Evening star., 1938-01-02

shoes at the ShOe-Ott stone OF his
comparatively large residence. He
handed his derby hat to the kimono'd maid
servant and, as he did so, caught glimpse
of girl in smart Western evening wrap,
passing through slide-back panel into a
further room. His face remained correctly
expressionless, gave no hint of his inward
spasm of aversion.
That was Miss Kikumoto, daughter of his
friend the secretary of the semi-g government
Commercial Bureau, come to accompany his
daughter Sakura Cherry Blossom) to the
dinner and dance being given for the Ameri-
can visiting commission. Fukoko Kikumoto
San was daringly the modern girl - almost
"moga," as the slang contraction had it. West
ernism should be absorbed, fused, not aped.
ated; tonight, for example, it was necessary
to impress the Americans with the salutary
fact that slick young Japan was bang up-to-
he-minute, had no inferiority complex what
ever toward the West. Divesting himself of
his Westem-style clothes in the adjoining
this Proudly of Samurai family though he
was, his contribution to the divine mission"
of Nippon was achieved in modenistic
office; MADE in Nippon" his battle slogan.
But his son Inazo was compensatingly a
Samurai officer, was an infantry captain glori-
ously fighting in China, carrying on the sacred
immemorial sword tradition of the Ancestors.
A few minutes later, after brief scalding
in the wooden ofuro, no longer Mr.. Sawaka
but Sawaka San, robed in dark gray kimono,
he entered his sanctum, the golden-matted
meditation ROOM" 1t was unfinished save
for an ancient chest, and the kakemono scroll
and the flower arrangement in the niche that
was the never-tenanted Emperors Seat.
The slide-back wall opened view of the
snset-suffused little garden of tiny ancient
trees, miniature cascades, toy tori and bridges
where everything had meaning Here, each
evening" he sloughed off the necessitated
superficial thought-livery of the West, re-im-
mersed himself in the divine spirit of Nippon.
read few precepts of Confucius, of the
Buddha, and most especially the terrestrially-
sublime principles of Bushido - the Samurai
code of heroism, self-sacrifce, and cheerful
ness in ultimate endurance.
He bowed to the Emperor's Seat - in
visibly occupied by the idea of the Ruler, too
sacred to name save obliquely - and lowered
himself to his heels on the mat. He had had
busy day; the exchanges were jumping un-
predictably. There had been exciting news
from the front. First, before opening text of
the Buddha, he would collect himself, study
the meaning of the flower poem that Sakura
had composed for the Sacred Niche; tall iris,
a yet taller shoot of blue green mountain pine,
and at stem base clump of moss with tiny
bright marsh flower.
Sakura was making progress in the art of
flower arrangement, would clearly one day be
as exquisitely proficient as her regretted
mother; there had been two cherry fowerings
since dainty, docle Chikuku Sakawa San had
joined the Ancestors What did Sakura's ar
rangement mean? The tall iris symbolized
that beauty should predominant in a mans
life, the taller pine that mans essential
masculinity should soar starkly above beauty
up to heaven, the flower -jeweled moss that
the roots of beauty and masculine virtue were
in the earth itself beautiful to those who
looked closely.
His tender proud thought found excellences
in the poem. She was rightly named, was the