Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-03-07
EDDO.

YEDDO.
Yeddo is city of Gardens and
palaces, and, with its thirty hills, is
uneeualed in the world. 1t stretches
out beyond the limits of sight, like
vast park; 1t is built upon the SEP,
and great river runs through it.
The ''SirO," or Taikoun's palace, rises
in the centre like a huge citadel from
widespreading glaces or turf, which
descend to circular lakes and canals.
Thirty bridges of granite unite the
citadel to the City of the Princes, or
"Soto-siro," which is quite unlike all
other Japanese towns. 1t does not
contain a single wooden house, but
is built in severe rectangular style,
of white stone, and surrounded by
bitches supplied with pure running
water. In this immense section Of
the great city are the official residen-
ces of all the Japanese nobility, of the
warlike diamios who are the lords
and masters of the laboring popula-
ton, and of the fertile plains from
whence they derive immense reve-
nues. Among the things which have
passed away is the custom that
obliged all these vassals of the Tai
kOun to pass one year in three in the
Sacred city, as an act of homage to
the suzerain. They came, accompa-
MED by their harems, their officers,
and their troops. What a magnif-
cent exhibition of feudal state must
that have been-Which no European
ever beheld-for there were eighteen
daimios ''of sacred origin" $50 ere
ated by the Taikoun during two een-
turies, andnearfy so, 900 "hattamOth-
os, or great captains and knights
Each man prided himself on the
brilliancy of his escort and attend
ants ; each mans suite amounted to
at least 900 persons, and they were
all lodged in the inner scity, called
the palace of the diamioS, which must
have needed all its exquisite proper
tion and simple arrangement to ac-
commodate them. The revolt of the
diamios had changed all this before
NJ. De BeauVoir's visit, and the great
palace was empty. But there was
plenty of stir in the city, notwith-
standing and the outside of the
palaces, with their splendid orna-
ments and gilded blazonry, was no
less imposing that there were no
armed crowds within the towering
gates. From Soto-siro to "AIidzi, !"
the commercial city, the way lies
along hillside, and between great
granite walls, which inclose immense
parks. Immediately above these
walls are hedges, six feet wide aud
forty feet high, cut and trained to
marvellous perfection /; they are form
ed of camelias, azeleas, and rose
laurels they are enamelled in rich
colors upon their dark green back
ground, and whole fiocks of sacred
birds, white plumaged, are always
fiutteripg among them. 1t was while
the travellers were lingering in this
enchanted spot, reminding them of
all their imaginations of the hang
ing gardens of Babylon, that they
witnessed one of the Characteristic
sights of Yeddo-one of the great
Princes going down to the public
promenade. He was escorted by
heralds in sky-blue, armed with for,
midable wooden swords. Then came
a procession of halberdiers, battle-ax
men, talconers, gentlemen in waiting
and pages pompously escorting the
lackering "norimon, carried by
eight men, in which his Highness sat
cross-legged, sword sticking two
feet out of each window. His High
ness did not deign to cast one glance
upon the sacrilegious foreigners.
On reaching the commercial city
they were chiefly struck by two
things /; first, the Incompatible clean
illness of the streets, which are like
the carefully-tended paths of a park;
and secondly, the precaution against
fire. At regular intervals at all the
principal points of the town, high
belfries are erected, coIumnar in
shape, which are assembled by means
of ladders, and from whence the
whole quarter can be minutely in
spected. On the summit of each is
a magnificent bronze bell wherewith |
to sound the alarm. In almost every
house there is wooden pump ready
for use, and at intervals of fifty feet
there are pyramids of water-pails
with shining copper hoops, and al
ways full of water. The French |
travellers formed the third European
party which had ever been permitted |
to visit the gardens of the Taikoun,
into which they passed through the |
eyclopean gates of the vast fortress.
1t is a scene of complicated pretti-
ness, with kiosks overlooking the |
sea, lakes covered with sacred birds |
with golden and silver plumage,
thickets OF purple trees; falconries,
with all the curious apparatus of the |
Iordly sport; summer-houses fitted |
up for music, for dancing, and for
feasting, with all the fragile elegance
of the highest style of Japanese art.
The next great sight in Yeddo is the
famous temple of Asaxa, which the
French travellers visited when it had
the additional attraction of a fair 60
ing on in its avenues. This eXtraOr-
binary place is known as the $50
journ of the thirty-three thousand
three hundred and thirty-three d.
vinities," of whom one is in particu-
lar favor He is the god of tooth
ache. Each sufferer brings him his
offering; he then chews little ball
of paper into a complete pulp, and
spits it out against one of the pic
lures with great dexterity. He then