UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Accession No. 7 . Chss No. 
 

 f- 
 
PAGODA AND ENTRANCE TO LARGE TEMPLE, NIKKO. 
 
RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN 
 
 n 
 H. B. TRISTRAM, D.D., LL.D., F.R.S. 
 
 CANON OF DURHAM 
 
 WITH FORTY-FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS BY EDWARD WHYMPER 
 FROM SKETCHES AND PHOTOGRAPHS 
 
 AN INDEX AND A MAP 
 
 FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 
 NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO 
 
 The Religious Tract Society, London. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 AN apology may reasonably be expected for another 
 book on Japan by one who has been a mere visitor, 
 not a resident. The following pages are for the most 
 part a transcript of the author's daily journal, written 
 without any view to publication. But when, shortly 
 after his visit, the eyes of the whole world were 
 suddenly fixed upon the Land of the Eising Sun, and 
 its unexpected display of military genius and power, 
 it was suggested to him that his notes might be of 
 interest, not only as describing some parts of the 
 country seldom visited by foreigners, but as touching 
 topics not generally dealt with by previous writers. 
 
 The primary object of the author's rambles was to 
 master thoroughly the position of missionary work 
 in Japan, especially that of the Church Missionary 
 Society, and to ascertain the practical working of 
 Buddhism as compared with the Buddhism of China 
 and Ceylon. He had special advantages in being 
 accompanied by his daughter, who, from her residence 
 of some years in the country, her knowledge of the 
 language and customs, and intense sympathy with 
 
6 PREFACE 
 
 the people, enabled him to gain an insight into many 
 things which would otherwise escape the stranger's 
 notice. He trusts also that his readers will forgive 
 him, as a field naturalist, for many allusions to 
 zoology and botany. He will be well rewarded, if he 
 shall, however slightly, contribute to deepen interest 
 in a race peerless among Orientals, and destined, when 
 it has embraced that Christianity which is the only 
 root of all true civilisation, to be the Britain of the 
 Pacific. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. I. FIRST IMPRESSIONS . . . . .13 
 
 II. YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO .... 30 
 
 III. A VISIT TO NIKKO ..... 81 
 
 IY. THE HAKONE LAKE . . . .124 
 
 Y. NAGOYA ....... 164 
 
 YI. A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO . . , 195 
 
 VII. OSAKA ..... . .225 
 
 VIII. SHIKOKU ...... 247 
 
 IX. THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU. . . . 266 
 
 X. Aso SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN . 286 
 
UN 
 
 ' 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS 
 
 FAGK 
 
 PAGODA AND ENTRANCE TO LARGE TEMPLE, NIKKO Frontispiece 
 AWAZI SHIMA, ON THE INLAND SEA . .12 
 
 NAGASAKI . 17 
 
 TSUDZURA IWA ROCK, HARUKA. 28 
 
 ARIMA . 81 
 
 VEGETABLE PEDLAR. ....... 37 
 
 ASAKUSA TEMPLE, TOKIO (BUDDHIST) . . . .43 
 
 ZQJOJI-ZOZO TEMPLE 51 
 
 JAPANESE SOLDIER OF THE OLD TIME . . .56 
 
 JAPANESE BRONZE LANTERN 57 
 
 ANCIENT JAPANESE ARCHER 59 
 
 JAPANESE BUTTONS . . . . . .61 
 
 SHIBA TEMPLE, AT TOKIO 67 
 
 FOREST TREES NEAR NIKKO 80 
 
 BRIDGES NEAR NIKKO 85 
 
 JAPANESE FALCONER 95 
 
 STONE BUDDHAS NEAR NIKKO 104 
 
 LAKE OF CHUSENJI 113 
 
 BUDDHIST PRIEST 117 
 
 FUJILAMA, FROM OMIYA 125 
 
 WAYSIDE TEA-HOUSE 131 
 
 JAPANESE TRAVELLING CHAIR . 140 
 
10 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE HAKONE LAKE, FIVE THOUSAND FEET ABOVE SEA- 
 LEVEL ........ 145 
 
 OJIGOKU, OR GREAT BOILING SPRING . . . .150 
 PILGRIM GOING UP FUJIYAMA . . . . .158 
 
 NAGOYA CASTLE 167 
 
 TEMPLE AT NAGOYA, CONTAINING FIVE HUNDRED IMAGES 173 
 
 KISOGAWA RIVER .185 
 
 COLOSSAL IMAGE OF BUDDHA 194 
 
 TEMPLE AT KIOTO 199 
 
 A JAPANESE LADY 202 
 
 33,333 IMAGES, JAPAN . . . . . 205 
 
 JAPANESE SHRINE SELLERS . . . .209 
 
 WEAVING SILK .215 
 
 PLANTING OUT RICE 224 
 
 JAPANESE GIRLS, WRITING, SEWING, AND READING . 231 
 A FLOWER-STAND IN THE STREET, OSAKA . . . 244 
 LADY MISSIONARIES' HOUSE . . . . .249 
 
 THEATRE AT TOKUSHIMA ...... 251 
 
 MISSIONARY'S HOUSE AT TOKUSHIMA .... 254 
 
 MISSION ROOM, TOKUSHIMA . ... 2^5 
 
 COUNTRY BRIDGE 259 
 
 JAPANESE JUNK . . . . . . . 264 
 
 KUMAMOTO CASTLE . . . . . . .282 
 
 COUNTRY PEOPLE CARRYING FIREWOOD . . .293 
 
^J 
 ITY 
 
 KAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 CHAPTEE I 
 
 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 
 
 IMPRESSIONS are always heightened by contrast, and 
 the first impressions of Japan, striking and enchanting 
 as they must be in any case, were to me intensified 
 by the startling contrast to the lands I had just left. 
 As we stepped ashore in the lovely land-locked 
 harbour of Nagasaki, and set foot on the little islet of 
 Deshima, for two centuries and a half the only spot 
 of Japanese ground which a European might tread, 
 and those Europeans only half a dozen Dutchmen ; 
 and when one looked around on the harbour filled 
 with shipping of every great nation in the world, and 
 then on the sloping sides of the encircling rocky hills, 
 dotted with fairy-like villas, peeping out amongst a 
 labyrinth of semi-tropical trees, which overshadowed 
 clumps of brilliant flowering shrubs, it was difficult 
 to realise that only thirty-six hours before we had 
 left the monotonous mud-banks and the turbid waters 
 of the Yang-tsze-kiang. It was a veritable transfor- 
 mation scene. 
 
 The land of China, like its people, strikes one as 
 essentially unromantic, everything on a large scale, 
 
14 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 dull and prosaic, matching the inhabitants, with 
 many good qualities, solid, stolid, plodding, unimagi- 
 native in short, a matter-of-fact, business land, 
 nothing if not practical, but to a stranger's eye not 
 much beyond. At once, after spending a day in the 
 fogs of the Yellow Sea, we seemed to have stepped 
 into fairyland ; nothing grand, nothing magnificent, 
 but everything in perfect harmony, a land of minute 
 prettinesses. Well might my artist friend, who landed 
 with me soon after sunrise, exclaim as we returned 
 from our ramble through the streets : ' I should have 
 come for six months instead of one, and brought a 
 dozen sketch-books instead of two. Every step 
 provides a new picture, every child in the street has 
 an artist's eye. The little girls arrange their bouquets 
 and sachets as though they were students of Euskin ; 
 even the butchers' shops are decorated with vases and 
 flowers, as though they were Regent Street reposi- 
 tories. Every woman looks bewitching, and the 
 harmony of colours in a bright dress is a perfect 
 study. Only one thing spoils the charm, the horrid 
 intrusion of European slop tailors. While the porters 
 and coolies attract one by their picturesque dress, 
 fashion seems to demand from everyone who can 
 afford it, that he should assume European hard hat, 
 misfitting coat and trousers, and cotton gloves with 
 elongated fingers. If the women are charming, the 
 men look thorough little snobs.' I must endorse my 
 friend's criticism, even though there be plain women 
 in Japan as elsewhere. 
 
 Seaport towns, though generally the first 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 15 
 
 specimens that the traveller sees of a new country, are 
 not necessarily the truest or most attractive represen- 
 tatives of their country. No exception can be taken 
 to Nagasaki as an illustration of Southern Japan. 
 For the capacity of its roadstead, it may well rank 
 among the great harbours of the world. The entrance 
 is somewhat intricate, but when once entered under 
 the anchorage, we seemed to be in a land-locked lake 
 surrounded by villas. Looking across the harbour, 
 I was at once reminded of the Bay of Naples ; I could 
 have imagined myself gazing at Sorrento on a summer 
 morning. But our minuter inspection soon revealed 
 a difference : the general outlines might be similar, 
 but there was a finish, an exquisite variety, an absence 
 of whitewash and long stone walls, an adjusting and 
 harmonising of every detail with its surroundings, 
 which presented as fine an illustration of art conceal- 
 ing art as can be seen anywhere in the world. Every 
 tree seemed placed as if it were a necessity where it 
 grew, and where its absence must cause a disfiguring 
 gap ; the very shape of even the largest trees was 
 guided by art which Japanese understand so well, for 
 trees, like children, are there trained from their 
 youth up : whilst the houses seem to suggest that 
 they are a natural upgrowth from the rocks on 
 which they stand. 
 
 Various little islets dot the inlet. I have men- 
 tioned the most historically celebrated, Deshima, the 
 prison factory of the Dutch, where, since the expulsion 
 of the Jesuits in the beginning of the seventeenth 
 century, two Dutch ships a year were allowed to 
 
 SITY 
 
16 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 discharge and take in cargo, while the residents in 
 the factory were never allowed to leave it. The islet 
 is now united to the mainland by a causeway, and 
 might be supposed by a stranger to be merely a 
 continuation of the wharf. Near the farther end of 
 the bay a lofty island cliff rises out of the water, the 
 Tarpeian Eock of Japanese history, whence, according 
 to the received tradition, many hundred native 
 Christians, who refused to abjure their faith, were 
 hurled into the depths beneath. The calm beauty of 
 the scene to-day is indeed in strange contrast with its 
 dark traditions. 
 
 Nagasaki, though one of the smallest cities of the 
 first rank in Japan, yet from its situation and associa- 
 tions was selected as one of the treaty ports, open to 
 Europeans, and is a most convenient trading port for 
 the Southern Island of Kiushiu. It has not, however, 
 increased in importance except as a mail station, the 
 local trade being carried on at other ports. It has 
 not a large European population, but it is the centre 
 of the Church Missionary Society operations in the 
 Southern Island, which has now at length a missionary 
 bishop of its own. There is a rather handsome 
 English church outside the city, and native churches 
 within, as well as extensive schools. 
 
 The most important national establishment here 
 is a medical college, the only one in the island, which 
 bears very high reputation, and the professors in 
 which are chiefly Europeans of scientific distinction. 
 In fact, in nothing has Japan advanced more rapidly 
 than in medical education, in which she is already in 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 19 
 
 advance of some European countries. About thirty 
 of the students at the time of my visit were Christians 
 connected with the Church Missionary Society. They 
 held a devotional meeting once a week in a native 
 church for students alone, and had also one night 
 for open discussion on Buddhism and Christianity, at 
 which I happened to be present, and which was largely 
 attended. The discussion was earnest and animated, 
 though of course I could not understand a word. 
 
 It must be remembered that the island of Kiushiu 
 presents many points of contrast to the other islands, 
 both in climate, products, and character of the inhabi- 
 tants. We are rather apt to forget the great variety 
 there is in Japan on these points. With an area one- 
 tenth larger than the British Isles, and the population 
 larger in exactly the same proportion forty-four 
 millions to forty the four main islands of Japan 
 stretch slantways through sixteen degrees of latitude 
 and twenty degrees of longitude. But, owing to its 
 formation and number of. islands, it possesses a coast- 
 line more than double the extent of that of the 
 British Isles. Like them, it enjoys the advantages 
 of the warm equatorial current representing in the 
 Pacific our own Gulf Stream. 
 
 In the variety of its natural products it vastly 
 surpasses our own island group. In Yezo, the 
 Northern Island, the hill-tops are the resort of the 
 ptarmigan, identical with the bird of the Scottish 
 Highlands ; and the pine forests below are the home 
 of the hazel hen, so familiar in the Swedish dahls. 
 The great Central Island of Nippon (a name strangely 
 
 02 
 
20 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 corrupted into Japan by some of the earlier navi- 
 gators) presents us with the varied produce of 
 Northern and Central Europe, until in Kiushiu we 
 have all the semi-tropical luxuriance of Andalusia 
 and Southern Italy, and of even still more tropical 
 climes. The traveller amongst the Ainu of the north 
 may gather his bouquets of the lily of the valley and 
 various Alpine acquaintances ; whilst the wanderer 
 amongst the villages of Satsuma in the south rests in 
 the orange groves under the shade of the palm, lulled 
 by the swish of the never-resting banana-leaves. 1 
 But as the British home possessions extend to the 
 Shetlands northwards, and to the Channel Islands in 
 the south, so the empire of Japan in the Kurile 
 Islands possesses a continuation of insular territory 
 to almost Arctic limits ; while in the south the 
 archipelago of the Loochoos, connected as they are 
 with Kiushiu by an unbroken chain of islets, and 
 beyond these again the Majico Sima group, close to 
 Formosa, bring the island empire to the edge of the 
 tropics, while the acquisition of the latter has 
 brought it well within them. 
 
 The Japanese writers therefore may fairly claim 
 that their empire stretches across the Temperate 
 zone. Young Japan delights to talk of ' the Britain 
 of the Pacific,' and considering the very good opinion 
 these charming people had of themselves, even before 
 the war of 1894, we ought to take this as a great 
 compliment. And no doubt, with their vast seaboard, 
 countless harbours, and inexhaustible sea fisheries, 
 
 1 The banana lives, but does not bear fruit in Kiushiu. 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 21 
 
 they are a nation of born sailors, unapproached by 
 any other Eastern nation. A Chinaman behaves well 
 on the water so long as he has not to fight ; a Japa- 
 nese fisherman and that is half the nation is at 
 home there. The fishing industry is perhaps quite 
 as important to Japan as the raising of cereals ; for, 
 until recently, fish was the only animal food ever 
 tasted by the people, and still is exclusively so except 
 in European settlements. But I shall have much to 
 say on this subject hereafter. 
 
 Long before the war with China, popular writers 
 in Japan had set their heart upon the acquisition of 
 Formosa, which can be easily understood on studying 
 the map, and bearing in mind their maritime aspira- 
 tions. In a book in my possession, written and 
 printed in the English language at Tokio, the writer 
 urges the importance of England securing Formosa at 
 the earliest opportunity, as being the only security 
 against the designs of Eussia, who, the writer assumed, 
 was prepared to absorb that island as well as Corea 
 unless forestalled by England. 
 
 But it is not only in fisheries, it is also in minera] 
 wealth, that Japan holds a position of pre-eminence 
 which may be compared to that of Spain in Europe. 
 The coal-fields, both in the south and north, are 
 inexhaustible, and have scarcely been tapped. Even 
 though very slightly developed, the yield of her 
 copper-mines, after being worked for ages, far exceeds 
 the demand, and there is reason to believe that the 
 mineral deposits are equally rich in every department. 
 Silver, it is said, used to be comparatively the scarcest 
 
22 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 of the metals, while gold was abundant, and stories 
 are rife of the enormous fortunes made by American 
 speculators at the first opening of Japan, between 
 1854 and 1868, who bought gold in the interior for 
 twice its weight in silver. It would require, however, 
 a very cute speculator to-day to make a profit out of 
 a Japanese bullion dealer. 
 
 But enough of this preliminary digression. The 
 detention of the steamer for coaling gave me the 
 opportunity, which I did not miss, of visiting the 
 outskirts of Nagasaki, as well as examining the beauti- 
 ful manufacture of tortoiseshell articles, one of the 
 staples of the place, and which in delicacy and 
 minuteness of workmanship far surpasses the skill of 
 Naples. 
 
 The coaling was carried on in very primitive 
 fashion. The indigenous product (for the coal-mines 
 are on an island at the other end of the bay, where 
 they are worked by drifts run into the sides of the 
 cliff) is passed from the barges in small baskets, head 
 over head, by long lines of women and lads, chiefly 
 the former, up the sides of the ship, and into the 
 bunkers, while the empty mat baskets are passed 
 back with equal rapidity by a parallel line of 
 workers. 
 
 I was told that bunker coal at that time could be 
 put on board for little more than a dollar a ton. 
 Now, I believe, the price is very much higher, owing 
 to the increased demand caused by the repeated 
 strikes in England, and which have already led, 
 throughout the whole of the Pacific ports, to the 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 23 
 
 
 
 supplanting of Welsh and North of England coal by 
 the cheaper and equally useful products of Japan, 
 Vancouver Island, and even India. I have learned 
 that since my visit the Japanese coal-mining (as 
 might have been expected) has rapidly developed, 
 and likewise the quality of the coal. Certainly, what 
 we took in was very friable and dusty, but it was the 
 product of an upper seam very near the surface, 
 worked only by drifts in the side, while last year 
 the lower seams, struck by sinking shafts, have 
 yielded a superior quality. 
 
 I could not but notice the instinctive cleanliness 
 even of the women who were working at coaling the 
 ship. They had worn a sort of blue cotton poncho 
 overall and a blue towel twisted on their heads, to 
 protect their elaborately dressed hair from the dust. 
 When they rested from work they at once threw off 
 this outer cloak, carefully shook it, folded it into a 
 small roll, and then, dusting their hair and washing 
 their hands and face from the boat side, they shook 
 themselves out and were as dapper and spruce as their 
 neighbours. 
 
 As we walked on shore we were at once struck by 
 the immense variety of flowering shrubs, all, at this 
 season, one blaze of bloom, much less familiar to 
 English eyes than those of the more northern parts, 
 many of which are acclimatised at home ; but few of 
 those about Nagasaki can with us be more than 
 greenhouse exotics. 
 
 The politeness even of boatmen and jinriksha men 
 is overpowering, and the little wooden chalets which 
 
24 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 line the roads, behind their dainty little flower-plots, 
 are indeed clean and bright. 
 
