\n   the Bronze Buddha of Kamakura one of the sights of, 82;\n   legends of fox in, 93;\n   Ancient Cavern in, in which image of Jiz\u014d is seen, 109;\n   art of, owed to Buddhism, 114;\n   Buddha's teaching gave art of gardening to, 114;\n   art, quickened by Chinese influence, 114;\n   happy in naming chrysanthemums, 163;\n   Ama-no-Hashidate, one of the \"Three Great Sights\" of, 204;\n   butterfly connected with folk-lore in, 216;\n   legend _re_ invasion by Mongols of, 250;\n   Thunder Animal of, 251;\n   tea-drinking in England and, contrasted, 290, 291;\n   orange first brought from the \"Evergreen Land\" to, 324;\n   cause of becoming a world-Power, 329;\n   her influence on Korea when Russia established a military outpost\n   at Wiju, 329;\n   Korea a colony of, 329;\n   Dragon of, 362\n Japanese. Character not Western, xii;\n   patriotism, source of, xii;\n   art and religion influenced by Buddhism, xii;\n   influence of Shint\u014dism on, xii;\n   theories regarding racial origin of people, xiii;\n   superstition regarding the _Kappa_ (river monster), xiv;\n   divinities and heroes, general reference to, xvi-xx;\n   art, described by Sir Alfred East, 112;\n   artists, work of, considered, 112;\n   art, the face in, 113;\n   artist, Seven Gods of Good Fortune favourite theme of, 115;\n   Festival of Tanabata, 126;\n   bells, general description of, 140;\n   woman, cherry and plum blossoms associated with beauty and\n   virtue of, 174;\n   mirrors, significance of, 190-198;\n   English dolls compared with, 214-216;\n   fan, significance of, 243;\n   origin of name _kanam\u00e9_, applied to fans, 244;\n   cat, how regarded, 264-268;\n   art, _sennin_ in, 357;\n   poetry, note on, 380-386\n \"Japanese Literature, A History of.\" Reference to, v\n Jewel-s. Precious, 28;\n   the Tide-flowing and the Tide-ebbing, 36;\n   the Jewel-bearing Branch of Mount Horai, 69-70;\n   the Jewel in the Dragon's Head, 71-73;\n   the Flood-Tide and the Ebb-Tide, given by Dragon  King\n   to Empress Jingo, 331;\n   the Jewel-tears of Sam\u00e9bito, 376-379\n Jewel Maiden. The story of, 95-98\n Jih-p\u00e9n. Chinese equivalent for Japan, xiv\n Jimmu Tenn\u014d. Variant, Kamu-Yamato-Iware-Biko;\n   first human Emperor of Japan, 37\n Jimpachi. Kanshiro and, 287-289\n Jingo, The Empress.\n   Professor J. H. Longford writes _re_, 329;\n   legend of first Japanese invasion of Korea by, 330-333;\n   birth of her son Ojin, 333;\n   old couple's prayer for a child offered to, 364\n Jiz\u014d. The God of Children, 94, 104;\n   compared to Kwannon, Goddess of Mercy, 104;\n   the creation of Japanese mothers, 104;\n   little children play in the Sai-no-Kawara (\"Dry Bed of the River of\n   Souls\") with, 106;\n   hymn of, 107, 108;\n   Cave of the Children's Ghosts and, 109;\n   Fountain of, 110;\n   Soga Sadayoshi remembered by, 110, 111;\n   picture of, contrasted with pictorial representation  of a Japanese\n   goblin, 114, 115\n Jofuku. Attempts to wrest the secret of perpetual life from\n   Mount Fuji, 133;\n   Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye meets, 375\n J\u014dshi. Term applied to lovers' suicide--variants, \"love-death,\"\n   or \"passion-death,\" 144\n Jur\u014djin. One of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, 115\n\n K\n\n Kaibara. Treatise by, known as _Onna Daigaku_, 113\n Kadzusa, Straits of.\n   Princess Ototachibana drowned in crossing, 56\n Kadzutoyo. Story of the badger and, 260-262\n Kagu-Tsuchi. The Fire God, child of Izanagi and Izanami, 23\n Kaguya, Lady (\"Precious-Slender-Bamboo-of-the-Field-of-Autumn\").\n   Discovered and reared by Sanugi no Miyakko, 65;\n   Prince Ishizukuri, Prince Kuramochi, the Sadaijin Dainagon Abe\n   no Miushi, the Chiunagon Otomo no Miyuki, and Morotada, the Lord of\n   Iso, suitors of, 66-72;\n   her plan to test the five suitors, 67;\n   fame of, reaches the Mikado, who sends Fusago to, 73;\n   Moonland Capital the birthplace of, 75;\n   departs to Moonland, 79\n Kamakura. The one-time capital of Nippon, 82;\n   seat of the Sh\u014dguns, 82;\n   the Bronze Buddha of, and the Whale, 82-86;\n   city of, laid out by General Yoritomo, 83;\n   the bell of Enkakuji the largest in, 140\n Kamatari. A State Minister of Japan; father of Kohaku Jo, 86\n Kami Daigo-dera. Place at Uji, in Yamashiro;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Kaminari. Thunder Woman, 252\n Kamishama. One of the Oki Islands, to which Oribe Shima is banished, 333\n Kamo, Lady. The Soul of the Mirror (Yayoi) falls into possession of, 194\n Kamo no Ch\u014dmei. A Buddhist recluse of twelfth century;\n   his book called _H\u014d-j\u014d-ki_ shows him a great Nature-lover, 160\n Kamo Yamakiko. A magician, consulted by Yosoji, 134\n Kamu-Yamato-Iware-Biko. Descendant of Hoori;\n   present equivalent, Jimmu Tenn\u014d; first human Emperor of Japan, 37\n Kanagawa. Urashima's tomb still shown in a temple in, 328\n Kanasoka. A great artist; legend _re_ the painted horse of, 116\n Kano Hogai. Embroidery depicting Kwannon as the Divine Mother by, 201\n Kanshiro. The vengeance of, 287-289\n Kansuke. Father of Matakichi, 340\n Kantan's Pillow. Rosei rests upon, 121\n Kappa, The. A river goblin; description of, 350;\n   people in village of Izumo refer to as _Kawako_ (\"The Child\n   of the River\"), 350;\n   the story of the promise of, 351\n Karma. The power of, one of the great Buddhist doctrines, 143;\n   signifies the desire to be--in contrast to Nirvana, the desire\n   not to be, 144;\n   reference to, in the _Ratana Sutra_, 145;\n   Kiyo and the power of, 145-148;\n   power of, illustrated by story of Tsuyu, 228, 233\n Kashima. Origin of _kanam\u00e9_, name applied to Japanese fans, and, 244\n Katsuo-dera. Place in Settsu; one of the thirty-three places\n   sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Katsushika, The Maiden of. Ballad of, 316, 317\n Kawachi. River, near which is the temple known as Kawako-no-miya, 350\n Kawachi-mura. Hamlet near Matsue, 350\n Kawako (\"The Child of the River\"). _See_ Kappa, 350\n Kawako-no-Miya. The temple of the _Kawako_, or _Kappa_, 350\n Ken-cho-ji. Visit of Soga Sadayoshi to temple of, 110\n Kenk\u014d H\u014dshi. Another legend of Raiko and the Goblin by, 49-51\n Kikazaru. The three mystic Apes which figure in Japanese legend\n   are Mizaru, Iwazaru, and, 272\n Kiku (\"Chrysanthemum\"). Sawara weds, 124;\n   Sawara sends back to her parents, 125\n Kikuo (\"Chrysanthemum-Old-Man\"). Retainer of Tsugaru;\n   story of, 165-167\n Kimi. Story of her faithless behaviour toward Kurosuke, 181\n Kimii-dera. Place near Wakayama, in Kish\u016b;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Kimitaka. The Goblin of Oye snatches away, 45\n Ki-no-o-bak\u00e9. A true spirit, 176\n Kintaro. Otherwise the Golden Boy, 367-369;\n   named Sakata Kurando by Yorimitsu,368, 369\n Kishiwada, The Lord of.