Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-06
OF OLD JAPAN
Folk Lore Story that Goes Back to
Feudal Days.
PRACTICAL USE FOR THE IDEA
Mayor of Yedo, who Sentenced a God
20 imprisonment Got Evidence
that Led 20 the Arrest Of
Highway Robbers.

The Murders IN the Rue MorBue ana n
study in Scarlet by a thousand years aud
more; but no better proof OF the catholic
ity OF the detective story can be found than
thai offered by feudal Japan. which pro-
duced the tale Of the arrest OF the stone
god Jizo.
In this folk story OF ancient Yedo the
hero detective moves with all the seeming
indirection Of Lccou and sherlock Holmes
his marvtls to perform. O-oka, was nc.
mayor Of Yedo under the eighth shotgun
and holder OF the high Justice and tho low
over all the merchants OF Tokusawa's cap
ital.
This O-oka received a salary OF 1000
koku Of rice and Nine. Y. Ozakl. who Is
tho wife Of the present mayor Of Toxic
(old TedO renamed) and who Is The chron-
icler of the craft of O-oka In the Japan
NJ Magazine says that the ole GU" rarnsd
his salary ten times over. 1,sin s tho
story:
one day a servant employed by the
proprietor Of a big store near Japan bridge
in Yedo was sent with a heavy pack Of
valuable cotton goods on his back TO a
dyer In Homo district. When the stores
messenger reached YokoEawa street no
was ready TO seek rest. What more safe
Invitation could have offered than the little
grove Of trees set about. the stone statue
Of the god Jizo, the patron saint OF tray
elers and defenseless women and children?
The somnolent porter awoke from a nap
to find that his employers cotton had dis.
appeared, In great distress he went to
the storekeeper and confessed that lie had
slept and that n robber had made off with
the goods during his slumber. The master
would not believe hts story, saying that II
would have been impossible for a robber
to make off with so large a bundle IN
bread daylight; unless the porter should
pay for the lost goods he would have to
go to prison, said the master. In despair
the porter took counsel of Mayor o.oka.
You are certainly to blame for having
fallen asleep" reproved the mayor, but
Jizo is equally TO blame, for he is a god
bound TO protect every one who trusts
in him and in this Instance he has be-
trayed you. Even though Jlzo is a Buddha
l cannot pardon him for his neglect OF
duty. I will have him arrested and brought
before me for trial"
O-oka gave immediate orders TO his
court officers to go and arrest the Jlso oG$
Yokogawa street and bring him before the
mayors seat for trial. Three OF the
officers departed on their mission. They
first bound the arms of the stone god
with coils OF rope; then they tried to lift
him from his firm PEDESTAL into a cart. A
great crowd assembled before the Jlzo,
attracted by the unusual behavior OF the
court officers. When they were told that
Ji2o had to 20 before the mayor for trial,
the citizens OF YokaEawa street and the
nelghborhood Of HOMO marvelled.
TIL task OF unseatlng the god was too
much for the three court officers and
they sought aid Of those standing about.
They nrnrnfaad fbuf IN raf,trn Zoe gutg.
ance they would admit all volunteer
workers into the court room to witness the
extraordinary trial. Hundreds were spurred
by curiosity TO lend a hand and when the
stone god went through the streets, strapped
to a cart like any offender the crowd grew.
1t fulled the great hall Of justice when
Jizo was lifted In and proped up before the
platform upon which sat the mayor. O-oka
addressed the p god in stern words.
You are a negligent fool, o, Jizo!" he
exclaimed in a voice loud enough for all
to hear, You are imposed to protect every
one who believes in you and who renders
tribute, yet this trusting porter here made
a prayer to you, then fell asleep at your
very feet and he was robbed while he
slept. You stand accused OF being an ao-
complete in this robbery. Have you any
thing to say for yourself before / pass sem
tence2'
Mayor O-oka waited Tor a few moments
as If expecting the stone lips Of Jizo TO
open in reply, but when no answer was
made by the god he passed sentence i'm
mediately.
'since you do not defend yourself 1 con-
slider that you are guilty" said his honor.
Therefore 1 will imprison YOU"
At this remarkable spectacle Of a mayor
passing sentence upon a stone god there
uyaa q Sitta- af IauUhtar n-NLa tb,,,aaral
in a voice Of bass:
who are all these people standing about
here?" he inquired of his court officers.
Are they ~accomplices OF Jizo or only
plain thieves? They think this court Is a
penny show and they laugh at the courts
orders. Shut all the gates at once"
The scared attendants fastened to shut
the gates Of the court room. Then Mayor
O-oka adjudged every man In the great
crowd in contempt of court and fined
each of them one tan "a kimono length
OF cotton cloth. The hundreds thus sud
denly found in contempt were happy that 4
their punishment had been 80 light at least,
and under bonds they hurried to their
homes to bring back the cloth line Be
fore the day was done 700 pieces OF cotton
cloth had been presented before the may
or's court, the name Of each culprit being
set Town upon the ono ldu - COtNOH Cloll
which he presented.
Before he would allow the 700 to go, how
ever, O-oka retired with the porter who
had been robbed to an inner chamber and
he asked the porter to look over the 100
pieces Of cotton cloth and see IL he could
Identify any OF them as having been once ia
the pack he had carried. Since every
manufacturer Of cotton cloth in Yedo al
ways marked the selvage OF each strip with
a little red trademark stamp the porte.
searched the edges OF the many strips "
cloth for a stamp similar to that borne
by the cloth which he had been robbeu.
He found that two OF the pieces Of cloth
brought TO pay the mayors fine bore the
stamp OF his plundered pack. Instantly
Mayor O-oka gave orders for the arrest Of
the two men who had brought this cloth;
they confessed to the robbery and all Of tho
cloth they had taken from the sleeping
porter's pack was restored to him.
All the other pieces OF cloth taken In
toll by the mayor we're restored to their
owners and all but the two guilty ones OF
the crowd which had attended the trial
OF JiEo were released. Then Jizo, the stone