 As I afterwards travelled at leisure through a great 
 part of Kiushiu, I will say no more of this Devon- 
 shire or Kent of Japan. Our voyage next was to 
 Kobe, at the northern end of the famous Inland Sea. 
 Steamers to that port from China or the Strait* 
 usually make it to the east of Shikoku, and so avoid 
 the circuitous and lengthy threading of the Inland 
 Sea, which, however, is, I believe, for beauty and love- 
 liness absolutely without a rival in the world. I do 
 not say this hastily, for I had the good fortune to 
 make the voyage three times twice from south to 
 north, and once the return voyage ; and these were 
 so timed that on one or other occasion I have tra- 
 versed every mile of that fairy sea in full sunlight. 
 Let the traveller recall the finest bits of coast scenery 
 he can recollect - - the Bay of Naples in spring, 
 Wemyss Bay on a summer's morning, a trip round 
 the Isle of Wight, threading the islands of Denmark's 
 Sounds, the luxuriance of the Sumatran coast, the 
 windings of the coral islets of Bermuda recall which- 
 ever of them you please, wait but an hour or two 
 and you will match it in the Inland Sea. 
 
 Before entering the sea itself, we were winding for 
 ten hours between the Archipelago of Goto and the 
 mainland northward, and then, turning eastwards, 
 crossed the Gulf of Genkai and steamed through 
 the narrow entrance into the Inland Sea, the 
 straits of Shimanoseki, i.e. Point of the Islands, 
 between the northern poir f . of Kiushiu and the 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 25 
 
 farthest extremity of the main island Hondo, on 
 which are the flourishing fishing and trading towns of 
 Bakan on the north and Moji on the south, the latter 
 being prepared for a powerful battery of Armstrong 
 guns. 
 
 The entrance to the sea is a narrow passage, 
 apparently not more than two miles wide. It was a 
 lovely morning as we entered. The whole scene 
 baffles description : islands, bays, terrace-ribbed hills, 
 woods of stately cryptomerias, wooden villages 
 nestling in every recess the distant ones, to use a 
 very unpoetic simile, looking like clumps of mush- 
 rooms under the green ridges. The sea, resplendent 
 as a mirror, was without a ripple, fleets of fishing 
 junks were dotted about everywhere, sea birds, many 
 species new to me in life, clumsily splashing out of 
 our way, and diving about fearlessly on all sides. In 
 these latter we were fortunate, for I saw comparatively 
 few birds on subsequent visits. But the winter 
 emigrants had not yet started for their summer homes. 
 There were mergansers in great numbers, grebes of 
 various species, and countless myriads of the Pacific 
 species of puffins, shearwaters, guillemots and crested 
 auks. There were also abundance of sea-ducks, 
 scoters, scaups. It was simply a fairy scene which 
 passes description. But alas ! just at one of the 
 finest points a dense fog abruptly met us, followed 
 by a downpour of rain. The only thing was tc 
 anchor at once, till the fog should lift. 
 
 The scenery was equally enchanting during the 
 whole of the rest of the voyage, but even beauty 
 
26 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 unvaried becomes monotonous, and we did not murmur 
 at sunset robbing us of our scenery, nor rebel at the 
 thought of retiring to our berths. Soon after dawn 
 we could make our destination, the harbour of Kobe ; 
 very different from Nagasaki, comparatively more of 
 an open roadstead, and a long straggling city, the 
 most part of low wooden houses, with a few handsome 
 terraces of stone houses, built European fashion, in 
 front. Behind it on the south-east rises a range of 
 hills about 1,000 feet high, on the lower slopes of 
 which part of the town is built. A further range rising 
 to 2,000 feet is the favourite summer resort of the 
 inhabitants, known as Arima. To the northward 
 extends a low, flat, uninteresting country of monoto- 
 nous paddy-fields. We had to anchor far out, but 
 European and Chinese harbour extortions do not 
 appear to have reached Japan. We soon secured a 
 little sampan, which tossed about very much like an 
 empty tub, but landed us at the custom house for the 
 moderate fare of 2^d. each. The customs exami- 
 nation was not rigorous, the officers being politeness 
 itself, and though sorely puzzled by a tiger's skull 
 and anteater's scaly covering, and amused by 
 specimens of Chinamen's clothes, yet passed every- 
 thing, even the prohibited Chinese embroidery, on 
 my assuring them it was not for purposes of trade, 
 but for presents to friends, and that I should buy far 
 more in Japan. Then an officer observed to my 
 daughter, who had come down from Osaka to join me 
 here, ' Your father's friends will see how much better 
 things there are in Japan than in China/ 
 
TSUDZURA TWA ROCK. HARUNA. 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 29 
 
 The sketches which accompany this chapter, taken, 
 as they are, from photographs, will explain much 
 better than any description the varied character of 
 the scenery of the Inland Sea. We may note the re- 
 markable ingenuity with which pines of various kinds 
 have been coaxed to grow on the top of every little 
 isolated rock and out of the sides of every cliff. The 
 pines being rooted in the cracks or crevices of the 
 cliffs, are cleverly trained laterally to the desired 
 length, and in the distance may be seen the solitary 
 pine which, like a monument, crowns an isolated 
 rock ; while the fishing village nestled under the 
 trees, with the boats drawn up in perfect security in 
 the little cove which no storms can disturb, is a type 
 of a thousand others which dot the shores of Japan. 
 In some places somewhat lofty mountains approach 
 the coast, especially on the east or Shikoku side ; for 
 a few hours after leaving the straits we pass the 
 north-eastern point of Kiushiu, and are flanked on 
 the eastward by the adjoining island of Shikoku, the 
 fourth in importance of the Japanese group. The 
 rocks of these mountains, chiefly igneous, often 
 present very grotesque forms. It is difficult to 
 imagine a more exact representation of a human bust 
 than a rock in the forest of Haruna, as shown in the 
 illustration. 
 
30 GAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 ' 
 
 YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 
 
 OUR steamer was to remain a day at Kobe, so we 
 took the opportunity of spending the time at Osaka, 
 the Manchester of Japan, only twenty miles from 
 Kobe (accessible by frequent trains on a very 
 European-looking railway). 
 
 For some little distance we ran along the foot of 
 the hills, amongst which nestles out of sight Arima, 
 the favourite summer resort, with its mineral springs 
 and waterfalls. We soon, however, left the hills 
 and crossed a monotonous plain intersected by a 
 rectangular network of dykes and ditches, reminding 
 one very much of the country between Haarlem and 
 Amsterdam, and with cultivation yielding nothing 
 in neatness and cleanliness to the Dutch. 
 
 Most of the compartments were paddy that is, 
 rice fields, in a few of which the green blades 
 were appearing above the black mud. But a very 
 large number of the fields were cropped with rape 
 just now in full bloom, one mass of golden yellow, 
 and patches of cotton just budding, giving the 
 whole plain the appearance of a chequered carpet 
 spangled with yellow and green. 
 
 An hour brought us to Osaka, of which more anon. 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 33 
 
 But to the stranger who had just landed, the ways 
 of the folk, their clean houses, lavish use of flowers, 
 chubby clean children, with either dolls or babies 
 strapped to their backs, pretty, bright women and 
 girls, picturesque balconied houses, canals full of 
 boats crossing the streets continually all was novel 
 and charming. But as I shall have occasion to write 
 more of Osaka, and describe the missionary work, 
 of which it is the centre, later on, I shall say no 
 more at present. 
 
 We returned to Kobe, and re -embarked on board 
 the magnificent Canadian-Pacific steamer Empress of 
 India, Captain Marshall, R.N.R., and weighed anchor 
 about midnight. Consequently we missed the coast 
 scenery, and the next day, as it was blowing a gale 
 of wind, we stood out to sea, and only had distant 
 views of the mountain ranges. The following 
 morning we landed at Yokohama. 
 
 This, the place where many travellers first touch 
 Japan, the first treaty port, and the port of Tokio, 
 the capital, owes its importance entirely to foreign 
 trade. It was merely a fishing village in 1854, but 
 now a magnificent esplanade of splendid houses in 
 the European style faces the sea, not at all Japanese 
 in their character. On both sides a straggling 
 native town of mean wooden shanties extends along 
 the shore ; whilst behind, a bold eminence, known 
 as the Bluff, within the limits of the foreign con- 
 cession, is covered with handsome villas, gardens, 
 and winding drives. For the stranger who wishes 
 to see the Japan of the Japanese, Yokohama can 
 
 D 
 
34 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 have but few attractions ; the miscellaneous crowd 
 drawn to a great seaport being by no means im- 
 proved by contact with foreigners, but too often 
 imitating the vices they see, and losing their native 
 simplicity. At the same time the emporiums on and 
 near the esplanade contain by far the finest assort- 
 ment of Japanese wares and curios, at the best 
 prices, to be found in the empire. 
 
 Amidst much in the port that is distressing to 
 a Christian Englishman to hear of and witness, I 
 must not omit to mention a specially bright spot, the 
 Sailors' Home, combined with the missions to seamen 
 afloat, under the direction of the admirable chaplain, 
 the Kev. W. T. Austin, and his indefatigable wife- 
 Dormitories, dining-room, and recreation-room are all 
 well furnished, whilst an attractive reading-room is 
 more liberally supplied with papers, magazines, and 
 light reading than one often finds out of England ; 
 many of the merchants and agents who are indifferent 
 about evangelistic efforts being very willing to con- 
 tribute to this branch of the work. It was pleasing 
 to see how many American and English sailors 
 appreciated the place. I had not an opportunity of 
 seeing the work of the American missionaries in the 
 native town, of which I heard good reports. 
 
 As an illustration of American enterprise, the first 
 letter that was handed to me before I left the ship 
 was one from a dealer in birdskins, who had seen my 
 name in the passenger list, and, recognising me as a 
 naturalist, sent a special invitation on board by his 
 agent. I must confess he was rewarded for his pains. 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 35 
 
 In order to see the city we embarked in jinrikshas, 
 the universal hansom cabs of Japan. They are, in 
 fact, a light armchair with a hood, on a pair of 
 bicycle wheels, with long shafts, and a coolie running 
 between them. It was long before I could reconcile 
 myself to the sensation of being dragged about by a 
 brother man, but it is really the only mode of locomo- 
 tion, except one's own legs, possible in this country 
 outside the railways, and as a Japanese once said to 
 me, ' Why should you object to a man-drawn carriage ' 
 (literal translation of jinriksha), ' when you have no 
 objection to being pulled by a man in a boat ? ' 
 
 Towards evening we went by rail to Tokio. The 
 railway system is much on the American plan, with 
 the important exception that there are always three 
 classes of carriages ; but most are long and open 
 down the centre, and well ventilated. The country 
 through which we passed was rich and thoroughly 
 cultivated. On one side, the Bay of Tokio studded 
 with shipping, a rice-covered plain intervening. On 
 the other, a range of low hills with picturesque brown 
 wooden cottages, frequent little temples and shrines 
 marked by the Shinto gateway, one of the universal 
 features of Japan ; and orchards of fruit-trees. On 
 one part of the plain was an expanse of pear-trees, all 
 trained on trellises like the vines of Italy, and in full 
 bloom ; the peach and cherry were everywhere in the 
 glory of full blossom. In fact, it is chiefly for the 
 blossom that these fruit-trees are cultivated. The 
 plums are little better than sloes, the cherries very 
 small, and the peaches poor. So little are the fruits 
 
 D 2 
 
36 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 appreciated that there are more double-blossoming 
 than single-blossoming trees, and the blossom by 
 cultivation has been developed to three times the 
 size of the corresponding bloom at home the cherry 
 bloom often attaining the size of our wild rose, and 
 the peach that of a double daisy. There was nothing 
 grand on the route, but everything attractive, neat, 
 clean, and sweet, perfectly in keeping with the bright 
 little folk who cover the land. We found ourselves 
 the only foreigners in the long American car, and 
 whilst my daughter talked to some girls, a young 
 Japanese came and sat by me, and tried to air his 
 English, which was very scanty, and which at first I 
 did not recognise, but which pleased him mightily. 
 From the station we rode in jinrikshas through 
 wide streets with the most picturesque-roofed, one- 
 storeyed houses, and open shops decked in the gayest 
 colours. All was wood, paint, and paper. It was 
 really like living on a Japanese screen. Canals 
 almost as numerous as streets ; and by the side of 
 all this old-world quaintness, tramways and 'buses, 
 telegraph poles one of which carried sixty-four 
 wires as I counted them and here and there the 
 whistle of engines, and the chimneys of factories ; 
 now and then little boulevards with rows of peach- 
 trees, one blaze of bloom. 
 
 Tokio that is the east capital was known as 
 Yedo until 1868, when the Mikado took up his 
 residence there instead of at Kioto or Saikio, the 
 west capital. It is a vast place extending many 
 miles, and having a population of one million three 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 39 
 
 hundred and eighty-nine thousand souls, but very 
 flat, the greater part of its area having been recovered 
 from the sea within the last three centuries ; the 
 favourite quarter of Shiba on a low ridge being the 
 Highgate and Hampstead of the place. 
 
 We were quartered for a few days at Tsukiji, in 
 the European concession, with a hospitable friend, the 
 Kev. J. Williams, of the Church Missionary Society. 
 Missionaries in Japan have a great advantage in that 
 the people are not jealous of Christian, but rather of 
 foreign, influences, and keenly appreciate the value of 
 education. The educational system in Japan, whether 
 elementary, secondary, or higher, is very complete 
 and perfectly organised. The government subsidises 
 it liberally, and Christians are perfectly untrammelled, 
 while there are Christian professors in the University, 
 and Christian masters in the schools. The empress, 
 who takes a lively interest in education, has estab- 
 lished a college for ladies with handsome buildings, 
 where the daughters of the nobility resort. 
 
 The strange juxtaposition of East and West, of 
 indigenous and European civilisation, never ceases 
 to impress one : all the women in native bright 
 costume, many of the men in European dress more 
 or less well fitting. But still the native costume 
 predominates in Tokio. Everyone carries his insignia 
 embroidered on the back of his blouse or coat : 
 employes have the name of the firm in huge hiero 
 glyphics or Chinese characters covering the whole 
 of their back ; gentlemen always have their crest 
 embroidered about the size of a dollar between their 
 
40 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 shoulders. The huge hieroglyphics on the backs of 
 the labouring men are supposed to be the distortions 
 of ancient Chinese characters, though even the 
 learned are now unable to decipher them. The 
 armorial bearings of the gentry are rigidly hereditary. 
 The Japanese have a very ancient and highly sys- 
 tematised heraldry, quite distinct in its idea from our 
 bearings and shields, and taken chiefly from leaves 
 and flowers. Thus the ordinary imperial crest, as 
 emblazoned on all the Mikado's carriages, is the 
 chrysanthemum ; and another, the more official, crest 
 is the blossom of the paulonia, consisting of three 
 upright spikes of blossom, like that of the horse- 
 chestnut, in a row, with three leaves hanging down 
 below. The insignia of the latest Shogun dynasty 
 was a trefoil taken from a large species of the herb 
 Paris. The Shoguns, or mayors of the palace, were 
 commonly known to Europeans before the opening of 
 Japan as Tycoons, a corruption of the Chinese Tai 
 Kwon, i.e. great general. These crests or badges are 
 impressed on all the old porcelain and bronze, and 
 indicate at once in what district or under what 
 Daimio the article was manufactured. 
 
 The palace of the emperor, with its widely ex- 
 tended parks and moats, occupies the site of the old 
 castle and grounds of the Shoguns. The park is 
 surrounded by a wide and deep moat, the enclosing 
 walls of which are of enormous cyclopean masonry. 
 In places it is almost choked with lotus and several 
 species of water lily, and crowded with wild duck, 
 amongst which the beautiful mandarin duck is most 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 41 
 
 conspicuous. Within the moat are the old magnifi- 
 cent walls, absolutely impregnable before the days of 
 gunpowder. Passing over a drawbridge and through 
 the gateway, we enter the outer radius, laid out as 
 a beautifully kept park. Within this are a second 
 moat and encircling walls, quite as wide and massive 
 as the outer circuit. Within these again are the 
 private grounds, gardens, and palace of the emperor. 
 I should have mentioned that in the outer park, after 
 crossing the first moat on the right, was the debris of 
 an extensive range of wooden buildings which had 
 lately been destroyed by fire, and which, with the 
 usual promptness of Japan, crowds of workmen were 
 busily employed in clearing away : already they had 
 commenced their reconstruction. These ruins were 
 those of the first Parliament-house of Japan, which, 
 having closely imitated the English Constitution in 
 its two houses of Legislature, of which the upper 
 is partly hereditary and partly nominated for life, 
 further imitated us in the burning down of its first 
 St. Stephen's, though after a much shorter experience. 
 We can only trust that the carefully devised institu- 
 tions of Japan may be more permanent than their 
 first home. 
 
 Beyond the site of the Parliament-houses is a wide 
 parade ground, answering to our St. James's Park. 
 On the other side of the park is a vast range of 
 buildings, the offices of the various government 
 departments, in which our own subdivisions of the 
 Treasury, Home Office, Education, etc., etc., have 
 been pretty closely followed. Here also is the 
 
42 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 government printing office, and the manufactory 
 of bank-note paper, which, is a legal currency. 
 Strangers are permitted to see the printing office. 
 
 The palace itself was not open to visitors when we 
 were there, as it was occupied by the emperor. In 
 its outline it follows the antique Japanese architec- 
 ture, while a great part of it is internally furnished 
 after the European fashion. 
 
 Just beyond the outer moat of the imperial park 
 is situated the British legation. I cannot sufficiently 
 acknowledge the courtesy and kindness of our 
 minister, the late Mr. Frazer, whose recent death we 
 have to deplore ; through whose kind efforts we at 
 once obtained special passports enabling us for six 
 months to travel wherever we pleased, without being 
 troubled by the police authorities, a favour which is 
 very rarely granted, and which caused us to be the 
 envy of many of our compatriots. I had letters to 
 Count Ito, and recommendations from the Foreign 
 Office as a scientific man much interested in educa- 
 tional work. These proved of great value in my 
 rambles. 
 
 Our next day's sight-seeing was an expedition to 
 Uyeno, the Hyde Park or South Kensington of Tokio. 
 Here have been held three national industrial exhibi- 
 tions. Of course, as we had a journey of some miles 
 across the city, we made the expedition in jinrikshas, 
 or, as they are commonly called by the Japanese, 
 kurumas, I now experienced for the first, but not 
 the last, time the tantalising inconvenience of this 
 Japanese mode of travelling. There were four of us 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 45 
 
 in a line, quite unable to converse, while I, seeing 
 every minute new and perplexing sights, with my 
 daughter just in front of me, but quite unable to ask 
 her a question, was obliged to be content with the 
 contemplation of the back of her hat. The speed 
 which our coolies keep up is really amazing. They 
 maintain the rate of five miles an hour, and fre- 
 quently a greater speed if the distance be short. 
 OQ one occasion two men with one kuruma kept 
 up this speed for four hours without a moment's 
 halt. At length, as we approached Uyeno, we came 
 to a slight ascent, and were very glad to get out 
 and walk, though one frequently finds that the men 
 consider the attempt to walk uphill a slight upon 
 their powers, and try to prevent one from alighting. 
 Entering the park, we visited the Technical Museum, 
 that of Natural History, and that of Japanese 
 Antiquities. 
 