\n   Sends Sonob\u00e9 to great cryptomeria-tree on Oki-yama, 181, 182\n Kitzuki. The Deity of (Oho-kuninushi), and the Bronze Horse, 275;\n   the Deity of, spends much time catching birds and fish, 277\n Kiuchi Heizayemon. Adventures of, which illustrate the\n   _Tengu-kakushi_, 353-355\n Kiyo. The fairest girl in the tea-house near the Dragon's\n   Claw hill, 145;\n   her love for a Buddhist priest and its fatal ending, 145-148\n Kiyomizu-dera. Place at Ky\u014dto;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Kiyomori. Leader of the Taira clan, 41;\n   Tokiwa, widow of Yoshitomo, weds, 41\n K\u014db\u014d Daishi (\"Glory to the Great Teacher\").\n   The most famous of Japanese Buddhist saints, 234;\n   K\u016bkai name when living; K\u014db\u014d Daishi a posthumous title, 234;\n   founded Buddhist sect called the Shin-gon-sh\u016b, 234;\n   named by Chinese Emperor as Gohitsu-Osh\u014d (\"The Priest who writes\n   with Five Brushes\"), 236;\n   Monju Bosatsu, the Lord of Wisdom, and, 237;\n   paints the _ten_ by flinging his brush, 237;\n   work ridiculed by Kino Momoye and Onomo Toku, 237, 238;\n   his voyage to Japan, 238;\n   Inari, the God of Rice, and, 238, 239;\n   his death, 239;\n   temple at Kawasaki dedicated to, 239\n Kobori-Enshiu. The great Japanese designer of gardens, 156\n Koch\u014d. Reference to the play called _The Flying Hairpin of Koch\u014d_, 218\n K\u014dd\u014d. Place at Ky\u014dto; one of the thirty-three places sacred\n   to Kwannon, 204\n Kofukuji, Temple of, 87-89\n Kohaku Jo. Daughter of Kamatari, 86;\n   Emperor of China hears of beauty of, 86;\n   Emperor of China wooes, 86;\n   sails for China, 87;\n   weds Emperor of China, 87, 88;\n   sends treasures to temple of Kofukuji, 89\n Kojiki. \"Records of Ancient Matters\" completed A.D. 712,\n   what it deals with, &c., xv;\n   told in, that Izanagi presented mirrors to his children, 191\n K\u014djin, The God. Spirit of, resides in the _enoki_ tree;\n   the God to whom very old dolls are dedicated, 176, 177, 216\n Kokawa-dera. Place in Kish\u016b; one of the thirty-three places\n   sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Komagawa Miyagi. A retainer of one of the _daimy\u014ds_;\n   his love for Miyuki, 245-249\n Kompira. Originally an Indian God, identified with Susa-no-o;\n   the shrine of, visited by Kiyo, 147\n Ko-no-hana-saku-ya-hime. \"The Princess who makes the Flowers of the\n   Trees to Blossom\";\n   daughter of Oho-yama, 34;\n   weds Ninigi, 34;\n   mother of Hoderi and Hoori, 34;\n   _see_ Sengen, 132\n Korea. Reference to legendary conquest of, 282;\n   Chosen, the Land of the Morning Calm, the old name for, 328;\n   troubled with armies of China and Japan, 328;\n   under glamour of Chinese civilisation, 329;\n   becomes a Japanese colony, 329;\n   legend of first invasion of, by Japan, 329-333;\n   King of, surrenders to Empress Jingo, 332\n \"Korean Towers.\" Lamps in Japanese gardens sometimes still known as, 157\n Korinji. Kimi prayed for by priests of temple, 125\n Koriyama, The Lord.\n   Idzumi, place where lived, 170;\n   he and his wife and child stricken down with a strange malady, 170;\n   restored by planting lotus about his castle, 170, 171\n K\u014dshin. The God of Roads, 176\n Koso. Emperor of China; wooes and weds Kohaku Jo, 86-88\n Koyuri. Son of Yurine, 359\n Kumaso. Brigand, slain by Yamato, 52\n Kum\u00e9. One of the _sennin_, who falls from his chariot of cloud,\n   depicted in Japanese art, 357\n Kuni-toko-tachi. A Japanese God; origin of, 21\n Kuramochi, Prince. One of Kaguya's five suitors, 46-72\n Kurando, Sakata. An officer of the Emperor's bodyguard, 367;\n   falls in love with Ya\u00e9giri, 367;\n   see Kintaro, 368\n Kurosuke. Story how he was forsaken by Kimi, 181\n Kushi-nada-hime (\"Wondrous-Inada-Princess\").\n   Daughter of Ashi-nadzuchi and Te-nadzuchi, 29;\n   wooed and wedded by Susa-no-o, 29, 30\n Kwanjin. Chinese equivalent for Kwannon, 200\n Kwannon. The Goddess of Mercy; two of Raiko's intending companions\n   visit shrine of, 45;\n   ex-Emperor Toba desires to build a temple to, 179;\n   resemblance to Jiz\u014d, 199;\n   sometimes depicted as Senjiu-Kwannon,\n   or Kwannon-of-the-Thousand-Hands, 199;\n   description of Jiu-ichi-men-Kwannon\n   (the Kwannon-of-the-Eleven-Faces), 199;\n   the tiara of, sometimes takes title of Bat\u014d-Kwannon\n   (Kwannon-with-the-Horse's-Head), 199;\n   Bat\u014d-Kwannon, the Goddess who protects dumb animals, 200;\n   Hito-Koto-Kwannon, the Kwannon who will only answer one prayer, 200;\n   the Gods of Love and Wisdom are frequently represented\n   in conjunction with, 200;\n   not inappropriately called the Japanese Madonna, 200;\n   known in Chinese myth as Kwanjin, 200;\n   is the spiritual son of Amit\u00e2lbha, in China, 200;\n   Ch\u016bj\u014d Hime, a Buddhist nun, an incarnation of, 201;\n   as the Divine Mother, 201;\n   thirty-three shrines sacred to Kwannon, 201-204;\n   the Lady of Mercy, 202;\n   the Goddess of Mercy, 203;\n   copper image of, in temple of Ni-gwarsu-d\u014d, 204;\n   sacrifice of, in form of a deer, on behalf of Saion Zenji, 204-206;\n   Princess Sanjo visits temple of, 365\n Kwannonji. Place in Omi;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Ky\u014dto. Stories current in, regarding the Goblin of Oyeyama, 44;\n   Matsumura journeys to, 191;\n   thirty-three shrines sacred to Kwannon in, 201\n Kyu-Kukedo-San. An Ancient Cavern in Japan associated with Jiz\u014d, 109\n Kyuzaemon. The Lady of the Snow and, 152, 153\n\n L\n\n Ladder of Heaven.\n   Ama-terasu, the Sun Goddess, climbs the, 23;\n   Tsuki-yumi, the Moon God, also climbs the, 23\n Lady of Mercy. Kwannon called the, 202\n Land of Endless Plenty.\n   Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye visits the, 375\n \"Land, The Evergreen.\"\n   Appears in the Japanese ballad \"The Fisher Boy Urashima\" as\n   the Dragon Palace, 324\n Land of the Followers of the Antique.\n   Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye visits the, 375\n Land of Giants.\n   Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye visits the, 375\n Land of the Morning Calm. Chosen, the old name for Korea, 328\n Land of Paradoxes.\n   Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye visits the, 375\n Land of Perfect Happiness.