, 1885-08-15
A HORSE PASTURE
IN JAPAN OCCUPIED BY A HUNDRED
THOUSAND HORSES.
A Tract seventy Mile. Long and rln,
Miles Wide, Fenced In by an En-
bankinent sixteen Feet In
Height.

Inc lmIcFA morse ph5lurtng estaD Ism
me t in apG was founded BY the cont
ne tl con .ueiers Of the i,ian where IA -
suuaied mere than II thousand years asl
The country EN- uered rmb aced Ia
pc irsuh between the bay Of eddo AN.
The aOilc ocean. The c untr Is a table
laid, with an altitude above the waier o.
~. lect Il IS seventy mics lon1 and
Mt, mi G, wide. IL Is Of ire GUAR shape
with scrfa ed borders, conforming tn the
irregularities 90 the bay and ocean IL has
thou ands of beautiful eroyes Of onk and
esefgrccns. md the countrf prese rs
mu II tie q lpearaace Of the YAK openings
Of Michigan and entucky. 1t is covered
with G over fesoue. aud rye grasses. I
was determined by the government to re.
serve all this reg on rs a pasture in wh ch
L. breed horses tr The impcria armiea
II could have been ally fenced from the
q. YES ol timber. bu that would have elt
IL eNIosel 10 The attacks OF the hostile
Amos. wno were still only n hu ldred or
two mi Is further north
Al cdict was isuel a d thousands Of
Villagers were transported thither from
all parts of the empire. TO these set
ers the AID along tue streams. near the
borders oil the table land. was given. o.
wlIcl TO grow low land rice. Then this
vast force wa put t. work TO con
hAlAAN AA AAAAiAa CIV AARhIA
this ASSURE. 1t was sixteen feet high
aud si4t en- feet at the lase In order to
leave out the rice land along tie streams.
and Ia conform also 10 the s~errated ed res
OF the taile. lands. II required may curves
AID windlngs. or this reason II was
fully twice Ms long as would have been re
quircd If it could have been a perfect
circle OF square. As 1t was built II was
100 miles Ia length. 1t was col structed
entirely by manual labor. without the aid
of pluws. = rapers or carts. The earth
was shoveled into hemp sacks or mats.
a d was then carried swinging TN a pole.
by two men up on to the cmbankment.
This was the WORK of years, but where
labor has little value and the word of the
ruler is absolute. al thing can be- done
After his fortified fence was fms ed
the work II suhdi, iuing II into fields was
commenced The subdivision enbank-
meats were tive We feet high aud twelve
fe.t at The base. Tho whole area
was survej ed Ito cirrleA in the
ceaier the corral was located From
the corral triangular field. were sur
vcyed; each corral and the surrou ding
telds were in the form Of a wheel. the
corral in the place of the hub. the fields
occupying the spaces between the spokes,
and the subdivision embellishments repre-
At NH0n1's Az 10 NGH0
formed By hui d NJ em%baukments thirty
and even forty feet high. The fields
varied in arca from o. to l, $40 acres.
Each corral division had its o cal Ia
charge. and over al was a high imper al
officer. The aggregate length of these
subdivision entertainments was mure than
900 meters. The t coon who ordered
all this labor id not live to see its con
nletinn. but his son and successor did.
When this fortified pasture was ready
for occupation. o GERS were sent to ever,
pro inee in tho empire. and the besl
mares and horses We're bought Amhas
sailors were sent 10 China. torea. and
Mluuchuria. and the best equine blood OF
those countries was purchased In thirty
or forty years alter the pasture was occu-
pied there were 20. 0JO horses rastur ny
there. At q later time II IS said that tue
number reached was l0O. co. Some
years since the writer was invited 10 WISH
this great a.ture and witness the annual
horse gathering. Tho day after our ar
rival was the first day IF The annla
"a herring. Fairly In the morning all
the roads and paths leading TO the divi,
ion. where the driving In was 10 com
mence. were hlled with people from The
surrounding country. This yearly round
up is a great occasion. ard people 20 10
fAAAHtn ~ " ~ JILL tAAA1 hAA Vii hANN
cover the entertainments in their gay holi
day attire, a warn Of footmen is h,ret
to drive the half wild horses out Of thu
timber and brush When hat Is q n
20 or POO of horsemen rush them alun
the ever-narrOwinR field into the corral
II is an exciting scene as the hundreds OF
horses run away In terror. followed hy
the crowds Of mounted men.
Arriving at the corral we found al
army If peo lie camped around IT, Their
vas nm imrruyised civ Of bamboo houses.
covered with mats There We're eatins
lous,s. lodging houses. theatres. snop~
for the sale Of every conceivable arti le
.Tf al es of acrol ats. jug-lers. fortune
ieilcrs. dancing and singing girls. and
.rowds Of country peo lie in the gnyesl
dresses. ON the corral mbankments
were seats for The OF Gals under the wide.
~pread ng branches of Gigantic oaks thai
had heen planted there hundreds Of YEAR
bnfrre.
Alter refreshments. which consisted o
wine ma . from rice. fish. eggs
CHI OK IN. aud vcge,ah es. the cat h NJ
csnss. flying. and branding commenced
The horses are al caught with a la.so,
which is not thrown. MS with US but is
attached to the end of a lung bainbn
pole 1t is handled very skillfully. Man,
NtAE ~ NuthfNtn Hllh AHH hnihc hAth
err got in their strJgg es with tue thor
ought frightened animals. Thee were
greer d with sh uts of lauLhter from'the
crowds On the enhancement. AL the
mares are branded and .uraed back into
the pasture. The hest lD'ses are %sclcctel
for TIT ga, airy, and the others are sold
Al auction. on long time. Ia the farmers.
whu come from all parts VI the country
TO buy
The forenoon was devoted 10 driving
in, catching and brand ny. and The alter
Moons 10 horse racing these latter art
kept up I'll mig I and are full OF excite
ment The tracks are straight mes. aud
the distances are from On yards To "A mite
and q half. Mctt IA Is are catch wei hts.
lut # moi they are SCAT weirhi-. regard
less OF age A fourteen Land horse VIII
carry about 80 pounds Each orral ID
vision viii lack its favorite. aud the bet
ting Is sometimes very spirited. The rid
Ing at tnat tire was not Of IA high order.
being more Ike that among or wild In
tribes as seen some years since by
the writer.