 The Natural History Museum is only in its in- 
 fancy, and the industrial department gives a very good 
 illustration of the various manufactures, textile, metal, 
 porcelain and lacquer, of the country. But the 
 national antiquities are such as can be seen and 
 studied nowhere else. They begin by the stone 
 arrow-heads, spear-heads, celts, and pottery of the pre- 
 historic period, differing very slightly from our own. 
 Some of the rude pierced ornaments and beads are 
 still in use in the Loochoo Islands, and of exactly the 
 same shape, thus giving us one of the very few indica- 
 tions we possess as to the origin of the early inhabi- 
 tants of Japan. Next follow, as in Western Europe, 
 
46 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 the mirrors, utensils, and weapons of the bronze 
 period, with pottery of a less rude character. Then 
 follow a large collection of various articles, and of 
 pottery figures of men, horses, and birds, which were 
 found in great quantities inside the funereal mound 
 of one of the earlier emperors. The next hall is 
 devoted to antiquities of the historic period, the 
 earliest certain date being A.D. 708, from which period 
 downwards there is a fine collection of coins ; the 
 ancient coins were not circular, but oblong, some of 
 the gold ones very large and covered with hiero- 
 glyphics, but no busts. The other antiquities are 
 chiefly of Buddhist origin ; but one of the most in- 
 teresting collections is that of the Christian relics, 
 especially those brought by the embassy sent to Eome 
 by the Prince of Sendai, A.D. 1614. 
 
 There is an amusing difference in the Japanese 
 and Eoman versions of this embassy. The European 
 writers state that the envoy went on the part of the 
 Shogun to recognise the supremacy of the pope, who 
 in return presented him with the freedom of the city 
 of Rome and loaded him with presents. The Japanese, 
 on the contrary, state that the Shogun sent the envoy 
 in order to report upon the political power and 
 military strength of the European nations. Amongst 
 the relics is a Latin deed conferring on Hashikura the 
 freedom of the city of Eome, a picture of him in 
 prayer before the crucifix in his European costume, 
 and copies of the prince's letters to the pope in 
 Japanese and Latin. By the side of these are shown 
 the trampling boards i.e. large metal slabs, with 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 47 
 
 figures of the Virgin and Child, and of the different 
 incidents of the Passion on which suspected 
 Christians were compelled to trample in order to 
 testify their abjuration of Christianity. This collec- 
 tion must be one of the most touching interest to 
 every Christian. 
 
 In other halls are exhibited the quaint furniture 
 and trappings used by the Mikado and Shogun and 
 their courts up to the time of the present generation. 
 The most curious are an ancient bullock carriage and 
 palanquins, most richly carved and gilded, as well 
 as the state barge used by the Shoguns. These 
 bullock carriages bear the same relation to the kuruma 
 of to-day that the state coach of Queen Elizabeth 
 does to a modern landau. There was also the throne 
 of the ancient Mikados, with the rich silk hangings 
 that used to conceal him from the gaze of his subjects, 
 who were only allowed to see his feefc. Some of the 
 state carriages are three hundred years old, and the 
 lacquer work and porcelain jars are of untold value. 
 There is, besides, a fine collection of old Japanese 
 armour and swords. 
 
 We went next to the Zoological Gardens, which 
 are only in their infancy. Two sheep in a cage 
 between some small bears on the one side and leopards 
 on the other were evidently the most popular 
 curiosity. They were taken for lions, and when they 
 bleated some of the children exclaimed, ' Lions 
 
 roaring ! 
 
 "We then went on to a very fine Shinto temple, the 
 arrangement consisting of various separate buildings. 
 
48 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 Facing the shrine of the central temple was a large 
 hall, quite open in front ; in fact, the stage of a 
 theatre, with roof and walls of wood most gorgeously 
 carved, gilded and painted. A play was being per- 
 formed. All the actors were men dressed in antique 
 costume ; all wore masks, some of them grotesque, 
 and there was much pantomime and recitation. The 
 theatricals seemed to resemble what I had seen in 
 Chinese temples, and, evidently connected more or 
 less directly with the worship, reminded me of what 
 one reads of the miracle plays of the Middle Ages. 
 
 We turned round the temple shrine was just in 
 front of us, much like another stage, almost the 
 counterpart of the theatre. Within the shrine was 
 only a large circular disc or mirror of burnished 
 metal, with long strips of white paper suspended from 
 inscribed tablets on either side. In front of it a 
 lavish display of lights burning ; a number of priests 
 in green vestments with strange instruments, all 
 sitting on the elevated platform and producing weird 
 music ; below this dais the people kneeling in prayer, 
 frequently clapping their hands ; while the whole 
 sacrarium was covered with small coins, called rin, 
 the value of each being the twentieth of a penny, 
 which the people threw, aiming them at a large box 
 placed in the middle of the sanctuary. This we 
 found was a great, function the anniversary of the 
 death of one of the Shoguns. 
 
 The Shinto worship is utterly different from the 
 Taouism of China, and has none of its gross idolatry. 
 In some respects it is analogous to the old Persian 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 49 
 
 fire worship, the mirror representing the sun, who 
 himself is the representative of the invisible Deity, 
 while the Mikado is the human representative of the 
 sun, and therefore, in some degree, a partaker of the 
 divine nature. Nor is this all the meaning of the 
 mirror, the great feature of Shinto worship. In it 
 man is supposed to see his own heart mirrored, and, 
 comparing it with the purity of the white paper by 
 its side, to see wherein he fails, and correct it. A 
 Japanese was supposed to be superior to any moral 
 code ; one glance at his heart was sufficient, and 
 he would certainly reform himself. 
 
 Close by are the tombs of the Shoguns, with two 
 mortuary temples. The carving and gilding of these 
 temples is lavishly rich in barbaric splendour. The 
 whole structure is exclusively of wood, the ground 
 colour of everything being painted red, upon which 
 the most skilful native art has been lavishly employed 
 both in painting and sculpture. Their open-work 
 carving of birds and flowers, the symbolic chrysan- 
 themum predominating, is mingled with the richest 
 arabesques; the columns are wreathed with plum- 
 blossoms in red and gold, the beams with lions' heads 
 also in red and gold. Within the shrines are memo- 
 rial tablets, sumptuous specimens of the most costly 
 gold lacquer, commemorating the dead. Another 
 temple contains the shrines of the mothers of eight 
 Shoguns. Amongst the fantastic animals which 
 decorate the panels of these buildings I was surprised 
 to notice both the unicorn and the phoenix, probably 
 suggested in the sixteenth century by the intercourse 
 
 E 
 
 '&*- 
 
50 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 of Japan with Western Europe. An even finer 
 temple than these formerly existed on the site of 
 the museum, but was burnt down five-and-twenty 
 years ago, during a battle fought in this park 
 between the troops of the Mikado and those of the 
 last Shogun. 
 
 Passing from the temples, we walked under a 
 gorgeous avenue of cherry-trees, just now in full 
 blossom and at this time the great attraction of Tokio. 
 It is difficult to describe the exquisite beauty of the 
 pink cherry-blossom. It is like nothing else, and has 
 been called ' uniquely beautiful.' One looks up and 
 the air seems filled with pink clouds. The natives, 
 with their instinctive eye for beauty, are never tired 
 of these promenades. On one occasion, when we 
 were making an excursion, our kurunla men begged 
 to be allowed to take us round by the cherry avenue. 
 When we replied that it would be more than a mile 
 out of our way, the men said they would charge us 
 nothing more if we would only go, for the beauty of 
 the place would abundantly reward them. I have 
 not met with a London cabman with such an appreci- 
 ation of the beauty of our parks in spring. One of 
 the striking features of the Uyeno temples are the 
 colossal bronze standard lanterns, some of them eight 
 or ten feet high, which are placed singly or in rows 
 leading up to the temple. Immense stone lanterns 
 of the same model often occur in various temple 
 grounds. It is difficult to estimate the enormous 
 value of the metal of the solid bronze masses. They 
 are the gift of various great Daimios or other rich 
 
E 2 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 53 
 
 men to the memory of the Shoguns, and each lantern 
 has the name of the donor inscribed upon it. 
 
 After these reminiscences of the Japan of the past, 
 I spent two days in visiting the University of Tokio, 
 the embryo Japan of the future. The Imperial 
 University is intended for the whole country, and is 
 the only university in the empire. All students must 
 have previously passed through one of the three great 
 colleges, which are supported by the government, and 
 of which there is one in the island of Kiushiu and two 
 in Hondo. There are more than 1,300 students at 
 the university. I met a number of professors, most 
 of them native gentlemen, graduates of Cambridge, 
 Leipsic, and Harvard, amongst them a wrangler and 
 two English professors, both Fellows of the Royal 
 Society. I had an introduction to Dr. Ijima, the head 
 of the zoological department, where there is really a 
 fine national collection, and the nucleus of a good 
 general museum. I was invited to dine in the 
 common-room with the professors, who all spoke 
 English fluently. The dinner, however, was not 
 purely Japanese, for knives and forks and European 
 as well as native dishes were generally patronised. 
 The students do not reside in college, nor is there any 
 collegiate discipline. They appeared generally to 
 wear a dress modified from our cap and gown. 
 
 I was much interested with the botanic gardens, 
 and learned a good deal from the curator, as well as 
 from the gardeners who happened to be employed by 
 my host, of the Japanese arts of dwarfing, transplant- 
 ing, and distorting trees and shrubs. They success- 
 
54 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 fully transplant forest trees at any age. They have 
 dwarf pines, cryptomerias, maples, and oranges, living 
 and healthy, only a few inches high, with leaves 
 blossom, fruit, all equally liliputian, in perfect pro- 
 portion. They are extremely fond of the grotesque 
 and artificial How the double blossoms and the 
 spotted foliage plants, of which they are so fond, are 
 produced, I was not able to ascertain. Most effective 
 are the trees, maples and others, in which the foliage 
 of each branch is of a different colour. Thus I have 
 seen a well-grown maple-tree with seven large limbs, 
 each having foliage of a different hue, varying from 
 dark copper to pink and greenish- white this, of 
 course, by grafting. The trees that are intended to 
 be dwarfed are placed in pots alongside of a wire 
 frame ; it may be two or three feet in height, or 
 perhaps only a few inches. This frame represents the 
 exact number, shape, and size of the branches the 
 tree is to be allowed to have ; and every branch is 
 bound to the wire or else cut off. The roots are 
 carefully pruned and confined, and the young foliage 
 is unceasingly nipped off. The transplanting of full- 
 grown trees was very simple. The roots were simply 
 laid bare, taking especial care to preserve the most 
 delicate fibres, and, as soon as the earth has been 
 cleared away by the fingers or sticks, not with spades, 
 lest they should be bruised, each bunch of rootlets is 
 confined in a little cotton bag. I have seen a tree 
 moved in this way which required twenty men to 
 move it with rollers. When the tree is placed in 
 its new position, the bags are unloosed one by one, 
 
JAPANESE SOLDIER OF THE OLD TIME. 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 
 
 and fine, pulverised soil carefully sprinkled between 
 the fibres, no rootlet being allowed to touch another. 
 They attach great importance to the work of trans- 
 planting, which is always begun in the evening, being 
 completed before the heat of the next day. However, 
 Japanese gardening is an art which it evidently 
 requires years to master, and which would well repay 
 the student of plant life. 
 
 Charming as are the buildings and scenery of 
 Uyeno, they are certainly in almost every point 
 excelled by those of Shiba, 
 situated at the southern 
 end, as Uyeno is at the 
 northern, of the great city. 
 We spent portions of several 
 days in visiting this maze 
 of gardens, temples, and 
 tombs. The great street 
 leading to it contains the 
 most interesting shops of 
 every kind, the type of 
 which is but little spoiled 
 by European innovations. 
 Here is the Wardour Street 
 of Tokio. 
 
 I was most attracted by 
 the fine collections of the ancient armour, now 
 alas, for picturesque quaintness ! utterly discarded. 
 As one watched the nimble battalions of little rifle- 
 men marching through the streets on their way to or 
 from parade in their Frenchified uniform, and now 
 
 JAPANESE BRONZE LANTERN. 
 
58 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 read of their prowess against their hereditary rivals, 
 we could hardly realise that not only the grand- 
 fathers but the fathers of these dapper little men 
 had paraded these same streets in all the glory of 
 their medieval accoutrements, weighted with chain 
 armour and steel helmets, and girt with their two 
 swords. 
 
 The collections of old armour and swords in these- 
 shops were to me as fascinating as a display of the 
 fashions in Regent Street to an English belle, while 
 the prices, as far as I could judge, were extremely 
 moderate. I made many purchases at a price really 
 less than the value of the material. Amongst the 
 most beautiful specimens of Japanese art were the 
 richly inlaid guards of the swords, elaborately worked 
 in gold or silver in endless artistic devices. Some of 
 the sheaths also were exquisitely ornamented in the 
 same fashion. In fact, ancient armour was at this 
 time a drug in the market, many of the poorer 
 Samurai being compelled to part with their treasured 
 accoutrements for rice. We purchased several swords 
 of very fine temper for moderate prices, but the work 
 of some of the celebrated artificers of these blades 
 still commands a fancy price, their reputation sur- 
 passing the reputation of the finest Damascus blades. 
 The names of some few of these artificers are handed 
 down for many generations, and their blades, which 
 are marked and recognised, are treasured as a 
 Stradivarius would be by a musical connoisseur. 
 
 There were also for sale large collections of nitsuki, 
 or ivory carvings a kind of large button used for 
 
ANCIENT JAPANESE AKCHEB. 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 
 
 61 
 
 fastening the inevitable pipe and pouch into the 
 girdle. Some of these are exquisitely carved, and 
 are masterpieces of art mice nearly life size, 
 squirrels and various small animals in all sorts 
 
 JAPANESE BUTTONS. 
 
 of attitudes, where the artist has indulged his 
 lively fancy in every form of grotesque humour. 
 These sculptured nitsuki are pierced with two holes, 
 through which a silk cord is passed, on which used 
 to be hung little bags of flint and steel, tobacco 
 
62 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 and bamboo pipe with its tiny brass bowl. The flint, 
 steel, and tinder-box are of course now superseded by 
 matches. The grotesque generally preponderates in 
 these nitsuki, but many of them are historical figures 
 or illustrations of domestic life. In fact, from these 
 carvings one may get as complete an idea of Japanese 
 life as we may of Egyptian from the frescoes by the 
 Nile. Ivory has evidently been a most abundant 
 material in Japan until recently, but it is not the 
 ivory of the elephant from India. It is said to have 
 been imported from Corea, whither it had been 
 brought from the shores of the Arctic Ocean, strewn 
 with the tusks of the prehistoric mammoth. 
 
 Being in search of a butterfly-net, or the where- 
 withal to make it, I was directed to the shop of a 
 dealer in fishing-tackle. It was interesting to find 
 that the trout and salmon of Japan succumb to the 
 same wiles as their fellows in Northern Europe. But 
 while the flies were home-made, the hooks themselves 
 were all supplied from Red ditch, the wares of which 
 have completely supplanted the native manufacture. 
 Gaudy salmon flies, brown palmers, and other familiar 
 types, recalled, in that far-off land, the memories of 
 many a Northumbrian ' burn.' We found, too, a 
 taxidermist's shop ; for the study of Nature in all its 
 branches, botany especially, was appreciated by the 
 Japanese long before the country was opened to inter- 
 course with Europe. While rummaging his stores, I 
 came across an excessively rare bird from the Loochoo 
 Islands, of which only two or three specimens had 
 ever reached Europe. I had found his prices very 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 63 
 
 moderate, but for this he asked me five dollars. I 
 demurred to the price, but I have always found the 
 Japanese are at once fetched by a joke ; and so, when 
 he told me that the dealer in live birds across the 
 street asked twenty-five dollars for a living bird, I 
 replied, through my daughter, that such a good man 
 as he was worth a thousand dollars when alive, but I 
 would be sorry to give ten for him when dead. The 
 dealer threw himself back, laughing heartily at the 
 joke, and said I might have it for a dollar. 
 
 But nothing in this street was more interesting to 
 me than the shops of the dealers in live birds. I have 
 never been able to ascertain how the Japanese succeed 
 in keeping in captivity many species which with us 
 pine and perish in confinement. One of the commonest 
 cage-birds is the titmouse, all the species of which, 
 several of them identical with, or closely allied to, our 
 own, as the great, marsh, and cole-tits, seem most 
 happy and healthy in their little bamboo prisons. 
 The Japanese robin, a close cousin of our own, and 
 only to be distinguished by his under-parts being 
 steel-grey where ours are white, is also a very favourite 
 cage-bird. I often thought, when I saw robins, 
 titmice, warblers, and the like, singing brightly and 
 evidently at their ease in their cages birds which we 
 never, or very rarely, succeed in domesticating that 
 there must be something very sympathetic in the 
 Japanese nature, some magnetic attraction between 
 them and the birds, which is foreign to our more 
 phlegmatic Western nature. I was struck, too, by 
 the contrast, in appearance and plumage, between the 
 
64 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 sprightly cage-birds of Japan and the draggled, 
 miserable-looking captives which I have seen in the 
 Chinese bazaars. But the Japanese cultivates his 
 captives because he loves them ; the Chinaman entraps 
 them to trade with the foreigner. The abundance of 
 swallows skimming in all the streets, and threading 
 their rapid flight between the heads of the passers-by, 
 must strike the most unobservant. Scarcely a house 
 or shop in Tokio is without one pair at least of these 
 cheery little summer residents. They are of two 
 species, one scarcely to be distinguished from our own 
 chimney swallow, the other the red-rumped swallow, 
 almost as abundant, but easily to be distinguished by 
 the bright red of the lower back, and its streaked 
 throat and breast. There being no chimneys, both 
 species adapt themselves to circumstances and build 
 on the rafters and ledges of the houses and shops, 
 within reach of any passer-by, flitting in and out with 
 the fearlessness of domestic pets. To molest them 
 would be a crime equal to rudeness to a fellow- 
 creature. And in order to prevent any dirt or untidi- 
 ness, a thin board is carefully suspended under every 
 nest, and daily cleaned. Our chimney swallow finds 
 a ledge to build his open nest, but the other attaches 
 bis mud structure to the roof, after the fashion of 
 our window martin, and for greater security adds a 
 funnel-shaped passage about a foot long of the same 
 material. Hence they are called in the country ' the 
 bottle swallows.' 
 