\n   The infant Emperor, Antoku Tenno, taken to, 300\n Land of Shams.\n   Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye visits the, 375\n Laughter, God of. _See_ Hotei, 211-213\n Legend-s. Butterfly, 216-219;\n   from _The Diary of a Convolvulus_, 244-249;\n   Thunder, 250-254;\n   of Magical Animals 255-275;\n   the _Kojiki_ (\"The White Hare of Inaba\"), 255-260;\n   the three mystic Apes figure in, 272;\n   birds in, 276-281;\n   of dragon-flies, 282;\n   of fire flies, 285-289;\n   of the tea-plant, 297-299;\n   of the Weird, 300-304;\n   of the sea, 323-341;\n   of Urashima, 323;\n   Japanese superstitions the source of, 342;\n   of the sea monster _Sh\u014dj\u014d_, 359-360;\n   miscellaneous, 370-379\n Lightning, The Goddess of, 251\n Lights, Miraculous. Varieties in Japan, 357, 358\n Liu-kiu Islands. Chinese equivalent for Japanese Luchu Islands, 324\n Long-as-the-Rocks, Princess. Variant for Iha-naga, 34\n Longford, Joseph H. Reference to _The Story of Korea_, by, 328, 329\n Lotus, The Golden. Legend of, 80-82; the sacred flower of Buddhism, 169\n \"Lotus of the Law.\" Y\u014dsh\u014d studies, 356\n Love.\n   Maiden imposes test of, as a corpse-eater, 311, 312;\n   poems, _see_ Japanese Poetry, 380-386;\n   the Goddess of, 206\n Luchu Islands. The Japanese pronunciation for the, 324;\n   Chinese equivalent, Liu-kiu, 324\n Luck, Seven Divinities of.\n   Benten one of the, 206;\n   variants, the Goddess of the Sea, of Love, of Beauty,\n   of Eloquence, 206;\n   charms to represent, 348\n Lucky Raincoat. Part of cargo of the Treasure Ship, 115\n Luwuh. The first Chinese tea-master, 292;\n   his _Chaking_ (\"The Holy Scripture of Tea\"), 292;\n   sought after by Emperor Taisung, 293\n\n M\n\n Madonna, The Japanese.\n   The Goddess of Mercy not inappropriately called, 200\n \"Maiden's Grave, The.\" Burial-place of the Maiden of Unai, 314\n Maiden of Katsushika, The.\n   The tale of, as translated by Professor B. H. Chamberlain, 316, 317\n Maiden of Unai, The.\n   And her lovers, 313-316;\n   the grave of, 315, 316\n Maiden with the Wooden Bowl. The strange story of, 317-322\n Maki. Moor to which Tokutaro was challenged to go, 98\n Maki Hiogo. Attempts to capture the Spirit of the Peony, 172, 173\n Malay Elements. Their contribution to Japanese characteristics, xiii\n Mamikiko. Neighbour of Yurine; his unkindness to Koyuri, 360-362\n \"Master Singers of Japan,\" Miss Clara A. Walsh's reference to, v\n Mason, W. B.\n   Reference to temple at Kawasaki sacred to K\u014db\u014d Daishi, in _Murray's\n   Handbook for Japan_, by, 239\n Matakichi. Son of Kansuke, 340\n Matsu. Shing\u00e9's maid, 167\n Matsue.\n   I. Daughter of a fisherman at Takasago, 187;\n   rescues Teoyo, their love, 188, 189.\n   II. Bridge. Sacrifices associated with, 343, 344;\n   Hori\u014d Yoshiharu and, 343.\n   III. The Bronze Deer of, 275\n Matsumura. A Shint\u014d priest in charge of shrine of Ogawachi-My\u014djin, 191;\n   journey to Ky\u014dto to appeal to Sh\u014dgun, 191;\n   his strange sight of a beautiful woman's face in a well, 192;\n   the Poison Dragon and, 193;\n   the Soul of the Mirror and, 193-196\n Matsunoo-dera. Place in Wakasa;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Matsuyama, The Mirror of, 196-198\n Mercy, Goddess of. Kwannon, the; compared to Jiz\u014d, 104\n Michimasa. An eleventh-century official; _tanka_ by, quoted, 383;\n   addressed _tanka_ to the Princess Masako, 383\n Miidera.\n   I. The Bell of, 141-143.\n   II. Place near Otsu, in Omi; one of the thirty-three places\n   sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Midzunoe. Village in province of Tango, in which Urashima lived, 324\n Mimuroto-dera. Place at Uji, in Yamashiro;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Minamoto Clan. Reference to great sea-fight between Taira clan and, 300\n Min\u00e9. Wife of Tomoz\u014d, 233\n Minokichi. Loved by the Lady of the Snow, 150-151\n Mio. Shore of, on which the Moon Lady's Robe of Feathers is found\n   by Hairukoo, 128\n Mionoseki. The God of, is the God of Mariners, 276;\n   detests cocks and hens, 276\n Mirrors. Significance of Japanese, 190-198;\n   the Divine, into which Sun Goddess gazes, reposes at Ise, 191;\n   the soul of the, 193;\n   old bronze mirrors contributed to form a bell, 195;\n   the mirror of Matsuyama, 196-198\n Mitford, A. B. (Lord Redesdale).\n   Reference to his _Tales of Old Japan_, 98, 161\n Miushi. The Sadaijin Dainagon Abe no, one of Kaguya's five suitors, 66-70\n Miwa Daimy\u014djin. Japanese God, in connection with whom the Laughing\n   Festival originated, 225\n Miyadzu, Princess. Prince Yamato meets and weds, 55\n Miyuki. The Chiunagon Otomo no, one of Kaguya's five suitors, 66-70\n Mizaru.\n   The three mystic Apes in Japanese legend are Kikazaru, Iwazaru,\n   and, 272\n Mochida-no-ura. Peasant of village of, who flung his children\n   into a river, 311\n Momotaro (\"Son of a Peach\").\n   His romantic discovery, 58;\n   his adventures in the North-Eastern Sea, 59-62\n Momoye, Kino. K\u014db\u014d Daishi's work ridiculed by, 237-238\n Mongol-s. Elements, their contribution to Japanese characteristics, xiii;\n   legend _re_ invasion of Japan by, 250\n Monju Bosatsu. The Lord of Wisdom; K\u014db\u014d Daishi and, 237\n Moon. Belief of Japanese peasants _re_ the Hare in the, 162\n Moonfolk. The Lady Kaguya and, 75-79\n Moon God. Tsuki-yumi, son of Izanagi and Izanami, the, 23\n Moon Lady, The. The fisherman finds Robe of Feathers of, 128, 129\n Moonland. The capital of,\n   the birthplace of Kaguya, 75;\n   Lady Kaguya departs to, 79\n Moon, Palace of the. The dance that makes, turn round, 128\n Morning Calm, The Land of the. Otherwise Chosen, the old\n   name for Korea, 328\n Morris, William. Story of \"The Robe of Feathers\" resembles Norse legend\n   --see _The Land East of the Sun and West of the Moon_, 127\n Morokoshi, The Land of.\n   Miushi required to fare to, 67\n Morotada. The Lord of Iso;\n   one of Kaguya's five suitors 66-70\n Mosaku. His death by the Lady of the Snow, 150\n Mother, The Ghost, 308\n Mountain.\n   I. Woman, 355.\n   II. Man, 355\n Mountain Spider. _See_ Goblin Spider\n Mountain, The Crackling. The story of the hare and badger on, 258-260\n Mountain, The Spirit of the, 330\n Mubara. One of the Maiden of Unai's lovers, 313-316\n Mud, Sea of. Visited by Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye, 375\n Mugenyama. The priests of,\n   require a bell, 194;\n   one mirror used in making bell of, refuses to melt, 195\n Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. A divine sword, discovered by Susa-no-o and given\n   by him to the Gods of Heaven, 30;\n   sword of, given to Yamato, 54\n Mushimaro. A poet, who wrote _re_ the lovers of the Maiden of\n   Unai, 313\n Mus\u014d Kokushi. A priest;\n   his gruesome experience with the corpse-eater, 305-308\n Myokei. A celebrated painter under whom Sawara studies, 122\n Mythology.