The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-02-20

#&EEs Il &sf#4A - #a~#% 4+fA
plseh sra the twentieth century A#tb
he start which she now has AMI wttn
IN educational advantage which htr
| p@ofls nos enjoy
Japan has several religions. al
| flouRh ShfutoiSm has t~-u sine l~sN
IN. state region. A. 2 matter - iaF
however. @hiutoixw can hardly o.
r~ttrd "a religion. for I'd ha~ ~ creed
no priesthood and no code - uortAs
Ii is really ancestor worship na
| comes down from time i~mmem9rtat
II implies i belief ia immortality Tor
the ancestral spirits are invoked anu
voNs are paid - them n nunhrrt
| ~h~iue@ mat dot the country IN So
-hrines ara not usually In fsmpl~~ ai-
though sometimes ~htnialsu aH9
vandalism have b-en mixed
ployed FOR both @hrine>. - a
rule. however. the Shinton shrine = ~
some secluded spot Of top of 2 hhl
OF on a mountainSide where = Dtt @
| natural scenery awakens 2 spirit 81
reverence. \ gate of ~luple but b+@tH-
tifJl Design j. placed IL the point
where the pathway 40 the shrine de-
uarts from the main road. w hdd
| read of thes- Shinto gates ana haos
| seen pictures Of them. but Ne mrs.
| saw one at Honolulu itself the gaiF-
uay to the orient. W description can
i cDuEE To the FCduSI tbT $3.50
which this gate makes upou The tfdF-
e4er. its outlines are 80 graceful ano
| vet 80 strong that it seems an ap-
propriate portal 10 q holy place.
The moral code Of Confucius has
| alSe Influenced the thought OF Japan
About 400 years axe the
religion was introduced into Japan by
Chinese priests. and il spread rapidly
throughout the islands. lis temples
.yere imposing. its ceremonies impress
siye and the garb OF its priests costly
and elaborate. II did not root out
Shintoism. il simply overwhelmed n
absorbed it. The Buddhist temples.
though not as popular as they once
were. are still visited by millions Of
faithful believers and are objects Of
interest 10 the tourist. Most Of them
are old. one at Nara having been
built about the year zoe. II is IN
such an excellent state of preservation
that one can hardly believe that II
has stood The storms Of u centuries.
In the center Of the temple is an
image Of Buddha and on either side
the figure of > hugh warrior. There IS
also in this temple a god of war, 70
which the japanese We're Won't 10 pay
their vow before going to battle. The
devout Puddhist. approaching the
image of the ounde of his religion,
bows and mutters a prayer half audi
bly, and throw ng his mite IN 2 box
on the floor before the shrine. departs.
There is usually a bell, or sometimes
only a chain, hanging above the place
where the prayers are said and the
suppliant swings a rope against the
bell or shakes the chain before his
prayer and ciapS his hands two OF
three times at it close. We inquired
about the bell and received TWO an
sWers: one that it was to attract the
attention of the god, and the other,
hat II was TO a WA ken the con science
II the one about to present his Deti-
ion.
Near the temple at Nara tands an
ugly image which never fails to at
tract the attention of the visitor. 1t
5 literally covered With paper Wads
Which have been thrown against it by
Vorshipers at the temple. in the belief
hat their prayer would be answered
f the vac adhered to the image.
There is also at Nara q huge bell, al
most as old as the temple. This bell
S about 13 feet high. nine feet in
diameter and eight inches thick. 1t
hangs in q pagoda quite near the
ground and when struck upon the side
by a swinging log gives forth a sound
Of wonderful depth and richness. 1t
was rung for us and as its mellow
zones reverberated along the hills
we We're aWed by the thought that
4 thousand years before our declara-
ion of Independence was written. 500
years before the Pilgrims landed at
Plymouth Rock, yes even 700 years
before American was discovered, this
Did bell was calling people to wor-
ship.
There is at Nara an immense bronze
image of Buddha. even larger than
the famous one at kamOkura, though
not considered SO finely proportional.
The smaller one is 40 feet in height
md nearly 100 feet in circumference
II H. = T. VD.I ..l
fashion on a lotus f1OWer) and the
larger one is almost twice as large
IS the smaller one. The lantern of
stone CT bronze seems to be as nee
@SSary an adjunct to a Buddhist tenn
pie as the Shinto gate is to that form
# religion. At Nara there are 900
tone lantors OF various sizes along the
walks that lead from one temple to
mother. and they are found in abund-
lnce in other cities. The Korean lions
are also identified with Buddhistic
worship, these animals wrought in
bronze or carved in stone guarding
III temple doors. They are not as
efOclouS in appearance as the NIrni-
1ian lion and they illustrate an idea.
me has his mouth open and the other
has his mouth tightly shut and they
together represent the affirmative
md the negative or, in other words. !
he eternal conflict between truth ana
rrOr.
Nara has an additional attraction in
he form of 4 beautiful park contain |
ng some 700 deer. which are here
regarded as sacred animals. They
re 50 gentle that they Will come, old
md young, and eat from the hand.
: =
Next to Nara, in our opinion and in
he opinion of many ever before Nara. |
comes NlkkO in beauty and interest. !
The spot was wisely chosen for a
oempie, q roaming stream. rugged |
mountains and stately trees adding
o the attractiveness OF the place. |
There is q shaded avenue . miles |
org leading from the 10 Xl2nds 10
he temple and it is said when other |
feudal lords We're bringing stone Ian
ems, n poor daimio. unable t5 |
make 50 large a gift. offered TO plant
little trees along the way. these. now |
200 years old, furnish a grateful shade |
or the pilgrims who visit this Mecca |
ana the poor tree planter is now |
known as The Wise Daimio who