 But we have lingered long on the way to Shiba ! 
 Shiba has a charm of its own in the fact of its being 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 65 
 
 on rising ground ; and the magnificent and noble trees 
 certainly are an exception to the ordinary diminutive- 
 ness of most things in Japan. As a friend remarked 
 when he had first seen an avenue of gigantic crypto- 
 merias, ' It is worth coming to Japan to see the 
 cryptomeria at home.' The floral glories of the islands 
 were at their height. The glowing sheets of colour 
 covered the double-blossoming cherries and peaches 
 of every hue, from the deepest crimson to the purest 
 white, in great masses ; and then the cryptomerias, 
 maples, Salisburias, and other trees, with their pale 
 and dark foliage, were grouped artistically in a way 
 of which we have no conception. 
 
 But the central attractions of Shiba are the shrines, 
 sacred to the memory of Shoguns of the Tokugawa 
 family, six of whom are buried at Uyeno, two at 
 Nikko, and six at Shiba, whilst the last deposed 
 prince is still living. These shrines are of very rich 
 woodwork, with the most elaborate gilding, approached 
 through numerous groups of colossal stone lanterns. 
 We enter by a gateway whose pillars have metal 
 dragons twisted round them, and are gilt. The court 
 inside this gate is lined with two hundred and twelve 
 huge bronze lanterns, the gift of different Daimios 
 during the last two centuries. Through a third gate 
 are galleries with richly painted panels and carved 
 birds and flowers, while the beams of the roof of the 
 temple are carved into the shapes of dragons. Here 
 we had to take off our shoes before we entered what 
 may be called the chancel or sanctuary. Within the 
 inmost sanctuary are shrines in which are concealed 
 
 F 
 
 : ir 
 
66 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 the statues of the different Shoguns. But these 
 images, the gifts of emperors, are never shown, so 
 that there are no images visible. On the outer plat- 
 form the Samurai and lesser gentry used to worship, 
 whilst in the corridor leading to the inner sanctum 
 the great Daimios were admitted ; the Great Shogun 
 alone worshipping in the inner sanctuary. On either 
 side of the shrines are wooden statues of the guardian 
 angels, who are supposed to protect the world against 
 demons. The outer courts of these shrines are 
 decorated with barbaric magnificence. The most 
 gorgeous gold lacquer is held together by costly and 
 beautifully executed metal work. It is curious to 
 note amongst the favourite decorations the unicorn, 
 the fabled animal, which seems to be recognised in 
 the East as well as in the West. Behind these 
 gorgeous temples a long flight of stone steps leads 
 up to the tombs of some of the Shoguns. Most of 
 these tombs are striking for their austere simplicity, 
 everything about them being suggestive of power, 
 in striking contrast to the lavish decorations of the 
 temples in front. 
 
 About a mile farther on is a very curious Buddhist 
 temple, the burial-place of the forty-seven Eonins, 
 who are looked upon as national heroes by the 
 Japanese, and form the groundwork of one of the 
 most popular romances. Although the events are 
 said to have occurred only about two hundred years 
 ago, they take a place in Japanese romance not unlike 
 that of the heroes of King Arthur's Bound Table 
 amongst ourselves. The outlines of the story are 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 69 
 
 worth telling, as illustrating the national spirit, which 
 elevated a bloodthirsty revenge to the highest place 
 among the social virtues. The story is briefly this : 
 
 One Daimio having been assassinated by another 
 in a dastardly manner, his vassals, or Samurai, as 
 they are called (a position somewhat resembling that 
 of the esquires and retainers of a mediaeval knight), 
 having now no liege lord, became Eonins, that is, 
 ' wave men,' a kind of mendicant soldiers of fortune, 
 it being beneath their dignity to engage in manual 
 labour. Forty-seven of them entered into a secret 
 league to avenge their lord's death, in which enter- 
 prise, after many romantic adventures, they finally 
 succeeded ; and having seized the great Daimio, they 
 offered him what was considered an honourable end, 
 by permitting him to perform harakiri, that is, to 
 give himself the happy despatch by using his own 
 short sword. On his refusal they slew him, and 
 then, proceeding to Yedo, gave themselves up to the 
 authorities, who sentenced the whole of them to 
 perform harakiri, which accordingly they did, and 
 have been looked upon as loyal heroes and martyrs 
 ever since. 
 
 Pilgrimages are made to their tombs in this temple, 
 as to the shrine of Thomas a Becket ; incense is con- 
 tinually burned in their honour, and their clothes 
 and relics, carefully preserved, are at certain intervals 
 of years exhibited to the admiring crowds who flock 
 from all parts of the country, as in Europe to the 
 Holy Coat of Treves, bringing great wealth to the 
 temple Sengekuji. 
 
70 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 This group of buildings in Shiba is one of the most 
 remarkable in the whole country, surpassed only by 
 those of Nikko and Kioto. But what struck me most 
 was the wonderfully artistic arrangement of the trees. 
 We seemed to be wandering in a wild wood full of 
 exotic trees, and at every turn came unexpectedly on 
 a roof nestled beneath them, with its upturned corners 
 resplendent in the sunlight. 
 
 Few things can give the stranger a better idea of 
 the art and manufactures of Japan than a visit to the 
 Shiba Kwankoba, or bazaar, with its winding maze 
 of corridors, on either side of which all the goods are 
 exposed. It is well to visit this place with a well- 
 lined purse, for the temptations are irresistible. The 
 young ladies in attendance stand in front of, not 
 behind, the counters. There is one immense advan- 
 tage to the Western stranger, in that, contrary to the 
 almost universal custom of the country, all the articles 
 are marked in plain Japanese figures, and there is no 
 bargaining. Hours may be spent in the contemplation 
 of things new and old antique carving in ivory ; 
 costly bits of ancient pottery ; lacquer of every kind, 
 ancient and modern ; bewildering piles of delicate 
 porcelain ; silks, rich, plain, and embroidered ; screens 
 and fans ; to say nothing of more homely domestic 
 articles. I was able to make an interesting collection 
 of Japanese tools and instruments, and many charming 
 models illustrating all the operations of agriculture 
 and carpentry, culinary work, and the life of the 
 home. Dolls and toys were a great feature, and 
 in the latter the productions of Holland pale before 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 
 
 those of Tokio. One was instantly impelled to count 
 up the numbers of nephews, nieces, and grandchildren 
 whose birthdays would be gladdened by a remembrance 
 from the other side of the world. 
 
 The following morning, April 29, on looking out 
 I was surprised to see a display of colour in a novel 
 form in every direction over the whole city. On the 
 roofs and corners of houses all around were huge 
 paper balloons in the gaudiest colours, suspended 
 from bamboos from twenty to fifty feet high. The 
 balloons, or hollow paper bags, are cut in the shape 
 of a fish, sometimes twelve feet long, with a large 
 open mouth formed by a wire ring, into which the 
 wind blowing inflates the fish, which waves about 
 after the manner of a weathercock, and is painted 
 very cleverly in brilliant colours. It was the Japanese 
 May Day, and on this day it is the custom that a 
 paper fish should float over every house in which a 
 boy has been born during the past year, and it 
 remains hoisted for a month, giving every town and 
 village the appearance of being en fete. The girls, 
 I am ashamed to say, have no such honour paid to 
 them. The explanation of this extraordinary custom 
 is tha't it symbolises that as the fish swims up stream, 
 so may the boy successfully face all the struggles of 
 life. Some boys are honoured by a row of a dozen 
 fishes on one pole, and certainly, to judge by the 
 thousands of these fish-flags, there is no fear of a 
 lack of men in the coming generation to defend their 
 country. 
 
 I had been asked by the Tokio Christian Evidence 
 
72 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 Society to deliver a lecture on this afternoon on 
 Historic Corroborations of the Pentateuch from recent 
 Egyptian discoveries. The society is formed by the 
 missionaries of the various denominations, chiefly 
 American, and the president is Archdeacon Shaw, 
 the venerable senior missionary of the Society for the 
 Propagation of the Gospel. The lecture-room was a 
 large isolated hall, called the Tabernacle, built near 
 the University by American Methodist Episcopals, 
 but which is used freely for Christian work by all 
 denominations. Archdeacon Shaw was in the chair, 
 and I was rather taken aback by the size of the 
 audience, about a thousand, of whom one-fourth were 
 undergraduates of the University with their soft 
 square caps. Most of them understand some English, 
 and all are eager to improve themselves in our 
 language. I also here met for the first time Bishop 
 Hare, an American prelate, who was for the time 
 assisting Bishop Williams. I must say the Japanese 
 are patient listeners, for they bore with me for an 
 hour and twenty minutes. I can only hope that 
 many of them carried away a clearer idea than did 
 the reporters of the Yokohama papers, which honoured 
 me with a column. However, it is something that the 
 Japanese papers should give unasked so much space 
 to a religious subject. In the evening I enjoyed an 
 extremely pleasant dinner-party at the English Bishop 
 Bickersteth's, where I met, amongst others, Mr. Kirk- 
 wood, the legal adviser of the Japanese Government 
 on international law, and Professor Ijima, Professor 
 of Zoology in the University of Tokio. 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 73 
 
 Wliile staying with Mr. Williams in Tsukiji I had 
 my first and only experience of a Japanese earth- 
 quake. Would that the experience of others had 
 been fraught with as little injury as my own ! As I 
 was sitting in my room just after breakfast, all of a 
 sudden the floor seemed to heave a sigh ; the prints, 
 of which there were a good many, clattered two or 
 three times on the walls, and the bells in the house 
 began to ring. I knew at once what was the matter, 
 for though it was years since I had felt an earth- 
 quake, the sensation is one the memory of which 
 time can never efface. My mind reverted at once to 
 the earthquake which overthrew Bona and Djileli in 
 Algeria, and of which I had experienced the full force 
 in the Sahara. On both occasions I had a strange 
 physical sensation, resembling, I suppose, that of sea- 
 sickness, of which happily I am personally ignorant. 
 I do not suppose that the tremulous motion lasted 
 more than three seconds, though the vibration con- 
 tinued a little longer. No further harm was done in 
 Tokio, though people, when other conversation failed, 
 mentioned it as we might the weather. 
 
 A Sunday in Tokio gave me an opportunity of 
 seeing a little of the Christian mission work. Cer- 
 tainly the metropolis of Japan has samples before it 
 of every form and development of Christianity. There 
 are representatives of the Church Missionary Society, 
 the first English society of any denomination to enter 
 Japan ; of the Society for the Propagation of the 
 Gospel ; Bishop Bickersteth's mission ; the Cowley 
 Fathers ; the American Protestant Episcopal Church. 
 
74 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 very strongly represented ; and of Americans, Presby- 
 terian, Cumberland and Southern ; Congregationalist ; 
 Baptist ; Methodist Episcopal ; Wesleyan ; Dutch 
 Reformed ; Society of Friends ; American Unitarian ; 
 Russo-Greek ; and Roman of different orders. At 
 this time I do not think there were any British 
 Nonconformists. 
 
 I began with the Japanese morning service in the 
 Church Missionary Society's church at Tsukiji. The 
 congregation amounted to about sixty adults, and the 
 sermon was preached by a young catechist who struck 
 me as being well satisfied with himself. This, how- 
 ever, can hardly be called a mission church, as the 
 native congregation bear the whole expense and 
 maintain the catechist. I afterwards attended 
 English service at the American cathedral. As we 
 entered the building we met the Japanese congre- 
 gation just streaming out. I was introduced to the 
 venerable Bishop Williams, who had just resigned 
 his see, a pleasing old man with humility and self- 
 sacrifice stamped in every feature and action. He 
 certainly was no lordly prelate. Prayers were read 
 by a young clergyman, who had been in England 
 with the Cowley Fathers. It is a noble church, 
 cruciform, with aisles, lofty and light, and thoroughly 
 Protestant in all its arrangements, perhaps more so 
 than in its personnel, and serves all the English- 
 speaking people in the concession. 
 
 At two o'clock I went to the Church Missionary 
 Society's Japanese Sunday school, where the children 
 repeated Hebrews xi., which of course formed a 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 75 
 
 capital text for Old Testament catechising. At three 
 o'clock began another Japanese service, at which I 
 did not stay long, but went in the evening for a long 
 walk* with Mr. Williams to visit some of his preaching 
 places in the poorest parts of this vast city. He has 
 four in all, some of them miles apart. The first we 
 visited opens on a narrow street, its front being 
 simply paper shutters, which, when pushed back, 
 open the whole room on to the street. It is used 
 as a ragged school all the week, and as a Sunday 
 school, and in it are held continued preachings on 
 Sunday and weekday evenings ; exhortations, short 
 or long (for the Japanese are patient listeners), being 
 given by one native after another. It has benches 
 for about sixty children. The farther half of the 
 room is a raised dais, covered with fine Japanese 
 matting, and has a table in front. The few women 
 present sat on the matting. Sunday school was just 
 over when we arrived. A hymn was given out and 
 started in front of the room. This soon drew a crowd, 
 and the preaching began. The people looked very 
 attentive, the room quickly filled, and hardly any 
 went away as long as we were there. After another 
 hymn a second preacher stood up, very fluent and 
 energetic, his language to me all unknown, though, 
 as I afterwards found, I was used as an object-lesson, 
 which explained some broad grins turned towards me 
 once or twice. We then walked on for a mile to 
 another similar preaching place, where we found a 
 very earnest catechist addressing about a score of 
 men, who seemed to hang on his words. After him 
 
76 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 came forward a well-dressed native gentleman, who 
 spoke, Bible in hand, for nearly half an hour. He is 
 a well-to-do business man and an earnest Christian, 
 who regularly preaches on Sunday. After an nour's 
 walk we got home at past ten o'clock, I having 
 listened in whole or part to six Japanese sermons 
 in one day. 
 
 I afterwards had opportunities of seeing the work 
 of Bishop Bickersteth's mission in the Shiba district. 
 Of course his staff is much larger and more concen- 
 trated than that of any other mission in Tokio, except 
 perhaps the American Episcopal. He had living with 
 him in his house, known as St. Andrew's, five young 
 university clergymen, who devote their energies to 
 educational and evangelistic work, the most impor- 
 tant part of which is a Divinity School, where young 
 natives are trained for the ministry. There are large 
 classes held in the evening, which attract many besides 
 the divinity students, and so outsiders and non- 
 Christians are won. The missionaries certainly work 
 very hard and zealously, and the result is seen in 
 their converts. Close to the house is a pretty little 
 church, in which there are many services throughout 
 the day, of what appeared to an old-fashioned English 
 Churchman an extreme type. I enjoyed many of the 
 short services, though I could not but regret that 
 such Romish names as Sext and Compline were given 
 to the two English daily services, in which the prayers 
 and all else were good and scriptural. 
 
 A few hundred yards from St. Andrew's and its 
 little group of buildings is St. Hilda's, picturesquely 
 
YOKOHAMA AND TOKIO 77 
 
 situated on the side of a beautifully wooded little 
 ravine, the home of an English sisterhood which has 
 been established there by Bishop Bickersteth, and 
 where much work is going on. Especially are there 
 many classes for girls, all of good social position. 
 Though by far the greater number of them are non- 
 Christians, yet all have religious teaching, and under 
 it some have become Christians. Attached to the 
 school, but separated by a part of the garden, was a 
 hospital for the poor, of twenty beds, beautifully 
 ordered, and no lack of space and air, and under the 
 management of a very clever and capable nurse. This 
 hospital, I am sorry to learn, has lately been aban- 
 doned, owing to a difficulty about the lease. But 
 we must remember that in Japan, with its medical 
 schools and educated surgeons, there is not the 
 demand for Medical Missions that exists in other 
 Oriental countries. 
 
 During our stay at Tokio we had occasion to 
 revisit Yokohama on business, and were fortunate 
 enough to see in harbour there a finer fleet of men- 
 of-war than can often be seen out of the Medi- 
 terranean. Not only was the Japanese fleet mustered 
 there, several of them first-class warships, looking as 
 trim and smart as any English man-of-war, but there 
 were also riding at anchor a German frigate, a French 
 frigate, a United States gunboat, and three English 
 corvettes, with a Russian close behind them. It is 
 remarked that an English man-of-war is never seen 
 in these seas without a Eussian in her train. Of 
 all the five nationalities whose flag was shown, the 
 
78 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 Japanese were by no means the least smart in 
 appearance, though they certainly failed in rowing 
 with the neatness that marked our gigs. The Eussian 
 looked very shabby, and certainly seemed wanting in 
 smartness and cleanliness. Besides these, there were 
 many mail liners and several magnificent American 
 clippers, the first I had seen in these seas. It was 
 difficult to realise, as we looked at this fleet of many 
 nations, that we were in a roadstead unknown to 
 name or fame five-and-twenty years ago. 
 
 After enjoying our row amongst the shipping, 
 we found not a less strange contrast with the past 
 on shore It was a gala day at Yokohama, and flags 
 were flying in all directions, for the annual races 
 were being held on the Bluff, and the Mikado had 
 come down expressly to see this English sport. Oh, 
 the descent in one generation, from the offspring of 
 the gods enshrined in mystery amidst the enchanted 
 gardens of Kioto, to the spruce gentleman in European 
 costume, driving in his barouche to witness an English 
 horse race 1 
 
CHAPTEK III 
 
 A VISIT TO NIKKO 
 
 OUR first expedition into the interior from Tokio was 
 to Nikko, nearly a hundred miles north of the capital. 
 Nikko, which may be compared to the Oxford and 
 Canterbury of the country combined, is, according to 
 the firm belief of every Japanese, the most beautiful 
 place in the world. They have a familiar proverb, 
 'No one can say Kekko, i.e. splendid, till you have 
 been to Nikko,' and I am almost inclined to agree 
 with them. Even before the introduction of railways, 
 and when the journey could only be performed by 
 the tedious and fatiguing jinriksha conveyance, no 
 traveller who had the time at his command neglected 
 to visit Nikko. Now it is as easy as any journey in 
 England. We proceed by the great arterial railway 
 of Japan as far as Utsu-no-Miya, whence a branch 
 line, thirty miles in length, deposits us within two 
 miles of the little town. In this journey for the first, 
 but not for the last, time we felt the luxury of our 
 extensive passport, by which we avoided the irritat- 
 ing necessity of making repeated applications to 
 the central authorities at Tokio, stating beforehand 
 the exact route proposed to be taken, the object of the 
 journey, and the precise time to be occupied. The 
 respect this passport commanded from the ubiquitous 
 
 o 
 
82 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 little policeman was apt to engender a triumphant 
 feeling of superiority over ordinary mortals. 
 
