The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1910-08-09


shop from whose ceiling hang hun
dreds of gourds beautifully colored 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 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
KiyomizuDera was its connection
/ 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 commemcra'
ton OF the victory. hangs in the tenn
pie and represents the feats of valor
achieved by the imperial forces. IN
the same yotive 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 with
out encountering them. So here. it
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-D era 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. II
seems that children after death are
often robbed of their clothing by fe
male demon who sets them to work
at piling up stones on the bank of the
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. never tire of watch.
ing these figures; whether of wood or
stone or bronze, makes no difference
their features and outlines are al
ways worn smooth by repeated rub
bling. You need not wait long to see
some poor old woman lettering along
who stops and with 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 aling 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 Jidai Matsuri II was really q
fine procession. The streets approach
ing the Tai-Kyoku Den were crowded
with people who desired to see the
pageant as 1t approached its destina
ton The procession consisted of six
sections representing definite periods
of time from the date OF the city's
founding to the disappearance of the
Tokugawa shogunate. Each section
was gotten up with careful reference
to historic accuracy; marvellous cos
tunes, things almost uncomfortable in
these present days We're here to be
seen First came the civil officers of
the Furyaku era on their way to the
imperial court. This era extending
from 1872 to SOC comedies with the
founding Of the city The second sec
/ llOH Represented uIlllldIy OIllceTS OF
the same era going to the front. The
third represented civil officers OF the
Fujiwara dynasty going to the i'm.
perial court. The fourth group repre-.
scented officers on horseback equipped
for shooting arrows-one of the most
graceful exercises ever developed in
Japan. 'rhe five sections were the OF
fcers 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 to 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 Dai Nippon-Nobuna-
ga, Hideyoshi, lyeyasu; which was
the greatest? Well. it was Nobunaga's