The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-08-16
Jananese TemDles.

The glory of the city of Yedo is its
temples. Notwithstanding the gen.
eral substitution of the Shinto religion
for the old gorgeous Buddhist ritual,
the great fanes still remain; and an ad-
ditional charm is lent to the contempla-
ton of them by the fact that they are,
for the most part, decaying and de-
serted, forgotten and overlooked by
the people in the midst of whom they
raise their gigantic roofs. When the
noise and the dust and the smell of the
great thoroughfares render locomotion
unpleasant, it is delightful to turn aside
for an hour or two into the enclosures
of the mighty temples of Shiba. Every
visitor to Japan goes to see Shiba; yet
their charm to the oldest resident, to
the man who knows every inch of their
grass-grown courts and every dark re-
cess and corner under their vast roofs,
is never-fading. The explorer is struck
mute by the colossal scale upon which
the old Japanese temple-bullders did
their work. just as the chetS-d 9uUre
of our grand old cathedral architects
dwarf and throw into the shade the
work of modern ecclesiastical builders,
so do the temples of Shiba at Yedo
stand out alone, majestic and unap-
preached, above everything else around
them. There are fimsy houses upon
the European model running their roofs
close up to the once sacred enclosures
there are huge tea-houses and squat
"go-downs, or warehouses, cheek by
iowl with them; but in their tree
guarded precincts the temples seem te
eve the approach of common, every
day Yedo much as lion might watch
the approach of a mouse In the gre1
gateway of the Zojoji temple-the an
cient burial place of the Shoguns-tht
tallest man is but pigmy; of the holy.
water basin Just within, avery fair-sized
swimming-ba bath could be made; the
very lanterns suspended to the cross
beams of the temple are like balloons
and when the sun shines upon the greai
slanting roof it gives it the appearance
Of . vast sheet OF gold.
Doubtless the travellers who infameo
the curiosity of Columbus and hi,
companions with tales of the gold.
rooted palaces of the Kings of Zipangi
had seen the roof of the Zojoji temple
at Shiba- The interior of the temple is
suitably dark and mysterious; but whep
the eye gets accustomed to the gloom,
after the blaze of sunshine without, il
rests first on the colossal statue of the
god, protected from impious OF
curious hands by latttcework of iron,
and then wanders amidst the maze oi
curious carving, coloring and gliding
which adorns the remotest corners OF
the edifice-for the old temple-builders
| were as minute and as earnest as they
were gigantic, and did not consider
that because a spot was scarcely to be
a Il y 11GA L
mented. ALI around the interior are
hung eI UotoS in the shape of painted
strips of wood and wisps of hair. But
even more interesting than the temple
| itself are the quaint hooks and corners
surrounding it. Beside the tombs of
the old rulers of Japan are huge
stone lanterns, quaintly-carved mon
sters and almond-eyed deities dotted
about, all weather-stained, moss-grown
and neglected; and behind all is back
ground of noble trees. which seem ever
to be bewailing the fallen estate of the
monuments before them. The only
visitors to the dozen or more temples
of Shiba are foreigners and country
folk; the Yedo citizen prefers the SIM
pie mirror of Shintoism to the pomp
and display of the old faith. The moss
grows between the stones of the court.
yards, the roofs cape in many places,
the coloring and gliding are falling
away piecemeal, and innumerable fam.
lilies Of pigeons, attracted by the soil.
tude and quiet of the place, have made
their homes amidst the quaintly-carved
timber-work of the roofs. Save in one
instance, where there is a statue gifted
with marvellous curing qualities, tc
which multitudes of cripples and in.
themselves upon it. It is doubtful wheth:
er a score of worshipers visit the tenn
Piles of Shiba per diem.-London So
| cietH.