Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-01
Continued from page II

all. The servants OF some of the more intimate
friends of yours must also be remembered.
There is one saving feature to our present
giving: our gifts are exceedingly simple.
The old families especially who have great
respect for good taste, abominate rich pres
ents; even tradespeop pie con6ne their gifts
to such things as baskets of eggs, dried
fishes, packages of sugar, rolls of Grape, silk,
cotton clothes, towels, toys, fans, etc.
In the Family Circle
WHILE the good people are in their po-
w lite frenzy, let us take peep at an
ancient and historic family of the Empire.
Marquis Tokugawa Rairin is the present
representative of the Kishu branch of the
Tokugawa family; and Kishu was one of the
three august branches of the Shotgun family.
The Marquis rises at six on New Years
morning. After the morning toilet is done
according to prescribed form, he dons black,
wherein the crests of the great family stand
tune of an outer coat called haoyi and the
divided skirt called hakama, he worships
before the Nanryu shrine, wherein is en-
shrined the guardian deity of his ancestors.
Thence he pays his respects to the NOR
tuary tablets of his ancestors in the Hall of
Publication. Thence again, he makes for
the Room of Full (named of course, after
the peerless mountain in Japan. Over
the dais of the alcove of honor, called toko-
mona, is hung, very likely, the kakemono,
the famous painting of Fukurokuju, the
God of Happiness, by Ryokai. In front of
it, on the low platform or dais, stands the
red and white mochi (rice cakes in company
with the elaborate decoration and symbol
of longevity and happiness called horai,
composed of the pine, plum and bamboo,
white haired wife. In blue porcelain vase
is also composition of pine, bamboo, and
plum. And in front of this alcove of honor
the entire family attends the first celebration
of the New Year.
The decoration of the guestroorn, called
the Room of Pine and Stork, is naturally
much more complicated than that of the
Room of Full. For example. upon a shelf
is placed the tray garden, family heirloom
since the days of the first lordly founder of
the house; and, standing close beside it
large silver vase with the imperial crest of
chrysanthemum "a gift from the EMPEROR,
wrought in gold, in which can be seen an ar
rangement of pine, sacred bamboo (Ndndind
domestica), willow, and winter chrysanthe-
mum. On the wall of the tokonomd of the
study of mine Meditations" is hung a
scroll of silk upon which is the KIM "a 70
(the Japanese national anthem), copied by
many members of the royal house, together
with the conventional decorations of coral
and twin branchs and the picture of wild
horse sporting amid the snowfall of cherry
petals, etc. And the happy theme of New
Years felicity is worked in varying forms in
the decorations of the Room of Cherry and
other halls in the historic mansion.
Firsts on the Second Day
THE second day of the New Year is de-
voted to all sorts of ceremonies with
which all sorts of things are formally begun
for the year. There are the honorable exer-
cises for the first linking of writing brushes,
for the first finger touch on the national
musical instrument (the koto), for the first
reading of the year Called yomi Gomez.
But, suppose, the most spectacular, and
most vulgar, is the fuss made over the first
sale of the year by the tradespeople, called
hatsu uri In the streets of Toxic, dray
horses are decked out in all the shouting
colors and pomp of Hindu Raja. Ali en-
ployees of shops are in their best. Wagons
are piled high with all sorts of goods in
which the shops deal. 1t is the first and
one grand advertisement of shops and wares.
And they parade through the streets to the
accompaniment of cross between a chant
ing and shout from the men.