 Our second-class carriage was clean and airy, the 
 compartments opening into one another, and pas- 
 sengers often changing their seats. Our fellow- 
 travellers appeared to be all thorough gentlefolk, 
 several of them speaking English, and eager to air 
 their knowledge. We could not but be amused at 
 the solitary instance of superior exclusiveness which 
 was exhibited by a very smart cavalry officer, no 
 doubt a Japanese representative of ' the Tenth ' of 
 former days. More than one passenger, who evi- 
 dently recognised that my daughter was engaged in 
 missionary work, asked questions on the subject ; 
 and one especially seemed greatly interested, ex- 
 changed cards with her, and promised us a visit at 
 the Nikko hotel where we intended to stay. The 
 pace of the train happily was not that of an English 
 express, so that we were enabled to enjoy the ever- 
 varying landscape. Sometimes we passed through 
 rice flats, more often along gentle slopes dotted with 
 picturesque villages ; amongst them a long straggling 
 village entirely occupied by florists, who supply the 
 Tokio market ; whose gardens and nurseries, bright 
 and pretty, set off the landscape with their rich 
 borders of varying colours. We generally had in 
 sight the old great northern road, one of the finest 
 in the empire, lined with pines, cryptomerias, and 
 'other trees. 
 
 From Utsu-no-Miya. where we changed trains, the 
 line was generally a steep ascent. In the last fifteen 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 83 
 
 miles we rose 1,750 feet, and had a magnificent 
 view of the mountain mass at the roots of which 
 nestles Nikko. The train crept up parallel with a 
 magnificent avenue of gigantic cryptomerias, which 
 for twenty-five miles shade the ancient road by 
 which the Shoguns annually visited the temples 
 of Nikko. These trees and those of the various 
 minor avenues about the temples are amongst the 
 finest specimens of forestry in the world, averaging 
 a hundred feet in height, many of them more, and 
 some five or six feet in diameter at six feet from 
 the ground. Although of such great size, they are, 
 as our illustration shows, planted very close together, 
 and form to the eye a mighty wall of dark green, 
 through which not a ray of light penetrates, ex- 
 cepting where here and there some storm has over- 
 thrown one of these forest giants. We passed 
 through many smaller woods of deciduous trees, 
 brightened by the conspicuous bloom of two species 
 of red azaleas and of three kinds of Pyrus japonica, 
 one of which, which bears the largest flower, runs 
 along the ground after the manner of the whortle- 
 berry. I was struck here, as I repeatedly was 
 afterwards, by the wonderful variety of low flowering 
 shrubs in the flora of Japan, and the comparative 
 paucity of herbaceous flowers or annuals. A few 
 miles before reaching Nikko, a second of these 
 colossal avenues converges towards the railway, 
 shading an ancient sacred road, by which the envoy 
 of the Mikado used to carry his offerings to the 
 shrines of the deceased heroes. 
 
 G 2 
 
84 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 From the terminus of the railway we had a 
 jinriksha ride of more than two miles through the 
 village to our native hotel, Nikko being a long hilly 
 street, lined on both sides with irregularly straggling 
 houses. Let it not be supposed, however, that 
 Nikko lacks a large hotel, built in foreign style and 
 with all the usual accompaniments. We, however, 
 wisely determined to go to a native hotel, and sub- 
 sequent experience confirmed the correctness of our 
 choice. After passing through the village we reached 
 a rocky ravine spanned by two bridges side by side : 
 a mountain torrent, now milky from the melted 
 snow, dashed amongst the boulders at the bottom, 
 and the sides were garnished with shrubs of many 
 kinds, springing from every fissure in the cliffs. We 
 crossed by the lower bridge. The other, a few yards 
 above, is an ingenious wooden structure painted 
 bright red, and forms a graceful elliptic curve. It 
 is supported by massive stone piers fixed into the 
 cliffs below, and its bright colour forms a striking 
 contrast to the deep green of the tall cryptomerias 
 which overhang it on either side. It is near a 
 hundred feet long, and was built more than two 
 hundred and fifty years ago, and we were told that 
 such are the preservative qualities of the paint, or 
 rather red lacquer, with which it is covered, that it 
 has never required repair since its erection. A tall 
 gate encloses it at either end, and it is only opened 
 twice in the year for the passage of pilgrims visiting 
 the shrine. It was formerly closed to all excepting 
 the Shogun when he came to worship. 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 
 
 85 
 
 Its sanctity arises from its standing on the spot 
 where Shodo Shonin, a mythical Japanese saint, is 
 said to have crossed the river in the year A.D. 762. 
 His story is full of strange, weird legends, of which 
 
 
 BRIDGES NEAR NIKKO. 
 (The more distant is only opened twice in the year, for the passage of pilgrims.) 
 
 the one connected with this bridge is a sample. 
 Shodo is said to have been directed in a dream to 
 ascend a certain mountain, but when he arrived at 
 this spot he found his progress arrested by this 
 
 OF THH 
 
 TTTJTT7T 
 
86 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 impassable gorge. Falling on his knees and praying 
 for help, a divine being of gigantic size flung across 
 the river two green and blue snakes, which formed 
 in an instant a bridge of rainbow shape spanning 
 the ravine. The moment the saint had crossed, the 
 god and the snake-bridge vanished. Shodo then 
 settled at this spot and erected a hut, which was the 
 forerunner of the group of magnificent temples which 
 are now the glory of Japan. Shodo Shonin died in 
 817, and he seems to have been a Shinto devotee, 
 who, meeting some Chinese missionaries, embraced 
 the Buddhist faith, or rather incorporated it with 
 his hereditary religion. 
 
 Crossing the bridge, we turn sharp round to the 
 left, up a gentle ascent flanked on either side by 
 little villas ensconced in their gardens, till at length 
 a little board projecting neatly from a garden hedge 
 proclaims in Chinese and English characters our 
 hotel, first patronised by Mrs. Bishop, the well- 
 known pioneer lady. A tiny stream meanders 
 through the tiny garden, with stepping-stones, 
 islands, bridges, and quaintly dwarfed trees and 
 shrubs, the trees the exact models of the willow 
 pattern and other porcelain devices. On a broad 
 stepping-stone in front of the verandah ledge of the 
 cardboard house are two pairs of slippers for our 
 use, and we step into the exquisitely clean, fine 
 matting, soft as velvet, which carpets the rooms, 
 while the boards of the verandah are polished as a 
 dining-table. There are three parlours in a row, all 
 open, for the sliding paper walls are pushed back 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 87 
 
 into a recess or taken out in the daytime. One of 
 these is our sitting-room. But as to the furniture, 
 even into this exquisite gem of a Japanese house 
 foreign ideas have penetrated. In consideration of 
 the weakness of Western travellers, there is a little 
 table and two cane chairs in each room, for all are 
 furnished precisely alike. There is also a tiny side- 
 table, and on each table is a vase of lovely flowers, 
 and the sides of each room are occupied by cupboards 
 with sliding paper doors. Behind these rooms is 
 a similar arrangement of open verandah, looking 
 out on another garden of dwarf trees, islands, and 
 bridges, but bounded by a steep cliff overhung, as 
 is all the mountain-side, with forest trees, and down 
 the cliffs are arranged a series of baby cascades, 
 which feed the tiny lakes and then pass under the 
 house in a porcelain channel into the front garden. 
 The paper sides of the rooms are hung with many 
 kakemono, depicting very cleverly groups of birds 
 or scenery. Lacquered and varnished stairs lead from 
 back and front verandahs to our bedrooms, having 
 paper partitions which are thrown back until the 
 evening. The dwelling apartments of our host and 
 his family are a continuation of our own, and are 
 reached by the same verandah, the kitchen, which 
 we often visited, separating them. In these private 
 rooms we found the same exquisite matting with 
 which the guest-room floors were covered, but no 
 tables and chairs. 
 
 Our host, to whom we had already written for 
 apartments, received us with all the ceremony and 
 
88 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 grace of a Japanese gentleman, showed us our rooms 
 upstairs and down, though, as we were for the 
 present the only guests, we enjoyed the run of the 
 whole house. Mr. Kanaya was a typical host, 
 making us feel at once that we were looked upon 
 not as lodgers by payment, but as guests of the 
 family. Like a Boniface of the olden time, he 
 accompanied us into our parlour, sat gracefully on 
 the floor, and entered into conversation, recounted 
 his recollections of Mrs. Bishop, suggested the ex- 
 cursions which ought not to be omitted, and the 
 number of hours or days that each would occupy, 
 and actually inquired whether the bent of our tastes 
 were antiquarian, or botanical, or for scenery or 
 sport. With his hotel he combined a small farm, 
 and was also a lay clerk in the great Buddhist temple 
 hard by. He volunteered a full account of himself 
 and his family ; but, knowing our religious opinions, 
 he took care to inform us that, though he held office 
 in the temple, for which he was remunerated, he 
 did not believe much in Buddhism. In fact, he was, 
 like many of his countrymen, more agreeable than 
 reliable. 
 
 After chatting some time he reminded us that 
 we were to be supplied with foreign dinner, and, of 
 course, professed readiness to give any delicacy from 
 any part of the world. Finally it was decided that 
 we should have fish soup, a standing Japanese dish 
 pigeons and pheasant, with Japanese sponge-cake 
 and tea. This sponge-cake is a curious relic of the 
 ancient Spanish connection. It is known by the 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 89 
 
 Japanese as Castera, i.e. Castille (the Japanese 
 always substituting ' r ' for ' 1,' which is wanting in 
 their language, and which they find great difficulty 
 in pronouncing), the art of making which they learnt 
 from the Spanish missionaries three hundred years 
 ago. On my demurring to the pheasant and asking 
 if it were not the close season, our host clapped his 
 hands, and thus summoned the pretty little maiden, 
 who soon reappeared with a beautiful green cock- 
 pheasant, which had evidently been snared and 
 illegally poached in anticipation of our visit. This 
 bird, known as Phasianus versicolor, is in form and 
 size exactly like our own, but its plumage a brilliant 
 glossy green. It is very common in all parts of the 
 country which we visited ; as is another species 
 with a very much longer and broader tail, of a 
 rich copper colour, powdered with white spangles, 
 known as the copper pheasant, Phasianus scintillans. 
 
 There was considerable alarm a few years ago lest 
 these pheasants should have been exterminated by 
 the demand for them in Paris, and I am afraid in 
 England too, for the decoration of ladies' hats. One 
 merchant at Yokohama told me that he had in one 
 year exported thirty thousand copper-pheasant skins. 
 Fortunately, the plumage of the hens being very 
 modest, they were not in demand, and in three or 
 four years the fashion happily passed away, though 
 not before the government were proposing to inter- 
 fere to arrest the destruction of the greatest ornament 
 of the Japanese woods. 
 
 Having thus installed ourselves, we set out to take 
 
90 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 a cursory survey of the neighbourhood. Retracing 
 our steps towards the sacred bridge, we passed the 
 foreign hotel, a large unsightly building in European 
 style, when we were surprised at being hailed in 
 English by old friends from Shanghai, whom we 
 never expected to meet here, and whom we were 
 delighted to have as companions in our subsequent 
 excursions. Returning to our home at sunset, we 
 found our paper walls all closed in for the night, and 
 also, what I had not perceived before, that there are 
 double walls, the outer one of wood, all round the 
 verandah, and which during the daytime are put 
 away in cupboards, but which now gave the house 
 the appearance of a huge wooden box. They are 
 certainly useful, not only for warmth, but for privacy, 
 as the little boys are very fond of watching the 
 proceedings, especially of foreigners, by wetting the 
 paper walls with their tongues and with their fingers 
 making peep-holes. However, the weight of the 
 whole of these walls, whether wooden or paper, 
 should be reckoned in ounces rather than pounds. I 
 could almost fancy there was a danger, if anything 
 caught the button of my coat, of walking away with 
 the walls of the house. 
 
 The inspection of the group of the temples and 
 Mausoleum of lyeyasu is a full day's work. This 
 latter is perhaps the finest, and certainly the most 
 interesting historically, of the vast group of sacred 
 buildings that dot the lower slopes of the mountain 
 Nikko San. From the great repute for sanctity of 
 Nikko, it was chosen as the burial-place of lyeyasu, in 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 91 
 
 the year 1617. This lyeyasu was one of the greatest 
 rulers and generals Japan has seen, and the founder 
 of the Shogun dynasty of Tokugawa, which continued 
 in unbroken succession the practical rulers of the 
 country until the revolution of 1868, when the old 
 feudal system of the rule of the Daimios under the 
 Shogun or Mayor of the Palace was entirely abolished, 
 and the Mikado, who had been for many centuries a 
 mere faineant monarch, like the later Merovingians of 
 France, emerged from his sacred obscurity and became 
 the actual monarch of the country ; and in a few 
 years established a constitutional government. 
 
 As Shogun, lyeyasu was a simple usurper. Born 
 in 1542, he had been a military officer under the 
 Shogun Hideyoshi, for some time the patron and pro- 
 tector of the Christians. On the death of Hideyoshi, 
 lyeyasu rebelled against his youthful son, and, after a 
 struggle lasting several years, was finally recognised 
 as ruler. He immediately devoted himself to 
 breaking up the power of the Daimios, compelling 
 them, as feudal inferiors, to do homage to himself, 
 whilst he surrounded the court of the Mikado with 
 his own troops, and in fact confined him in a gilded 
 prison. However unscrupulous may have been his 
 methods, Japan owes to him the enjoyment of a 
 really centralised government. He kept in his own 
 hands many forts throughout the country which had 
 hitherto been held by the Daimios ; he made great 
 arterial roads through the whole country ; established 
 a postal system ; and enacted laws, which were to 
 supersede the capricious and arbitrary internal rule 
 
92 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 of the Daimios on their estates. He was, for his 
 age, a really scientific man, and a great patron of 
 literature. In fact, his rule has been called the 
 Renaissance epoch of Japan. But, on the other 
 hand, he was the first to commence the bloody 
 persecution of the Christians, which ended a few years 
 after his death in the extermination of Christianity. 
 
 Under his direction the Daimios were required to 
 compel all Christians to renounce their faith. This 
 they resisted even to blood. At length they were 
 forced to take up arms, and raised the standard of 
 rebellion for the first time in Japanese history, for 
 hitherto their wars had been rather faction fights 
 than rebellions. The struggle continued for several 
 years, from 1606 to 1615. For some time the 
 Christians maintained their independence, until in 
 1611 lyeyasu is said to have discovered a plot 
 manipulated by the Spanish friars for reducing the 
 country to a condition of subjection to Spain under 
 a Christian viceroy. From that time all foreigners 
 were expelled and the native Christians ruthlessly 
 massacred. The capture of Osaka in 1615 was fatal 
 to all hopes of success by the Christian party. The 
 slaughter continued for several days, and the Jesuit 
 historians assert that 100,000 men perished in this 
 war. The struggle, however, continued for more than 
 twenty years after lyeyasu's death, and did not end 
 until 1637, when the castle of Shimabara was taken, 
 and 37,000 Christians massacred, and thousands of 
 others hurled down the rocks previously mentioned 
 in the harbour of Nagaski. 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 93 
 
 But enough of this digression, for we have long 
 since arrived at lyeyasu's mausoleum. It is, like all 
 the others, a large enclosure surrounded by, and filled 
 with, cryptomerias and other large trees, with stately 
 avenues mounting up the steep hills on which they 
 are placed. The temple is in no case a single build- 
 ing, but a group of some twenty temples, and this 
 one has a gorgeous red pagoda in the wood outside, 
 towering among the trees with admirable effect. On 
 the outskirts are some fine houses and gardens 
 fringing the avenue, into one of which we turned, 
 having requested at the porter's lodge ' that we 
 might be allowed humbly to raise our eyes to the 
 landscape/ After noticing this interesting specimen 
 of native horticulture, we turned back to the avenue, 
 on the way up which are a series of lych-gate roofs 
 with boards under them containing the names of 
 contributors to the preservation fund of the temples, 
 among them a board in English, explaining the 
 appeal. Another in Japanese contained a record of 
 the donations of English and American visitors. 
 
 Within the enclosure were all the characteristic 
 features which we had noticed in the temples of 
 Shiba, but on a much larger scale colossal bronze 
 lamps, bells, one of them rivalling the Russian 
 castings ; great monolith pillars, etc., the gifts of 
 Coreaii, Loochoo, and other foreign monarchs. This 
 was not the only place in which we found historic 
 evidence of the claims of Japan to some kind of 
 recognition by Corea. 
 
 Not the least interesting of the various structures 
 
94 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 were three long halls adjoining each other, in which 
 are exhibited the possessions, clothing, armour, 
 furniture, and other articles used by lyeyasu in his 
 lifetime. These are silent witnesses of the intelli- 
 gence and culture of the Japan of three hundred 
 years ago, and show how much was due to the 
 Spanish fathers. Among them I was much struck 
 by an orrery, evidently of European make, and 
 various astronomical instruments, and others, which 
 well illustrate the practice of the art of navigation 
 before the invention of the quadrant. Our guide, 
 however, considered his swords, said to be of wonder- 
 fully tempered steel, as far more worth our study. 
 
 Arranged along the gallery over the cabinets in 
 which these collections were kept, was a series of 
 paintings illustrating falconry as carried on in lye- 
 yasu's time, for he was evidently a sportsman as well 
 as a warrior and philosopher. We had in fact an 
 illustrated history of the practice of the gentle art. 
 The similarity of the hoods, jesses, and other falconer's 
 gear, with those in use in Europe, was very remark- 
 able, as we can hardly conceive that falconry in Japan 
 was derived from a European source. At the same 
 time I think we have presumptive evidence that 
 European and Japanese hawking have been derived 
 from a common original. 
 
 Perhaps I may be allowed to say a few more words 
 on this subject, as falconry is, so far as I know, the 
 only instance in historic times in which a European 
 art is identical in all its methods with that of the 
 Land of the Rising Sun. Investigation will probably 
 
JAPANESE FALCONER. 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 97 
 
 show that Assyria was the cradle of an art that spread 
 thence through the whole world, east and west. The 
 earliest monumental record of falconry is a sculpture 
 discovered by Sir Henry Layard at Khorsabad, re- 
 presenting a falconer with a hawk on his wrist. This 
 is standing evidence that hawking was practised there 
 at least as early as 1700 B.C. But Japanese records 
 carry us back further still, for if they may be relied 
 on, falconry was practised in China centuries pre- 
 viously. A Japanese historian, of whose work a 
 French translation has been published, relates that 
 falcons were amongst the Chinese presents made to 
 princes in the time of the Hia Dynasty, supposed to 
 have commenced 2205 B.C. We know from classical 
 authors that falconry was practised in Central Asia, 
 Persia, and India about 400 B.C. 
 
