Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-02-12
Interesting Description OF Many
Singular Customs of the Japanese,
by Edwin Arnold.
They Firmly Belive in the Return of
Departed Spirits, and prepare to
Entertain Them.
Curious Views in Regard to the Dis.
embodied Anima and Their Long
Journeys.

Edwin Arnold in the London Telegraph.
and Tor many evenings past the Gina
and other principal streets have been filled
with little stalls planted one side of the
pavement. where they sell the articles
most in vogue for the due observance of
this national occasion. The leading idea
is that the dead-or a vast number of
them-come back to this life during the
forty-eight hours about to elarse, and
truly 1t is just the reason when, if you had
lived your life in Japan, you would like
to return and see the fair and quiet
country once again. Summer has come
upon Us i'll all its golden glory: the land is
bathed day after day, and from dawn
until dusk, in food of brilliant sunshine,
which is melting the last streaks of snow,
from the brow of Full San, and making
the trees and the crops burst into such
vividness of growth that the islands are
one green garden.
Out of doors work is half suspended,
and conducted only by kuruma men an
coolies stripped to the skin. In the ba-
zaars, the shops which attract most atten-
ton are those where they sell kori- mizu-
tumblers of ice ground into flakes upon a
steel plane. None but the slightest gar
ments are worn by the most prudish and
particular, the children 60 frankly bare.
and in the house kimono of figured cot
ton or gauze, drawn around the loins with
a wisp of gay silk, is about all which the
Japanese DANES and damsels put on.
Shoji and amado being taken down, every
house is as open as a box, with only a bot
tom and top, and the breeze, if there be
any, plays freely and welcomely through
back and front. The crows seem to gasp
at noon in the hot air, in which large and
splendid butterflies and blue bodied drag
onfies disport In myriads, while for
flowers we have all sorts of lilies, some
late irises, phlox, pomegranate and the
opening blossoms of The lotus, which is
grown everywhere for food as well as
beauty.
Persons of leisure are mostly gone into
the hills where it is cool-to Ikao Nikko.
Miganashita Hakone, and such like places
of refuge; all the more hastily because
cholera is very severely epidemic at
Nagaski, and is pretty sure to come here
sooner or latter. But we like Toxic, and
have grown attached to the life of our
quarter and not being afraid either of the
heat or the cholera, are waiting for tn
last white patch Of snow to disappear from
the summit of Full San, when we hope to
be among the first of the pilgrims who
will ascend her statly sides, and get our
clothes stamped with the coveted mark of
the queen OF mountains.
At such time, [ say, it is very natural
that deceased persons of taste and patriot
ism should desire to revisit Japan, espe
cially since being disembodied, it is indif
ferent to them that the thermometer
stands at "a degrees Fahrenheit The
common opinion consen rated by ages OF
simple faith is that they do return at this
season in every year, and must be received
and entertained with becoming empress
ment- For this cause the little stalls have
swarmed along the sidewalks, loaded with
thin canes of the bamboo and ozier
bundles OF flowers and leaves and lunches Of
refuse hemp, cucumbers, eggplant fruit
and lanterns of variou shapes, white anC
colored. All these which the people buy
In myriads-are synbolical in the appro
pirate solemnities, if anything can bt
called solemn connected with the religion
of Japan.
The attitude Of this people toward thu
supernatural has been described as a mix
ture of ''fear and fun" | should rather
call it one of ''politeness toward possibili
ties When | asked very intelligent
Japanese lady, vino was investing in arti
Giles for the Bon Matsuri, whether the
really believed in the Emma San, the
Judge of men in hades, and in the return
of depraved spirits to their houses, sht
said: You have told me before that EN-
ma San is on y the Indian Yama, the re
gent of the dead, introduced into Japan
and as for the departed, who are still 81
dear to us, believe they come back koko
70 ma naka nj Unto the middle of oul
hearts,, but not taku no naka nj Unto the
midst of our houses. Yet it is right to dc
what all our neighbors do, and to be kline
to the dead if they should come; therefore
| shall light my lanterns and go to say my
prayers at Shiba. Undoubtedly, the
common folk have sincere belief iii the
old fable, and quite think that Shodzaks
no Bahia, the bag of hell, waits on the
brink of the japanese Styx to strip newly
arrived souls of their earthly coverings
So. as a matter Of faith or of habit, every
body takes part in the Mon Matsuri, and is
now engaged in lighting up the cemeteries
ard putting white or colored lanterns ii
| the d Jorways or mado of the houses. The
white lanterns are used to guide home
souls Of friends recently deceased; the
colored lanterns are the assistance O.
spirits less newly departed The common
idea is that the disembodied ANNA has tx
make journey of $500, 0O0,0 900 ri to the
other world, and as ri equals two and {
half miles, this is a considerable distance
to travel.
Accordingly, on arrival, the soul shall
| find lunches of tow burning, and light
id ~ L.
little trays of eggplant fruit and rice an
cucumber within, and their tombstone
also illuminated, in case they wish to Sc
whether the toba were all duly placed, an,
the headstone set up lovingly and faithful
| ly with the kalmio name upon it, for 1t 1
the custom here to give the dead q nes
title-generally very poetical and compll
mentary. By the seaside, as at Nagasak
where now. alas, the people are dying hit
a day of cholera-they build little boats
the canes and reeds, and launch then
loaded with rice, egg-fruit and cucumber
/ and the souls embark, on their return
| journey, On these. Here we 90 1t on tn
| Sumida river, and when the little lam
goes out, by wind or immersion, the sayo
nara is pronounced, and the friendly splrl
I has reached its destination. The canes c
hemp employed are termed ogara, tn
kindly dismissal of the shadowy visitor
! okuri-dashi. the fires are lighted at tn
! mukaibi. If it were true it would be al
interesting anniversary.
l do not gather that the japanese com
non people have the least fear Of thei
revenants Rather the contrary! Th
grace of their life extends to the unknown
/ and unknowable, and their fancies on thi
! head are all pretty and tender. If one o
the great black and crimson or green AM
silver butterflies comes inGo house to- da,
sugar is set for tit is certainly the sou
OF ojisan or obasan, Of grandpa or grand