The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-07-21
rooreEAR or THE JApANess.
Kind That Makes the Feet Hard and
<La AnLlau C%rono

tho Ankles Strong.
London Chronicle: The Japanese shoes.
or 'geta." as they are called, are one
Of the s.ngularly distinctive features OF
Japanese life which will strike the OBJ
ferVer with Wonderment as soon as he sees
chem looming along the roadway, or hears
, them scraping the gravel with an irrita-
I BILE squeak that makes his very nerves
shudder. Nevertheless, awkward though
the shoes appear, they are of a kind con-
stituted 10 make feet as hard as sheet iron
and ankles as strong as steel Orders.
The shoes are divided into two varieties:
the low shoe Is called the "komageta" and
Is only used when the roads arc in good
condition. The high shoes, named "ashi-
a." are worn when the weather is rainy
n the roads are muddy. Both kinds ave
q thin thong attached to the surface to Sc
cure them to the feet. which are therefore
not covered as II they were In soles, but
are left exposed to atrnc spheric conditions.
The "~komageta' resemble somewhat the
Lancashire clog. and their construction
merely entails the carving Of a block OF
wood to the proper size. The 'ashida,"
however, are OF more complicated design.
They have two hin pieces of wood, about
three inches high, at right angles to the
soles, ard occasionally. in the case OF
priests or pilgrims, only one bar attached.
Some of tho ''geta" worn by little girls
are painted in many colors, and others
have q tiny bell hanging from 8. hollow
place at the back. which, as 1t tin!Sles in a
mystic way, heralds the approach of chill
aren. The superior make are covered
with mats, made Of panama. The highest
price amounts to about ten yen, or S,
while the cheapest is less than ten sen, or
a few cents; but then the "geta" will not
last longer than q month. and once out Of
repair can never be mended
Learning to walk on q "geta' is an eX,
Nao6sn 1u .1Jf4oJ11t rrnonGs Tplnn1 ~ IL
far easier to acquire skating or'stilt walk
Ing. The average child in Japan takes
two months before being able to move
along on the national footgear, and the
little ones repeatedly slip from the wooden
blocks. falling to the ground, which seems
to their miniature imag.nations a consid-
erable distance beneath them. Although
foreigners usually take with readiness to
the customs OF Japan, they are absolutely
unable to manipulate the pcrilouS ''geta."
A curious story is told of a San Francis
co merchant who was invited to attend a
fancy dress ball. He thought 1t would be
quite the correct thing to attend in Japa-
nesc costume. and wrote to a friend in Yo-
kohama to send a complete suit Of the cos
tumc OF a gentleman OF high class. On
receipt Of the costume he was immensely
surprised at its extensive variety. He mas
tered all the intricacies Of the flowing
robes, but when he unearthed the ''geta"
he was completely at a loss to understand
Its use. Having only just arrived in the
country, and not being over observant, he
had omitted to notice the foot arrange
ments Of the people. After much earnest
consideration, he was suddenly seized with
a brilliant idea. "Ah.' he exclaimed, in
his desire to extol everything Japanese.
this wooden block has got a very
lovely shape, 1t is very beautifully carved
and artistic. Therefore. 1t must be a kind
Of decoration to be worn on the shoulders
like epaulettes." And SO the merchant
went to the ball with a ''geta'' on each
shoulder instead Of on each foot.
Some parents allow their children to
play barefoot in the streets, but when go
Ing out with their elders, or paying visits,
It IL essential that every one, from the
smallest to the tallest. must mount the
wooden clog and propel themselves in this
odd fashion. The dislike of the japanese
children for the activity Of outdoor games
Is to be mainly attributed to the awkward
membranes with which their little feet
are loaded. For instance, one seldom sees
Japanese children gamboling in open play
grouEds-they have yet to learn the fever
tsh pleasures Of hide and SEEK or "roun-
ders," while such a thing as top spinning
or foot ball never obstructs the ~roadways.
Singular superstitions are associated
with the "geta," which at times are de"
cidedly useful. When a host desires that
a too attentive caller should depart. he
induces somebody to burn moxa, which
has a peculiar odor, upon his shoes,
which are outside the dor. The guest will
Immediately take the hint and simultan-
eously his cave. When a thong of a
"geta" 10 accidentally severed on the re-
turn from the visit to a sick person a firm
belief exists that the patient must die.
The Japanese, however, dearly love the
"geta," and although civilization may
teach them to win battles 1t will never in
duce them to wear leather boots.