The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-01-29
SKETCHES INJ1PAN.
Letters from u Young Charlestonian
Residing at Yokohama.-fo.3. 3.

YOKOHAMA, November l6, 1871.
$50 I, In company with young Harris and
Mr.. Silletredge, of our office, left here last
Saturday afternoon and were safely housed at
what is called hotel In three hours after.
| wards. The next morning We made bright
and early start, q A. ny and drove first 10
Osaksa. d large and popular temple of the
| Buddhists. This was disgustlngly dirty,
| fsomething rare In Japan,) but the temple Is
thronged by crowds Of the lowest classes.
There you see idolatry at Its helght-peop ople
worshlpplng every manner Of image. One god
has the face rubbed entirely smooth by per.
sons' hands, 1t being believed that ne VINO
you see In huge wooden column
au opening supposed to have been
made by y Japanese. Samson's thumb,
and it Is supposed that inserting your own
thumb in the aperture will surely give you q
portion of Samson's strength. In the temple
are hung pictures of all sorts, and any of these
dstastefuI to the people are freely spit upon.
One which I noticed as being particularly OBJ
scured by this refined mixture, represented
the blowing ND of steamer, by which many
Japanese were lost. Pigeons are unmolested
in this abode. In the enclosures attached are
theatres, shooting galleries (fcr BOWS ana ar
rowe, eating places, and last. but not least,
the 'wax-w0rk" gallery. And here is fnn.
ny thing! The figures called "Wax.Works"
life size, representing men whose heads are
being cut oil, and men with heads already cut
off; the gods dropping veDison to starved
man; daimlos encountering dragons, aod wild
beasts of every description; nlermaids just
risen from the sea, and s'all sorts Of odd and
uncomfoi table, looking things" | suppose 10
all there are 6fty or sixty, and the express
sons and positions are 90 llte-like, that was
startled many times on making a short turn to
fiud headess man or something of that sort
before me.
The next place on our route was Dweno, the
chief Interest of which !s It's being The ground
OF the last fight between the Mikado and the
glory; and after being pressed and harassrd
On all sides, the Tycoon, the upholder of the
Buddhist religion, with his few remaining
forces, sought to take refuge. The Mlkado,
who represented the Shintoo faith, here for
the first time raised his personal flag, which
presents the MlkadO as the immediate son Of
Hedue7a. With The elevation OF this sacred en-
b!em The war was at an end: the troops re-
fused to fight against II, aud the Tycoon him
self was paraly2ed. Disguised as common
soldier latter having killed one OF his own
men and dressed him In his clolhes) he escap.
ed. With the overthrow Of the Tycoon ended
pride, pomp and circumstance of Japan. The
phalically land OF progress. Famous old tem-
piles and other structures, hundreds and hum
dreds Of years old, are being allowed to so to
ruin. The old f.udal system. which allowed
daimios such Immense power and so large a
rellnue, has been abolished. Formerly q
daimio only moved when attended BY bis
thousand or two OF retalners: now the Mikado,
whom formerly 1t was death for common
being to look on, Is seen by thousands In the
streets of the capital with but four attendants
But to return TO DWeno, you still see the
marks of the bullets and the battle around,
and the ruins Of some splendid old temples
still remain. Among these is temple where
many OF the early Tycoons are buried. but the
allowing-to-So-to.ruln appearance Of every
thing Is mournful 10 look at. The govern
ment is certainly doing wrong In destroying
all traces of The Buddhists. for 1t is undoubteu-
ly the religion of the people.
Sheba was the next place our driver was
told to 60 to, and here, alter sumptuous
"Tif1n," (luuch,l given us by General Capron,
(whom think have mentioned before,) at
which Admiral Rodgers was present, we
sought out the iar-farmed Temple Of Sheba,
built centuries ago, and still magnificent
enough to incline one to the belief that from
this place The Queen OF Sheba started on her
visit to old Solomon.
at Sheba the majority Of the Tycoons are
buried, and the tombs. or rather affairs, Uor
most of them are beneath the floors of the
temples, and oil that you can see is an altar
highly decorated,) are things cannot under
take to describe. One out-Of-door tomb. how.
ever, took my eye as Of especial Interest at
this time. In an enclosure of about twenty
feet square, with massive bronze gates and
bronze fencing Is a bronze urn of immense
size, put up at the expense of the King OF
Corea In memory of The Tycoon who conquer.
ed that country. will, however, not exhaust
you With my descriptions In one letter, bnt re-
turn to my trip 10 Yeddo in my next. When
have filed twenty pages. but do not hold the
pen of ready wrlter. II ever get chance
Of talking to you again, you will hear every
| thing. ] live IN the hope that the time Is not
| far distant when can see you, and personally
| re- ate to you the many things so imperftclly
| describe. Yours, &C., R. B. H.