Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-04-04
MERRY WHILE HE BURNED.
JAPANESE CREMATION MARRIED BY
JOY AND FEAsIING.
While sorrowinG Relatives Turn the
Corpse over occssIonsiiy-h Tra,.
eler's Experience iu the
orient.

From the New York Press.
lts 4 saw the OLD man roasting while
his family sat around eating and drinking
and making Merry The man from Japan
va t'.hns ot an experience of his Ia
N" Land OF the Rising sun, where BudlA-
Ism is strong.
alt va. strange sight to me-" he con-
tiiu't, for EaI not been In the country
long and / aiI not know anything about
IN" native funeral customs. IN, old man
Who was burning had been my noishbor.
~ was lukIo that is. T'tlttJ from act
i've it,. iis eldest son was my landlord.
The ula name friendship had won me- the
happened 10 be- az his funeral.
"ht was IS years old. My friends funeral
Wa. tho more elaborate because of his
lucky agt.
crowds came 10 tho house. for everybody
| that knew anybody knew kamayam lnkio.
/ lh'y CAME IN ana bowed before the .louse-
hold shrine where his name and axe. OF
bowed hey pressed their hands toscth,r
as Christians lo !u prayer They rcver-
, they .mpDyg that they held MS memory
iH A. hlsh esteem az they had held him
'Thty laid iH.jr offerings on the floor,
Everyone brought something. The we'll
fa-Ip gave money others casks, some vine
ans others bamboo vases tull OF red or
white untaI.uE h"wess. MrnnNhile N"
k'gh-u preparing fu1d for the guests
IH u,igthor.u- kltshens, too, the women
hr-al early ir the morning and was kept
4p a. day. THer, Was more food than |
H-t. sIstral fen, cgttlensh, seaweet
-a.p- cold boiled rice rolled up In seaweea
H.tE "a dab ~ n1TFtraylsh tu the center.
isasuns lasted until noon next Gay, ,..y,
.l# mans body aa8 been put In a gar like
q flower ror aui fragrant leaves had been
when aI Was ready for the procession
rh jar was Tat iG box covered with a
white r.2lh. white bsins ne mqurning col
afrafelrr UU ma shoulders of some white
rat attendants ot The temple,
tu-t ah-a. ut the jar walked company
nf lu-rrs w4th bells. They We're m white,
r.a lu isrt We were AN in white except
rHr .lI mans SON my landlord lie had on
.t-a fashion much TOO large for him and
.HtI NrI I.UE -.ik. The trousers were
raHr4 ur about "a foot on each leg, and
affrt a. tHaa-u they were on 'hind s1de
"us fat aas ODD too. i was Of the
-"1t ol4 si'''r.Ir at tslsn, IHn4ns stralshl
20 wns fortunate for my friend that he
has cars. nr l,- bat wouit have reached
uuwU 80 his shoulders. tie had a home
less appearance iu TINS 0uJnt, that was al
most - distressing as 1t vas amusing
vaf, a white duck s.it and rode In a JIM
TIh-Ha. All the temple the body Was put
on 4u altar, and dozen priests chauted
-ssst arHr forward IN urn. and after bow
ING tl the priests. kueit before the bier
a.a. -slaaWiug. took pinch OF the pow
arr-- Incense from a bowl and dropped IL
.l charcoal bIaZ4aI tu which a tiny fire
f..rrta Then. with another prolonged
sal 4dm. tho mourning guest returned To has
seat This was a sort of 'eood-by'
When uy turn came ! put my fingers
burned them and then M the confusion
put Too much incense on the nre, which
nll se saeh 2 moi. 'ha, thS priests and
IlIju,4 that we always aid that way at
homo "" burned our lusers a httle 70
purity M m and The last man always
dumped on all he incense that was left
80 lhat The corpse wouldn't think that We
weren't generous Since then / have been
regarded ia Etchiu as one learned in holy
AFTER this ceremony ana the sneezing
matory, thc only kind Of japanese build-
ing that has a chimney.
younger priests were setting banquet.
more elaborate, II possible, than what had
been served IN ne h2n.e- The shallow
4ruHlaI cups Wtir oi red lacquer. We
seated ourselves on small square cushions
lili ou the mats J. sat like the others. on
my heels My landlord protested You
W- such an dverH helmlns honor by com
ing here to-day that 1 cannot reconcile
august body IN 50 uncomfortable a posi-
ton We are used 70 il, Augustly con
descend 10 act IN accordance With the re-
guest which have had effrontery 10
jar, and, having wrapped II carefully in
white, they put II on an iron grating and
slid IL far back into the furnace, YET where
all could get good XieN Of IT, The
flames cuFled around II Hereby at hrst,
and them almost tenderly, as though
Caressiug IL. Again they would lash fu-
riously and tie themselves In fantastic
knots about the limbs, which bent and un-
bent ana quiyered, as though life were NOT
extinct ana the members were sensible Of
The intense heat.
And while me venerable departed
writhei and roasted in the flames We ban
quoted. Ii Vas greWsome. Nov and then
one Of the old mans progeny would 20 TO
the oven and turn him over with an iron
rod 10 do him better on the other side
or would straighten him out so that the
fire could get at him better. ! had always
been IN favor of cremation. but Ill be
hanged II l liked sitting there and watch
ing man ktnk up and sputter while his
relatives turned him on the spit.
Il had recourse TO the sake to steady my
nerves. Sake Is about the strength OF
sherry, so that II you drink enough of IL
ssneclallv hot sake. Nou Will prodlIce an