The chronicle=news., 1913-04-05
JAPAN ADVANCED
RAPIDLY OuRIn6
the PAST YEAR

Toxic. April THE year 1878 or
III. Christian calendar is The year
a.,5 OF the Japanese era. reckoning
from the reput~d founding OF thu
empir. in $50 II, c. by Jlnmu Ten.
nu: and IL is tn. second year both
of IN. reign OF the Emperor foshih.
ito and OF the Taisho era. or era OF
great righteousness In the Ip-yeai
cycle OF cathay" is tn. S",h yer Of
the current cycle. which began. in
1864. and IL is known In tn. Orien-
tai geological zodiac as Mizunoto
tshi no To*hi. or StaKEant Water.
OK year. However. according to the
& and IL will continue for 3s} or .,a
.nys-riii January ~ or e3. lslt,
The year 1918 Is an important an.
nIv.rsary time in Japan. II Is just
80 years, or on. "cycl. OF Ca;hny."
since the arrival oi Commodore Perry
in S.ddo BAY. II j. only 81 years
sine. III. fIrs, treaty OF trade and
commerce with Japan negotiated
with u foreign pat.on In modern
times WIS negotiated with Townsend
Harris. the first United States min
lister 20 Japan. II Is Just half a CEN
Jury sine" IN. bombsrdment OF ka-
goshima in punishment OF the mur-
der Of Richardson. an Englishman
who ruGely interrupted ;h. train Of
tn. Prince OF Saisuma: IL is only 4;
yoars since III" revolution OF r.stor-
alton Of 1865. by which tn" LAT. En-
pcror. now known As Ncipi T.nno.
became ruler both de iur. and dc
incto: IL Is only ~ years sine" fcd-
do w.l- established ~ capital un.
der ih.. new nam. OF Toxic. which
means Eastern Capital and which
mas since become ;h" capital. II IL
only 10 year. since tn" removal of
III. anfi-chr!s;ian .dicts from III. Of
fetal bulletin boards ot the cmpir.
and tn. adoption Of IN. Grcgorian or
Christian calendar. II 4. only 10
years since ih" revised civil code
went into effect: 1; Is only ten years
since tn. first edition was Issued o!
the Union Christian Hymnal. now
In It's seventh edition. and 1; Is only
fly. years sine" III. arbitration treaty
with the United State of America
and 'h. Amsflca-Japancs" under
s,andin. concerning Pacific PROT.
l.'ns we're issued.
Tn. OK ushb figures in two In
tcr"s,irI Japar's. proverbs. One IL
to tn. cff.c, that a person may xiii
the OK in STRENGTHENING It's horn"
The other. ushi nj hikarc,. ZcnkoJi-
mairi. or Led by a cow TO the Zon.
soji pilgrimage" refers to the fol.
lowing legend: "A COW ran off on.
day with "a pi.e. OF cloth which a
wicked old woman had set out to
dry. and wac pursued by her 10 the
tempt. ,Zonkoji. In Naea-nob. where
nuddha. appcari' ! In a halo of light
sot,encd her heart and awarded her
washing TO her when she reached
home again. The proverb applies TO
rood coming out Of evil
In Japanese art oxen ar" usually
coupled with peach trees. in accord
ane- with the old Chinese SAYING:
Turn the or into the peach orchard
And. In rscumbcnt attitude. It Ia
also connected with the xrea, MIN.
is,er Tcniin ,Sugawara Michizane) .
as he used 10 ride 1, while in OK
lie. writes Ernest ". Clement.
The hour Of the oS.' from to :
n. m. Is also o. great interest. be-
cause IL was ieh time sacred to wo.
men crossed in love for taking ven.
geancc upon straw image Of the
recreanl lover at the shrine of the
god Fudo. Milford. in his "Tnlcs Of
Old Japan" thus describes such an
ushi no :oki ua,ri. or "ox-ohur wor-
ship"
When the world is at rest. at .
in the morning. the hour Of which
the OK Is the symbol. the woman ris-
es: she dons n white robe and high
sandals or clogs. her Golf IS a metal
tripod. In which are thrust three
lighted candles: around her neck
she hangs a mirror. which falls upon
her bosom: in her left hanj she
carries a small straw figure. the ef-
fiEy Of the lover who has abandoned
her. in her right she Hrasps a ham,
mer and nails. with which sch fast
ems the figure TO one OF the sacred
trees that surround the shrine. There
she prays for the death of the traitor
vowing that II her petition he heard
she will herself pull out the nails
which now offend the god by owund-
ing the mystic tree. Night after
night she comes to the shrine and
each night she strikes in two or
more nails. believing that every nail
will shorten her lovers life: for the
god, TO save his tree. will surely
strike him dead"
The writer ran across another SUI
perstition in his early years in ia
pan. when the firs. American baby
was born in Mito in 1889 her par
ents were warned by some of the
common people against feeding her
cows milk, for she would surely
have horns grow out Of her head.
There is also superstition that
II one swallows seven grains Of red
beans and one grain tabout one
glib of sake twine), before the hour
of the OK on the first day of the year
he will be free from illness and ca
lamity throughout the year.