Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-27
JAPANESE ODDITIES.
Freaks From the Land of the Rising
Sun at the National Museum.

Freaks From tho Land of the Rising
Sun mt the National Museum.
Ethnologists are excited over some news
from Japan. brought by Mr.. Romyn Hitch
cock. He has made the first recorded obser-
vaticns in that country of the practice OF
a peculiar art which is likewise known to
certain North American Indians, namely.
the painting of pictures with sand. The
discovery seems to throw some light upon
the supposed Asiatic origin of the aborigines
of this continent.
A few years ago Col James Stevenson re-
ported having witnessed a curious cere-
mony in a subterranean chamber among
the Moquis Of New Mexico. 1t was re-
ligious performance, emblems being wrought
On the ground by priestess in sands OF
different colors-yellow, green, red, white
and black. Among these emblems were the
'lightring snakes" which are four In num-
Der. the green and white snakes being
female and the yellow and red snakes male.
Exact reproductions of two OF the sand
pictures are now on exhibition at the Ma
tional Museum. Around the originals many
weird rites were performed, dramatizlng
the legend 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 Navahoes and Apaches.
But what could be more surprising than 10
discover 1t in Japan, practiced In exactly
the same fashion, though for amusement
and not for religious purposes. In that
country peripatetic artists make such sand
mosaics for the entertainment OF the crowd
that Is sure to gather. The expert carries
about with him a box of fine sand OF DIFF
ferent colors. Taking it in his hand, he
skilfully allows it to stream through his
fingerS, making either single or double
line of one or two cclors at Will. The work
is done very rapidly, and the pictures are
often exceedingly good.
New, how does II happen that the Japa-
nese and Moqui Indians have this art in
comm on? Can 1t be that they are De
seconded from the same ancestors? 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 or the
country, but learned from them how to
make sand pictures The tide Of human
migration swept the descendants OF the ex-
the world which is new called New Mexico.
where they have preserved the ancient re-
ligious practice to this day, making their
mosaics with elaborate ceremonial IN cham
bers undergo ound. This theory Is suggest
ed by Prof. Otis 7. Mason OF the Smith
sonian Institution.
The ancient religious ceremony Is trans
formed in Japan into an amusement. That
is not an uncommon phenomenon-the met
amorphosis Of pious rite into game or
show. The toys of today the tools OF
yesterday. The weapons of a short time ago
| are the playthings of the present Chill
dren now play with the bow and arrow,
which were the means of subsistence ana
the instruments of war In ages gone by.
Japanese Relics.
The japanese government recently pre-
| scented to the National Museum a very in
| teresting group of life-size figures repre-
| senting the famous warrior Nobunaga and
| his generals. The scene depicts council
| Of war on the field of battle. The costumes
| and arrIor are actual relics preserved from
| the sixteenth century. Nobunaga's helmet
| Is one that was worn by the hero himself
| In the latter part of the sixteenth century
he was the greatest man in Japan, gov
| erning in the name of the mikaGo. But
| his greatest celebrity came from his ef-
| forts to drive buddhism out of the coun-
| try, where ii had to a considerable extent
| superseded the native Shinto religion.
In Nobunaga's day the Buddhist priests
| were fairly running Japan. Their religious
| establishments were great strongholds. The
| greatest of them inclosed thirteen valleys
| and over five hundred temples and shrines.
| Here thousands of monks were congre-
gated. They chanted before gorgeous al
| tars reveled in luxury and RIGHTEOUSNESS,
| dallied with eoncubines. and Matched plots
| to fan the flames of feudal war. They
were protected by their sacred character,
| as well as by physical force.
| Nobunaga attacked this stronghold and
| burned the shrines and temples, killing
! thousands of men, women and children
| He also destroyed an immense fortified
| temple and monastery in the province of
| Osaba. Several thousand of the people
| tried to escape during storm. but We're
| overtaken and slaughtered without regard
| to age or sex. A junk laden with the ears
| and noses OF the slain was permitted to
| float by the besieged castle in full view
| of the garrison. From these tremendous
| blows Buddhism in Japan has not recov-
| cred to the present day.