Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-08-01
THE JAPANESE MECCA.
Eioto, tho Holy and Magnificent
City CT tho Empire.
n Brief Description OF the Principal
Features OF Intcrcst-Thc Homo
CT Empcrors Tho Grand Pro-
ccssion of tho Priest.

Kioto is the holy city of the empire
the one where can be seen the true
Nippon" 1t Is kind of intrcnched
camp and 4 Mecca of Buddhism. For
mcrly 1t was named MyalSo-that is,
"Thc Capital" For many centuries,
says tho Chicago Mail, the cmpcrors
resided there surrounded by courticrs
whose great prcoccupation was to shave
off their eyebrows and to keep their
teeth we'll ''lacquercd." The bonzcs or
priests made of the city vast pagoda,
where they ruled like kings. sparing
nothing in order to dazzle tho eyes and
inspire fear md respect. It is there,
despite the fire which dcvoured Il por-
tion of Kioto, during the struggle for
the attempted restoration in 1858 of the
imperial power, that people must go, if
they arc anxious to see Japanese archi-
lecture in oil its splendid luxury, aud
to understand the degree of fanaticism
prevailing among certain buddhist
scots. Here IS, for instance, logon
hnd=i, the principal temple of the
"A1onto" sact. II is divided in two
parts; one is the temple proper, the
+
priest or su7rcm, .poati:f. The temple
proper is an immense wooden building,
supported by columns three feet in
diameter. But it Is not there that you
must look for ornaments and luxury.
Buddha did not need them, and the
grand priest has re served them for him
self. It's residence is covered inside and
outside with admirable sculptures; the
great reception parlor is Twenty-Five
feet long and thirty-iivc feet wide, with
the throne of the pontiff at the further
end. The walls were painted by the
most celebrated artists of the thirteenth
century. The hall of fan +; has it's cell
inJs entirely covered with fans of every
Imaginable shape and color. There arc
also the hall of books, the hall of cranes
and many others, in which tho dccora-
ting artists have displayed incredible
patience and crudition. Their works
represent the tales of 4 strange my
thology.
The grand priest Of Kioto is n power
which the government must take into
account. lie can ut any moment raise
n formidable army of monlia, and the
history of japan is filled with tho mar
rativcs of civil wars fomcnted by the
BONES of llongouandzi and Hiyczan.
Livery year, in the months of May and
june, there are in Kioto some two hun
drcd thousand pilgrims. who come from
all parts of the country, having Travelled
sometimes five hundred or six hundred
miles on foot, begging along tho road
for = few hlndfuls of rice. 1t i3 custom
cry for the granl priest to pass process
sionally on horseback once year
through the streets of Kioto; and NIL
those who arc go fortunate rs to sec
him, or even q portion of his vcstmcnt.
nrc purified from Ill their sins. through
that mere contemplation. Un these oc-
casionS the pageant is gorgeous in tho
extreme, and the whole city keeps up
the festival so long as tho pilgrims re-
main ut Kioto. Tho excitement is SO in
tense that it would not be safe for n
foreigner to mix too freely in tho
throng. Tho inhabitants of the prov
inccs of Yamato, Yamasio and Isc arc
strong fanatics; and foreigners must
exercise great circumspection, taking
care especially not to trcspass upon the
rites. If n member of tho czarowitz's
escort smiled unintcntionally during n
religious ceremony, or trod with his
ehocs upon the sacred mats on the floor
of tho tcmpTc, it would have been
enough to incitc fanatic to nvcnge
Duddhn. It is on account Of nn inn
prudence of thia kind that Mr.. Mori.
minister of public instruction, who was
known to be Protestant, was ,assassi-
mated two years hgu. It is to bo re-
mcmbcrcd nlso thnt in tho beginning of
this year tho Russian legation at Toxic
was stoned by band of "Goshi," be-
longing TO the lowest class of people,
whose fixed idcn is to prosecute for
ei igners.