\n   The Dragon intimately associated with Japanese, 362;\n   the Dragon in Chinese and Japanese, 363\n\n N\n\n Naizen-no-jo, The Lord. Father of the Princess Aya, 172, 173\n Nakayama-dera. Place near K\u014dbe, in Settsu;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n \"Namudaishi.\" A Japanese poem describing life of famous saint\n   K\u014db\u014d Daishi, 234\n Nanao. Fishing village, destroyed by earthquake, 339;\n   experience of Kansuke and his son Matakichi while fishing near, 340, 341\n Nan-end\u014d. Place at Nara, in Yamato;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Nareai-ji. Place in Tango;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Nariai, Mount. Saion Zenji and Kwannon on, 204-206\n Naruse Tsushimanokami. An official who considers the sword secured\n   by Sankichi a sacred treasure, 337\n Nasu. Genno arrives at moor of, 95\n Nasu no Yoichi. A fan, the mark of bow of, 243\n National Anthem. English and Japanese compared, 384;\n   Japanese, based on an ancient song mentioned in the _Kokinshiu_, 384\n Nature. Japanese love for, 160, 161;\n   Japanese poetry and, 380-386\n Nether World. _See_ Yomi\n New Year. Pine-tree and the Festival of the, 176;\n   Daikoku and origin of charm connected with, 212;\n   quaint observances at Festival of, 220, 221\n Nichiren. The founder of the Buddhist sect of that name, 240;\n   name of, means Sun Lotus, 240;\n   his efforts to  restore Buddhism to its old purity, 240, 241;\n   exiled to Ito for thirty years by H\u014dj\u014d Tokiyori, 241;\n   his escape from execution, 241;\n   again exiled, and dwells on Mount Minobu, 241;\n   attempts to replace the ordinary _mantra_, 241;\n   wrote \"Book to Tranquillise the Country,\" 241\n Ni-gwarsu-d\u014d (\"Hall of the Second Moon\").\n   The Buddhist temple of, 204;\n   small copper image of Kwannon in temple of, 204\n \"Nihongi\" (\"Chronicles of Japan\"). Written in Chinese and completed\n   A.D. 720, and deals with the myths, legends, &c., from early times\n   to A.D. 697, xv; male and female principles, reference to, in, 21\n Niidono. Takes infant Emperor, Antoku Tenno, to the Pure Land of\n   Perfect Happiness, 300\n Nikko. First Buddhist temple at, founded by Sh\u014dd\u014d Shonin, 242;\n   notice to _Tengu_ and other demons prior to visit of Yedo\n   Sh\u014dgun to, 355\n Nik\u014db\u014d. A priest, famous for powers to exorcise evil spirits, 357, 358\n Ninigi. Grandchild of Taka-mi-musubi;\n   sent to govern Central Land of Reed-Plains, 30;\n   presented with gifts by Ama-terasu, 32;\n   gives Uzume as wife to the Deity of the Field-Paths, 33;\n   meets and weds Ko-no-hana, 34;\n   Hoderi (\"Fire-shine\") and Hoori (\"Fire-fade\"), sons of, 34\n Nippon. Kamakura at one time capital of, 82;\n   pictorial art given to, by Buddhism, 114;\n   the _No_, or lyrical drama of, 119;\n   bell-maker, skill of, 140;\n   fan of, 243;\n   tea-drinking in, associated with Buddhism, 293\n Nipponese. Women, colour-prints depicting, do not reveal emotion, 113;\n   mirrors, significance of, 190\n Nirvana. Genno prays that the Jewel Maiden might attain, 97;\n   desire for not-being finally attained in, 109;\n   signification contrasted with Karma, 144\n \"No.\" The lyrical drama of Nippon, 119;\n   the _Takasago_ one\n   of the finest of the, 186\n Noguchi, Yone. _See_ Yone Noguchi\n Noto. Y\u014dsh\u014d born at, 356\n\n O\n\n O-ana-mochi. A deity of Mount Fuji, 132\n Oba Kage-chika. Yoritomo saved from power of, by two doves, 277-278\n O Cho San. Dwells on Hatsushima Island, 337;\n   Gisuke the brother of, 338;\n   Shinsaku the favoured suitor of, 338;\n   death of, 338; shrine raised to, 339\n Ogawachi-my\u014djin. Shrine of,\n   referred to, 191;\n   Matsumura, the Shint\u014d priest in charge of shrine of, 191\n O-Hina-San. Tiny doll named, 215\n Oho-Kuninushi. The Deity of Kitzuki; the Bronze Horse and, 275\n Oho-yama. Variants, Great-Mountain-Possessor and Spirit of the\n   Mountains; father of Ko-no-hane and Iha-naga, 34;\n   presents his daughter to Ninigi, 34\n Ojin. Son of Empress Jingo, 333;\n   the Dragon King presents the Tide Jewels to, 333\n Oka-dera. Place in Yamato;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Okakura Kakuzo. _The Book of Tea_ by, 290\n Oki Islands. Oribe Shima banished to Kamishima, one of the, 333, 334\n Oki-yama. Sonob\u00e9 sent to great cryptomeria-tree on, 181, 182\n Old Japan. Doll handed down from generation to generation in, 215\n Omi, Province of. Yamato Take slays serpent in, 57\n \"Onna Daigaku\" (\"The Greater Learning for Women\"). A treatise\n   by Kaibara, 113\n Onomo Toku. K\u014db\u014d Daishi's work ridiculed by, 238\n Ono-no-Kimi. Appears before the Judgment Seat of Emma-\u014c, the Judge\n   of Souls, 140\n Oribe Shima.\n   Offends Hojo Takatoki and is banished to Kamishima, 333, 334;\n   his grief at leaving his daughter, Tokoyo, 334;\n   sought after by Tokoyo, 334-336;\n   set at liberty by Hojo Takatoki, 336\n Otohime, The Princess,\n   daughter of the Dragon (Sea) King, 325;\n   becomes the bride of Urashima, 325;\n   bestows gift of the \"Box of the Jewel Hand\" (_Tamate-Bako_)\n   on Urashima, 327\n O-Toku-San. Girl doll of life-size class, 215\n Ototachibana, Princess. Wife of Prince Yamato, 51, 52;\n   drowned in crossing Straits of Kadzusa, 56\n O Toyo. Favourite among ladies of the Prince of Hizen, 265;\n   a cat in form of a woman causes grievous harm to Prince\n   of Hizen, 265-269\n Owari, Province of. Yamato Take passes through, 57\n Oyama, General. A hero of Japan, xii\n Oyasu. Assumed name of the Lady of the Snow, by which she\n   introduces herself to Kyuzaemon, 153\n Oyeyama, The Goblin of, 44-48\n Ozaki, Madame. Reference to story told by, regarding Koso\n   and Kohaku Jo, 88\n\n P\n\n Palace, Dragon. \"Evergreen Land\" appears as, in ballad of\n   \"The Fisher Boy Urashima,\" 324\n Paradise, The Buddhist.