Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-27
A PICTURESQUE JAPANESE ISLAND.
An Ideal Place Where Death Has Never
Come and Where Poesy Dwells.

Sohe anu w mere POesy Dwells.
Miyajima is an island midway in the
inland sea, lying so far within the bend
OF the Aki shore that it cannot be seen
from the route of the large ocean steam
ers that pass through those enchanted
waters. To reach it most appropriately
one must take one of the tiny coasting
steamers from Osaka, and, touching at
dozen quaint little ports on the match
less voyage, at last see the mountainous
green island, with temple roofs showing
here and there through all the dense TO-
Hage OF the heights and, standing far
out III the water, a heroic tori, fit gate
way to that ideal place where death has
never como, where religion and land
scape LONELINESS, legend and poesy. still
dwell, where the simple villagers, the
gentle old Shinto priests and the tame
deer. protected by the gods and loved by
the people, maintain an atmosphere
foreign to the busy new Japan Of rail-
roads, parllsments, imported military
tactics and modern war vessels. Or one
may take the railway from Kobe to Hi
roshima and then a jinrikisha for l2
miles along its bay and be ferried across
a narrow strait TO this isle Of the blest,
which will impress the more with its
Arcadian features when one comes to it
from al the bugling parade and din
of mimic war that goes on in the shadow
of Hiroshima's picturesque castle keep
and at Its port of Ujina chief naval
station of the empire, and, during that
victory year Of 1894 port of departure
of transport ships to Korea and China.
Then one can accept the legend that
Miyajnna grew from one of the con-
gealed drops that fell from Izanamis
Jeweled spear, and that Itsukushima
and her two sisters, daughters of the
god of the sea, aptly chose il for their
favors; that their temple rose from and
toated In from the sea, and that the
great water tori grew with the tides az
naturally rs any coral reef.
There is small village at the foot of
a green bank, but that i off by its com,
monplace, profane self and the temple
is embayed in an amphtheater of the
hills, with shore and water foreground
all its own. On the shore line at the
ma granite, each pillar and crossbeam
single stone, marks the entrance to sa-
cred ground, and this road, following
the curve Of the shore, is lined for
quarter of "a mile to the temple with |
tall stone lanterns, the same alignment
Of votive lights continuing for half q
mile along shore at the other side of the |
great shrine.
The water tori is the unique and |
great feature Of Miyajimas shrine, and |
one grows very familiar with it from
its representations by japanese artists in
every line. The colossus is formed of |
great beams each hewed from the single |
trunk Of "a camphor tree and strength
ened at the base by crossbeams Joining
low parallel columns, which give it bal.
ance and solidity and most impressive
effect. These beams are covered below
the water line with such heavy growth |
of barnacles and marine plants that the
tori seems very reasonably part of
the sea gods kingdom and creating.
This skeleton gate in the sea is so deli
cate and fairylike in first distant view
that one Is not prepared for its great
size and the impressive sense of its pro-
portions when one floats i'll between its
great camphorwood piers, as massive
and solid as masonry. Sculling through
this notable gateway and across the wa
ter court of approach at high tide, one
may visit every part Of the temple and
penetrate TO the farthest labyrinth, pass
ing beneath galleries and bridges and
floating before the open fronts Of the
great shrines. The galleries connecting
the different parts of the temple have,
strung along their leaves, hundreds of
quaint little bronze and iron lanterns,
all votive offerings, as also are the pic
lures that hang in line above them and
form famous gallery of ancient art
Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore i'll Century.