The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-04-12
The Temp1e-tombs of Japan.
Oriental architecture and Ornamental
ton.

| Oriental Architectltre and Ornamental
ton.
a Japan correspondent of the LIB
eral Christiuu is furnishing to that pa
per a series of letters, in the last of
which is the following interesting de-
scription
"The knowledge of architecture
displayed in a japanese temple is about
as crude as that displayed in their
houses. Massiveness is the first char
acteristic of their temples, and after
that comes the color All the temples
that we saw that were of any size, and
used by the common people, were
about the same. All were raised fif-
teen feet above the stone pavement by
which you reach them, and ascended
to by steps Of stone or wood. Their
length along the front was about sixty
feet, their depth thirty, and height
about forty or fifty. Of this height,
nearly two-thircls vas taken up by
the tiled hip roof, from under which
projected huge beams, sometimes ar
ranged in tiers along the front, the
lower ones receding, sometimes sim
ply used at the corners. These beams
and the front pillars, together with
the end faces of the temples, were al
most invariably painted red but what
in our architecture would be called the
frieze was usually ornamented with
wood carvings of angels very siren-like
in appearance, the drapery flowing
back in such a way that it might read
lily pass fer fish's tail. Bnt though
there were specimens of harpies and
arions, I saw no sirens.
9Mounting the steps of this temple,
you would generally find yourself face
to face with contribution box of a
ton capacity, the top grated like a huge
cage Whether this style of cortribu-
ton box is used as hint, or because
the japanese have a coin Especially
coined for this purpose, judge, from
the preference given to it by contribu-
tors,) worth about one-hundrtdth Of
cent, and can therefore afford to
make quite contribution, as far as
appearances are concerned without tax
ing their purses much, [ could not
learn. This contribution box usually
stands outside the temple proper, and
within the railings beyond is the pol
ished mat floor, which is kept perfect
ly clean, from the centre of which rises
the altar and image of Buddha, the
latter usually gilded. Tinsel flowers
hang around him, and in front is the
table on which burns the inevitable
Josh stick, and upon the ends of which
lotus flowers, symbolical of longevity,
cut in wood OF cast in metal, are sup
ported in flower pots. The ceilings
are sometimes plain, sometimes paint
ed. From them depend huge Ian
terms and tinsel work. Images of
Josh, cut in wood, and varying in size
from life downward, fully realizing the
notion of Satan as portrayed by our
ancestors, are arranged on the sides of
the temple porches. Drums of wood,
to be beaten by the skaven priests in
their religious ceremonies, also hC.d q
conspicuous place.
"ro reach these temples you enter
huge red gateway which appears like
a shallow section of the temple, and
pass along paved way to the temple
steps, by the side of which may usual
ly be found stone tank open or GOV
cred, in which the wqrskippers wash
their hands before service. s-
"These are the -leading features of
their temples and their more usual
surroundings but they may be infin-
itely varied. The grounds about some
temples are adorned with lighthous-
es like bronze lanterns and vases to
hold eight or ten gallons of water,
shaped like lotus flower also cast in
bronze. The carving, too, varies much
in richness, according to the temple.
The grounds about them are often
handsomely laid out, the trees being
trained into solid masses of foliage of
various shapes. Often two handy
legged tigers. unrecognizable, but to
be taken upon faith, share the guard
ianship with the hideous horned de-
mons of red and green that guard Ell
ther side of the entering gate. g..
"Having previously ssen nothing
but lacquer work to give Us any no
tions of the refinement liz art Of which
the japanese were capable, we were
by no means prepared for the beauty
of detail of the works that we found
at the temples of Sheba at Ycddo--
In, The grounds about these temples
the !Tyccons have been buried, and
each generation has We'd with its
predecessors in cmbellishing their
tombs; as consequence. in these we
have the finest specimens of decorative
art of which the Japanese are capable. =,
II is only within the last year or two
that foreigners have been able to gain
admission to these grounds but since
the Mikado has gained the upper hand
as sort of humiliation TO the Tycoon,
he has thrown them all open.