Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-02-10
AMONG THE JAPANESE.
ouecr Things Seen by an American in the
Mikado's Land.

Nuocr AhihEb seen Dy an american III INV
T. Mikado's Land.
ne Then, TOO, there are monster trees
'e they claim them to be thousand, or
~ nearly n thousand years old-whoso
branches have been trained into every
3 conceivable abnormal shape, and arc
venerated if not absolutely worshiped.
y. We visited one on Lake Biwahi or
= Biwaho. 1t is about six feet in diam
eter Just above the spread of the roots,
but little higher up. where its three
great branches spring out, thirteen
feet in diameter At some twenty feet
altitude the many limbs coming out of
the three great branches have been
trained nearly horizontally and cover
n space of nearly one hundred and |
eighty feet from cut to cut One
branch. up to few years since, lifted
up TO a height Of ninety foot a +
typhoon took il off a orokcn Pi"oo
il s,s.1ronGed over and little house Is
perched over 1t. A small temple lies
in its shade, and the soul of god
lives and sings among its needles.
The attendant priest told me 1t was
one thousand years old. l believed
him. Why should l doubtp
Thomas doubted. never do, cs-
pecially now that travel fol' rest and
wish 10 live In half-dream.
These people have had no horses to
speak of, no leasts of burden. no COM
| plicated machinery. They themselves |
| have been beasts of burden for so |
many thousands of years that tho 4
moon was young and had not worn
its harvest phase when they became
people and commenced 10 earn their
food by the sweat of their faces
With their naked hands they have
chiseled rocks of monster size and
: erected them into mighty walls forty
nine, fifty, ninety and one hundred
! feet high about the castles of tho
great capitals. These walls are miles
in length, and are built of stones
brought from great distances and
weighing from ono hundred or two
hundred pounds up 10 very many
tons. In the castle at Osaka, high up
on the wall, are granite stones twenty
J. feet long. eight feet high, and as
d many feet deep. These l examined
II on either side Of the gateway. But
within / saw stones so huge that
e they looked like rocky precipices
l. erected by nature upon mountain
l. side. could not go in-I had no per-
C, mit-and tho guard, after politely
a permitting us TO look for n minute or
II two, motioned us to pass on.
But we saw two monster stones
g. which seemed to us TO be over forty
! feet long, fifteen to twenty feet high,
and how deep We could only guess
they were part of tho great inner
wall. These mighty walls were not
erected as was Cheops' pyramid, by
captive nations worked to destroy
Q them, but by a cheerful and politically
j enslaved people, but still the people of
. the land. People who can chase a
= piece of bronze with delicacy of
q touch and lightness of finish no
- European people can reach; can carve
bird, and have done so for centuries,
h and did so when these massive works
v were erected-can and have carved
: from wood birds so natural that ono
= can almost see them pick the rice they
d feed upon and can SEQ the Ruling
= of the feathers as they futter or fly.
Q -CdrtcrH Harrison, In Chicago MdiL