, 1879-03-23
MIRROR-WORSHIP In JAPAN,

| Why the Bronze Mirror Is so Important al
Article III Japnncse Houses.
| London Times.
Prof. Ayrton 1ecturcd last week at the Roya
| Institution, his subject being 'SThe Magic Mir
ror Of Japan" In Japan there is, he said. al
absence of house walls, interior and exterior
the houses consisting OF roof supported on onl]
few posts inclosing very little but empt,
| space, and sliding screens alone divide Oft com
| partments. Why, in this com paratiye absence
| Of all that we should call furniture, does one
article pertaining to the ladies' totlette--the
bronze mirror with its stand-hoId SO promi-
nent a positfonl This mirror is usually circu-
| lar, from three inches to twelve inches in diam
eter, made of bronze, and with bronze handle
e.; covered with bamboo. The rejecting face is
! generally more or less convex, polished with
q mercury a1nalgam, and the back is beautifully
| ornamented with a gracefully executed raised
| design. Some for the rustic population have
| also polished letters.
The explanation OF the fact that the mirror is
almost par excellence the entire furniture is
found partly in the elaborate head dresses Of
the japanese ladies and the painting Of thcit
| faces, and partly from the belief that as the
sword was "the soul Of the Sanouri," so is the
mirror the "soul Of woman." 1t therefore coll
sttutes the most valuable Of all her posses
sions, and two mirrors form part OF the trous-
scau OF every bride. The characteristic quail
ties Of the mirror must, it is believed, be III at
cordance with the constitution of the possessor,
and s4seccnd sight, Is resorted to in the selection
OF mirror. But why is the mirror SO impor-
INT in the Imperial palace, where the Court
ia,lies, still preserving the fashion OF old days,
comb back their hair in the simplest style2
Why does the fortuue-tellcr, instead Of looking
at 4 girls palm, regard the reflection in & mir
ror? Why, instead Of referring to the book of
the recording angel, does the Japanese Pinto
bring before the boatman his evil deeds reflected
in mirror? And why docs the mirror hold so
important place in japanese temples! Tie
has been supposed; it, in fact, takes the place
of the cross in Christian countries.
Prof. Ayrton read the myth Of the origin Of
the worship If the mirror. The main points in
it are, that, when gods alone Inhabited the Garth,
the sin goddess one day hurt her nalld with her
shuttle, having been suddenly frightened by a
practical joke OF her brother the god Of the sea.
She Indignantly retired to 4 cave. Darkness
followed, and the goddess had to be appeascd.
The Wisest ol the gods suggested making an i'm
age Of her more beautiful than herself. Tie
Jaranesc VuicaE fashioned a mirror in the shape
OF the sun, and ali the gods laughed, and shout
I'd. Here is deity vino surpasses even your
glory" Woman's curiosity could not stand
this. The goddess pccpcd out, and while ad-
1nirins herself in the mirror was caught and
dragged out by rice rope. The national tra-
diti0ns have it that this sun goddess {Aulaterasu
mi kami, sending her adopted grandson, who
was also the greAt-Grandfather Of the first
Emperor of Japan, to subdue the world, made
him three presents: tic maya tana {the precou )
stone, emolematical Of the spirit OF woman) the
sword { en1bcmatcal of the spirit of man1 and
the mirror (emblem OF her own souD: "Look."
she said, Ton this mirror as my spirit keep it
in the same house and on the same floor with
yourself, and worship lit rs if you were worship
ing my actual presence"