The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-29
PRAYERS SOLD TO
JAPS BY PRIESTS
Shrine Of Saint Is Scene Of
Business-Like Trans
& actions. 4;
BY Richard Harding Davis.

y
Gollier's Special Correspondent, Who VIII Ac-
company Second Japanese Column. Published
by Arrangement with Golfers Weekly. Copy
right, 1904.
Toxic, April 17.-Kobo Daishi is
Japanese saint. Once while in China
he carved an image of himself and
threw it into the China sea. 1t fioated
all the way to Japan, where it was
caught In the net of a fisherman.
When the fisherman found what he
had caught he was happy and built
a shrine for the image and worshiped
1t.
The image performed so many mir
acles that soon people from all the
coast made long pilgrimages on foot
to kneel at it's shrine. They still make
the pilgrimages, but as now Japan is
Instead, on the Dist of each month
the railroad runs special trains to
KaWasaki, and the pilgrims are car
ried to the shrine in electric cars
OF all the twelve festivals, the one
on March 81 is the most important,
and on that day great bazaar starts
a mile away and dances with two
rows of f1uttering banners to the very
steps of the temple. Indeed, so close
does the fair encroach upon the shrine
that the priests who are selling pray
ers inside are interrupted by the men
Worshipers at Play.
And those who came to worship re-
main to play. Outside the temple is
a great double-decked gate, and still
nearer a. covered well, square stone
tank fed from a spring. On the edge
of the tank are wooden ladies', and be-
fore he says his prayers each pilgrim
stops at the well to rinse his mouth
and battle his hands.
Gay banners of various >colors, and
covered with texts, hang above his
head. These he uses as towels. The
temple itself is a. low massive struc-
ture, squatting on the great steps like
q monster turtle. Its beams are Of
giant size. In comparison, the tim
bers of an old wooden battleship
would look as tho they had been cut
by q scroll saw.
The temple Is virtually g. single
square hall open at the sides, except
for screens, and divided by screens
and carved ratings. At the entrance
to the temple at the top of the stone
steps Is an oblong wooden trough,
covered by gridiron of wooden bars.
Pilgrims who wish to pray, or to give
thanks for prayers already granted,
as they enter, throw copper money
into this trough.
Inside the porch, and under the
roof Of the temple shutting off the
view Of the shrine. were a row of
tables, behind which stood priests
vending prayers.
Prayers Are Sold.
To the stranger their manner sug-
gested less the priest than the alert
and obliging salesman. SO profess
sional was their bow when they
handed one a prayer that one rather
expected to hear them ask, Will you
take it with You, or shall we send it?',
They offered prayers Of every vari-
ETY. and did SO great a business that
the priest who burned candles was
forced to sell the same candle to
many different worshipers And althO
as soon as he lighted a candle he
snuffed 1t out again, he was soon far
behind and by nightfall many pray
ers, tho paid for were still unuttered.
Other prayers were sold after a
fashion that suggested q Well-known
game Of chance. Behind the priest
were rows of what looked like private
letter-boxes in a postoffice, each with
number. The pilgrim paid for his
prayer, and the priest by shaking q
box he held shot out rod. He read
q number on the rod, and from the
letter-box that bore the corresponding
number took printed paper. 1t told
the pilgrim at once whether his pray
er was answered and what his future
fortunes might be.
Those of the pilgrims who wished
to pass beyond the prayer tables and
draw nearer to the shrine left their
sandals with busy young men, who
checked the shoes with large wooden
tablets. Rid Of their sandals, the pill
grims were free to walk upon the
mats before the shrine. -..
Freedom for All.
Those who wished to smoke did so
Those who had brought their children
allowed them to run off with other
children and play hide-and-seek
around the altar. In spite Of the in.
cense, the dim light, the COLDER
images, it was difficult to realize tina
one was in a place of worship.
The copper coins echoed from the
coffin-like troughs or were smashed
violently against the shrine, paper
prayers wrapped around other coin:
hurtled thru the air like shuttlecocks
the children's voices as they played
hide-and-seek rang delightedly, anG
the peremptory clapping Of hands a.
each pilgrim endeavored to attrac
the attention Of the saint to his owl
particular prayer was as incessant al
it was insistent. .--...
In the moat around the tempt,
great goldfish, when the children
clapped their hands, rose out of thu
vastly deep and leaped into the air 70
sugar cookies.
Private Car Excursion to Californi,