\n   Tapestry wrought by Kwannon depicting, 201\n Peony. The Spirit of the, 171;\n   the Princess Aya loves, in the form of a young and handsome\n   samurai, 172, 173\n Perry, Professor. Japanese mirrors and, 190\n Pierre Loti. Reference to his _Madame Chrysanth\u00e8me_, xi\n Piggott, Sir F. T. Cherry and plum blossoms, reference to, in\n   _The Garden of Japan_, by, 174\n Plain of High Heaven. Susa-no-o visits his sister, Ama-terasu, in, 25-27\n Poetry, Japanese. A note on, 380-386;\n   Mr. Noguchi's _The Pilgrimage_ and, 380;\n   the _Tanka_ and _Hokku_ described, 381;\n   reference to the _Hyaku-nin-isshiu_ (\"Single Verses by a\n   Hundred People\"), 382;\n   reference to a _tanka_ by Yasuhide Bunya, 382;\n   quotation from the \"Flower Dance\" of Bingo province, 383;\n   quotation from _tanka_ by the eleventh-century official\n   Michimasa, 383;\n   reference to Nature poems, 384;\n   English National Anthem compared with Japanese National Anthem, 384;\n   quotation from Nature poem by Is\u00e9, 384;\n   quotation from the _H\u014d-j\u014d-ki_ by twelfth-century recluse,\n   Ch\u014dmei, 385;\n   touching _hokku_ quoted, written by Chiyo after the death of\n   her little son, 385;\n   _mono no aware wo shiru_ (\"the Ah-ness of things\"), a phrase\n   which describes most accurately the whole significance of, 386\n Poison Dragon, The. His evil influence, 193\n Polynesian Mythology. Rangi (Heaven) and Papa (Earth) correspond to\n   Japanese _In_ and _Yo_, 21\n Pootoo. Kwanjin transported to Island of, 200\n Poverty. Japanese superstitions and Bimbogami, the God of, 349;\n   insect, _Bimbomushi_ the Japanese name for, 349\n Precious Things. _See_ Hotei, 213\n \"Priest, One-Inch.\" Otherwise Issunboshi; also nicknamed Little Finger\n   and Grain-of-Corn, 364\n Purple Hall of the North Star. Emperor sick at, 38\n\n Q\n\n Quilt (_Futon_), The, of Tottori, 309-311\n\n R\n\n Raiden. The God of Thunder, 250;\n   often found in company with Fugin or Raitaro, 250;\n   his favour toward Japan, 250\n Raij\u016b. The Thunder Animal, 251\n Raiko.\n   I. A doughty knight who seeks out and slays the Goblin of Oye, 45-48;\n   presented with a jar of magical _sak\u00e9_ (Shimben-Kidoku-Shu)\n   intended by the Goblin King, 46;\n   gives _sak\u00e9_ to the Goblin, 47;\n   slays Goblin, 48;\n   returns to Ky\u014dto, 48;\n   his illness, 48;\n   restored to health by slaying of the Goblin Spider, 49;\n   another version of the legend, 49-51.\n   II. A wealthy but mean man, whose meanness is cured by Inari, 102, 103\n Raitaro. Raiden, the Thunder God, often found in company with, 250;\n   Bimbo and, 252, 253\n Rat. The hour of the, 76;\n   Daikoku's, 211, 212\n \"Ratana Sutra,\" The. Reference to Karma in, 145\n Redesdale, Lord. See Mitford, 98\n Rein. Opinion of, _re_ Japanese and Mongols, xiii\n Rendai, Plain of, 49\n Rice, God of. _See_ Inari\n Rikiu. The greatest of tea-masters, 296;\n   the friend of Taiko-Hideyoshi, 296, 297\n Rin-jin. King of the Sea;\n   Yamato raises anger of, 56;\n   anger of, appeased by Princess Ototachibana, 56;\n   takes to wife a Dragon Princess, 272-275;\n   the jelly-fish, the\n   monkey, and, 272-275\n Rip van Winkle. Visu the, of Old Japan, 136\n Rising Sun. Spirit of Death-Stone\n   in form of the Jewel\n   Maiden at Court of, 98\n River, Child of the. _See_ Kappa, 350, 351\n Rivet Rock. _See_ Kashima, 244\n Road-s. The pine-tree and the God of, 176;\n   reference to the God of, 346\n Robe, The Feather. Brought to Kaguya by the Moonfolk, 78\n Rock Island. Kansuke and Matakichi behold Spirit of the Great\n   Awabi on, 341\n Rokkaku-d\u014d. Place at Ky\u014dto;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Roko. Depicted, on a flying tortoise, as one of the _sennin_\n   in Japanese art, 357\n Rokuhara-dera. Place at Ky\u014dto;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n R\u014dsan. Chinese scholar, regaled with ghostly stories _re_\n   butterflies, 216\n Rosei. His Magic Pillow of Dreams, 119-122\n Ruiten. A priest who prays for\n   the Prince of Hizen, 266\n Russia. Establishment of military outpost at Wiju leads to war\n   with Japan, 329\n Ry\u014dseki. High-priest of Shin-Banzui-In; Shinzabur\u014d sent by Yusai to, 231\n\n S\n\n Sacred Key. Part of the cargo of the Treasure Ship, 115, 116\n Sacrifice, Human. _See_ Superstition, 342\n Sadayo. Princess Aya's favourite maid, 172\n Saga, Emperor. K\u014db\u014d Daishi performs funeral obsequies of, 239\n Saijosen. The Phoenix and, 281\n Saikou Sanj\u016b-san Sho (\"The Thirty-three Places\").\n   Reverence bestowed upon the, 201\n Sai-no-Kawara. \"The Dry Bed of the River of Souls,\" 106;\n   place where all children go at death, 106;\n   the legend of the Humming of the, 107\n Saion Zenji. Kwannon's sacrifice on behalf of, on Mount Nariai, 204-206\n Sakata Kurando. Name given by Yorimitsu to Kintaro, 368\n Salwey, Mrs. C. M.\n   New Year Festival described by, 220;\n   reference to the _torii_ by, 226, 227;\n   reference to _Fans of Japan_, by, 243;\n   reference to _On Symbolism and Symbolic Ceremonies of the\n   Japanese_, by, 244\n Sam\u00e9bito (\"A Shark-Person\").\n   T\u014dtar\u014d kindly succours, 376;\n   the jewel-tears of, 377-379\n Sanemori. A great warrior;\n   becomes a rice-devouring insect called Sanemori-San, 284\n San-ga-nichi. Pine-tree conspicuous at the Festival of, 187\n Sanjo, Princess. Issunboshi becomes page to, 365-367;\n   the magic mallet and, 366\n Sankichi. Dives from Tarada's junk and secures the Woman's Sword, 337\n Sano Genzalmon Tsuneyo. Peasant who burns three dwarf trees to give\n   warmth to Tokiyori, 183-186;\n   goes to Kamakura, 185;\n   rewarded by Tokiyori by being presented with the villages of\n   Matsu-idu, Umeda, and Sakurai, 185, 186\n Sanugi no Miyakko. Discovers Lady Kaguya\n  (\"Precious-Slender-Bamboo-of-the-Field-of-Autumn\"), 65\n Sanzu-no-Kawa. \"The River of the Three Roads\" along which the dead\n   journey, 222\n Sawara. Pupil of the artist Tenko, 122;\n   loves Kimi, Tenko's niece, 122-125\n Sayemon, Kato. A rich man who lived in palace of the Sh\u014dgun\n   Ashikaga, 370;\n   Ishidomaro son of, 371;\n   becomes a priest in the temple of Kongobuji, on Mount Koya, 371\n Sea. Legends of the, 323-341;\n   Urashima in the palace of the Sea-King, 325, 328;\n   of Mud, visited by Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye, 374\n Sea God. _See_ God of the Sea, 35\n Seashore, The Spirit of the.\n   Is unfavourable to Empress Jingo, 331\n Sefuku-ji. Place in Izumi;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Sengen. Otherwise Ko-no-hana-saku-ya-hime;\n   as Ko-no-hana, the wife of Ninigi, 34;\n   the Goddess of Fuji, 132\n Sennin = mountain recluses, 356, 357;\n   Y\u014dsh\u014d, the first great Japanese, 356;\n   Emmei becomes a, 356;\n   Japanese art and, 357;\n   Chokoro a, 357; Gama a, 357; Tekkai a, 357; Kum\u00e9 a, 357; Roko a, 357\n Sentaro. His visit to the Land of Perpetual Youth (Mount Fuji), 133, 134\n Serpent. Cat and the, did not weep when the Lord Buddha died, 264;\n   the White Sea, otherwise Yofun\u00e9-Nushi, 334\n Sesshiu. A great artist;\n   legend _re_ his liberation from imprisonment by painting rats, 116\n S\u00e9ta. Sam\u00e9bito and T\u014dtar\u014d at the Long Bridge of, 376-379\n Seven Gods of Good Fortune.