The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-26

SHOuIQ appear on the streets OF san
Francisco, he would not be stared at
more than the Atchison girl has been
stared at on the streets of Kyoto today.
She went ahead in a rickSha, and L
followed the guide, bringing up the
rear. It seemed to me that all the
people on the streets started at Mattel,
but paid very little attention to me.
And it should be remembered that the
narrow streets were literally packed.
The half million people of the town
were having a holiday, and there We're
thousands of visitors from the sur
rounding country. Imagine two Jap
anese appearing on the streets OF
Atchison during the Corn Carnival and
driving about to see the points of his
toric interest: the site of Ben Holit-
days old stage office; the Office of the
wharf master, the place where Pardee
Butler was set affoat on his trip down
the river, etc. We were treated better,
imagine, than two japanese would
have been treated in Atchison on Corn
Carnival day, for we saw only one or
two intoxicated men, and only one
fight. The "Hii Hi" of the ricksha
men opened a lane for US everywhere,
but the crowd finally became so dense
that we concluded to go back to the
hotel. One party of young men shout
ed to US: "Banzil Hurrahi Hurrah!"
but otherwise we were not disturbed.
But if I live a thousand years, I shall
never forget the crowds in the streets
VI AAgOAC Anu QuIlAlS OQI SlS llL-SEC-
ing tour covering several hours, I do
not recall seeing single American or
European: All Japanese of the pureSt
type and blacklist hair, except one old
Jap who had gray billy goat Whiskers.
We see very few aged people in Japan.
This has been a wonderful day in
another respect: We had a guide who
could talk English. Kyoto is the seat
OF the two religions of Japan, and he
took US to see many temples. One of
these cost six million yen, or half that
amount in American money. This
temple is said to be largest wooden
building in the world. At present
there are eight hundred temples in
kyoto; at one time there were three
thousand here. The others have been
allowed to go to decay.
The Budhists have eight different
sects in Japan; one Buddhist order has
5000 temples, and another sect 5000.
Altogether, there are 100000 temples
in Japan, great and small, and includ-
ing both the Buddhist and ShintO
varieties. This may sound like a sur
prisinE statement, but here is one more
surprising: there are eight million diff
ferent gods in Japan; or one for every
six of the Inhabitants. Some of these
gods, like Budha, have millions of fol-
lowers, who worship in gorgeous tenn
pies, while others have only few adj
herents. Everything has a, god here;
the birds, the plants, the trees, the in
sects, the eyes, the passions, etc.
In one of the temples. we were
shown one thousand gods exactly
alike; all life size, and arranged on
sort of stage. And every one of these
thousand gods has fifty hands. with
which to dispense blessings, and dozens
Of eyes to see the different sins. You
have no idea how funny these thou
sand gods looked, standing on a raised
platform, one above another, and in
rows several hundred feet long. The
temple where the thousand gods are
shown is not popular one; the sect
responsible for it is quite poor. We
went back of the enormous stage
where the thousand gods were shown,
and saw several of the gods lying on
their backs, and undergoing repairs. A
priest asked us to register, and we did
so, and contributed a half dollar to-
ward the repair work. We were prom
ised a blessing for the contribution
and we bowed to the thousand images
and said reverently: mo more sea
sickness, If you please"
At one of the popular temples. the
enormous roof was supported by very
heavy oak logs, patiently polished.
The logs must have been three or four
feet through, and fifty feet long. Ages
ago, when this temple was built these
logs were dragged here by thousands
of devout people Juggling at one log.
Lacking ropes with which to pull the
logs, eight thousand women cut off
their hair, and WOVe it into enormous
ropes. The ropes may be seen in the
temple, if you pay twenty cents, as we
did. We were compelled to put COW
erings on our shoes before entering the
sacred place, and as we looked at the
ropes, an enormous bell was tolled until
we departed. A good deal of the hair
woven into the ropes is gray.
Another temple we visited was COM
pIeted only seven years ago. after TWEEN
ty years work. Thousands of people
from the country came here and worked
on this temple for years without pay.
One rich WOrshipper contributed a foun-
tain; another built the pagoda, where
the great bell hangs. Poorer people con-
tributed various parts of the stone walls
surrounding the temple; every stone is
marked with the donors name. In this
place we saw certainly a thousand peO-
ple-mOstly elderly women-squatted
around on the mats which covered the
floor, waiting for the. services. to begin.
The guide walked among the worship
pers, and told US why this was done,
and how that happened. Inside the rail,
twenty priests were bowling and praying
to an altar which was gorgeous, and Ger
tainly a hundred feet long. These priests
had paper over their mouths, to prevent
their breaths offending the gods.
There were two temples at this place:
a small one in honor of Budha. and a
very large one IN hOnOf or the FOUNDER
of the particular order which built the
temples It seemed sacrilege to walk
among the worshippers, as we did, fol-
lowing the guide. but it seemed to be
the custom. The only sound heard in
the temple was the guides voice. ex-
planning the difference between Buddhism
and Shintoism. The kneeling women
looked at US curiously as they whispered
their prayers.
I noticed that many of the women
had perfectly black teeth. The guide
said that formerly, on marrying a wo-
man blackened her teeth and otherwise
dishgured herself, that she might not
attract attention from other men. and
devote all her time to her husbands af-
fairs. This practice is growing into dis
favor; only the very pious practice it
now. as it has been observed that hus-