The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-04-09
JAPAN'S GREAT TEN
LES---RETURN VOYAGE

"Riksha? You want riksha? ! shov
you temple" is generally the frs
greeting one receives in Japan from
the jinrkisha man, as he steps ashor,
from the ships launch. II one has jus
started on a sightseeing trip in any o
the cities of that wonderful country
his itinerary will generally cOmmenc'
with a temple, end with temple, an'
other sights taken in on the days tril
will he sandwiched in between will
more temples. Many Of our party wen
to Nikko, over 100 miles out of the wsl
from Tokyo, just to see the famou
temples of that city.
OF all the sights in japan, none arr
more interesting than the Buddhist
temples and the more modest and plaiT
Shinto shrines. The former, by theil
magnifcence and grandeur, cannot but
/ compel an awe, II not admiration, oi
I the tourist, and are the pride of the
country. Japan is dotted with thou
sands Of these places of worship, anC
most of the large cities have temples
riyalling in cost and elegance the re.
puted temple of King Solomon at Jeru
salem. These great temples are not
ancient, as structures of antiquity are
regarded in the Orient, but most Of
them were built 300 to 400 years ago.
OF the great cost of these places OF
worship there are no records, and tC
estimate them, one can safely say that
! to reproduce either the NlkkO temple
or the one in Shiba Park at Tokyo.
would cost millions of dollars and sc
years of time.
At Toyko the rikisha boy first carries
the tourist to Shiba, the old monastery
grounds that are now a public park.
Under the shadow of century old pines
and cryptOmeTia stand the mOrtuary
temples of the latter Shoguns, superb
edilices ablaze with gold lacquer, anC
set with panels of carved wood, splen.
did in color and gliding, the gold trefoi
Of the Tokugawas shining on every
ridge pole and gable. These temples
and tombs are lesser copies of the
magnificent shrines at Nikko, and but
for those originals would be unique
! On rainy day, the green shadow 'anC
gloom, the cawing of the ravens that
live in the old pine trees, and theil
slow flight, are solemn as death itself
and the solitude of the dripping ave
nues and court yards, broken only by
the droning priests at prayer, and the
musical vibrations of some bell OF
sweet voiced gong, invite gentle mel
ancholy. On such a day, the priests
interrupted in their statuesque repose,
| or their penslve occupations of slipping
tea and whiting tiny pipes in silent
groups around braizer. display to Wis
ItOrs the altars and ceilings and jew
eIled walls with painstaking minute
ness, glad of one ripple of excitement
and one legitimate fee. Led by {
lean, one. toothed priest, you follow
stocking footed, over lacquer floors t
behold gold and bronze, lacquer anC
inlaying, carving and color, golden i'm
| ages sitting in golden shadows, en-
shrined among golden lotus flowers
and sacred emblems. In one temple
the clear, soft tones of the bronze
gong, bowl l8 inches in diameter anC
a little less in depth, vibrate on the
air or three full minutes before they
die away.
Up messy stairways between massive
embankments and through a shady
grove, the priests clogs scrape noisily
to the heXlgonal temple, where the
ashes Of Hidetada, the Nj Dai Shotgun,
lyeyasu's son, lie in a great gold lac,
quer cylinder, the finest existing speCi.
men of the lacquer of that great art
age, The quiet of Shiba, the solemn
background of giant trees, the deer
shadows and green twilight of the
groves, the hundreds of stone lanterns,
the ponds of sacred lotus, the success.
sion of dragon-guarded gateways, and
carved and gorgeously colored walls,
crowd the memory with lovely pic
lures. Near hilltop pagoda com
mandlng views of the bay and of Fuji,
stands the tateba of cheerful family,
who bring the visitor a telescope and
cups Of cherry blossom tea.
A colony of florists show gardens full
of wonderful plants and dwarf trees,
and then Sanjiro minces, 81 think more
better we go see more temples; - and
we go, spinning past the giant Shiba
gate and up the road to AtagO Yama,
tiny temple on the edge of a precipit-
Gus hill top, approached by mems
stairs, an ailline flight of broad steps,
and women's stairs, curving by broken
flights of easier slope. A leper, with
scaly, white skin and hideuus ulcers,
extends his miserable hand for aims,
and picturesque, white clad pilgrims,
with staff and bell, 60 up and down
those breathess fights. The tateba,
with their rows of lanterns, where the
nesans offer tea of salted cherry bios
SONS, that unfold again into perfect
flowers in the bottom of the cup, over
hang the precipice wall, and look down
upon the Shiba quarter as upon a relief
map.
A breathless rush of two miles or
more straight across the city, past fly
ing shops, beside the footing tramway
and over bridges, and Sanjiro runs into
Uyeno Park, with its wide avenues,
enormous trees, and half hidden temple
roofs. The ground slopes away steeply
at the left, and at the foot of the hin
lies a lotus lake of many acres that is
a pool OF blossoms in midsummer. a
temple and tiny tea house are on an
island in the center, and around the
lake the race course is overarched with
cherry trees. Great tori mark the
paths and stairs leading from the shore
to the temples above.
AT Uyeno are more tombs and more
sanctuaries, avenues of lanterns, bells
and drinking fountains, and a black,
bullet marked gate way, where the
Ieddo troops made their last stand
before the Restoration. Near this
gate way is the sturdy young tree
planted by General Grant. Far back
in the park stand the mortuary tenn
piles, splendid monuments of Tokugawa
riches and power, though the most
splendid, here as at Smba, have been
destroyed by fire.
The Shinto religion originated in Ja-
pan and its principles are founded n
ancestor worship. Buddhism was
brought from China. coming to that
country from India. Most of the Japan
ese are members of both the Shinto
and Buddhist faiths. This accounts for
the finding of both Shinto shrine and
Buddhist temple in the same grounds
at times. The Shinto shrine is marked
by the tori, " or stone gate at the en-
trance. Some of these shrines are of
great antiquity, but none of the great
temples are very old.
L 4.