The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1910-05-24
NATIONS TREASURES
(By Herbert Temple.)

Exhibition, which was opened with great
ceremony by Prince Aurthor of Con.
naught, the day before yesterday, is
IN many respects one of the most uni.
que and interesting fairs the world has
ever seen, and holds out every prospect
OF being a success even in these days
when exhibitions were thought to have
lost all power of attraction.
That this exhibition IL so radically
different from and infinitely more In.
terestirg than others is due solely to the
Japanese. The little brown subjects Of
the Mikado have exerted all their in.
genuity to give the visitors not only
Il fair idea of their amazingly rapid
progress but also of their past history.
The great palace near the main.en.
trance IL truly wonderful. Proceeding
through 6 realistic reproduction of the
famous temple gate at Mara, the an.
cient capital of japan, the visitor finds
himself surrounded by enthusiastically
quaint stone lanterns and noble ccdars
in Nm extensive structure full of poet
ry Of japanese art.
The great Han il divided into twelve
brilliant sections, each containing a
historic tableau. The first of these re-.
presentations carries the mind back
twenty five centuries IA the time of
the great Emperor, Jimmu, from whom
the present Emperor is descended in a
direct line. II shows the architecture,
costumes and weapons, which are said
TO have existed in that most remote
era. These vivid scenes are rendered
more realistic, by the fact hat the fig.
ures are all life size.
The next tableau, showing the Nara
period (709.9s4 A. d. is illustrative of
the epoch when intercourse was begun
with Korea and China; when Buddhism
was first introduced and art and learn.
ing spread rapidly over the land en-.
riching the landscapes of these myster'
ious isles with countless temples and
magnificent pagodas. The figures shown
as arousing the echos with music are
wearing the actual costumes donned by
their forebears in those for of days.
On again to the time between the
removal of the Court to Kyoto (794
A. d., and the fall Of the Fuiiwara
Family (l050 A. D.. These were known
respectively as the Heian and the Flu.
jiwara periods, and are illustrated by
three tableaux. The first shows n hand.
some gateway from which a high off.
cial is proceeding nrrayed in all the
''panoply Of power" There il a car.
riage drawn by meek.eyed oxen follow.
ed by his retinue and watched by a
crowd Of commoners. The second de.
picts some Of the ancient japanese so.
cial customs.music and dancing in the
form in which they existed soon after
their introduction from the Asiatic Con.
tinent.
In the third representation, illustrat.
ing the Fujiwara period. The scene is
full Of Significance. The time was
characterized by female ~dominence, and
by the strides made by literature and
art. With all it's color and pageantry
and pleasure, it was not, in all respects
productive of the best in the nation and
the picture, with n nobleman and the
ladies Of his family reclining in a boat
among beautiful garden scenery, tells
it's W tale.
The Gampei epoch Of 30 years, from
$50 to 1855 occupies the sixth apart
ment. At this time there ragged the
Japanese "Wars Of the Roses" be
tween the rival houses Of Taira and
Minamoto; and these were years when
the gallant figures grouped before a
strongly fortified castle.
Within a few PAGES the visitor passes
on 10 the Kamakura period (from the
establishment Of the feudal capital a,
Kamakura in ll92 to the fall Of 1895
Of the Hoio family.) Here are depict
ed the popular sports Of that epoch
and we see Samurai in the excitement
Of the chase, hunting the wild boar
the stag or with falcons eager for tn,
quarry. The eighth tableau shows
performance OF the classic "No" dapce
in the AshKiga times with all its wealtl