Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-23
ROMANCE IN JAPAN.
wnw,N ARNOLD TELLS LOVE STORY
THAT EVERY JAP KNOWS.
rrcerstitsons Of Brown Maidens-Thc
tragic Adventures Of Two Young Folks
Before Chivairy Dies.

"a the London Telegraph from his re-
treat in Japan. evil outlive the me-
mory Of long wars and great princes.
There exists proof of this in a little
sillage, which 1 recently visited, not far
from Toxic. The village is named Me
euro, and lies about three miles from the
capital amid bamboo groves and clumPs
OF wild camelias. on the banks OF o
stream. Here lie buriod, near the tenn
ME of Fudo-Sams.Sh irai 'iompacm
and Ko-Murasaki, his beautiful mis-
tress. And although it is go years
since these lovers we're laid there TO-
Cetber undcr the bamboos their memory
remains still as green as the leaves that
fiutter above them. Everybody hero
about knows their story; every one can
relate il 10 you with the minutest par
ficulars every one sooner or later re-
nairs 10 their grave 10 burn a stick OF
incense there. and afterwards TO sit In
the tea-house by the pool OF white lotus
and feed the tame carp with PINK ana
Croen biscuits while meditating each IN
his own way upon what Shakespeare
says:
Golden boys and girls all must
Consign TO this, and come TO DUST
NAP LANDSCAPE.
MY Japanese friends and L TOOK the
wrong road with our T'~umds, ana,
thanks 10 this happy mistake, meandcred
on wheels for half the sunny afternoon
through n country wonderfully rustic,
considering thst Toxic was so near at
hand. The rice-felds stretched out on
all sides, bright with the young crop
over which were fitting great dragon
fias blue and bronze, and butterflies as
b;o as bats. with black velvet and cnm-
son. or brown and amber, or saffron and
ecarlet wings. On the drier ground
Interminable rows OF eggplant, i'dsu6i,
hung heavy with the blnck-purple fruit,
now everywhere in use as vegetable,
and clumps OF hydrangea, with pale blue
clustering blossoms, grew beside the hit
lie buts of wood, paper, and thaich,
where the japanese babies, glad OF the
summer heat played stark-naked. while
their "sisters, cousins, and aunts, ia
clothing almost as simple, did the small
daily duties OF the homestead. Every
now and then. at the foot Of wooded
slope, you would see the red torn OF
shrine raised to Inari Sauna, the deity, OF
farming. who has the fox for his badge
and gives or withholds bumper crops
SIGHTS ALONG THE ROAD.
The Japanese woods sadly lack feather
ed musicians, but in the open districts
our own lark (hibarD may be heard, and
there is little songster, the Cettria can
tans, which is called-by what must
think is an extravagant compliment
"tbe nightingale of Nippon" Present.
" we plunge into a bamboo thicket,
where the long green canes and arrow
beaded foliage make the road by their
Pickering shadows q mosaic OF black
and gold; and so We come into
the right road, at the entrance
of the village of Mcguire, where
stands IN old Shinto fame surrounded by
tall. dark. cryptomeria trees. This IS
favorite place with jealous women who
wish TO turn the hearts of indifferent
lovers. The Jananese day is divided
into twelve periods, named after the rat,
OK. tiger, and hare the dragon, horse.
snake, and ram and the ape, COCK, hog,
and fox. In the watch of the ox-ush'-
no-foti-that is to say, about 3 In the
morning, the wronged damsel goes.
in white kimono, with candle
lighted in q fillet on her head
and with mirror bound round
her neck, carrying little straw figure
representing her hayward lover, which
she nails to one OF the great trees, pray
ing to the genius of the place to turn
his unkind heart or punish him with
sickness. Further on another little tenn
pie is seen in grove-that OF laku-
Shi-and as the image here came TO
shore riding on cuttle-tsh, nobody
who resorts TO it is allowed to use the
Tka for food. 1t must be observed.
however, that to abstain from cuttle-fish
would not be considered any severe
hardship by those Europeans who have
tried to eat it.
CHARMING AWAY SINS.
Now we turn between two tea-houses,
where the nuSmces, IN hospitable chorus
beseech us to enter as soon as We have
made our honorable supphcations,
and the jinrickshG roll into the paved
court of the celebrated temple of Fudo-
Sauna. At the bottom of the stone stair
way leading to the chief shrine, are to
be seen chapels in the Japanese style
containing efhgies of Emma, the judge
OF the wicked, who is really the Indian
god yama, regent of the dead, imported
with Buddhism and of Shodzuka.
No-Baba, the old bag who waits on the
banks OF the river dividing this world
from the next, and strips little children
OF their earthly clothing there, setting
them afterwards TO pick up stones i
their friends in this life have not pre-
viously filled the lap of Jizo with PED
bles TO propitiate her. AT the lef
OF the steps sparkles O pool OF clea'
water, fed by small waterfall, towlnl
through the mouth of brass dragon
When we approached penitent sinne
was standing under this heav.
let OF water, receiving it on his head
aud praying hard all the tim
with clasped palms. This is called tn
SUI. Giyo, or "water cure FOR Sin, an
is considered highly etiicscious as vel
as rather pleasant III summer. Anothe
penitent was doing the Htydkudo, o
hundred-turn walk. " passing backwar
and forward between two points, an
repeating prayer at each run. the tall
OF which he kept by depositing on
stone at every round twisted straw. ]
you do not feel wicked or warm enough
10 go through either Of these lustral per
formances you can get quit of quite
number of peccadillos by buying outsid
the temple some small birds, fish, or tor
toises. and setting them free int
the woods or tho water, in homo
Of the compassion Of the Lor
Buddha. We mount the stone steps an
reach the shrine, painted bright red all
rooted with copper, containing som
very curious images and treasures, an
among them a particularly strange bronz
figure OF dragon cooled round
sword supposed to symbolic the tw
principles OF life In front OF the alta
gongs are suspended which you SCUM
by banging them with atwisted red-ant
white rope. take of my hat while m