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below the father and mother; and after her came the children;
relatives; and friends; who sat in rows; dressed in winged garments
of blue and white。 The widow was painted white; her lips were
reddened with vermilion; her hair was elaborately dressed and
ornamented with carved shell pins; she wore a beautiful dress of
sky…blue silk; with a haori of fine white crepe and a scarlet crepe
girdle embroidered in gold; and looked like a bride on her marriage
day rather than a widow。
Indeed; owing to the beauty of the dresses and the amount of blue
and white silk; the room had a festal rather than a funereal look。
When all the guests had arrived; tea and sweetmeats were passed
round; incense was burned profusely; litanies were mumbled; and the
bustle of moving to the grave began; during which I secured a place
near the gate of the temple grounds。
The procession did not contain the father or mother of the
deceased; but I understood that the mourners who composed it were
all relatives。 The oblong tablet with the 〃dead name〃 of the
deceased was carried first by a priest; then the lotus blossom by
another priest; then ten priests followed; two and two; chanting
litanies from books; then came the coffin on a platform borne by
four men and covered with white drapery; then the widow; and then
the other relatives。 The coffin was carried into the temple and
laid upon trestles; while incense was burned and prayers were said;
and was then carried to a shallow grave lined with cement; and
prayers were said by the priests until the earth was raised to the
proper level; when all dispersed; and the widow; in her gay attire;
walked home unattended。 There were no hired mourners or any signs
of grief; but nothing could be more solemn; reverent; and decorous
than the whole service。 'I have since seen many funerals; chiefly
of the poor; and; though shorn of much of the ceremony; and with
only one officiating priest; the decorum was always most
remarkable。' The fees to the priests are from 2 up to 40 or 50
yen。 The graveyard; which surrounds the temple; was extremely
beautiful; and the cryptomeria specially fine。 It was very full of
stone gravestones; and; like all Japanese cemeteries; exquisitely
kept。 As soon as the grave was filled in; a life…size pink lotus
plant was placed upon it; and a lacquer tray; on which were lacquer
bowls containing tea or sake; beans; and sweetmeats。
The temple at Rokugo was very beautiful; and; except that its
ornaments were superior in solidity and good taste; differed little
from a Romish church。 The low altar; on which were lilies and
lighted candles; was draped in blue and silver; and on the high
altar; draped in crimson and cloth of gold; there was nothing but a
closed shrine; an incense…burner; and a vase of lotuses。
LETTER XX(Concluded)
A Casual InvitationA Ludicrous IncidentPoliteness of a
PolicemanA Comfortless SundayAn Outrageous IrruptionA
Privileged Stare。
At a wayside tea…house; soon after leaving Rokugo in kurumas; I met
the same courteous and agreeable young doctor who was stationed at
Innai during the prevalence of kak'ke; and he invited me to visit
the hospital at Kubota; of which he is junior physician; and told
Ito of a restaurant at which 〃foreign food〃 can be obtaineda
pleasant prospect; of which he is always reminding me。
Travelling along a very narrow road; I as usual first; we met a man
leading a prisoner by a rope; followed by a policeman。 As soon as
my runner saw the latter he fell down on his face so suddenly in
the shafts as nearly to throw me out; at the same time trying to
wriggle into a garment which he had carried on the crossbar; while
the young men who were drawing the two kurumas behind; crouching
behind my vehicle; tried to scuttle into their clothes。 I never
saw such a picture of abjectness as my man presented。 He trembled
from head to foot; and illustrated that queer phrase often heard in
Scotch Presbyterian prayers; 〃Lay our hands on our mouths and our
mouths in the dust。〃 He literally grovelled in the dust; and with
every sentence that the policeman spoke raised his head a little;
to bow it yet more deeply than before。 It was all because he had
no clothes on。 I interceded for him as the day was very hot; and
the policeman said he would not arrest him; as he should otherwise
have done; because of the inconvenience that it would cause to a
foreigner。 He was quite an elderly man; and never recovered his
spirits; but; as soon as a turn of the road took us out of the
policeman's sight; the two younger men threw their clothes into the
air and gambolled in the shafts; shrieking with laughter!
