The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-15

practicing their art in the castles
which have been taken under gOVprTi-
ment control. Okayama is Situated
nea. the sea in the southern halt of
the island OF NiDon. about 500 miles
south of the present capital Toxic. and
about 100 miles south of RiOto. the old
capital. Like most others. the castle
IS built upon a small river. which
furnishes a part of the protection upon
one side. Here. about square mile
is enclosed by a massive stone wall.
and a board moat filled with water
Inside OF the wall and mOat are two
other Enclosures. one within the other,
both provided with strong walls of solid
masonry and protected bv broad u1oats.
sui further inside, and crOwning all,
is the large and picturesque wooden
building in which the Diamio and the
garrison took refuge in time of war.
Massive Fortifications.
The extent and massiveness of the
ancient japanese Notifications never
fail to surprise the visitor. The outer
walls at Toxic, which enclose the resi-
dence of the present emperor. are
fully eight miles in extent while the
inner walls would altogether measure
about as much more. The meats are
fully 900 feet wide; the walls from fifty
70 100 feet high, and of great thickness.
So well built are they that. as the trees
growing upon them show, they have
stood tor 800 or 400 years with little need
Of repair. The wooden building Of
Jkayama is 300 years old.
The most surprising thing of all is
he size of some of the stones wrought
utG the walls. \ specimen at Okav-
ana contains tEly LOO cubic feet, and
would weigh about 100 tons, vet il must
rave been brought over a level country
several miles and set up in its place by
the primitive engineering methods of the
middle period Of Japanese history. A
second illustration is from a snapshot
which We stole in the castle yard at
Osaka The largest stone in the castle
wall az Osaka is 36X20xl0 feet in size, and
would weigh about Boo tons. This stone
wts brought from an island many miles
away, and elevated fully 200 feet from
the shore. Several others were nearly
AS large, being surpassed in size only
by those in the celebrated temple Of
bo0lhick. Their removal and erection in
castle walls indicates that Japan, too.
had its lost arts"
The view from the summit of this
SIX story wooden castle reveals at once
the beauty of The situation and the
As everywhere in Japan, picturesque
and lofty mountains bound the nor
lion But the castle stands in the
midst of a fertile valley completely
covered with fields of rice and wheat
and barley and rape. When we were
there IN the later part of April, the
plain seemed to be covered with bril-
liant golden blossoms of this latter
From here the minds eye could take
ln az a glance the former political and
social life of the empire. 1t all rested
upon q most elaborate system of agri-
culture, supported by really scientific
irrigation.
The hills are terraced as far up as
lle slopes permit. and the valley Is
lnterSeCted with canals which convey
The life giving water to the fields \
dense population of farmers and labor
ers Was necessary to care for these
works and provide the necessarieS OF
ME These had no voice in the SOW
eminent but were completely at the
mercy of the Diamio ana his retain
eTs The retainers formed a military
Class. called Samurai. who alone We're