Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-26

Sties in the National Museum Not
merely as works of art are these specimens in
teresting they OF the highest order
artistically and many of them exceedingly
ancient-but chiefly do they attract attention
- images expressive of the quaint myths with
which the mikados empire abounds.
There is figure of an extraordinary beast,
with the head of an ape, the body OF tortoise
and the legs of frog. The creature is trying
TO open the shell of scallop. and, IN course OF
the operation it has caught one of its frog
like feet in the bite of the bIvalve and is trying
20 extricate it. Wonder may well be expressed
at the delcacy of this miniature art work-it,
like its companions. is not more than inches
high-but the main interest attaching to it
lies in the fact that it represents the mythical
creature kappa which Is
SOFT OF JAPANESE EUG BOO.
The Kappa is an amphibious and very quar-
relsOme brute. which is accustomed to chal-
lenge to mortal combat any wayfarer who may
be so unfortunate as to approach its retreat
Notwithstanding Its malgnancy this cOmpli-
Gated animal IS by nature remarkably polite.
In that respect IT resembles the ideal dueliSt
who exhibits the utmost imaginable courtesy
TO the adversary he has determined TO kill. As
for the Kappa it will certainly slay yOu-sup-
posing that you are unlucky to meet II
unless YOU are able. through superior strength
or by diplomacy. TO overcome il. In physical
conflict you would he likely to have little
chance of victory. and so you must resort to a
ruse. Upon encOunterlng the Kappa and re-
ceiving his def the best thing you can do is TO
bow very low indeed The beast will be COM
PEELED. in politeness. to return the obesance,
and, in doing so. he is lost. For his strength
lies In a certain fluid which is placed in a cup
shaped depression on the top of his head.
When he bows. therefore, the liquid Is spilled
and he becomes at once so weak that you can
dispatch him without difficulty. II you look
for il You can find the depression described in
the top of the head of the little monkey ed
ivory animal.
ONE ORIENTAL SAINT.
Another little image. exquisitely carved. is
that Of Daruma, very religious gentleman,
who has become renowned the first Chinese
patriarch. though he is known Familiarity also
In Japan. This very gOdly man arrived IN
China in the year 552 A. ID. and took seat on
the floor of Buddhist temple. And there he
remained for nine long years i'll devotional
meditation. neither moving nor speaking.
When he was aroused at length II was found
that the of his legs had been lost forever by
paralysis and sheer decay. This sacred subject
Is often treated with Irreverentlai humor by
artists of the popular Japanese school. By
them sometimes Daruma Ii awakened from his
meditatiOns by the nibbling OF a rat at his big
toe. and the martyr Is made to assume under
such conditions an expression OF patriarchal
blasDhemy. Or. occasionally. the saint Is more
sgreeably restored to consciousness by the at
tentIons of a dancing grl. toward whom he
rolls his eyes with an appreclatlve leer BY
way of satire directed against the female sex
with especial reference to wOmens Inability TO
keep themselves and their tongues stili-Da-
ruma is sometimes represented by the japanese
d female.
THE MYSTERIOUS TORTOISE.
Not less interesting is design i'll ivory rep
Fesenting an old tortoise carrying young one
on her back. CuriOusly enough. the tortoise is
regarded by the Chinese as one of the four SUI
pernatural creatures in the world. Like its
sacred associates. the dragon, the tiger and
the phoenix. II is supposed to attain IA marvel
Gus lOngevity-sOmetlmes much 1000
years-and after certain age Is reached 1T
bears the sign OF Its patriarchal dignity III the
shape OF hairy tail as wide the she'll. The
tortoise mythically speaking. is supposed to
engender its own young by thought merely.
Thus II happens that the term progeny vi the
tortoise" Is a commonly used euphonism for u
child or person not born In weGlock. As al
emblem of strength in Japanese pictorial art
the tortoise appears bearing on Its back the
mountain abode of the immOrtals-Mt Harai-
or rock on which repose the three sacred
gems. The tortoise also appears, in the light
of an emblem of longevity all associate OF
the spirits of the pine trees
THREE GREAT MEN.
One of the most interesting groups in the
collection of carved ivory images is composed
OF three very great men-Gentoku. Kwsn Yu
and ChOhi-who rose from the lowest possible
rank to be not only revered in their own time,
but wOrshipped in after ages.
The hrst of these was kwan Yu. who. from
being vendor of beancurds assembled to the
Chief military command of the Celestial king
dom. In the year 1874 AID. he entered into
an agreement of confederaey with two other
great soldiers of eastern Asia. Gentoku and
ChOhi. The Regent $3.50, alarmed at so for
midable combination of warriors, tried TO
turn kwan lu from his fealty to GentOku BY
shutting HIM up in a room with two pretty
wives of Gentoku. But Kwan Yu preserved
his reputation by mounting guard with n
lighted lantern in the ante-chamber for the
night. In 1894 he was detied the Chinese
god Of war and is commonly known in that
country as the ''Lcrd OF the Splendid Beard ~
GESToKU AND CHoHI
Gentoku himself was a famous soldier of
fortune who began life a vendor of straw
shoes and subsequently occupied the throne of
one OF the three kingdoms into which China
was divided after the fall OF the Han dynasty
His side partner. ChOhi. was also derived from
humble extraction. At a critical period of
his own fortunes Chohi encountered in battle
the formidable $3.50. the regent. who occupied
svantage ground on the heights which it was
well nigh impossible to storm. In order to en-
ticc SO-SO 10 dDduuOn THIS vantage ground.
Chohi caused reports 10 be spread that he and
his army were engaged in righteousness and
dissipation. On the day designed for that pur-
pose by Chohi $3.50 thought he saw Chohi
with his companions sitting on the ground and
drinking merrily, regardless OF the emergencies
OF war. $3.50 thought this an admirable op-
pOrtnnlty Tor surprise and so ordered his
troops TO advance on the dOuble-quck Upon
reaching the scene of the anticipated combat
he and his soldiers found that the supposed
jewellers were simply figures stuffed with grass
Hardly had they recovered from their surprise
when hires burst out upon the heights IN their
rear and ChOhls army attacked them III front
ChOhi himself brandishing a lance Is feet long
and glaring with eyes that shot RAYS like a
thousand mirrors. while he roared out his own
hrst general in command under $3.50 fall
dead IN his tracks with fright and put the
enemy TO Its heels.
PROyERB ILLUSTRATED.
There Is funny japanese proverb about
blind men who try to Ind out by the sense of
feeling how elephant Is made-the same
being intended to satlrize narrow-minded peo-
pie and blgots who. after looking at a question
from only one point Of view, think they know
IL all This tOlk-saying Is illustrated in the
collection referred TO by an ivory design rep
resentlng fourteen blind men climbing about
an elephant, staffs in hand. They have met TO
STUDY the strange beast and are singly en-
gagged IN exploring Its various parasitic trunk
the legs, the skin. &c. One OF them Is meas
arlng the tail anu another the trunk the