Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-04

PiPs

When he goes to bed at night the Jap must
have his smoking utensils within easy reach
and also his night light or little lamp set within
box-lihe screen of paper. If ne wakes up in
the night he reaches out for his pipe. lights it
by the live coal buried in the ashes of little
jar provided for the purpose. takes a few puffs
and goes to sleep again. Nearly all Japanese
women as well as men smoke. The smoking
sets are made i'll many styles, though the pipes
are much alike. Many of them prettily
ornamented. The straight stems are of reed,
tipped with metal, and the bowls, which are
very small, about half the size of an ordinary
shorter stem than that used by a woman. Other
wise the pipes are alike. The man uses short
stem for convenience sake. as he carries his pipe
in a case which he thrusts in his belt. Attached
to this case by cords is a pouch for tobacco and
genernlly AetS'ke. charm, or little figure
OF carved ivory, which hangs down like
watch-charm. The smoking set includes the
little jar for charcoal and a cuspidor This
cuspIdor is merely joint of bamboo. cut off
so as to make a cylindrical box. one end being
closed. This the Japanese smoker, when he
desires to expectOrate, raises to his lips.
Though the custom seems odd to an American
Prof. Hitchcock said it was much less disgust
ing than the American habit of discharCing
saliva at spttoon at long range. The Japan
csc tobacco Is fine and stringy. looking some
thing like American fine cut or straight cut. 1t
Is put up in rolls of different sizes. bound
around with paper, the ends being open. so as
to expose the tobacco. The little pipe bowls
hold only pinch of this tobacco. enough to
give three or four good whiffs. Then the Jap
knocks the bowl so to empty the ashes into
his hibachi or cuspidor. Il ne is travelling he
probably knocks the bowl against the toe of his
wooden shoe. He will fill Iris pipe many times
When he has emptied his pipe and filled it he
will scoop up the hot ashes again upon the
fresh tobacco in the bowl. and thus get new
light.
A saki set for ceremonial usage comprises
little stand with tray-like top and three fiat
saucer-like cups fitting into one another Such
set Is used Ill the marriage ceremony, and. in
fact, its use constitutes nearly all there is to the
ordinary marriage ceremony. The bride and
groom are placed so as to front each other on
opposite sides of an apartment. The cups are
inverted on the stand. Two attendants
take the first cup off and, standing beside the
BRIDE fill it with saki and hand it to the bride.
who drinks. Then the cup is filled for the
groom and he drinks. The same ceremony is
gone through with each of the other cups. The
top of the stand is perforated with Sits so
that any of the saki that may spill ont from
the cups Is drained off into a receiving basin
constructed for the purpose in the interior of
the stand.
On another stand near this saki set is
package supposed to have been brought into
the house as present or gift. Ii is wrapped
neatly in paper tied with colored threads. and
underneath the threads where they cross is
thrust little bit of fancy paper folded into the
shape of spear head. The paper thus folded
indicates that the parcel contains a present.
On the paper wrapper Is an inscription in
Japanese characters.