The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1910-08-26


calls a story with which he Is n
miliar, Thus the doings OF Yoshitsune.
the deeds OF the IL Ronin, and the acts
Of the 500. 900 gods are favorite sub
jects. Besides these groups OF now-
er figures at Dangozaka there are as
tonishing productions In the way Of
training single plants to curious and
absurd forms. This training is done
by tying individual shoots or branches
TO slender splints. A fayorite form
for such training is a fan; but rings.
bicycles. tram cars. sailing vessels
with extended sails) are not beyond
the range OF possibility.
The least significant Of the three
forms OF exhibit at Dangozaka is the
display of blossoms. There are. how
ever. some things OF interest. Thus,
at present. there is a great plant o
cred with a sheet OF bloom which Is
composed, they say. of more than a
thousand individual flowers.
There are many such c~hrysanthe-
mum shows just now in progress. One
which makes a bid for a higher class
Of patronage is to be seen In the
great wrestling hall. This building. a
new one. is claimed to be the largest
audience hall in the whole Orient.
Just now II is given up TO ~chrysanthe-
NUNS. There is a great show OF
blooming plants for sale as n APP
proaches. Within there are the usual
groups of figures. Most startling ana
striking Of all of these Is a very eff
fective piece representing the famous
passage liz the old mythology OF
Uzum dancing TO please the gods.
The gods look sadly like Ainu gentry;
they have long and heavy boards quite
unlike what might be expected of true
Japanese. They are represented as
sitting in a semicircle on the ground.
The background is a magnificent mass
ing OF green and blooming flowers,
broken at the middle by the opening
OF the ave in which the SUI goddess
has hidden herself. Several of the
gods. supplied with characteristic
Japanese instruments, seem to be
playing the accompaniment to the
'woman-of abounding-happiness' as
she dances. The god-of-the-strong-
arms has seized the great stone at the
entrance to the cave of the sun god.
dess and IS dragging 1t aside. reveal
ing the goddess herself against a bril-.
liant rising sun. After passing a
series Of finely executed groups. most
ly traditional, although one comic
piece is distinctly modern. we come
TO a final performance which is curl
Gus and Enthusiastically japanese. II
represents scenes In Yoshitsume's
life. In II there is a great vessel sup
posed to represent a Chinese pirate
funk composed Of flowers. The hero
Is seen In a canoe. The vessel re
wolves in the apparent water TO the
great Joy of the crowd of spectators
When It has completed its revolution
it suddenly falls 10 pieces, while new
actors brilliantly illuminated with
numberless small electric lights OF
different colors come into the scene
At the same time the ceiling OF the
space above the spectators disappear
and one seems to be standing be
meath a trellis covered with pendan'
clusters Of wistaria. This whole cell
ing lowers over the head OF the crowt
in a curious and striking way. simple
but effective. At the wrestling hall
very notable competition is taking
/ place in chrysanthemums. The priz'
flowers have been carefully collaret
with white paper collars TO separate
them from their surroundings and e
give an opportunity for critical judg
ment upon the elements which have
made them the winners of the prizes
offered.
Another chrysanthemum display l
on a Shiba park. Here the chrysan
themums In bloom are the attraction
There is also a great display Of thu
little dwarfed trees for which Japal
Is famous. Here one may see ancien
pine trees a little more than a foo
or two in height. some of then
gnarled and twisted in the most far
tastic fashions. initiating the wildes
freaks OF nature: little naples, III
delicate foliage OF which is turning
little plum trees. whose leafess trunk
and branches tell that winter comes
Here. too. are stone gardens-bu
stone gardens are another story.
OConvrfcbt 1910. by w. G.. Chapman.)