On reaching Shingoji; being too tired to go farther; I was dismayed
to find nothing but a low; dark; foul…smelling room; enclosed only
by dirty shoji; in which to spend Sunday。 One side looked into a
little mildewed court; with a slimy growth of Protococcus viridis;
and into which the people of another house constantly came to
stare。 The other side opened on the earthen passage into the
street; where travellers wash their feet; the third into the
kitchen; and the fourth into the front room。 Even before dark it
was alive with mosquitoes; and the fleas hopped on the mats like
sand…flies。 There were no eggs; nothing but rice and cucumbers。
At five on Sunday morning I saw three faces pressed against the
outer lattice; and before evening the shoji were riddled with
finger…holes; at each of which a dark eye appeared。 There was a
still; fine rain all day; with the mercury at 82 degrees; and the
heat; darkness; and smells were difficult to endure。 In the
afternoon a small procession passed the house; consisting of a
decorated palanquin; carried and followed by priests; with capes
and stoles over crimson chasubles and white cassocks。 This ark;
they said; contained papers inscribed with the names of people and
the evils they feared; and the priests were carrying the papers to
throw them into the river。
I went to bed early as a refuge from mosquitoes; with the andon; as
usual; dimly lighting the room; and shut my eyes。 About nine I
heard a good deal of whispering and shuffling; which continued for
some time; and; on looking up; saw opposite to me about 40 men;
women; and children (Ito says 100); all staring at me; with the
light upon their faces。 They had silently removed three of the
shoji next the passage! I called Ito loudly; and clapped my hands;
but they did not stir till he came; and then they fled like a flock
of sheep。 I have patiently; and even smilingly; borne all out…of…
doors crowding and curiosity; but this kind of intrusion is
unbearable; and I sent Ito to the police station; much against his
will; to beg the police to keep the people out of the house; as the
house…master was unable to do so。 This morning; as I was finishing
dressing; a policeman appeared in my room; ostensibly to apologise
for the behaviour of the people; but in reality to have a
privileged stare at me; and; above all; at my stretcher and
mosquito net; from which he hardly took his eyes。 Ito says he
could make a yen a day by showing them! The policeman said that
the people had never seen a foreigner。
I。 L。 B。
LETTER XXI
The Necessity of FirmnessPerplexing MisrepresentationsGliding
with the StreamSuburban ResidencesThe Kubota HospitalA Formal
ReceptionThe Normal School。
KUBOTA; July 23。
I arrived here on Monday afternoon by the river Omono; what would
have been two long days' journey by land having been easily
accomplished in nine hours by water。 This was an instance of
forming a plan wisely; and adhering to it resolutely! Firmness in
travelling is nowhere more necessary than in Japan。 I decided some
time ago; from Mr。 Brunton's map; that the Omono must be navigable
from Shingoji; and a week ago told Ito to inquire about it; but at
each place difficulties have been started。 There was too much
water; there was too little; there were bad rapids; there were
shallows; it was too late in the year; all the boats which had
started lately were lying aground; but at one of the ferries I saw
in the distance a merchandise boat going down; and told Ito I
should go that way and no other。 On arriving at Shingoji they said
it was not on the Omono at all; but on a stream with some very bad
rapids; in which boats are broken to pieces。 Lastly; they said
there was no boat; but on my saying that I would send ten miles for
one; a small; flat…bottomed scow was produced by the Transport
Agent; into which Ito; the luggage; and myself accurately fitted。
Ito sententiously observed; 〃Not one thing has been told us on our
journey which has turned out true!〃 This is not an exaggeration。
The usual crowd did not assemble round the door; but preceded me to
the river; where it covered the banks and clustered in the trees。
Four policemen escorted me down。 The voyage of forty…two miles was
delightful。 The rapids were a mere ripple; the current was strong;
one boatman almost slept upon his paddle; the other only woke to
bale the boat when it was half…full of water; the shores were
silent and pretty; and almost without population till we reached
the large t