The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1910-08-26

2
calls y story with which ~ . 4,
lmililf. Thps tho doings Of Ycshitsuns,
the deeds 81 the ~ Rontn, Una the acts
Of the 800 900 gods are favorits sub
jects. Besides these groups Of dow.
or figures at Dangozaka there are -.
tonishing productions In the way OF
training single plants to curious and
absurd forms. This training 10 done
By tying Individual shoots or branches
70 slender splints. A, favorite form
Tor such training 10 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 great plant COW
cred with sheet Of bloom which IL
composed. they say. Of more than
thousand individual flowers.
There are many such chrysanthe-
mum shows just now in progress. One
which makes bid for higher class
OF patronage is to be seen in the
great wrestling hall. This building.
new one. is claimed to be the largest
audience hall in the whole Orient.
Just now It is given up to chrysanthe-
NUNS. There is great show of
blooming plants for sale as one ap.
proaches. Within there are the usual
groups of figures. Most startling ana
striking of all of these is very ef-
fective piece representing the famous
passage In 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 semicircle on the ground
The background Is magnificent mass
Ing of green and blooming flowers,
broken at the middle by the opening
OF the cave in which the sun goddess
has hidden herself Several of the
gods. supplied with characteristic
Japanese instruments, seem to be
playing the accompaniment to the
"woman-of neutrality-suspicious. 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 it aside, reveal.
Ing the goddess herself against bril-.
liant rising sun. After passing a
series of finely executed groups, most
~ traditional, although one comic
piece is distinctly modern, we come
to final performance which is curl.
GUS and Enthusiastically Japanese. It
represents scenes In Yoshitsume's
life. In it there is a great vessel sup.
posed to represent a Chinese pirate
junk 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 1t has completed its revolution
1t suddenly falls to 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 disappears
and one seems to be standing be-
meath trellis covered with pendant
clusters of wistaria. This whole CELL
ing lowers over the head of the crowd
in curious and striking way, simple
but effective. At the wrestling hall a
very notable competition is taking
place in chrysanthemums. The prize
flowers have been carefully collared
with white paper collars to separate
them from their surroundings and to
give an opportunity for critical judg-
ment upon the elements which have
made them the winners of the prizes
4 offered.
Another chrysanthemum display is
on near Shiba park. Here the chrysan.
1 themums in bloom are the attraction.
1 There is also great display of the
little dwarfed trees for which Japan
is famous. Here one may see ancient
/ pine trees a little more than foot
or two in height, some of them
/! gnarled and twisted in the most fan
tastic fashions, initiating the widest
freaks Of nature; little naples, the
delicate foliage of which is turning;
little plum trees, whose leafless trunks
and branches tell that winter comes.
Here, too, are stone gardens-but
stone gardens are another story.
Copyright. 1910. by W. G. Chapman.)
Il 81