 There is no inconsiderable literature devoted to the 
 art in the Japanese language. No fewer than fourteen 
 treatises on the subject are enumerated by Harting 
 in his Bibliotheca Accipitraria, many of them long 
 anterior to the visits of the Spaniards. Amongst the 
 minutise of the art, we may mention that, whilst 
 European falconers repair broken feathers by what is 
 called an imping needle, the Japanese repair a broken 
 tail-feather by splicing on a new one with lacquer 
 varnish. The Japanese writers on falconry mention 
 the goshawk, the peregrine, the sparrow-hawk, the 
 osprey, which they call the pike-catching hawk, the 
 gier-falcori, which they obtain from Kamschatka, and, 
 last and least, the grey shrike, which they have 
 succeeded in training to catch small birds. 
 
 H 
 
98 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 Hawking, however, since the revolution has 
 become very much a thing of the past, and is almost 
 extinct with the old feudal system, inasmuch as the new 
 laws of trespass, which are very strict, preclude any, 
 excepting the few who still possess great estates, from 
 indulging in this pastime. Another reason of its 
 decadence is probably the great increase in cultivation. 
 From the series of pictures at Nikko we may infer 
 that the goshawk was the favourite bird of lyeyasu, 
 for only one of them exhibited the prowess of the 
 peregrine. Mr. Harting (to whose kindness I am 
 indebted for permission to copy the illustration) 
 infers, from the identity in almost every point of the 
 practice of the falconers of the East and West, that 
 the falconry of the whole world originated in India, 
 and was introduced long before the historic period, 
 by the Indo-Germanic race, from the plains of 
 Hindustan. 
 
 But leaving the memorials and picture gallery of 
 lyeyasu, we observed at the entrance two curiously 
 carved figures of elephants, the knowledge of which 
 was probably brought with Buddhism. Close by is a 
 magnificent sacred pine-tree, said to have been carried 
 about by lyeyasu in his palanquin, when it was still 
 small enough to be in a flower-pot. Alongside of 
 this is the stable of Buddha, open in front, with an 
 unfortunate piebald sacred horse ready for him to 
 ride when he returns to earth. The poor animal 
 stands, tied up and caparisoned, with long rows of 
 saucers full of beans just out of his reach, for each of 
 which the devout pay five rin (i.e. one farthing) to 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 99 
 
 give the tantalised steed. Its groom told us, however, 
 that sometimes it is taken out for exercise. It 
 reminds one of the sacred bull of the Egyptians. In 
 another temple the nuns perform sacred dances, 
 solemn and majestic, and are glad to receive a few 
 sen (halfpennies). 
 
 One could spend hours in admiring the bold designs 
 of animals and the grotesque carvings which enrich 
 all the temples, both within and without, in bewilder- 
 ing confusion, in which dragons, unicorns, griffons 
 and phoenixes of strange devices, enough to perplex 
 the most skilled heraldic student, are mingled with 
 lifelike representations of lions, cattle, monkeys, foxes, 
 and other creatures of every-day life. In another 
 building equally lavish in its ornamentation is the 
 great library of Buddhist theological works. A flight 
 of steps leads to the next group of temples. One of 
 the peculiarities of Nikko is that all these groups of 
 buildings are on terraces as it were, raised one above 
 another, and connected by wide flights of steps with 
 massive stone balustrades. On the next platform is 
 a collection of royal gifts ; and amongst the colossal 
 lamps, bells, and stone lions is a great brass candela- 
 brum of Dutch manufacture, which was pointed out 
 as the feudal tribute paid by the King of Holland, 
 who, they tell you, was one of the vassals of the 
 Mikado. But it would be monotonous to describe 
 the various temples and courtyards, or rather cloister 
 garths and cathedral closes, which would repay the 
 artistic connoisseur many days spent in careful 
 examination. 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
100 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 We do not reach the tomb of lyeyasu till we are at 
 the summit of the small hill. It is of massive bronze, 
 shaped like a small pagoda. Visitors are not allowed 
 to enter within the small enclosure, although the 
 whole of it can be seen. Vases of flowers and lighted 
 tapers are continually renewed in front of it. 
 
 The grouping and arrangement of these temples 
 suggested a good idea of what a Greek temenos must 
 have been, such as those so familiar at Baalbec and 
 elsewhere, although these occupy much greater space. 
 We spent two or three days in visiting the other 
 temple groups, which are all worth seeing. One large 
 temple is called the Hall of Meditation. It is quite 
 empty, save for one semi-colossal image of Buddha, 
 but is surrounded by a very wide verandah, where 
 the worshippers walk round and round for hours 
 repeating the name of Buddha, and counting the 
 repetitions on their rosaries. In all these temples 
 the enormous wooden roof, carved with all sorts of 
 figures and rich in gilt and paint, is the most striking 
 feature. The wonderful carved work and lacquer- 
 furnishing of these structures occupy pages and pages 
 of the guide-books, and are interwoven with the 
 history of Japan for many centuries back. It is the 
 Valhalla of the nation, and the traveller who wishes 
 to be inspired with the spirit of old Japan must make 
 his sojourn at Nikko, and not at Tokio. 
 
 Though many thousand natives annually visit 
 Nikko as pilgrims, yet amongst all the crowds which 
 we saw there seemed to be very little worship and no 
 enthusiasm. They stroll quietly about like sightseers 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 101 
 
 in Durham Cathedral, and drop a rin (^ penny) here 
 and there into a box. The only shrines that 
 apparently created devotion were those of the God of 
 Wealth, represented by a fat man with a huge sack 
 on his back, sitting on two great sacks of rice, and 
 grinning. He gets abundance of rin, candles, and 
 prayers. I should explain that in most of the temples 
 there are many little shrines exactly corresponding 
 to the side altars of Romish worship, which are dedi- 
 cated to numerous popular or local deities, evolved 
 partly from distorted traditions of Shintoism, and 
 partly from the many incarnations of Buddha. 
 
 Another popular deity is the God of Strength, who 
 is represented with enormous arms and calves. His 
 shrine was heaped with offerings of pairs of tiny clogs 
 and old sandals, and his devotees pray to him that 
 their calves may develop muscles as strong as his. 
 He is the popular deity of the jinriksha men. In one 
 very rich temple three colossal wooden statues were 
 conspicuous, painted respectively red, green, and blue. 
 The green monster was the God of Wind, carrying 
 the winds, like ^Eolus, in a bag. The God of Thunder 
 was red, hurling a thunderbolt, very like a statue of 
 Jupiter. The third figure is, I believe, a representa- 
 tion of a mythological protector of Buddha. This 
 temple struck me as one of the most beautiful, largely 
 owing to the effect of the magnificent cryptomerias 
 and noble rhododendrons grouped around it. 
 
 The wonderful temples and collection of Japanese 
 art are not the only attractions of Nikko. For any 
 one sound in wind and limb it is an admirable centre 
 
102 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 for excursions. In every direction we found long 
 and lovely walks up the valleys, with mountains 
 towering above, their summits still covered with 
 snow, and their lower slopes painted with the pink 
 and crimson bloom of trees of various kinds, some 
 of them unknown to me. Turning round in our 
 scrambles, we looked down on mountain streams 
 dashing over the boulders, while the ground of the 
 open forest was covered with the bright red flowers 
 of the creeping Pyrus japonica, varied by the sombre 
 clusters of dog-violet. We could scarcely go a mile 
 without coming across waterfalls, any one of which 
 would have made the fortune of a German or a Swiss 
 pleasure resort. 
 
 A very interesting but not long expedition is 
 that to Kamman-ga-fuchi, by a path up the river-side. 
 Half an hour from Nikko by the roadside, just front- 
 ing the river, was the most exquisite little miniature 
 park and house with a little shrine, all in perfect 
 order ; in every respect a typical Japanese gem. 
 Attached to it was a tea-house, the landlady of which 
 showed us about, presented us with bouquets of 
 flowers, and, seeing I was interested in her horti- 
 culture, with true national courtesy took me round, 
 giving me the Japanese names of the various shrubs. 
 This was all done without any expectation of a 
 douceur, which when offered was waved back with 
 the expression Do itae/iimas/iite ? or ' What have 1 
 done ? ' though eventually accepted. 
 
 The path follows along for some distance the 
 winding course of the stream, till we arrived at 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 105 
 
 Kamman-ga-fuchi, where, ranged on the other side 
 of the river, are a long row of images of Buddha, 
 about a hundred in number. Nothing is known 
 authentically of their origin or meaning, but we were 
 told that it is impossible to count them accurately, 
 and that however often the feat is attempted, the 
 conclusion is always different. This superstition is 
 not peculiar to Japan, for the same thing is said of 
 various circles of Druidical stones in England. 
 
 Although without a history, a visit to these 
 Buddhas, and the lovely, if not grand, scenery, amply 
 repays the walk. Not the least interesting to me 
 was the introduction it afforded me to many of the 
 native birds for the first time. The Japanese 
 ornithology is peculiarly interesting to a British 
 naturalist, from its close resemblance to, as well as 
 its marked difference from, our British fauna. The 
 most conspicuous and attractive bird in this walk 
 was the Japanese pied wagtail (very much larger, and 
 with the black and white in its plumage more 
 strikingly contrasted than in our own), which con- 
 tinually flitted across our path, or ran in the road in 
 front of us. The trees and shrubs were ceaselessly 
 visited by little flocks of various kinds of titmice, 
 some identical with, and others very close to, our 
 own. Family parties of the schoolboy's favourite, 
 the long-tailed or bottle tit, were seldom absent 
 from view. The representative of the great tit, with 
 exactly the same note as our own, the marsh and 
 the cole were everywhere in evidence ; and the con- 
 spicuous chestnut, black, and white titmouse (Parus 
 
106 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 varius) peculiar to Japan, and its favourite cage-bird, 
 was most abundant of all. 
 
 Leaving what I call the glen of the Buddhas, we 
 mounted the hill by a not too steep ascent and 
 visited various cascades, whose quaint Japanese 
 names I need not inflict upon my readers, but which 
 may be translated, one as the ' vermicelli cascade,' 
 another as the ' mist falling/ a very appropriate 
 name ; and another as the ' pillow cascade,' why so 
 named I know not. All these have a fall of from 
 fifty to sixty feet, and at the time of our visit were 
 unusually fine, owing to the melted snow. We were 
 rather too early for the botany, but there were 
 already many interesting ferns unfolding their fronds, 
 several of which, especially an aspidium, were entirely 
 new to me. But in every department of natural 
 history, the birds, the butterflies, the fishes, the botany, 
 the same difficulty arises. Everything bears a strong 
 resemblance to the fauna and flora of Europe, and yet 
 almost always there is a difference, less so perhaps in 
 the birds than in anything else. That laughing, 
 screaming jay among those maples overhead, you 
 would say, was undoubtedly our own jay to the 
 minutest particular, and yet if you were to handle 
 him, he is different, but only by a black streak from 
 his beak to his eye, where our jay is chestnut. And 
 so the bullfinch, identical at first sight with our bird- 
 fancier's darling and gardener's abomination, voice, 
 flight, nest, and eggs un distinguishable ; but we shall 
 always find the native of Japan with a ruddy tinge 
 on the back, and less decisive red on the breast, yet 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 107 
 
 bullfinch all the world over. And so with the 
 butterflies. Though the characteristic forms of Japan 
 often rival the Indian in splendour, and infinitely 
 surpass our own in variety, these do not appear till 
 the summer is further advanced ; but our ramble was 
 enlivened by the hovering of familiar acquaintances, 
 especially the common cabbage white and pale clouded 
 yellow. These two species are identical with our 
 own. Along with these, but in sparser numbers, 
 were representatives of our early spring friends, an 
 orange tip and a brimstone. 
 
 Our next expedition was very much longer, and 
 was one of the most charming rambles which we 
 enjoyed in the whole country. It was to the Lake 
 of Chusenji. We had to make an early start, for it 
 is a five hours' walk and a steady ascent nearly the 
 whole way, through wild scrub and forest, the whole 
 of which is t an imperial preserve where Nature has 
 full sway ; though I fear that in Japan, as in 
 England, the genus poacher exists in spite of royal 
 and imperial edicts. As we left the road which for a 
 mile or two we had traversed yesterday, and entered 
 a pathway up the hillside, a large notice slab attracted 
 our attention, warning the visitor that the killing 
 or snaring of living things in any manner was for- 
 bidden by imperial command. I am afraid it does 
 not speak well for the reputation of our countrymen 
 that half-way up, at the tea-house where travellers 
 halt, we found a similar notice in English as well as 
 in the vernacular. 
 
 Our path lay by the edge of a deep gorge, with a 
 
108 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 swollen stream dashing far beneath, and for the first 
 four miles cultivated ground intermingled with cop- 
 pice. The front seemed to be barred by a snow- 
 capped volcanic mountain range with many jagged 
 peaks, the highest of which, Nantaizan, is laid down 
 as 8,300 feet. Men were fishing in the most 
 tempting-looking trout pools, and rapidly filling 
 their creels from the milky turbid water with a kind 
 of trout, with crimson bellies and silver spots. These 
 sportsmen were courteous and friendly, and proud to 
 exhibit their tackle, which was really very clever. 
 Their rods were simple bamboo stems. They had a 
 good assortment of flies in little boxes, among them 
 salmon flies, made of what seemed to me golden 
 pheasant feathers. They told me they used these in 
 the lake above, though the river seemed an arduous 
 one for the most agile of salmon to attempt. I was 
 told that there is abundance of salmon in the lake, 
 but this was not the season for them. The streams 
 are well stocked with smaller fry of various species, 
 which I will not attempt to name. We soon began 
 to climb the steep mountain-side by a rough path, 
 occasionally cut for a long distance out of the cliff, 
 high above the stream. We were in a forest of 
 cryptomeria, pine, fir (Abies tsuya), maple, alder, oak, 
 birch, and larch, not yet in leaf. 
 
 The gigantic cryptomerias were a grand sight, 
 and occasionally a tall fir towered above all the sur- 
 rounding hard-wood trees. But with few exceptions 
 the deciduous trees and ferns were only just budding. 
 I here saw the Japanese robin and hedge-sparrow 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 109 
 
 for the first time, both very like our own, and 
 exactly resembling them in note and habits, though 
 in Japan they are both exclusively mountain birds, 
 said never to be found lower than 4,000 feet, and 
 consequently are the rarest of Japanese birds in collec- 
 tions. One large tree, not in leaf, but covered with 
 sheets of large rosy blossoms of an open trumpet shape, 
 monopetalous, called by our men the yasu, we could 
 not make out. It only grows at a considerable 
 altitude, and, in fact, generally the unmelted snow 
 carpeted the ground where it was in flower. Here it 
 was so abundant as to make up for the want of 
 foliage in the other trees, and contrasted beautifully 
 with the dark firs and cry p torn erias. There were 
 plenty of species of thuyas and other smaller trees 
 strange to me. One of the most striking features of 
 this forest were the festoons of a long trailing moss 
 (Lycopodium Sieboldi), which with its tendrils forms 
 fleecy pendants from each bough, and at a distance 
 these have the effect of a silvery mist enveloping 
 the tree. 
 
 Some fine cascades varied the scene, and here and 
 there a chalet-like tea-house was perched on the edge 
 of a bluff" commanding some fine view of a waterfall 
 or ravine. We halted at more than one of them, and 
 enjoyed green tea at half a farthing a cup, with a 
 morsel of green bean cake and a sugar-plum thrown 
 in. The situation of these tea-houses is another 
 instance of the inborn love of natural beauty so 
 characteristic of the people. On a moist bank behind 
 one of these tea-houses I found large clumps of 
 
110 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 Primula japonica, and it was interesting to note 
 that the colours were as varied in the wild as in the 
 cultivated specimens in our gardens, though possibly 
 these may have been stragglers from cultivation. 
 
 The road or track had been washed away in 
 many places by recent floods, and we often had to 
 pass and repass the stream by what seemed perilously 
 slender bamboo and straw foot-bridges, which, as 
 they had no hand-rails, demanded all one's nerve to 
 make a safe passage, the bridge being simply three 
 or four very long bamboos thrown across the gully, 
 and wisps of rice straw plaited between them. But 
 we soon found that they were not difficult to use, so 
 long as only one passenger at a time attempts the 
 feat, the straw wisps affording a foot-hold that, at 
 least, does not slip. Perhaps they are not more 
 permanent than the plaited straw sandals, or waraji, 
 which strew the paths everywhere, and which can 
 be bought for a penny a pair at every wayside shop 
 and tea-house, and which last but a few days, and are 
 then flung aside, the wearer being equally at home 
 with or without his sandals. Towards the end of a 
 long day I often felt sorely tempted to discard my 
 heavy European shoes and. slitting the end of my 
 stocking, to adopt the light and airy waraji, which is 
 only fastened by a couple of wisps passing between 
 the great and other toes, and then round the ankle. 
 
 A less steep but far more circuitous road to the 
 sacred lake was being constructed, and several times 
 intersected our path. It was evidently engineered 
 with great skill, for this is a science to which the 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 111 
 
 Japanese have applied themselves with great energy 
 and success. The horses employed in the cuttings 
 for drawing the trolleys were all shod, not with iron 
 shoes, but with straw sandals like their masters, 
 fastened on like the leather slippers which our horses 
 wear in drawing lawn-mowers. This was not the 
 only new road in course of construction, for the 
 whole neighbourhood of Nikko was as full of road 
 repairing as though a new County Council had just 
 come into office. On inquiring why so much was 
 being done to the roads, we were informed that as 
 the honourable visit of the great Czarovitch of Russia 
 was looked for in a few weeks, they wished to have 
 all the roads in the best possible condition, and a 
 considerable sum was being spent on them. Owing, 
 however, to the untoward event to be mentioned 
 later on in our rambles, the imperial visit to Nikko 
 was never accomplished. 
 
 At length we arrive at the Lake of Chusenji, a 
 great mountain tarn, in a wide mountain amphi- 
 theatre, the steep slopes of which are thickly wooded 
 everywhere to the water's edge. It is about eight 
 miles long and not quite three wide, about 4,500 feet 
 above the sea. The road suddenly opens upon one 
 end of the lake, affording a view along its whole 
 length. We proceed through a long wooden village, 
 with a monotonous row of sheds or huts on one side, 
 all shut up, the lodgings of the pilgrims who crowd 
 to this holy place in summer. The Shinto temple 
 is said to have been founded by Shodo Shonin a 
 thousand and eighty years ago, and the grounds are 
 
112 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 looked upon as sacred, and can only be entered on 
 foot. The side of the village nearest the lake before 
 one reaches the temple is lined with shops and tea- 
 houses, provided with charming balconies over- 
 hanging the lake, and with a lovely view of the 
 mountains ; and beneath boats lie idly moored, 
 irresistibly inviting us to an excursion. 
 
