The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1894-12-21
ODDITIES OF JAPANESE Lire.
Freaks From the Land of the Rising SUI
at the National Museum.

A few years ago Col. James Steven
son reported having witnessed cur
GUS ceremony in a subterranean cham
Der among the Moquis of New Mexico
1t was a religious performance, EN-
blems being wrought on the ground b,
a priestess in sands of different color
y yellow, green, red, white, and black
Among these emblems were tn,
lightning snakes which are four il
number, the green and white snak.
being female and the yellow and rec
snakes male Exact reproductions o.
two Of the sand pictures are now on
exhibition at the National museum
Around the originals many weird rites
were performed, dramatizing the le-
gend of the adventures Of the snake
hero. The celebration was that of the
snake dance.
Subsequently the same art was found
to exist among the Navajoes and
Apaches. But what could be more
surprising than to discover it in Japan,
practiced in exactly the same fashion,
though for amusement and not for re-
ligious purposes. In that country per-
ipatetic artists make such sand mosa-
les for the entertainment of the crowd
that is sure to gather. The expert car
ries about with him bottle of fine
sand of different colors Taking it in
his hand, he skillfully allows it to
stream through his fingers, making
either a single or double line of one
or two colors at will. The work is done
very rapidly, and the pictures are often
exceedingly good. GE.t#
Now, how does it happen that the
Japanese and Moqui Indians have this
art in common? Can it be that they
are descended from the same ancest-
ors? Such a conclusion is not to be
jumped at by any means. The remote
progenitors of those Indians may have
lived in Japan. Possibly the present
Japanese drove them out of the coun-
try, but learned from them how to
make sand pictures The tide of hui
man migration swept the descendants
of the expelled aborigines of Japan to
that part of the world which is now
called New Mexico, where they have
preserved the ancient religious prac-
tice to this day, making their mosaics
WIFI CldDOIduc CCTtuOuldl III Cudul-
bers underground. This theory is sug-
gested by Prof. Otis T. Mason, of the
Smithsonian institution.
The ancient religious ceremony is |
transformed in Japan into an amuse- |
ment. That is not an uncommon phe-
nomenon-the metamorphosis of
pious rite into game or show.
The toys of to-day are the tools of yes
terday. The weapons of short time
ago are the playthings of the present.
Children now play with the bow and
arrow, which were the means of sub
sistence and the instruments of war in
ages gone by.
The Japanese government recent
presented to the National museum d
very interesting group of life size fig
ures representing the famous warrior
Nobunaga and his generals. The scene
depicts council of war on the field of
battle. The costumes and armor are
actual relics preserved from the six.
teenth century. Nobunaga's helmet is
one that was worn by the hero him
self. In the latter part of the six
-eenth century he was the greatest
man in Japan, governing in the name
IF the mikado. But his greatest celeb
-ity came from his efforts to drive
buddhism out of the country, where it
had to considerable extent suppressed
ID the native Shinto religion.
In Nobunaga's day the Buddhist
priests were fairly running Japan.
There religious establishments were
rreat strongholds The greatest of Fl.
hem inclosed thirteen valleys and over =.
i've hundred temples and shrines.
iere thousands of monks were con-
'regated. They chanted before gor- !.
'eous affairs, reveled in luxury and :
dallied with concubines
nd Matched plots to fan the flames of
eudal war. They were protected by
heir sacred character, as well as by
hysical force.
Nobunaga attacks this stronghold
nd burned the shrines and temples.
Hing thousands of men, women and
hildren. He also destroyed an i'm
tense fortified temple and monastery .
! the province of Osaba. Several
iousand of the people tried to escape q
uring a storm, but were overtaken n
nd slaughtered without regard to age k
: sex A Junk laden with the ears
nd noses of the slain was permitted 81
float by the besieged castle in full 81
ew of the garrison. From these ire o.
endous blows Buddhism in Japan has
ot recovered to the present day W
'ashington Star. d.