Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-08-10

OreOS OF gOurQS OeauJlIuIly cOlOr0d IN
red and nodded into fantastic forms:
for the Japanese is not content with
gourds as nature makes them. He in
geniously ties or binds the growing
calabashes with cords in such a way
as to force them into forms of slender
TASKS. of snakes, of masses Of intes-
tines, of ducks and other birds. They
are meant for vessels to carry fluid
especially the favorite sake or rice
wine. When one has selected some
strange flask to suit him. he buys a
little gourd for cup, beautifully lac
Quered and adorned with gold and
colors.
One reason why we wished to visit
KiyOmizu-Dera was its connection
with Ainu history. In its precincts
stands the figure OF Bishamon, the
god who in the ninth century gave the
Japanese leader Tamura Marc a
notable victory over my poor bearded
aboriginal friends. A great picture.
votive-offering given in commemora-
ton of the victory, hangs In the tenn
pie and represents the feats of yalor
achieved by the imperial forces. In
the same votive hall there are quaint
pictures representing the coming of
the early Dutch vessels to the shores
of Japan.
One of the most characteristic fea-
lures of Japan are the picnic parties
of school children with their teachers,
which are met with at all times and
everywhere. They go out to see bloom
ing flowers and Redeemed maple
leaves; they go to parks and mu-
seums; they go to shrines and tenn
pies and the scenes of national inter-
est, famous in their history. We.
rarely go to any place of note withj
out encountering them. So here, It'll
was no surprise to find schools of
children tramping up the great stair,
way to the main temple. visiting the
votive hall and the temples in the rear
and looking out over the ancient capt.
tai and through the lovely gorge.
The lesser shrines are often quite;
as interesting as the main temple.
Thus, behind Kiyomizu-Dera Is little
shelter with its hundred stone figures
of Jizo. Queer things they are, the
object of popular love and devotion.
On the base of many of them stand
little heaps of pebbles which have
been piled up by kindly visitors. 1t
seems that children after death are
often robbed of their clothing by fe1
male demon who sets them to work
of Milf efo ~, -,
death river. The task is endless, but
the little ones are helped by all who
choose to place pebbles at the feet of
Jizo. Here, too, is a statue of Bin,
zuru, worn smooth by the hands of
poor sufferers. l never tire of watch
ing these figures; whether of wood or
stone or bronze, makes no difference
THEM features and outlines are al
ways worn smooth by repeated rub
bling. You need not wait long to see
some poor old woman tottering along,
who stops and with a word of prayer
upon her lips rubs her hand over the
head of the loved figure and then
upon her own aching brow: a mother
brings her little one and strokes the
part of the old god which corresponds
to the ailing member of the child, and
then rubs the baby for healing; or
some helpless person, knotted with
rheumatism or crippled, is brought by
kindly hands to rub the figure and
get relief from suffering.
But meantime we must not forget
the Jidat Matsuri. 1t was really a
fine procession. The streets approach
ing the Tai-Kyoku Den were crowded
with people who desired to see the
pageant as it approached it's destina-
ton. The procession consisted of six
sections representing definite periods
of time from the date of the citys
founding to the disappearance of the
Tokugawa shogunate. Each section
was gotten up with careful reference
to historic accuracy; marvellous cos
tunes, things almost inconceivable in
these present days were here to be
seen. First came the civil officers of
imperial court. This era extending
from 1872 to SOC comedies with the
founding of the city. The second Sec
ton represented military officers of
the same era going to the front The
third represented civil officers of the,
Fujiwara dynasty going to the inn
perial court. The fourth group repre-
scented officers on horseback equipped
for shooting arrows-one of the most
graceful exercises. ever developed in,
Japan. The five sections were the Of
ficers of Nobunaga coming to Kyoto.,
Which is the greater in the history of
a nation-the originator of a policy
or the man who develops it 10 full
fruition? 1t is the old topic of the de-:
batting club: Which was the greater,
Philip of Macedon, or Alexander the
Great? Which was the greater.
Juarez or Diaz of Mexico?" Three
great men built Dali Nippon-Nobunas
ga. Hideyoshi, Iyeyasu; which was
the greatest? Well, it was Nobunaga's
officers who were here represented.
The sixth group showed the repre-
sentatives of the Tokugawa Shoguns.
coming to Kyoto. They were the men
who ruled Japan from Iyeyasu to
1868, when they fell and their repre-
sentatives ceased to go to Kyoto, the
emperor resumed his own, and tho
Genital Uas changed IN Tokvo