The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-01-17 00:00:00

PROFESSOR NORDENSKJOLD'S RETURN
VOYAGE.

Our Copenhagen Correspondent sends us (says the Pall
Mall Gazette) the following condensed extracts from a letter
from Lieutenant Howgaard, Royal Danish Navy, one of the
companions of Professor Nordenskjoid, dated the 29th of
November, from Singapore, and printed in the Copenhagen
Dagblad :
On the 13th of October the Vega dropped her anchor
in the harbour of Kobe, and the next day we went by
rail to the town of Ozska, the second largest town in
Japan, having a population of some 600,000 souls, but
quite uninteresting. Two more hours by rail brought
us to the town of Kioto, at one time the capital, with
a population of fully 2,000,000 inhabitants, while the
population of the town at present barely reaches
250,000, or, including all the large villages in the
neighbourhood, perhaps 800,000 people, I first visited
the mountain called Shogundzuka, i.e., the tomb of
the Shoguns. According to tradition the Shogun
(Emperor) Kuwanmy Taenno moved his residence
from the old capital, Nara, to Kioto, and then buried
two wooden statues of famous Shoguns amidst some
trees which then covered the top of the mountain;
and the people believe that if an enemy should attack
Kioto, these statues will shake the mountain and
terrify the enemy. I next visited the Chioin Temples,
founded some 700 years ago by the lodo sectarians.
The principal entrance is 150 feet high, and the upper
gallery contains seventeen idols, representing the
different bad human passions. The interior of the
temple is very splendid—rather too gorgeous with
gilding. In the yard stands a large bell, 18 feet high,
9 feet in diameter; and gi inches in thickness, which
is only used on very great occasions, Three long
alleys run out from the temple; and here the priests
reside, each having a small cottage surrounded with a
garden in which the tea plant is cultivated in prefer-
ence. I then engaged a jinrikisha—a small cart on
two wheels, drawn by one, two, or more men, who
run at a wonderful rate, but who nearly all die very
young—and proceeded to the celebrated Nischi
Honganyi Temples, belonging to the wealthy and
numerous Monto sectarians, which count some
2,000 priests, one of the few favoured priest.
hoods of the, Buddhist religion who are allowed to
marry. The temples are loaded with works in gold
and arabesques, and the monks are richly and taste-
fully dressed, The Hondo, or chief temple, is divided
by a number of columns, which appear to be con-
structed of solid gold, into two parts, the interior con-
taining a richly gilt statue of Shinran Shonin, the
founder of the Monto religion, carved by himself. In
front of the statue, the temple being full of the fumes
of incense, sat the present high priest, dressed in a
robe of green silk interwoven with gold, surrounded
by a number of high dignitaries dressed in scarlet or
yellow robes, all reciting 'Prayers, while at some
distance a choir of priests dressed in blue gowns
chanted in a monotonous but rather impressive
manner. A large crowd of persons attended the ser-
vice and repeatedly knelt down in prayer. Behind
the temple is a splendidly furnished building reserved
for the use of the Mikado, or the Dairaios, when they
worship at the temple. After visiting the town of
Otsu, situated by the large inland lake called Biwa, in
a most fertile and richly cultivated country, where a
splendid Sintu temple stands, and where a monument is
raised to the memory of the soldiers who fell in the
war against Satsuma in 1876, we return to Kioto,
where the theatres were opened for the first time
during the last hundred days on account of the
cholera. As a rule only men are allowed to act on
the Japanese stage, but in one theatre only women
appeared, who, however, did not recite their parts,
the text of the play being read out aloud by a man
who was seated on one side of the theatre, and who in
a wonderful manner changed his voice and intonation.
It is the fashion on the Japanese stage to speak in a
nasal, nearly crying tone, and most of the plays
represent Court intrigues or murders and abductions
committed by the Daimios. On the next day an
excursion was. made on the river Oigawa, and some
lovely and. picturesque scenery was seen; in the
evening a visit was paid to the Governor of Kioto to
obtain his permission to visit the Gosho, or Imperial
palace, which is surrounded by high brick walls with
three portals, of which the one towards the south,
called Nammon, is only opened when the Mikado
honours the castle with a visit, Among the many appoint-
ments in the Palace may be mentioned the Shishinden,
or Throne-room, and the Kogosho, or. audience chamber.
In the garden, called the Ogsku Monsho, is to be
found a separate building containing, firstly, the study
of the Mikado; secondly, three apartments, called
O mima, where the Mikado receives ladies of high rank
with the following curious ceremonies. The three
rooms do not communicate with each other. The lady
steps into the first room, and speaks through the wall
to the courtiers, who are placed in the second room,
and who in their turn repeat the words of the lady by
speaking through the wall into the third room where
the Mikado is seated, repeating the Sovereign's replies
to the lady in the same manner, The
.room of the
Emperor is very beautifully decorated with paintings
in water•colours. The next building is the Otsune
Goleta, containing the gorgeous private apartments
of the Mikado and his bedroom, having a double
floor, covered with splendid mats; and finally, the
room called Gioken, where the Imperial sword
and treasures are deposited. In the Uchi-
Neiva Gardens are to be found a refreshment
pavilion, a small house where the Emperor resides
when earthquakes are predicted, and the Koochuu
Pavilion, in which the frescoes and wall-paintings are
considered by connoisseurs to be unique. Hence a
long covered passage leads to the apartments, situated
towards the north, inhabited by the Empress, while
another passage towards the west leads to the apart-
ments inhabited by the twelve concubines. These
apartments are very plainly furnished, and the contrast
is very striking. After visiting the magnificent
Imperial silk manufactories, a colossal statue of
Buddha carved in wood, the temple Sanyusangende,
containing no fewer than 33,333 idols, and having
assisted at a picnic in the Sums Temple, the Vega's
party proceeded on the return voyage on inn ia‘n of
October.