 Here we were treated in real country fashion. 
 Our guest-chamber on the first floor was one with 
 the verandah overhanging the calm blue waters, 
 and on the matting we sat. Brightly clad damsels 
 carried tiny square lacquer tables, about six inches 
 high, which they set before us, but considerately 
 supplied us with futon (wadded quilts rolled up) on 
 which to lean ; a delicate consideration for our 
 Western uncouthness. One little table was set 
 before each guest, on which were little saucers of 
 exquisite mountain trout, seaweed soup, and the 
 one delicacy which we never could be brought to 
 endure daikon, a sort of decayed radish. These 
 delicacies, however, we supplemented by substantiate 
 brought from the valley below. After a rest of two 
 or three hours we investigated the sights of the 
 place, and returned by a slightly different route, 
 which enabled us to see another fine cascade, 350 
 feet. It was dark long before we had reached our 
 delicious little inn, thoroughly tired and as thoroughly 
 happy. We found our arrival awaited by a circle of 
 vendors of curios, lacquer-ware, bronzes, photos, and 
 bird-skins, for our fame had evidently spread, visitors 
 being very rare at this time of year. But not even 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 
 
 113 
 
 the bird-skins could keep us awake, and we promptly 
 retired to our well-earned rest. 
 
 During the night we were occasionally roused by 
 the sound as of the swish of a dozen shower-baths 
 combined, but our little wooden doll-house, thin as 
 were its boards, turned the rain well. So deep were 
 
 LAKE OP CHUSENJI. 
 
 the eaves that in the morning we found even the 
 verandahs dry, though the rain ceased not the 
 whole day. It was the first wet day I had had in 
 Japan, and I only had one more during my visit, 
 and it also was a Sunday. To take a walk was 
 out of the question, but our friends from the foreign 
 hotel joined us for morning service, as well as a 
 young native, a friend of our landlord, and, so far 
 
114 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 as we knew, the only Christian in Nikko. He was 
 an intelligent young man who often came in to 
 offer his services as interpreter if required, or to 
 tell us the traditions of the place. He had been 
 five years in California, where he had joined the 
 Christian Church and been baptized. He had settled 
 here as a teacher of English. That a young man of 
 superior position can find it worth while to establish 
 himself in a small, out-of-the-way country town as a 
 teache^ of English, shows the rapidity with which the 
 study of our language is advancing. 
 
 In fact, as I shall have occasion to mention later, 
 the only foreign languages that seem to have any 
 attraction for this people are English and Chinese. 
 The latter most naturally, as it is the vehicle through 
 which they have received all their religious and 
 moral teaching, for the aboriginal religion of Shinto- 
 ism has no literature, and the Buddhist classics which 
 are studied are in the Chinese language ; while their 
 whole moral teaching is based upon Confucianism, all 
 the treatises on which are in the same tongue. It 
 should be understood that in Japanese literature the 
 characters used are Chinese, the inflections and 
 particles being added in the Japanese syllabary, or 
 kana, as it is called. The Chinese being an un- 
 inflected language, and structurally utterly distinct 
 from Japanese, the latter have adopted the Chinese 
 sign for the root- word, to which they affix kana or 
 syllabic signs as may be required. Moreover, before 
 the opening of the country to foreigners they had 
 some external and diplomatic dealings with China, 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 115 
 
 which rendered the language a useful accomplishment 
 both to the statesman and the merchant. All these 
 facts have led to the incorporation of many Chinese 
 words in the learned language, though their pro- 
 nunciation would be unintelligible to a Chinaman. 
 With the opening of the country to trade, to foreign 
 inventions, and to modern science, has arisen the 
 necessity for a limitless addition of scientific terms 
 to the language. To meet this want the Japanese 
 have never adopted English words, but have gone to 
 Chinese, exactly as we do to Greek for terms relating 
 to steam, electricity, navigation, and the like. 
 
 Our visitor evidently enjoyed the service, though 
 perhaps a somewhat lukewarm Christian. Yet how, 
 as he remarked, could his faith do otherwise than 
 ' get thin,' according to the Japanese idiom, when 
 alone, without one fellow-believer to sympathise with 
 him, in this very centre of Japanese Buddhism ! 
 
 In the afternoon the clouds still continued their 
 ceaseless downpour, and my daughter succeeded in 
 gathering in our parlour, out of which the table and 
 two chairs were cleared, a little company of the 
 young Christian, the wife, family, and servants of 
 Mr. Kanaya, our landlord, and several of the 
 neighbours. They all sat round the room on the 
 mats, my daughter, in the centre, reading and 
 explaining by means of Scripture pictures the Gospe 
 story, and keeping up their eager attention for a 
 couple of hours. 
 
 Mr. Kanaya, as a member of the choir of one of 
 the Buddhist temples, supplied me with a set of altar 
 
 I 2 
 
116 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 furniture in bronze which had become his perquisite 
 on being replaced by a newer set. They would almost 
 have served for a Eomish altar, consisting of two 
 candlesticks, a pair of flower- vases, a paten for rice, a 
 small incense censer, and a little acolyte's bell. In 
 addition, I obtained a set of Buddhist priest's robes, 
 the cassock being light green, the alb represented by 
 a pale drab vest, whilst an embroidered tippet would 
 admirably do duty for a chasuble, and a green stole 
 embroidered in gold completed the outfit. There is 
 nothing new under the sun ! 
 
 We spent another day in visiting other groups 
 of temples, to describe which would be in the main 
 a repetition of the former account ; and afterwards 
 walked up a magnificent avenue of cryptomerias 
 shading a finely paved road. Many of the trees are 
 seven feet in diameter, but their height is greater 
 in proportion. We measured one of them by the 
 simple method which I have often employed in calcu- 
 lating the height of ruins ; that is, by using a long 
 stick and comparing the length of its shadow with 
 that of the tree, then calculating by proportion the 
 height of the tree from the length of the stick. We 
 found its height to be 160 feet. These trees are said 
 to be the tallest in the world next to the sequoias of 
 California. In the wood a number of very curious 
 plants rewarded our research, especially a sort of 
 giant Herb Paris, with three leaves instead of four 
 the badge of the Tokugawa Shogun family. But as 
 it was only just in leaf, I had no means of ascer- 
 taining its botanical character. Every now and then 
 
iSUUUUIST PKIEST. 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 119 
 
 at the side of the path was a little niche scooped out 
 in the rock, in which was placed a miniature little 
 Buddha, very delicately carved in wood, some of 
 them not more than six inches high, and the remains 
 of a few tapers in front, recalling the little wayside 
 shrines of Italy or Spain. I was sorely tempted to 
 pocket one of these interesting relics, but did not 
 feel myself justified in acting the iconoclast, though 
 I argued that it might be a very efficient way of 
 suppressing Buddhism. 
 
 Another charming little expedition was to thf* 
 cascade of Nanataki. The walk afforded every variety 
 of native scenery dashing mountain torrents, rickety 
 bamboo bridges, pine-woods, picturesque tea-houses, 
 and fairy little gardens with their lakes and bridges, 
 the former full of goldfish. Wherever a little rock 
 or edge of a bluff offered a site with an attractive 
 landscape, there was sure to be perched a tea-house. 
 In a wood was a sequestered cemetery, where the 
 ashes of those cremated are deposited under tiny 
 obelisks. There was one new handsome obelisk with 
 a long inscription, all picked out in red, and a toy 
 shrine in front of it with bright flowers planted 
 around. The red paint signifies that the hero of the 
 monument is still living, for those who can afford it 
 like to put them up and inscribe their epitaphs in 
 their lifetime. At length we reached a tea-house on 
 the top of a hill, and from it looked down into the 
 next valley, with a fine waterfall, perhaps 200 feet 
 high. I was content with the distant prospect, 
 though the proper proceeding would have been to 
 
120 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 scramble down the steep side of the mountain, and 
 then, despising the drenching from the spray, to get 
 between the water and the cliff. As a naturalist my 
 time was not wasted, for, whether it were yesterday's 
 rain or this morning's bright sun, one or other had 
 evoked a number of butterflies, who emerged for the 
 first time from their chrysalides. 
 
 On our return we had, as usual, a levee of curio- 
 mongers, and certainly our fastidiousness on former 
 evenings had induced them to bring some really good 
 bits of old bronze, etc. But most satisfactory to me 
 was the return of a man and a boy who had brought 
 a few bird-skins the first evening, and who had been 
 evidently surprised by my taking the whole consign- 
 ment. I had told the bearer to bring some more. On 
 this occasion the collector himself appeared with his 
 lad with between two and three hundred skins, very 
 neatly made, all labelled and ticketed with Japanese 
 name, place, and date. Recognising some of the 
 labels as being of a type familiar to me at home, I 
 inquired what he usually did with his birds. He 
 explained that he had been for several years employed 
 by an Englishman, who was now dead, to whom he 
 used to send all he collected. I soon ascertained that 
 he had been employed by the late Mr. H. Pryer, 
 through whom I had obtained many specimens. 
 Unfortunately the locality usually given had been 
 Yokohama, whereas all these birds were collected in 
 the forests round Nikko, and at a height of from three 
 to eight thousand feet above the sea. No wonder 
 that English writers have gone astray as to the 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 121 
 
 localities of the birds of Japan. It was pretty much 
 as if the dotterels and ring-ousels of Cross Fell should 
 be labelled * Obtained at Liverpool/ I found both 
 him and his lad most intelligent and delightful 
 enthusiasts. Along with the bird-skins were specimens 
 of no less than five species of squirrel. The lad 
 explained to me in word and pantomime the homes 
 and habits of each species. Amongst them were two 
 or three skins of a very large species, which he stated 
 to me was found in summer only in the pine-forests 
 near the mountain top ; but in winter, during heavy 
 snowstorms, he declared that, unlike any other kind, 
 these creatures came down to the villages (we are 
 speaking, of course, of villages of higher altitude than 
 Nikko), and when they saw at night a light through 
 the walls of a cottage, would break a hole through 
 the paper, and, entering without ceremony, put out 
 the candle and eat it. I give this story for what it 
 is worth ; but it certainly was not only vouched for 
 by the lad and his employer, but attested by all the 
 by-sitters. His collection comprised more than a 
 hundred species of birds, but he had seldom brought 
 more than a pair of each, all carefully sexed. I took 
 them up one by one, and at once the note was 
 imitated, and often the action of the bird, as in the 
 case of the woodpeckers, with inimitable pantomime. 
 Whether it were the jerking of the black water-ousel 
 or dipper, the skimming of the swallow, the dash of 
 the swift, the chatter of the jay, or the sudden whistle 
 of the bush-warbler as it darts up a reed, each one 
 was perfectly represented as I leisurely took up one 
 
122 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 after another from the pile and asked, ' What is the 
 name of this ? What does it do ? ' 
 
 I found that my visitor had lately received an 
 order from a dealer at Yokohama to supply a 
 complete set of birds for an English collector, for 
 whom these were intended. I offered him, however, 
 a reasonable price for the whole, which he willingly 
 accepted, though he told me what I quite believe 
 that he charged his Yokohama customer three times 
 the price. I suspect that very few of these birds were 
 shot ; in fact, the collector told me that he captured 
 the smaller species with bird-lime, and the larger, 
 including the pheasants, with hair-springes. One 
 characteristic bird was conspicuous by its absence. 
 There were no cranes in the collection. Although 
 five species are known as belonging to Japan, and 
 three of them, the white- naped, white-headed, and 
 especially the sacred crane, are frequently semi- 
 domesticated in parks, public and private, and are 
 familiar as continually recurring in Japanese art, yet 
 I fear their fate in Japan in the near future is that of 
 their congeners in England extinction. I only once 
 in the course of my rambles saw a flock of wild cranes 
 at least near enough to identify them and this 
 was in the Inland Sea, where a V-shaped party of the 
 white-naped crane passed overhead. My friend, 
 however, did not admit their extinction, but assured 
 me he was far too loyal a subject of the Mikado and 
 reverencer of the gods to commit the crime of 
 molesting this sacred bird. 
 
 It must have been midnight before our ornitho- 
 
A VISIT TO NIKKO 
 
 logical seance came to an end perhaps the most 
 instructive natural-history lecture that I ever enjoyed. 
 But all things come to an end, even a visit to Nikko, 
 though we were loth to tear ourselves away from this 
 fascinating spot and its surroundings. The final 
 reckoning with our host was to me a most amusing 
 illustration of the national courtesies. Mr. Kanaya 
 acted as though the production of his bill were the 
 most painful effort, and at length reluctantly he 
 brought it forth, consisting of a number of Chinese 
 scrawls on strips of tissue-paper. On bended knees 
 and forehead touching the mat did my friend push it 
 forward ; I, bowing as well as my stiff Western back 
 would permit me, placed the proper sum, wrapped in 
 thin white paper, before him, for nothing is more 
 ill-bred than to hand coin without its being wrapped 
 in paper. Again it was received with bowing, low, 
 lower, lowest ; but it is always the rule of politeness 
 to pay something more than the bill in fact, to pay 
 an hotel bill net would be considered an insult, or at 
 least a mark of great dissatisfaction. Therefore, 
 wrapping a yen (dollar) in white paper, I added it 
 with low bows. It was returned with lower, and 
 finally pressed upon the host with still more profound 
 inclinations, and was at length duly and gratefully 
 received. The bright little waiting-maid received her 
 yen with the same show of modest reluctance. 
 
124 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE HAKONE LAKE 
 
 RETURNING from Nikko to Tokio was quitting the 
 world of romance and ancient history to enter that 
 of modern civilisation and fashion. We remained a 
 few days under Bishop Bickersteth's hospitable roof, 
 and diversified sight-seeing with much social inter- 
 course, very Western in its character. We enjoyed 
 parties official, ecclesiastical, and antiquarian, and 
 under the happiest auspices made acquaintance with 
 many charming cultured and literary residents of 
 various nationalities. Not the least interesting was 
 an evening with my old Palestine collaborator, 
 General Palmer, R.E., now employed officially by 
 the Japanese Government ; and another evening 
 with Dr. Whitney, the Secretary to the United 
 States Legation, full of information, not only on 
 Japanese history and politics, but also which was 
 to me a great boon on the botany of the country. 
 He supplied me with what proved invaluable in 
 our subsequent rambles a portable botanical press 
 and a large supply of botanical paper, as well as a 
 catalogue of the flora of Japan, in Japanese and 
 Latin, to be the nucleus of my Japanese library. 
 Before leaving Tokio, it was ratKer alarming to dis- 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 127 
 
 cover how truly we had verified the saying so far that 
 the buying mania seizes everyone on landing, and 
 never leaves them till they quit the shores. The 
 packing of all our purchases, armour, swords, bronzes, 
 birds, etc., and despatching them to Yokohama, was 
 a good day's work. 
 
 And now we are on the rail again for a fifty miles' 
 run to Kozu. We had lovely peeps of Fuji San with 
 her mantle of snow, recalling to me both in shape and 
 situation the Peak of Teneriffe, which it very nearly 
 equals in height. Fuji, indeed, for many days con- 
 tinued to be the central point round which our 
 journeys revolved. From its immense height, so far 
 excelling any other mountain in the central range, 
 or backbone of Japan, from which it is separated by a 
 wide extent of irregular plain, it gives from many 
 points of view the impression of a mountain rising 
 out of the sea in solitary state. No natural feature 
 is so repeatedly depicted in the art of Japan, whether 
 ceramic, pictorial, or poetic. The native appreciation 
 of its central grandeur may be illustrated by an 
 expression in a sermon of a young Japanese clergy- 
 man, that the verse, ' God so loved the world that 
 He gave His only begotten Son' (John iii. 16), was 
 the Fuji San of the Bible. Great and widespread 
 was the consternation during the earthquake that 
 occurred shortly after my visit, when the report was 
 spread, and credited, that Fuji San had been destroyed. 
 It was spoken of, not only as the greatest possible 
 national loss, but as the most terrible omen for the 
 future. Correspondingly great was the rejoicing when 
 
128 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 it was understood that the beloved and sacred 
 mountain still raised her snowy peak heavenward, 
 though a slight landslip had occurred on part of the 
 slope. 
 
 The railway deposited us at Kozu, where we had 
 a short stroll on the beach, with a love]y view of the 
 Bay of Odawara, and in the far distance the volcanic 
 island of Enoshima, a reproduction of the Lipari 
 Islands of the Mediterranean, and whose volcano is still 
 as active as theirs. We then transferred ourselves to 
 the tram car which was to convey us to Yamoto, for, 
 the traffic hardly promising to be remunerative enough 
 for a railway, the Japanese, decidedly in advance of 
 ourselves in these matters, at once laid down a tram- 
 line, while we are talking of light railways in aid of 
 agriculture. We found the tramcars were divided 
 into three classes, and, according to our usual custom, 
 took second-class tickets. We were amused afterwards 
 to find that the three omnibuses were identical in 
 their appointments, and that the only distinction was 
 that the first class preceded us by a few yards, and 
 gave us the benefit of their dust, which we passed on, 
 plus our own, to our more economical third-class 
 followers. The road wound up a lovely valley, by 
 the side of a turbulent torrent, and much resembled 
 the drive to Balmoral by the Birks of Aberfeldy. 
 Close to the starting-place at Odawara were the 
 remains of what was once a very famous Daimio's 
 castle, which was destroyed during the late revolution. 
 From 1490 it was for more than a century the seat of 
 government of the'Shoguns of the Hojo line. The 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 129 
 
 name is preserved in a common Japanese proverb 
 which applies to any purposeless chattering the 
 expression, ' an Odawara Conference.' The phrase is 
 said to have originated from the Hojo chiefs, who had 
 retired to their castle after a battle with the celebrated 
 General Hideyoshi, spending some days in discussing 
 the point whether it were better to attack the enemy, 
 or to allow him to invest their stronghold. While 
 they were unable to come to any conclusion, Hideyoshi 
 solved the problem by a sudden onslaught, in which 
 he stormed the fortress. Hence the proverb, an 
 admirable illustration of the saying of our great 
 general, e Councils of war never fight.' 
 
 The tram runs parallel with the old Tokaido i.e. 
 the eastern sea-road beautifully paved and macada 
 mised with small pebbles, very narrow, and lined by 
 grand old pines and cryptomerias, chiefly the former, 
 forming an avenue of 380 miles between the capitals 
 of the Mikado and the Shogun. It was, in fact, the 
 great arterial line of the country, though now, with 
 its wayside tea-houses, as deserted as our own great 
 North Koad. * The old order changeth, and giveth 
 place to new.' 
 
