Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-03-20
BIGGEST STATUE IN THE WORLD.
A Bell That has Not Boon Rung in
Twelve Hundred Years.
San Francisco Bulletin.
kIoTO; Japan, December. 1877

hlOlO, OdDdll, bcCoQDof, 1919,
We are now in the heart Of Japan
This city was for many centuries the
Mil1ados capital, and until 10 years
ago, when the overthrow ofthe Shozun
left the capital of that ruler de factC
open, its greater advantage led the
Mikado and his cabinet to occupy it.
This old capital at one time with a
population said to have been 100000
is now reduced to 150, 900. / rose early
and was glad to find q clear morning.
| walked out at a side door Of the inn
and found myself IN one Of the approa-
ches to Shinto temple | was almost
under one of the granite tout, or non
uments. This one is about sixty feet
high, and four stone lanterns at the
corners Of the square are of great size
and older than | have yet 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 threw their offerings in. Then
clapping their hands they told them,
bow the head in devotion, and 90 to the
duties Of the day. For moment the
temple was deserted, and 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 had visited several temples stu
'ated on the hill-sides, on the east side
of the plain on which the city is spread
out. The Oldest and largest is known
as the Chionin, and belongs to the Judo
sect. 1t is very large, measuring in it's
front over 200 feet. This sect never
paint their temples, and this one pres
ents a dreary aspect of weather-stained
wood Its age is given at go years
only, and it occupies the site ofan older
one destroyed by fire. Stone steps lead
to the beethoven, where hangs the great
bell, said to be the largest in Japan. 1t
is sounded only on the 10Th 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 a
mountain temple is Of great beauty. 1t
has two arches, and each arch double,
one inverted under the other, SO that
the passages form circles. The whole,
including the balustrade, is of cut gran.
lite. In strong contrast with their
religious establishments is the architec-
ture of the town. The streets are mar
row and unpaved, the houses small and
squalid, and poverty is written every
where.
We have just returned from a visit
to Nara, one of the old capitals of the
empire, distant abou: thirty-six miles.
We drove at Il brisk trot for an hour
before break occurred in the line of
houses, when we crossed branch of
the Uii river by bridge about thou
sand feet long. We entered a long
street of what was once, q thousand
years ago, great city. A way 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
wood-brOad avenues, whose rocky
pavement was worn smooth by the feet
of devout pilgrims before Christ was
born.
Here was erected 1000 years ago the
largest bronze figure the world has ever
known. 1t weighs 450 tons, and the
third temple now covers it, without APP
parant injury to the immense statue.
We went around it, 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 his head, and that a man could
climb through the nostrils. An officer
is said to have taken ch p 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 o. the roof.
To-day we rode to Lake Bewa, distant
about seven miles, and our route lay
along the great Tokaido. The road is
about twenty feet wide; we'll macada-
mixed, with the inevitable walled ditch
on either side. 1t is the great thorough
fare from Osexa to Toxic, and from the
lake to Kioto it was continuous stream
of travel, many cattle, and a few horses
laden with goods of every description.
We entered the town at the south end
of the lake, and were taken to a flight
Of stone steps to climb to a temple
which overlooked the lake. We assembled
them, found ourselves on the plateau
excavated in 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 It is sur
rounded by rich alluvial land. Our
guide next led us to see a bell which he
told us had not been rung in twelve
hundred years, and pointed to a small
wooden building at the head of a flight
of wide stone steps. We looked through
wooden bars, we'll worn by curious
visitors, and saw supported on strong
wooden table bell abont four feet high
with a bad crack, which seemed to have
been caused by fire. It had on it few
plain figures as ornaments. Our guide
informed us that it was seventeen hun
dred years old, and that it had hung in
an ancient Shinto temple that once stood
where IT. now linS For five h,,ndrad