The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-04-12
BIGGEST STATUE IN The WORLD.

Mikado's capital, aud until ten years
ago. when the overthrow of the Shoz-
un lett the capital of that ruler de facto
open. its greater advantages led the
Mikado and his Cabinet to occupy 1t.
This old capital, at one time with 4
population said to have been 100000,
il now reduced to 1000. L arose
early. and was glad to fin1 clear
morning. | walked out at side door
Of the inn, and found myself in one Of
the approaches to ShintO temple. |
was almost under one of the granite
tuuii or monuments. This one is
about sixty feet high, and four stone
lanterns at the corners OF the squares
are of great size, and older than any
have vet seen. just as The sun was
rising above the eastern hill, | watched
the men and women as they came in
front of the open temple door and put
their offerings in. Then clapping their
hands, they fold them, bow the head
in devotion, and 90 away to the duties
of the day. For moment the temple
was deserted, and a man came out with
his face turned full to the rising sun
the temple faced the south he went
through the same devotional exercises
that had Just seen, but he remained
longer. bowed with his head to the
ground, and exhibited more fervor.
We have visited several temples sit
uatel on the hillsides, on the east side
of the plain on which the city is spread
out. The Oldest and largest is known
as the Chisnin, and belongs to the Jo-
ndo sect. 1t is very large, measuring
in its front over 200 feet. This sect
never paint their temples, and this one
presents a dIeary aspect OF weather.
stained wood Its age is given as 25O
years only, and it occupies the site of
an older one destroyed by fire. Stone
steps lead to the bell tower, where
hangs the great bell, said to be the
largest in Japan 1t is sounded only
on the 18th and 25th of each month.
1t is suspended about seven feet above
the ground The metal at its rim is
eleven inches in thickness. We saw
another bell in size little less near the
site of another temple, resting on
granite supports, on the ground, near
where it fell The bridge leading to
mountain temple IS of great beauty.
1t has two arches, and each arch
dOubIes-one inverted under the other,
so that the passages form circles. The
whole, including the balustrade, is of
cut granite. In strong contrast with
their religious establishments is the
architecture of the town. The streets
are narrow and uDpaved, the houses
small and squalid, and poverty is
written everywhere.
We have just returned from visit
to NaIa, one of the old capitals Of the
empire. distant about thirty-six miles
We drove at a bIisk trot for an hour
before q break occurred in the line Of
houses, when we crossed a branch of
the Uji river, by a bridge about a
thousand feet long. We entered a
long street of what was once, a thOus-
and years ago, great city. Away up
the slope OF the hill it is covered
wherever we went, with walls and
pavements as indestructible as the hill
itself Granite stairs lead into the
wild forest, which now covers the site
Of vast temples of woodbrOad avenues,
whose rocky pavement was worn
smooth by the feet of devout pilgrims
before Christ was born.
Here was erected, 1900 years ago,
the largest bronze figure the world has
ever known. 1t weighs 450 tons and
the third temple now covers it, with
out apparent injury to the immense
statue We went around t, but could
form no estimate of its size. Our
Minister at Toxic told me that it was
sixty feet from the seat of lotus leaves
to the top of its head, and that a man
could climb through the nOstril. An
officer is said to have taken chip of
the casting, and an analysis of it gave
500 pounds OF gold in the alloy. A
great halo of gilded wood sets off the
dark features as they are revealed in
the shadows Of the roof
Today we rode to Lake Bewa,
distant about seven miles, and our
route lay along the great Tokaido.
The road is about twenty feet wide,
well macadamized, with the inevitable
walled ditch on either side. 1t is the
great thoroughfare from Osaka to
Toxic, and from the lake to kiotO it
was continuous stream of travel,
many cattle, and few horses, laden
y
entered the town at the south end of
the lake and were taken to fight of
stone steps to clim0 to a temple that
overlooked the lake. We ascended
them, found ourselves on the plateau
excavated i'm the side of the mountain.
and turned to look upon the largest
lake in Japan. 1t is sixty miles in
length. but narrow at the south end. 1t
is surrounded by rich alluvial lands.
Our. guide next led us to see bell,
which, he toll us, had not been rung
in twelve hundred years, and pointed
20 a small wooden huilding at the
head of fight of wide stone steps.
We looked i'm through wooden bars,
well worn by curious visitors, and
saw supported on a strong wooden
table, a bell about four feet high, with
a bad crack, which seemed to have
been caused by fire. 1t had on it a
few Ulaiu figures as ornaments OuI