\n   The favourite theme of the Japanese artist, 115;\n   Shint\u014dism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Brahmanism, the source of the, 115\n Shaka Muni. The Lord Buddha; legend _re_ his sacrifice as a hare, 255\n Shelf of Souls. Food placed on, by Shinzabur\u014d, 229\n Shidoji. Temple called, built at Shido-no-ura by Kamatari,92\n Shido-no-ura. Boy of, 89;\n   Kamatari builds temple called Shidoji at, 92\n Shiko-tsutsu no Oji (\"Salt-sea-elder\").\n   Conveys Hoori to the Palace of the Sea God, 35\n Shin Kiyomizu-dera. Place in Harima;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Shing\u00e9. Bitten by a snake in the Valley of Shimizutani, 167;\n   rescued by Yoshisawa, 167;\n   found dead at the bottom of the Violet Well, 168\n Shingon-sh\u016b. Buddhist sect founded by K\u014db\u014d Daishi, 234\n Shinsaku. Favoured suitor for hand of O Cho San, 338;\n   raises shrine to O Cho San, 339\n Shint\u014d. Temples, contrasted with those of Buddhism, 114;\n   old custom associated with Mount Fuji, 131;\n   cult, \"The Way of the Gods\" symbol of the Right Direction,\n   according to the dogmas of the, 227\n Shint\u014dism. Reverence to dead taught by, xii;\n   legends relating to Japanese heroes enriched by,  xvi;\n   the _torii_ originally associated with, 226\n Shinzabur\u014d, Hagiwara. Falls in love with Tsuyu, 228;\n   the sad story of the lovers' fate, 228-233;\n   Tomoz\u014d, servant of, 230;\n   Haku\u014dd\u014d Yusai advises, 230;\n   goes to the high-priest Ry\u014dseki, 231\n Shippeitar\u014d. The phantom cats and, 269, 270\n Shiro. Sent by Emma-\u014c to conquer the God of Wealth, 211, 212\n Shita-teru-hime (\"Lower-shine-Princess\"). Wed by Ame-waka, 31\n Sh\u014d-Chiku-Bai. The name embracing the three emblems of the Pine,\n   Bamboo, and Plum-flower, 195\n Sh\u014dgun-s. Kamakura, seat of, of the H\u014dj\u014d family, 82;\n   Yedo Government issues notice to Tengu and other demons prior\n   to the visit to Nikko of the, 355\n Shoj\u014d. A sea monster fond of sacred _sak\u00e9_, 359;\n   legend _re_ Yurine and, 359-362\n Shokuro. The Thunder God, Raiden, and, 254;\n   Chiyo slain by, 254;\n   makes peace with Chiyo after she has been restored to life, 254\n Shonin, Sh\u014dd\u014d. Founder of first Buddhist temple at Nikko, 242;\n   legend _re_ sacred bridge of Nikko, 242\n Shosha-san., Place in Harima;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Shutendoji. The Goblin King of Oyeyama;\n   his doings on Mount Oye, 44-48;\n   Kimitaka's daughter snatched away by, 45;\n   Raiko at ball of, 47;\n   magic _sak\u00e9_ drunk by, 47;\n   attacked and slain by Raiko, 47-48\n Smith, R. Gordon.\n   Legend of the Lady of the Snow in his _Ancient Tales and Folk-lore\n   of Japan_, 122, 152, 165, 177\n Snow, The Lady of the. Yuki-Onna is, 149;\n   Mosaku and, 149, 150;\n   Minokichi and, 149-151;\n   Mr. R. Gordon Smith in his _Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan_\n   describes, 152, 153;\n   Kyuzaemon and, 152,153\n Soda, Ito. A young soldier who discovers cause of illness of Prince\n   of Hizen, 266-268\n Sodzu-baba. The Old Woman of the Three Roads, associated with the\n   Festival of the Dead, 222;\n   Ten Datsu-Ba, husband of, 222\n Soga Sadayoshi. Visits temple of Ken-cho-ji, 110;\n   appears before Emma-\u014c, 110;\n   remembered by Jiz\u014d, 110, 111\n S\u014djiji. Place in Settsu;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Sonob\u00e9. Sent by the Lord of Kishiwada to cryptomeria-tree\n   on Oki-yama, 181, 182\n Spirit. Of the Mountain, 330;\n   of the Fields, 330;\n   of Grass, 330;\n   of the Seashore, 331;\n   of the Sword, 336\n Star Lovers. Stars (possibly Lyra and Aquila) shine with five colours\n   at yearly meeting of the, 127\n Street Everlasting. Place for ghosts to wander in, 224\n Street of Aged Men. Near Street Everlasting, 224\n Stones. Poetry suggested by names given to, by the Japanese, 157\n Suicide. Of Japanese lovers, is called _j\u014dshi_--_i.e._,\n  \"love-death\" or \"passion-death,\" 144;\n   _see_ also _hara-kiri_, or _seppuku_, 161\n Sullivan, Sir Arthur. Reference to _The Mikado_, by, xi\n Sun Goddess. Ama-terasu, daughter of Izanagi and Izanami, the, 23;\n   the dead fear to gaze upon the, 109;\n   the mirror in which she gazes reposes at Ise, 191;\n   mirror cakes associated with, at New Year Festival, 220\n Superstition. Japanese, various forms of, 342-349;\n   human sacrifice associated with, 342-344;\n   forms of divination, 344-346;\n   unlucky years and days, 346, 347;\n   strange, relating to children, 347, 348;\n   charms associated with Japanese, 348;\n   the Beckoning Leaf, 348;\n   Bimbogami (the God of Poverty) and, 349;\n   _Bimbo-mushi_ (\"Poverty-Insect\") and, 349;\n   the _Baku_, 358, 359\n Suruga.\n   The Elixir of Life sent  to the highest mountain in, by the Mikado, 79;\n   (_see_ Fuji); Visu lived on plain of, 136\n Susa-no-o (\"The Impetuous Male\"). Child of Izanagi and Izanami, 23;\n   brother of the Sun Goddess, Ama-terasu, 25;\n   an undesirable and cruel deity, 25;\n   banished by parents to Yomi, 25;\n   proposes to first visit Plain of High Heaven, 25;\n   his sister, Ama-terasu, prepares to withstand him, 26;\n   he tricks her by guile, 26;\n   Ama-terasu flees from the cruelty of, 27;\n   finally banished to Yomi, 28;\n   arrives at River Hi, 29;\n   seeks hand of Kushi-nada-hime, 29;\n   wins her by slaying the eight-forked serpent, 29, 30;\n   the _Tengu_ = emanations from, 352\n \"Sutra, Treasure-Raining.\"\n   A holy _sutra_ given by Ry\u014dseki to Shinzabur\u014d, 232\n Suzuki Shichiro. Discovers Kiuchi Heizayemon, 353\n Sword. \"The-Grass-Cleaving,\" a divine weapon discovered by Susa-no-o, 30;\n   given as a gift to Prince Yamato, 54;\n   the Spirit of the, 336\n\n T\n\n Taiko-Hideyoshi. The friend of Rikiu, 296, 297\n Taira. Yoshitomo killed in a battle with, 41;\n   Kiyomori, the cruel leader of the clan, 41;\n   finally conquered and driven into the sea at Dan-no-ura by Benkei\n   and Yoshitsune, 43\n Taira Clan. Great sea-fight referred to, between Minamoto clan and, 300\n Taira-no-Masakado. Swarm of butterflies during preparation for revolt\n   by, 217\n Takachihi. Uzume and companions reach summit of, 33\n Takahama. The White Butterfly and, 218, 219\n Taka-mi-musubi. God who sends Ninigi to govern the Central Land\n   of Reed-Plains, 30\n \"Takasago.