Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-07-19
IN 4 SHINTO TEMPLE.
by CHARLES T. TRTPP.


by the habits of Western civilization.
the Land OF the Rising Sun" is pre-,
eminently the land OF surprises. IT
needs bat soloucn OF from SIX to nine
months in Japan, not only to acduaiut
the traveller with a vast variety of
facts, both new and strange, concern
ing the manners, thoughts, and meth
Od of life of its Inhabitants, but to en-
able him to carry home a store of in
formation and of theory as to the past.
the present, and more especially the
future, of that interesting people.
AmO. z the facts so learned, noua
perhaps are more astonishing than
those presented to us rs cnusti-
tutiug the origin of the country itself;
unless it be the hold which such trudi-
tiOns exert upon the minds OF the
people, and the persistence with which
they are retained in the present day.
Japan has now its railways, telegraphs,
ana electric lighting, its schools, and
its army, equipped with a breechloal-
ing rifle; and there are numerous
Christian missionaries, besides fifteen
or more sects of Buddhists; yet the old
ancestral religion still seems to satisfy
the religious cravings of a lar por-
ton of the population. 1t Is rightly
called ancestral" for it consists in II
great degree OF the worship OF ances-
tOrs.
Japan, be it known, is the real centre
OF creation, the first bud of the human
world, kissed by the Heaven that Gre
ated Man, the first man, father of the
japanese race. The fact has been re-
corded in documents for st least two
thousand years, aud no dodbt can enter
the mind Uf the faithful, that the pres
eut Mikado IS a direct descendant of
the gods. We learn from the ancient ia
panese writer's that, many centuries be-
fore the epoch when our own little island
ar So, at Heavens command, from out
the azure main, the gods were wont to
make Japan their place of residence,
or Mt least that they paid very frequent
visits to that country, and that the
first emperor was himself god. The
worship of these deit.cs or EHHli (EHHli
no UlichiI Is the basis Of the primevGl
religion OF Jepan. The name Of the
heavenly host IS more than 'Iegion."
1t Is somewhat difficult TO make any
thing like an accurate estimate of the
number OF these gods, but acc riding to
japanese authorities there are about
eight million of them.
Such was the old national faith.
which Is name the ShiitO religion of
the japanese. The temples dedicated to
its worship are according to my Cxpori-
enee, most frequently situated outside
the towns, generally in groves aad on
sites where the ground lends itself to
the purpose. Ma V are the artistic
surprises and delights which greet the
travellers eye, where the shrines,
sometimes insignificant only, peep
forth with a dainty charm from the
midst of beautiful foliage. Ole of
these ShintO temples, which may be
taken as a type of the rest, IS my favor
ite resort, and l go there day after day
to make studies. Ny way to 1t is by
long street leading out of town, across
which the beams Of early morning
slant their rays; and at the end APP
pears the stone tori which, rs usual,
marks the entrance to the temple. The
highway IS a busy one, and 1t abounis
in picturesque groups and characters
tic figures, to begule the eye as l walk
thither. Coolies and cOuntrymen, clad
in strangely chequered coats OF biue
and large hats, are pulling their little
hand carts, some with wheels of solid
wood, along the rough road, others are
carrying goods in Strengthening
boxes slung on poles. Here n woman
with flowers to sell stops to listen to
the baggling that IS going on between
a fisherman and female customer who
stands outside her house door. There
a shock-headed apprentice boy, with
bare legs, is carefully carrying small
Dot of some steaming mess between his
/ CT, O. n u
man Is cutting up some funuy-lOOk king
condiments into square lamps, whlie
two women watch the operation, both
dressed in shades of blue, one
of them with a bald-headed b by
on her back. There Is third
woman, also in blue, who carries
hv way OF contrast in color, bundle
tied up in bright yellow stuff, and talks
TO a man whose hair is ali concentrated
at the back Of his head, while the
skirts of his dark blue coat are tucked
into his glrdle at the middle OF his
back. 1 am not tie only lOOker-on at
this grorp, for a portly gent eman IN
brown, with q black bundle. and LIS
umbrella on his shoulder, observes
them too, as the woman chHtters ana
the man bows. Taking mental notes OF
such figures as 1 pass on, 1nc.utlng
also that of a young girl IN brown
yellow dress, and the inevitable bGoy
on her back, Gathering slowly along IN
the clogs, which most of the women
drag with them as their footGear,
veud my way towards the ShInto tenn
pie.
Old legends seem to hover about It's
threshold. The stone trnbeated
erection called a tori, under which
one passes from the outer world, was
in its origin a wooden beam, erected
(as the name signiGes) for the fowls to
perch upon when they announced, as
was their won't, the coming dawn to
the priests whose duty it was to do
honor to the rising sun. That these
erectiOns were formerly made OF WOOD
Is indicated by certain wedges, ire
qUently to be observed in those built
of stone, which are of - practical
value to the structure in un~ latter
material. To the lower cross-plGoe OF
the tori is suspended n straw rope
called shine or ShimcHI5cG, which is
supposed to ward off all diseases and
harmful things. 1t is also, as ] am told,
symbol of the legend of the Turing OF
the Sun Goddess from her cavern By
straw rope which Futodanla stretched
behind her, after the hero TGjikdrdo,
or Great Strength, had pulled her
out. The gods who control the lives
0! men are also termed ShiDlei. From
ms shine there dangle strips of cuffs
paper called the gOhci. These were
originally supposed TO attract the gods.
aney now represent the EaD1i, and with
me Shtn7e and torrE are the common
characteristic emblems of Shllto
The prOunds oF a I,,,iool Sbinto