The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-11-11
JAPANESE STREET MERCHANTS.

chant who is provided with small,
square, upright cabinet which rests on
the ground and has bamboo frame
work on its top for banners and for eX-
hibiting various pieces of his workman
ship. The material he works with con-
sists of a tough, elastic dough, made
from a variety of rice containing much
gluten. This dough he carries in small
masses, sweetened and in variety of
bright colors, and from this he makes
the shinko-zaiku (shinkO work., species
of confectionery, or Gather pastry, very
popular with little children, who always
crowd around him when he makes his
stand on the corner.
For the smallest copper coin he will
make models colored to the life of fruits,
vegetables, flowers, birds, animals, and
other objects. This he does with a
repidity which is astonishing. The
plastic material, pinch of this color and
pinch of that in his nimble fingers
grows quickly into form. The only tool
is a little pair of shears, formed like our
sheep shears, which is the common form
of shears or scissors in Japan. In tiny
flower-pot and with a splint of BAN boo
he will make and put tull-blOwn dahlia
plant in flower in variegated colors, with
olCll, VI llShCo, anu iOiNOo III 100 OihhO
than five inmates. Children tax his in
genuity by call for objects which they
think lie cannot make, but he is always
equal to the call. These toys or candies
are played with awhile then finally
eaten.
The Ra o-ya-k iseru literally means
bamboo pipe merchant, figure often
seen in the streets of Japan. He carries
also polishing powder, gauges and other
utensils for repairing and cleaning
pipes.
The Japanese pipe is a simple but uni
versal implement. Every man and
woman carries it, contained in more or
less elaborate silk pipe case, which is
often, however, of richer or more costly
material-carved wood, ivory, metal,
oftentimes artistically embellished. One
can do worse in collecting Japanese an
tiquities and curious than to collect pipes
cases and pouches. Japanese tobacco is
not very fine, is rather dry and carried
in pouch attached by cord to the pipe
case.
The ordinary pipe consists af "a metal
bowl and mouth piece, connected by a
piece of hollow bamboo stem, which re-
quires renewal often, as it becomes foul
with tobacco oil, and it is this fact which
gives the Ra-o- ya-kiseru his business.
On entering a shop, tea house or dwell
ling, the first thing done is, a servant
brings tabakobon with growing charcoal
in it on bed of ashes, that he may light
his pipe. The pipe bowl is not half as
large as an ordinary sewing thimble, and
after getting the feet and legs comforta-
bly, under one, out comes the pipe and
pouch from the girdle, little pinch of
tobacco is placed in the pipe bowl and
lighted at the glowing GOALS; one, two,
three, and may be four, putfs, and the
pipe is emptied of the remaining tobacco
by sharp rape of the pipe against the
open edge of the haifuki, or ash-cup.
After an interval of few minutes the
pipe is filled again and the process re-
peated few times. Such mild form of
using tobacco seams harmless.
Wheat roasted and infused in water
and sweetened, is beverage much sold
on the street corners summer evenings.
1t tastes very much like our toast coffee,
and is wholesome and refreshing, if not
stimulating. An oblong or square, high
stand with a frame work above it for
cups; hichi-rin, or iron furnace for the
chal G Jal fire, upon which rests the iron
hot water kettle, often SO artistic in de-
sign as to be work of art.
Fu-tin-ya is a street merchant who sells
paper and glass toys as decorative OBJ
jects. These are boughtin summer only
and hung from the caves of houses;
among them are bells of cOlored glass,
each with a little metal tongue. The
summer breezes make soft ringings of
these bells. Besides these, Fu-rin-ya
sells many forms of toys for children.
Amazake-Uri is a street seller of sort
of sweet sake but slightly, if at all, al
che Jlic. 1t is carried in cabinets at each
end of a shoulder-pole; a brass kettle
with round bottom and straight sides, on
the middle of which, outside, project
ing ring forms a rest for it in the top of
the cabinet. A slow fire under the kettle
keeps the amazake warm. 1t is usually
a summer drink. He walks the street
with a peculiar cry at intervals and buy
ing may be sten with cups, buying.
Anne, or candy, is sold by groups of
men and women dressed in a peculiar
costume, often six of them together.
They wear turban made of white Japan
towel, each carrying at one end of a
shoulder-pole an OblOng or square cabi-
net in which is the anne. Over the cabi-
net is colored plume of strips of paper.
The forward end of the shoulder-pole is
in form of wooden hoe (ku-wa,) which
is symbolic of cultivating the rice from
which anne is made. These merchants
will dance for customers.
Another form of this street industry is
seen in family group of father, mother
and three children. The mother plays
the samisen, the children dance a sort of
jerky posturing while the father and
mother strike two sticks together like
castanets an carry an umbrella, from the
edge of which hangs a curtain and on top
of which is colOred basket containing
the anne. They gather crowd by the