The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1912-12-06
SEARCHING FOR
BURIED EMPIRE
Former City Now is a Bar
rem Desert.
japanese Explorer Finds Relics
Of Great Value by
Excavating.

Somewhere In what is now Know
as Chinese Tursestan or Slnkang the,
flourished in ancient times. about e.,
third csntry y. c.. the powerful EN-
Buddhist state, and as late as go \
D., when the Chinese Buddhist monk
crossed the country pn his way TO India
| 1t was found we'll populated, the in
hahitants being all believers I'm hui.
dhism. But this once powerful state. foi
some reason yet unexplained. vanshei
from the garth, and tie region which
was once under tie Jurisdiction Of
is today nothing but the barren desert
of Tal>larikan. absolut aly 1ninlaabitei
The disappear ance of doulam has loag
been topic of much discussion am1iy
Count Otan, Lord Abbot of the West
Honganj Temple, at Kyoto. anxious 10
find "a key TO the mystery. ordered the
Rev. Zuiaho Tnqhibana to prooeed 20
Chinese Turksstan and explore the site
of The ancient Buddhist state. A Noung
man of only twenty-five winters. shH t
of stature. fragile in app grange. an I
almost feminine in manner, the Re-
Tachibana. we are told by tire Japan ,se
press, is nevertheless posse 1T pf inCloni-
table courage and unflagging energy.
In 1908, when he was only eighteen yea
old. he journeyed in Inner and Ou,.r
Mongolia rhiefly with ydaw of as
containing what would be the best route
the plan of his journey he started on
his second expedition in September. 1919.
In an interview with tine reporter -
the Jill CIokyo), this gret truvetsr,
who has just returned irome from his
journey, tells of this expedition as fol-
lows:
II entered Sinkang from Omsk on
the Siberian railway. and neached ebe
desert of Taklamakan toward Tire eni
of 1910. l had with me twenty hnrsss.
fifteen cows. twenty canals and A
number of sheep. AS the inhabitants
of Chinese Turkestan are mostly Mo-
and as / could fpeely con-
verse in the Turkish language, / en-
employed eighteen Turks during the
journey. Having reached the site of
the arseient state of LOulan we dug the
desert. hoping TO uneanth relics of the
buried peoples. Our labor was neadily
rewarded with rich findings. Including
many Buddhist books and sacred statues
and paintings which have hitherto been
wholly unknown to rle world. These
precious relics were found buried among
the debris of what appeared to be
ancient Buddhist temples, all scones Of
feet below the surface. 1t seems mo:e
than probable that the PALACES AMI
temples of Loulan were destroyed By
the Mohammedans who had subjugated
the country. When these documents AMI
other nalics which are on the way
from Sinkang are carefully studie
they will throw a flood of new light
Upon the history of Buddhism.
''rhre findings cOnclisivelN confirm
ihe alrea,ly prevalent Theory that Bud-
ihism entered China through Sink,any. |
In ancient times Smkiang was inhpbit-
I'd by race called the OUsuv, AMI
t WAS among these inhabitants that |
Buddhism found ready acceptance. But |
inally persisted before the onslaught |
II the Mphammedans. Much TO tie dis
ppointment of the BUDDHIST sschola,rs tn |
)uigur language did not survive the ra:e.
N my exploration, however, l found a |
laEnher of documents written In the
)uisar language, which ] trust. will |
'rove aiuable daAa foor the study If
Buddhism as wlel asilology
Having spent three mpnths in the
'ssert of sinlNlamg the Rev. Tachibana
ntaned the northwestern part Of Thi-
vet. where he spent nldee months on
mountain top 1900 feet above the
ca. but he could not find a,nytthing
aluabIe there. I'nwsWd the end OF
a,st year the effects of the revoll-
ionary uorisings in China proper be-
an to be felt even In the ranpUte
of Tihet and Sinlsiane. and
he Rev. TachIbana was dorued to qnit
he exploration to avoid possible ysany.
: to his life.
This journey was not taken in s.ar,h
adventure, bait as 1t he'd thi,ough
-llat may be called Darkest Asia
many adventures wfre encpunt
red. f)pom Omsk TO the b,rders OF
hinese Turkastan the route nan Though .
lie Russian territory of Sempalaatinsk. .
here the soads We're to.eanbly good.
an stage coaches having been avail
Die at intervals. Mr.. llachihana en-
red Chinese Turkestan from the bord-
town of Ngansi, and traversing a
lline country well povaCad x.,hl, h,o,.. |