The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-02-07
BiShamOn, to Whom Prayers
For Victory Are Offered
ADORED BEFORE ALL GODS
Japanese Still Worship Him, as of Old,
Laying Their Rifles Down in
the Temples for His
Blessing.

The japanese have more gods than
they have lighting men, says a writer
IN the Chicago Record Herald And
they seem to take delight in manu-
featuring new ones on the slightest
pretext. But Of all the host OF deities
there are seven that never change and
whose glorles never wane. These sew
en- are the gods of luck. Every Japa,
nese child Is taught their names and
attributes even before It learns 10
walk.
They consist OF Fukurokuju, who
has an enormously elongated head,
IMPLYING longevity and wisdom; Dai-
kozu, whose rice bales show him to
be the god Of wealth and before whose
shrines, dotted here and there through
out the island empire, the poor Of the
land have been prostrating themselves
since before the Christian era; Ebigu,
bearing a fish, the patron Of honest
toll; Hotel. whose pictures and IDOLS
show him to be mild looking gentle.
man, with an enormous abdomen, a
bag on his back and fan In bis hand.
signifying contentment and good ma
ture; Benten, goddess Of love, the only
female in the group Jurojin, with d
stag at one side and crane perched
on the other, the god of the chase,
and last, but greatest and most ven
Grated OF all, the mighty Bishamon.
god Of war, armor clad. with spear
and mace ID one hand and his other
resting on the Pagoda OF Seventy
Domes, in symbol Of his prowess in
the capture Of great cities.
Bishamon's temples that Is to say,
the temples Of which be is the princi-
pal enshrined deity number over
forty, and in addition to these there
are thousands Of wayside grottoes that
bear his idols These are carved out
Of wood, cast In bronze or worked in
papier mache: but whatever their ma
teriai and whatever their size, they
all bear the same unmistakable dis
torted countenance Picture TO your
self the ugliest human being you ever
saw, give him the added attribute Of
an attack of violent spasms and you
have the face Of the immortal Bisha-
mon
Once upon time this may sound
Ike the beginning Of fairy tale, but
If you value your peace Of mind never
tell a Japanese so--the goddess OF the
sun and Schiyoto. god Of agriculture,
fell In love with one another, and for
years after that happy event the rice
fields yielded abundant harvests, and
ell Japan was glad One day the god
Of the silver sea met the goddess and
told her Of his love. Schiyoto swore
revenge. He took thunderbolt, filed
1t with mighty weapons. threw In a
golden signet that carried with It the
power to subdue the world and created
Bishamon out of the heap This was
In 1914 b. G. A century later all ia
pan gave homage to the new deity,
who by that time had both his creator,
the god of agriculture the goddess Of
the sun and the goddess Of the silver
sea in his retinue Of vassals.
His fame grew rapidly. Every
sword before being carried into battle
was laid for weeks at the feet Of one
OF the idols. The wooden figures Of tie
god ii every one OF the shrines was
hung with gems Whenever the saw.
age hill men were near village threat
ening lis peace and the husbands, fa
Tiers and brothers went out TO hsht
the enemy an Tie young naidens of
the settlement marched III troops to