New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-22
IN ELDER WORLDS.
BY HENRY W. LUCY OF THE LONDON DAILY
NEWS"
THE TOMBS OF THE SHOGUNS.

NIkkO, Japan, lN"f'
The famous shrncs of Mike lie outside the town.
nj the foot of the hills on the other s'Ie oil INC
bnstlmr river Daiyd-Gawa. The town itself was
ma, horn Yesterday. but the temples aud tombs
count their years by centuries. There is record OF
n Buddhist temple here in the middle Of the eighth
century The importance OF NikkO dates from the
seventeenth, when lyeyasu, the founder oil Inc
mighty race of TycoOns who for 700 years ho'u
imperial sway in Japan. was buried here. me hI9'
Tvcoon-or Shotgun as he was earlier call'H-W"S
dc,fcd, and religion was called IN 10 anu c""'''
ship in making Nikko a holy place. Inc NaSSiS
of fin, rcirnn, Shotgun We'd with each other in the
macnGcence of the presents with which they en-
dowcd the tomb of the founder of the race.
prince of the Imperial blood became Abbot OF
Nikko and through the year solemn PROFESSIONS
were made 10 the tomb In 1858, when the reNo-
linton broke the power of the ShogunS, there was
Prince Abbot of the Mikado'S family at the hcad
of tho monastery. The Shotgun party played their
last card when they seized hun, carried hum of TO
the North and proclaimed him Mlkado. VIC
tory still chung to the banners of the reign
ing Mlkalo. The young pretender snrr'nd
cred. the power of the Tycoon was irretricvably
broken and with his fall much of the glory OF NAko
has departed
There are two bridges across the river leading to
the temples and the tombs One is painted a bright
red of the garlng color i'll which the temples name
forth Ii was built in the year 1898, and 1t Is
boosted that since then the cost OF PAIRS has oeeh
merely nominal. This Is the less marvel since the
bridge is very rarely used, being opened only once
or twice year for pilgrim professions, and Tor the
rest being Se-barrcd. little lower down the
stream is the more Grdinarv-looklng and much more
usrful structure over which traffic passes without
restriction. Crossing this turning to the lett ana
walking up the bank lined on either side with
,oIo v-np a tpiuulp tie name OF winch
beinc translated is the Hall of the Three Bud
dhaS" These three Buddhas are the Thousand
Handed Kwan-non the IIorse-iicadcd kwan-non,
and Amida Nio-Rai. The title of the Thousand
Headed kwan-non is rather boldly assigned, since
the great gilt doll that bears the name has only
forty arms-quite enough. it is true but 1t - well
10 be exact and a good deal happens between forty
and a thousand On the mating before these I'M
ages CONFER coins were sprinked. the gifts of the
faithful They were minute IN value, beng almost
exclusively rim, ten of which 90 to make cent.
Some had placed their offerings in paper, mark
both of deeper respect and greater aliuencc, as
seldom less than five rim placed in the packets,
an occasionally the contents ran as high as ten
The moncy-boX forms prominent feature III all the
temples There is none here approaching the pro-
portions Of the vast grdiron into which ra are
rained at Asakusa on the icte day OF the ""d OF
Happiness But each shrine has ITS moncy-boN out
ring reproach he strcwed on mating before the
god whom il Is desired to prOpItIatc
Ia truth tine hat goes round with great persistence
in the temples of Japan, whether Buddhist or
Sninto On approaching nearly every one OF these
sacred halls, whcIcVcrs situated. the visitor VIII
note a boarding, sometimes two OF three. cTtctcu
upon upright wooden posts. and covered with
writing Just like the advertisements IN railway
stations on boarding before unfinished buildings
These boards are truly advertisements, bat nave
about them nothing relating to the modern bill
poster Each strip of wood contains record OF
the name OF a donor to the building or sustentation
fund in connection with the temple, together with
the amount presented was not able tn learn where
this clever device was first essayed. But II has
proved highly successful and is now common III All
the temples. Any man at the expenditure of a Few
V,7l NAV have his name thus set up on high IN holy
places.
Before the Hall of the Three Buddhas is a curious
sun-dial consisting of an upright post. FROM the
shadow cast on the ground the time is asc'rt aimed
and the great bell struck. Tins most musical Ill
strument stands on mound a little to the right OF
the tcmpe As the hours come round man
mounts up TO the bell, and with tie whole weight
of his body pulls back wooden ram slung at right
angles with the bell. This being released 1aiIS
back and strikes the bronze casting and through
the valleys up the hills and across the little town
OF Nikko, there floats note of exquisite melody
At the back of the temple is black pillar crowned
with series of six cildcd cups in the form % lotus
flowers This grim copper column erected to ccIc-
bratc the memorable feat of an early bishop oil the
Buddhist Church. who in honor of the first Shotgun
read at a single stretch the ten thousand books Of
Buddba. This feat occupied him seven DAYS, during
which neither meat drink passed ms lips only
the names of Buddha. By the side OF TINS we'll
authenticated feat Nh Biggar's famous effort. when
IN the IIou>c of Commons he through four hours
read Blue Books to the speaker and the clerks at
tie table becomes of small account. MGcndaSm
WAS the name of this hero, who's too-early birth
Mir Par'cl lost the opportunity OF securing
notable follower
Behind this temple i a smaller one on the pillars
OF which are pasted numerous slips of paper con-
flaming the names and addic> Of pilgrims who
have wcndrd their way hitler from all parts OF the
Empire. The way 10 the tomb OF the hrNt Sh"guh
leads mp broad stone stairway with ancient cIyp"
tomeira towering on either SIDE. these steps are
called the steps of a thousand measures because
there are ten of them, and on each hundred men
may stand. At the top Is tho granite oT", or aich
WAY presented TO the temple by one OF the princes
who helped to establish the power of the first Sho-
run The height of the arch Is little over twenty
seven feet and the diameter OF the columns Is three
feet SIX inches. The stone which forms the gateway
at the ton is composed OF a single block of granite.
How it WAS brought here from the distant GuariIes
where II was devea - an unexplained marvel one
local guide told us that when the torn was beng
erected the workmen stood upon pile, OF bags OF
rice which finally reached within three feet OF the
summit When the work was finished the bags
were cut open and the poor people of Nikko spent
pleasant time
Passing under the tJrii into the courtyard we
come upon a lofty pagOda OF blazing red, and
0n!cter hut more interesting memorial III the shape
of an old tree carefully guarded with gray stone
paling This we learned was the identical tree
which when it was not too large to go INTO pot,
the first Shotgun carried about with him when he
-, 80, ;o,r,oys Canine out of one of the