\"\n   I. The famous pines of, referred to, 159;\n   Matsue, daughter of a fisherman at, 187-189.\n   II. Considered one of the finest of the _No_ or classical\n   dramas, 186\n Takeru. Brigand, slain by Yamato, 52\n Takeru, Idzumo. Outlaw, slain by Yamato, 53\n \"Taketori Monogatari.\" F. Victor Dickins's translation of, v\n Tama. Maid-servant of Kazariya Ky\u016bbei, 282;\n   revisit to master and mistress after her death, in the form of\n   a fly, 284\n Tamana. Loved by T\u014dtar\u014d, 377-379;\n   T\u014dtar\u014d weds, 379\n Tamate-Bako. Otherwise \"The Box of the Jewel Hand\"; gift bestowed by\n   Princess Otohime on Urashima, 327\n Tamba, Province of. Raiko and companions reach, 45\n Tameyoshi. Death of Sea Serpent, Yofun\u00e9-Nushi, reported to, 335\n Tanabata. Alternative, The Weaving Lady; daughter of the God of\n   the Firmament, 126;\n   wife of Hikoboshi, 126, 127\n Tango. Village of Midzunoe, in the province of, 324\n Tanigumi-dera. Place near Tarui, in Mino;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n \"Tanka.\" _See_ Japanese Poetry, 380-386\n Taranda, Captain. The Woman's Sword and, 336, 337\n Tawara Toda (\"My Lord Bag of Rice\"). _See_ Hidesato, 62-64\n Tea. Origin of first plant, 291; in China, 290-293;\n   Luwuh the first Chinese tea-master,  292;\n   _Chaking_ the Holy Scripture of, 292;\n   drunk by Zen priests before image of Bodhi Dharma (Daruma), 293;\n   Professor B. H. Chamberlain on tea ceremonies, 293;\n   pamphlet on, by Buddhist priest Eisai, 293, 294;\n   Rikiu the greatest of tea-masters, 296, 297\n Tea-drinking. In England and Japan, contrasted, 290, 291;\n   the _Spectator_ on, 290;\n   Dr. Johnson regarding his propensity to, 291;\n   is a ritual in Japan, 291\n Tea-kettle. Story of the miraculous, 262-264\n Te-nadzuchi (\"Hand-stroke-elder\"). Wife of Ashi-nadzuchi,\n   and mother of Kushi-nada-hime, 29\n Ten Datsu-Ba. Husband of Sodzu-Baba, 222\n Tengu. King of the, his kindness to Yoshitsune, 41, 42;\n   reference to story of the, 351;\n   Tobikawa imitates a, 353;\n   modern belief in the, 355;\n   officials of the Yedo Government and their belief in the, 355\n \"Tengu-Kakushi\" = \"Hidden by a _Tengu_,\" 353;\n   legend giving an account of the, 353-355\n Tenjiku. Prince Ishizukuri required to journey to, in order\n   to procure the Begging Bowl of the Lord Buddha, 67\n Tenko. Art master to Sawara;\n   Kimi's uncle, 122\n Tenno, Antoku. Infant Emperor who perished in the great sea-fight\n   between the Taira and Minamoto clans, 300\n Teoyo. Rescued by Matsue, and loved by her, 188, 189\n \"Thought-Combining.\" A God who brings birds from the Eternal Land\n   to tempt the Sun Goddess back to Heaven, 27, 28\n Thunder. Legends in regard to, 250-254;\n   Bakin's _Kumono Tayema Ama Yo No Tsuki, re_ the God of, 250;\n   Animal; Raij\u016b the, 251;\n   Bird; Raicho the, 251;\n   Woman, Kaminari the, 252;\n   Child; Raitaro the, 253;\n   Record; _Shin-rai-ki_ the, 251\n Thunder Gods. Eight varieties rest on Izanami, 24;\n   _see_ Raiden, 250;\n   _see_ legends, 250-254;\n   Shokuro and the, 254\n Tide Jewels. Sent by hand of Isora as a gift from the Dragon King to\n   the Empress Jingo, 331\n Toba.\n   I. Emperor. The Jewel Maiden concubine to, 98.\n   II. Ex-Emperor. Wishes to build temple to Kwannon in Ky\u014dto, 179\n Tobikawa. An ex-wrestler of Matsue who imitates a _Tengu,_ 353\n Tochi. Ishizukuri discovers a bowl in, which he offers to Kaguya, 68, 69\n Toema-dera. Ch\u016bjo Hime, a Buddhist nun, retires to temple of, 201\n Togo, Admiral. A hero of Japan, xii\n Tokimune, Regent. Nichiren sent to beach of Koshigoye to be\n   beheaded by, 241\n Tokiwa. Wife of Yoshitomo, mother of Yoshitsune;\n   at her husband's death she weds  Kiyomori, 41;\n   urges Yoshitsune to avenge his father's death, 41\n Tokiyori, Saimyoji. A celebrated Regent during reign of Emperor\n   Go-Fukakusa, 182;\n   his mission to relieve peasants from grasping officials and its\n   sequel, 182-184\n Tokoyo. Daughter of Oribe Shima, 334;\n   her search after her father, 334-336;\n   slays Yofun\u00e9-Nushi (the White Sea Serpent), 335\n Tokud\u014d Sh\u014dnin. The great Buddhist abbot of the eighth century, 201\n Tokutaro. His scepticism regarding foxes, and how he was deluded\n   by them, 98-100\n Tokutar\u014d-san. The boy doll of life-size, 215\n T\u014dky\u014d. Covered with ashes from Fuji volcano, 131\n Tomoz\u014d. One of Shinzabur\u014d's servants, 230;\n   Min\u00e9 wife of, 233\n \"Torii,\" The. Meaning of = \"Fowl-dwelling\" or \"Bird-rest,\" 226;\n   reference to Professor B. H. Chamberlain and, 226;\n   reference to Dr. W. G. Aston and, 226; \"The Footstool of the King\"\n   the most perfect gateway in the world, 227;\n   Mrs. Salwey's reference to, 227\n T\u014dtar\u014d. Sam\u00e9bito succoured by, 376, 377;\n   falls in love with Tamana, 377-379;\n   weds Tamana, 379\n Tottori. The _futon_ (quilt) of, 309-311\n Toyo-Tama (\"Rich-jewel\").\n   Daughter of the Sea God; weds Hoori, 36;\n   gives birth to a son, assumes form of a dragon, and departs\n   from Hoori, 37\n Treasure Ship. The _Takara-bune_;\n   Seven Gods of Good Fortune as passengers on, 115\n Trees. Reference to the Japanese dwarf, 159;\n   the pine, the emblem of good fortune and longevity, 159;\n   the cherry and plum, association of Japanese woman's beauty and\n   virtue, with, 174, 175;\n   the camellia, legend regarding, 175;\n   the cryptomeria, 176;\n   the God of Roads and a pine, 176;\n   Ki-no-o-bak\u00e9, a tree spirit, 176;\n   the spirit of the God K\u014djin resides in the _enoki_ tree, 177;\n   the silent pine, 177;\n   the Willow Wife, 177-180;\n   Yenoki, the tree of the One-eyed Priest, 180;\n   the burning of the Three Dwarfs, 182,184;\n   the pine-tree lovers, 186-189\n True Sakaki Tree. Hung with jewels and dressed by Uzume to tempt\n   Ama-terasu back to Heaven, 28\n Tsubosaka-dera. Place in Yamato;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 203\n Tsugaru. Kikuo, the retainer of, 165\n Tsuki-yumi. The Moon God, son of Izanagi and Izanami;\n   climbs Ladder of Heaven to become the consort of Sun Goddess,\n   Ama-terasu, 23\n Tsure-Dzure-Gusa. Record by Kenk\u014d written in fourteenth century, xi\n Tsuyu (\"Morning Dew\"). The only daughter of Iijima, 228;\n   the story of, illustrates the power of Karma, 228-233;\n   falls in love with Hagiwara Shinzabur\u014d, 228;\n   the story of their sad fate, 228-233\n Tuski no Iwaksa. Scroll of the Elixir of Life sent in charge of,\n   to highest mountain in Suruga, 79\n Tusna. Most worthy of Raiko's retainers, 49\n \"Twenty-eight Followers.