Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-05
THE LAND OF INCENSE.
Japan, the Country of Perfumes, Real
and Artificial.

From the New York Times
There is much incense. of one kind and
another, in Japan. Full has not smoked In
some time nearly a century, but once it
poured out vast volumes Of yapor that
hoated lazily skyward Japan has been
called by many names, including 1.-The Land
of the Rising Sum-" The Japanese them
selves call 1t Nippon-compounded of Nitsu,
meaning "the sum-" and hon. meaning DE
ginning or ''origin." and themselves Nihon-
gins. But in this brief article suppose we
give it the title of 1.-The Land of Incense"
We shall not find much incense in the
flowers of the country except among GER
tain wild varieties. Mr.. Stoddard, the lee
turer, speaks of never having seen in Japan
a real flower garden such as we have in
America. Surely few of our choice roses
and violets and fragrant blossoms are cul-
tiyated there. The eight hundred odd va
rieties of chrysanthemum grown in Japan
are without fragrance. Their peOnieS and
tulips and many other blossoms are like
wise scentless, and the tourist wonders how
the native can attach so much romantic
value TO them True, their lotus flowers
send up from the ponds where they grow
a cloying, sickly exhalation that we as
ISOLATE with the atmosphere of cathedral
on faster day. Not always, though, Of
a fresh spring morning 1 have found the
perfume OF the lotus delicious.
But the Japanese idea of flowers differs
from ours. An autumn maple leaf. touched
with the flaming dyes of sunset, Is as much
a flower to them as is the geranium to us
They put also in the same category their
dwarf trees, which they train to grow in
many fantastic, grotesque, and sometimes
attractive shapes But their cherry and
plum blossoms are the pride of the Japa-
nese. Some varieties of these are fragrant,
but this attribute is secondary to the deli
cate tints of white and pink. These have
been likened to velvet snowflakes." They
are not cultivated and cherished for their
fruit. but only for their beautiful blossoms
There is the incense which the tourist
burns at the feet of Japan, in the form of
wild eulogies and panegyrics. Such praise
is sweet to the recipients. no doubt, but
it helps to spoil them. The more In their
favor they hear. the more polite these
ochre-hued children get but one cannot
help feeling that much of their courtesy is
insincere, and based. as it largely Is In
France, on the idea of relieving the for
eigner of his money. To say datterinG
things to you and rob you at the same
time, in The way of trade or by exorbitant
charges for services, and SO forth, Is a
game they play with great patience and
address. man should not go to for
eign country expecting to be feeced and
laughed at in the same minute 1t sets
bad precedent, and there are numerous
travellers who must count their pennies.
TO be stranded in Japan. l fancy, would
be the ne plus ultra of misfortune.
Mr.. Lafcadio Hearn has told US in his
delightful way about the incense of the
temples. He says: sit makes one element
of the faint but complex and never-to-be-
forgotten odor of the far east. 1t haunts
the dwelling house not less than the tenn
ple-the home of the peasant not less than
the yaskiki of the prince. Shinto sfrines
indeed. are free from it, incense being an
abomination to the elder gods. But wher-
ever Buddhism lives there is incense. In
every house containing Buddhist shrine
or Buddhist tablets incense is burned at
certain times, and in even the rudest coun-
try solitudes you will find incense smolder-
ing before wayside images-iittle stone fig
nres of Fudo, Jizo or kwannon."
The costlier kinds of incense, instead Of
in rods come in the form either of pas
titles, waters and lozenges, or loose pow
der, and thus take the place of the west
ern lady's sachet. The Japanese are SO
fond of artificial perfumes that they have
a popular game which proves an amusing
as well as certain test for the keenness of
their olfactory nerves. In one of his books
Mr.. Hearn has described this game 30
beautifully that shall not attempt to do
SO here. I may add that In the matter of
soaps their fayorite scent Is sandalwood