\"\n   Personifications of certain constellations, 200\n\n U\n\n Uda, Emperor. Baptized by K\u014db\u014d Daishi, 239\n Uji River. People visit, to witness the firefly battle, 286\n Unai. The Maiden of, 313-315;\n   Mubara and Chinu lovers of the Maiden of, 313-315\n Underworld. Reference to, 202\n Upper Horikan\u00e9. Tokutaro at, 99\n Urashima. The legend of, 323-328;\n   ballad of \"The Fisher Boy of,\" 324;\n   the tortoise and, 324, 325;\n   at the Dragon (Sea) King's palace, 325-328;\n   weds Otohime, the Dragon King's daughter, 325;\n   receives from Otohime the gift of the \"Box of the Jewel Hand\"\n   (_Tamate-Bako_), 327;\n   the tomb of, still shown at temple in Kanagawa, 328\n Uzume (\"Heavenly-alarming-female\").\n   Dances to tempt the Sun Goddess (Ama-terasu) back to Heaven, 28;\n   accompanies Ninigi, 33;\n   accosts the Deity of the Field-paths, 33;\n   reaches summit of Takachihi, 33;\n   given by Ninigi to Deity of the Field-paths as wife, 33\n\n V\n\n Visu. The Rip Van Winkle of Old Japan;\n   his adventures beside Mount Fuji, 136-139\n\n W\n\n Waggon Priest _See_ Hotei, 213\n Wasa. The Laughing Festival of, 225\n Was\u014dbi\u014dye, Shikaiya. A man of Nagasaki, a Japanese Gulliver, 374-376;\n   story of, adapted from Professor B. H. Chamberlain's translation in\n   the _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan_, 374;\n   arrives at Sea of Mud, 375;\n   meets Jofuku, 375;\n   starts on journey to the Three Thousand Worlds mentioned in Buddhist\n   Scriptures, 375;\n   visits Lands of Endless Plenty, of Shams, of the Followers of the\n   Antique, of Paradoxes, and of Giants, 375\n Watanab\u00e9, Isuna. Finds out all details of Kintaro's life, 368\n Weaving Lady, The. Festival of Tanabata, or, 126\n Well, The Violet. _See_ Shing\u00e9, 167\n Wheel of Existence, The Great, 109\n Williams, Sir Monier. His description of the lotus flower, 169\n Willow Wife, The. Story of, adapted from Mr. R. Gordon Smith's\n   _Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan_, 177;\n   Heitaro, husband of Higo, the, 178-180\n Wind God, The, 330\n Woman. The, in Japanese art, 112, 113;\n   the Mountain, 355\n Worlds, Three Thousand. Mentioned in Buddhist Scriptures, 375;\n   Shikaiya Was\u014dbi\u014dye journeys to, 375\n Wrestlers, The Ghostly, in Omi province, 358\n Writing. Legendary origin of the Chinese system of, 363\n\n Y\n\n Yaegaki. The Precious-Camellia of, 175\n Ya\u00e9giri. A lady with whom Sakata Kurando falls in love, 367;\n   gives birth to Kintaro, or the Golden Boy, 367\n Yakami, Princess of. Eighty-one brothers, Princes in Japan,\n   who wish to marry, 256-258\n Yama, Fuji. _See_ Fuji\n Yamato Take, Prince. Youngest son of King Keiko, 51;\n   Princess Ototachibana wife of, 51;\n   his expedition to the Southern Island of Kiushiu, 51, 52;\n   disguised as a woman, encounters Kumaso and Takeru, 52;\n   slays Kumaso and Takeru, 52;\n   he encounters and slays Idzumo Takeru, 53;\n   \"Eight-Arms-Length-Spear\" given to, 54;\n   the \"Grass-Cleaving-Sword\" of Murakumo given to, 54;\n   meets and weds Princess Miyadzu, 55;\n   Ainu rising quelled by, 54-56;\n   passes through province of Owari, 57;\n   reaches the province of Omi, 57;\n   slays serpent in, 57\n \"Yang\" and \"Yin.\" The Chinese, correspond to _In_ and _Yo_, 21\n Yao, Emperor. Reputed son of a dragon, 362\n Yayoi. The Month of Increase, 193;\n    the Soul of the Mirror, 193, 194\n Yedo Government. Officials of, and their belief in the _Tengu_, 355\n Yenoki. The One-eyed Priest who served at temple of Fudo,\n   on Oki-yama, 180-182;\n   spirit of, passes into a great cryptomeria-tree, 181;\n   in form of a handsome youth allures a number of maidens away\n   from their lovers, 181, 182\n Yellow Dragon. _See_ Yellow River, 363\n Yellow River. Fuk Hi present by Yellow Dragon with mystic scroll\n   by the, 363\n \"Yih-king\" (\"Book of Changes\"). The main source of Japanese\n   divination, 344;\n   begun by Fu Hsi 2000 B.C. and added to by Confucius, 344\n Yofun\u00e9-Nushi. The Serpent God; variant, the White Sea Serpent, 334;\n   slain by Tokoyo, 335\n Yomi, Land of (Hades).\n   Izanami creeps away to, 23;\n   Izanagi goes to, 23;\n   Eight Ugly Females of, 24;\n   the Even Pass of, 24;\n   Susa-no-o banished to 25, 28\n Yon\u00e9. Faithful servant of Tsuyu, 228-233\n Yone Noguchi. Sums up magic of a Japanese night associated with the\n   Festival of the Dead, 224;\n   quotation _re_ Japanese fan from, 243;\n   reference to _The Pilgrimage_ by, 380\n Yorimasa. Knight; encounters and slays evil monsters outside\n   Emperor's palace, the Purple Hall of the North Star, 38, 39;\n   presented with Sword Shishi-wo as a reward, and  marries\n   the Lady Ayame, 39\n Yorimitsu. A famous hero who makes Kintaro his retainer, 368, 369\n Yoritomo. General, who laid out city of Kamakura, 83;\n   saved, after defeat, from power of Oba Kage-chika by two\n  doves, 277, 278\n Yorozuya. Proposed husband for Kimi, 123\n Yoshimasa, The Lord. The Sh\u014dgun; mirror presented to, 194\n Yoshimine-dera. Place at Ky\u014dto;\n   one of the thirty-three places sacred to Kwannon, 204\n Yoshisawa. Rescues Shing\u00e9 from the snake, 168;\n   drowns himself in the Violet Well, 168\n Yoshitomo. Father of Yoshitsune;\n   killed in battle with the Taira clan, 41;\n   Tokiwa wife  of, 41;\n   reference to story of, 351, 352\n Yoshitsune. Compared with the Black Prince and Henry V., 39;\n   his father, Yoshit\u014dmo, killed in battle with the Taira, 41;\n   his mother, Tokiwa, urges him to avenge his father's death, 41;\n   his intercourse with the King of the Tengu, 42;\n   news of Benkei's lawless doings reaches ears of, 42;\n   seeks out and conquers Benkei, 42, 43;\n   assisted by Benkei, drives out the Taira, 43, 440\n Y\u014dsh\u014d. The first great Japanese _sennin_, 356, 357\n Yosoji. Consults the magician Kamo Yamakiko, 134;\n   visits Mount Fuji, 134, 135\n Youth, The Land of Perpetual.\n   Visit of Sentaro to, 133, 134\n Yuki-onna. The Lady of the Snow, 149\n Yurine. A poor man who lived near Mount Fuji; story of, 359-362;\n   Koyuri, son of, 359\n Yusai, Haku\u014dd\u014d. Gives advice to Shinzabur\u014d, 230-232\n\n Z\n\n Zembei. Father of Shing\u00e9, 168\n Zen. Sect; tea-drinking associated with Buddhism by, 293\n Zodiac. The Dragon (_Tatsu_) one of the signs of the, 363\n Zoology. Lafcadio Hearn's reference to ghostly, 94","title":"Myths & Legends of Japan","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":124017}