 Earlier writers on Japan, from the Dutch down- 
 wards, have given glowing pictures of the magnificence, 
 the stir and bustle of the Tokaido of former times : of 
 the Daimios in their ponderous palanquins, attended 
 with their hundreds of henchmen, the two-sworded 
 Samurai, resplendent in lacquered armour, as twice a 
 year they made their leisurely procession to do homage 
 to the Shogun. By the Tokaido all the inland com- 
 
 K 
 
 OF TH K 
 UNIVET 
 
130 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 merce of the country was carried on packhorses ; the 
 whole line, we are told, was as crowded as the 
 thoroughfares of a great city. Indeed, it must have 
 l>een so, to judge by the countless tea-houses, many of 
 them now deserted, which flank the avenue on either 
 side. Public conveyances there were none, and as all 
 travellers, except the few Daimios in their palanquins, 
 made their journey on foot, and the Japanese travel 
 very leisurely, the sleeping accommodation required 
 must have been very great. One of the oldest English 
 residents in Japan told us, at the Embassy, that he 
 remembered before the revolution the processions of 
 the Daimios along the Tokaido with their regiments 
 of armed retainers, and how outrunners preceded them, 
 compelling not only the common sort, but also Daimios 
 of lesser degree, to stand out of the way as they passed. 
 Even now the custom is still retained, not only on the 
 road, but in Tokio and other towns, of outrunners on 
 foot preceding the gentry, whether on horseback or in 
 their carriages. Thus, but thirty years ago, one 
 might have here beheld an exact reproduction of the 
 spectacle of the feudal lords of Europe and their armed 
 retainers. 
 
 Arrived at the tram terminus, Yamoto, we soon 
 experienced the inconvenience of being on a foreigner- 
 frequented track. We were still four miles from Miya- 
 no-Shita, and we were encumbered with more than 
 we could carry ourselves. The jinriksha men crowded 
 round us like Arabs at Alexandria ; though with the 
 vociferations the likeness ends, for they were far 
 too polite to seize our baggage, still less to drag us 
 
K 2 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 133 
 
 by force to their own vehicles. We quietly sat down 
 on the seat in front of the tea-house, assuming an air 
 of perfect indifference as to whether we remained there 
 for the day or not. We were assured it was impossible 
 for us to walk. We smiled, and replenished our cups 
 of green tea. On our asserting our firm intention of 
 walking, the crowd looked at our baggage a small 
 portmanteau and two hold-alls and assured us we 
 could not carry it. ' We shall walk, and it may be 
 carried/ we said, and more tea was sipped. ' It will 
 take four jinrikshas/ they said. ' Two will be ample,' 
 we replied. ' But these jinrikshas are not like the 
 Tokio ones that you know,' they objected. We told 
 them to go by the road, and we were going round by 
 the mountain. ' That is impossible/ was the reply ; 
 ' the road is closed.' ' Then we will open it/ we 
 answer, and are utterly unmoved by all arguments. 
 
 Seeing us calm and imperturbable, and not in the 
 least hurried, two of them at length started with very 
 easy loads by the road, and told us we should meet 
 at the Naraya Hotel. We had a good travelling map, 
 and felt no doubt as to our being able to find the way 
 without a guide, although we had to cross a wooded 
 mountain, round which the road makes a detour, and 
 descend into the next valley, where we were certain 
 to intersect the highway. It was fortunate that our 
 further adventures were out of sight from Yamoto, 
 for we missed the path, and after pulling ourselves 
 through dense underwood of aucuba, deutzia, weigelia, 
 and wisteria, up an almost perpendicular mountain, 
 we found the scrub becoming really impenetrable, and 
 
134 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 were compelled after half an hour to retrace our steps 
 to the main road. Our amour-propre would have been 
 too sorely tried by the humiliation of going back to 
 Yamoto to seek a guide ; but we descended upon the 
 next village, and soon found a man who knew the 
 track, and who was willing to guide us. It was indeed 
 a climb, even though we found the true route, but 
 once arrived at the summit we were richly rewarded. 
 We found ourselves on the crest of the ridge which 
 forms the centre of the promontory province of Izu. 
 Standing where we were, we could look down on either 
 side into a deep mountain gorge, and following the 
 ravine with our eye we could see where each opened 
 into the Pacific Ocean on the right and the left of the 
 mountain chain. Turning to the right, Fuji towered 
 in front of us, her sides girdled with a cloud-belt ; 
 mountain ranges ran parallel on either side, affording 
 a grand, though by no means overwhelming, pano- 
 rama. We had now nothing to do but to follow the 
 ridge westward until the path should rapidly descend 
 to Miya-no-Shita. We dismissed our courteous 
 guide, and walked for another hour and a half along 
 the ridge, sometimes wooded and sometimes open. 
 There were one or two marshy spots, the botany of 
 which was quite novel to us, and we found some 
 magnificent ladies' slipper (Cypripedium japonicum) 
 in full blossom, with their enormous fan-shaped, flat 
 leaves. It is very rare, and the queen of Japanese 
 wildflowers, as is our species, though, alas ! almost 
 extinct, of the British flora. It is a curious 
 coincidence that, as Sowerby a hundred years ago 
 
UNIVERoITY 
 
 \ 
 
F 2 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 135 
 
 commenced his great work on British botany with an 
 illustration of our ladies' slipper, so the illustrated 
 history of the flora of Japan, begun, I believe, at an 
 earlier date, and reaching to over a hundred volumes, 
 of which the latter portion are only in manuscript, 
 commences with a beautiful hand-coloured represen- 
 tation of this native species. 
 
 The sun was setting when we descended upon the 
 road, a mile or two from Miya-no-Shita, and we soon 
 reached our hotel, the Naraya, perched on a hillside 
 amongst babbling hot streams and quaint artificial 
 gardens. There was not much of the romantic 
 within, though everything that could be desired for 
 creature-comfort. Foreign furniture and fare at 
 foreign prices are already established in this great 
 health-resort the Harrogate of Japan. We had just 
 ordered dinner, when we were informed that a young 
 Japanese gentleman requested an interview, or rather, 
 as it was expressed, ' to hang on our honourable 
 eyes.' With much ceremony he was ushered in, and 
 with still more ceremony explained to us that he had 
 espied the cypripedium protruding from my vasculum 
 as we entered, and was anxious to know where we 
 had found it, as he, too, was a botanist, and had been 
 searching for it in vain for some days. For the 
 information we gave him and for a specimen of the 
 plant with root and bloom he overwhelmed us with 
 gratitude. This, however, being one of the foreign 
 hotels, it is patronised by very few natives, who 
 generally, when visiting the springs, board at the 
 many tea-houses in the villages round. 
 
136 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 The next day was Sunday, and the second, and 
 last, wet day I encountered during our rambles. We 
 went up to the other foreign hotel, where we found a 
 number of fellow-countrymen, and, thanks to the 
 storm, had a fairly numerous company for Divine 
 Service in the saloon. Thanks to the admirable 
 postal arrangements of the country, we received a 
 large batch of letters which had pursued us from 
 place to place. The postal officials do not, as at 
 home, disfigure the face of the letter or card by re- 
 addressing it, but simply write the next address on a 
 slip of tissue-paper, which is gummed at the edge and 
 folded back over the missive. If it has again to be 
 re-addressed, the same process is repeated, and thus 
 1 have a halfpenny post-card with eleven pages of 
 address folded on to it, one after another, and which 
 reached me at length without extra charge. 
 
 We spent a couple of days in exploring this lovely 
 mountain glen. The charms of its position cannot be 
 spoiled by all the efforts which enterprising hotel- 
 keepers are making to Europeanise it. The constant 
 appearance of English under the Chinese characters 
 on the signboards of the shops, prevalent in Tokio 
 and elsewhere, extends even to the villages. We 
 came across some wonderful examples of ' English as 
 she is spoke/ For instance, at the entrance to the 
 grounds of the Naraya Hotel is the following notice : 
 1 No trees and any flowers permitted to take off in 
 this gardens. No fish permitted to catch in this 
 ponds/ A man in the village has a horse to hire. 
 On his signboard is a drawing of a man on horseback, 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 137 
 
 and below simply the words, * Lend horse.' On 
 another board I read, 'Fujinei Tei. To let, the above- 
 named tea-house, on the top of this hill. There 
 mount Fuji on the up and island Enoshima on the 
 down can be seen when weather is most splendidly. 
 Leader, 0-Muga ' (leader being Japanese English for 
 owner or agent). Over a parcels delivery office near 
 a station in Tokio was the following : ' Before station 
 send at home and every state.' 
 
 After the rain the sun seemed rapidly to bring out 
 the butterflies and to unfold the fern-fronds, the 
 search for which gave zest to our rambles through 
 these highland-like glens, affording continual change 
 of landscape and partial peeps of Fuji San. But 
 however many hours we wandered, the natural hot 
 bath on our return would reinvigorate the most 
 wearied. One noticed the change of colour each day, 
 as the trees rushed out into foliage under the glowing 
 sunshine, and the reeking moisture of the recent rain- 
 fall. One gentleman declared that he measured a 
 young bamboo before going in to breakfast, and after 
 breakfast. It had meanwhile reached another button 
 of his waistcoat ; and I quite believe him. My 
 daughter, however, was inclined to suspect that he 
 had changed his shoes for a thicker pair in the 
 meantime ! 
 
 No one can leave Miya-no-Shita with as little 
 luggage as he entered it, for the village street is 
 simply one long bazaar of open shops for the sale, not 
 only of old armour, antiques, and photographs, but 
 more especially of every kind of small wooden article, 
 
 OF 
 
 UNIV ! 
 V 
 
138 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 mostly inlaid, the manufacture of which is the indus- 
 try of the districts, and which far surpass in finish, 
 elegance, and ingenuity the choicest productions of 
 Nice or Tunbridge Wells. They are all made from 
 the different woods of the country, and at prices the 
 modesty of which would shock the tradesmen of 
 Switzerland. The winsome importunity and gracious 
 address of those who sell them as you pass their 
 booths are far more irresistible than the deafening 
 advertisements and gesticulations of an Egyptian or 
 Syrian bazaar. 
 
 But we must quit the luxuries of Miya-no-Shita 
 if we would see the natural wonders and beauties of 
 the mountain region around. With far less trouble 
 than we should have had at home in a similar 
 arrangement, after reducing our impedimenta to a 
 hold-all apiece, a frame of botanical paper, and a 
 satchel, all which could easily be carried by one 
 man, we despatched our heavier luggage by two 
 kuruma men to the nearest station, to be forwarded 
 to Gotemba, which we hoped to reach in a few days, 
 the men giving us a receipt, on the production of 
 which we received our luggage some days after 
 without the slightest difficulty. 
 
 Our first day's march was to the famous sacred 
 village of Hakone, on the edge of a mountain lake, 
 some eight miles distant over a mountain path, taking 
 with us a man as porter and guide. However, he 
 soon got so impatient at the time spent over plants 
 and butterflies, which latter generally gave us the 
 slip in the thick bush, that he declared he must 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 141 
 
 have double pay if we kept him back. As we were 
 not afraid now of losing our way, we let him go on. 
 We were reminded that Japan has already become 
 a hunting-ground of globe-trotters by meeting no 
 less than three parties of Englishmen, most of 
 whom were sensible enough to be pedestrians, though 
 three, who ought to have remained in Pall Mall, 
 were being carried down the hill in kagos, the native 
 sedan chair, a mode of conveyance that we felt was 
 only pardonable in the case of delicate ladies. The 
 hills on either side were bare and volcanic, and the 
 mass of dwarf bamboo through which our path lay 
 very monotonous. But every now and then, at a 
 turn in the track, a dainty little tea-house would 
 arrest us, and we could no more pass one without 
 expending a farthing on a cup of tea, than a toper 
 could resist a public at the corner. Ashi-no-Yu was 
 our halfway house, a village of bathing-houses and 
 native hotels for the hot sulphur springs. The 
 valley here reeked with sulphur smoke ; the atmo- 
 sphere was impregnated with it. There was not a 
 trace of vegetation, save the skeletons of trees, and 
 the spiraeas, hydrangeas, and violets, which had 
 relieved the monotony of the bamboo thickets, had 
 all disappeared. We were not tempted to bathe 
 after what we saw of the publicity of the ablutions. 
 On the road beyond we passed a colossal Buddha in 
 an apse cut out of the basalt cliff ; the figure, a very 
 beautiful one, is simply carved, along with the lotus- 
 flower on which the prophet sits, out of the native 
 rock, which has also been cut away behind it. It is 
 
142 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 indeed a grand work, marvellously impressive on the 
 lonely, desolate mountain-side. Eows of smaller 
 Buddhas lined the short avenue to the shrine, but 
 there is no temple or human habitation within sight. 
 
 There is an old tale connected with the little 
 stream below, which may be worth repeating. A 
 nobleman travelling by night let ten rin (equal to 
 a halfpenny) drop out of his tinder-case into the 
 water, and then spent fifty rin in torches to recover 
 the lost piece of money. When his friends laughed 
 at him for spending five times as much to recover 
 what he had lost, he retorted : ' Gentlemen, you 
 are very foolish, and do not understand political 
 economy. You have no feeling of benevolence. If 
 I had not searched for the ten-rin piece, it would 
 have been for ever lost, sunk at the bottom of the 
 stream. Now, the fifty rin which I have spent on 
 torches will remain in circulation among the trades- 
 men. It is no matter whether they, or I, or some one 
 else has them, but not a single one of this sixty rin 
 has been lost, and this is a clear gain to the nation.' 
 We see that political economy whether it be in 
 accordance with Adam Smith or not, I do not say 
 is no new science to Japan. 
 
 Soon after passing the image and stream we had 
 our first glimpse of the mountain lake and the 
 picturesque Hakone village at its head, with a fine 
 cryptomeria avenue for the last mile of the way. 
 The hotel proved to be a Japanese house attempting 
 to ape English ways, and with English prices spoilt 
 by tourists. However, we had a pleasant airy room 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 143 
 
 and wide balcony for the daytime, with the finest of 
 mat floors, divided into three by paper walls for our 
 bedrooms, the beds being made on the floor. Native 
 so-called beds that is, the soft, clean mat, and 
 futon, or wadded quilt are most welcome after a 
 hard day's walk, but on native wood pillows I 
 never could rest my head. To attempt it suggested 
 instantaneously the thought of King Charles on the 
 block, with the head ready to roll off on the other 
 side. 
 
 I fear I shall sink in the estimation of those of 
 my readers for whom conchology has no charms when 
 I confess that our first expedition was a stroll along 
 the edge of the lake in search of freshwater shells 
 among the scanty patches of reeds which occasionally 
 fringe it, and amongst which we waded in black 
 mud. I was stimulated to this by one of the young 
 Englishmen whom we had met in the morning, who 
 assured me he had found on the beach of the lake 
 a freshwater shell identical with the Melania of the 
 Sea of Galilee. We succeeded in collecting various 
 species, amongst them the one alluded to, but found, 
 as one often does, that similarity is not identity. 
 We returned in time to watch the evening sun from 
 our balcony, which soon set behind Fuji. The effect 
 was grand, for the sky was cloudless ; and though 
 Fuji must yield the palm to the Peak of Teneriffe, I 
 never there saw finer sunset colouring. We saw it 
 white, rosy blush, pink, and finally, just at sunset, 
 the snowdad mountain, with the sun exactly behind 
 it, looked deep black in a pale golden setting. 
 
 US* 
 
 UJSTI 
 
144 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 The Hakone lake is, so far as we can learn, of 
 unknown depth. It is, in fact, an enormous moun- 
 tain tarn over 5,000 feet above the sea-level. It is 
 curious that, with the exception of one very small 
 outlet at the north end, there are no streams from it. 
 On the plain below are few or no natural streams, 
 and it is said that many centuries ago the mountain 
 wall was tunnelled by manual labour, and the upper 
 waters tapped, and from the rocky sluices flows a 
 flood sufficient to irrigate millions of acres of the 
 Suruga province ; and this enables the inhabitants to 
 raise the vast quantities of rice on which the country 
 is dependent for its very existence. Water, and a 
 sufficient supply of it to immerse the fields either ,-it 
 once or in compartments, is the first necessity of the 
 rice-farmer. As rice must be sown, transplanted, and 
 grown under water, immense areas of irrigated fields 
 are necessary. A proof of the very early civilisation 
 of Japan is found in the stupendous tunnels and 
 the dams by which the mountain streams have been 
 blocked for the purpose of irrigating the lower plains, 
 and by which the noisy, foaming torrents have 
 been changed into silent and useful, if unromantic, 
 servants. These huge reservoirs are tapped when 
 required, and conveyed, often for miles, along arti- 
 ficial canals or ditches, each field securing a supply as 
 the stream passes, by little locks ; whilst in the lower 
 plains tread wheels are used to pump the water on to 
 each compartment. All this is regulated by law 
 most rigidly enforced. To steal a neighbour's water 
 was formerly a capital offence. 
 

 THE HAKONE LAKE, FIVE THOUSAND FEET ABOVE SEA-LEVEL. 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 147 
 
 Just on the right hand of our hotel a little 
 peninsula runs out into the lake, on which is a 
 modest though extensive building, one of the country 
 palaces of the emperor, and which he generally 
 visits for a fortnight in summer. The grounds had 
 
 O o 
 
 only recently been laid out, and their beauty was 
 future, not present. However, unlike the Egyptian 
 Khedive, the Mikado of Japan refuses to waste his 
 subjects' money on imperial residences. Thus he 
 declined, shortly after the beginning of the present 
 war, to have a palace built for his reception at 
 Hiroshima. By his refusal he intensified the enthu- 
 siastic loyalty of his people. 
 
 From our lake dwelling at Hakone, for such in the 
 full sense our pile-supported chalet was, we made an 
 early start to the other end of the lake, a row of 
 about six miles, with Fuji in front the whole way. 
 The scenery of the upper end of the lake was much 
 bolder than at the lower, the pine forest coming down 
 to the water's edge, many of the peeps recalling 
 Derwentwater. Our goal was Gotemba, a little town 
 from which we planned to explore Fuji and its 
 neighbourhood, and we -took with us a Hakone man 
 with a long bamboo to carry our baggage. We 
 stepped on shore from our boat, prepared for a 
 twenty miles' mountain walk, with a delightful sense 
 of independence. 
 
 As we wound up the narrow path we very soon lost 
 all traces of forest, and rapidly reached a succes- 
 sion of rolling downs, bare and desolate but for a few 
 unwholesome-looking tufts of rush. We were here 
 
 L 2 
 
148 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 quite out of the usual tourists' beat, and at a tea- 
 house at the top of the first bare ridge for whatever 
 else there is not, there is everywhere a tea-house 
 we prudently provisioned ourselves for the day with 
 two parcels of cold boiled rice, and half a dozen hard- 
 boiled eggs. After passing through some weary 
 bamboo scrub we reached Ubago, a collection of hotels 
 and hot sulphur water baths, and the whole air 
 saturated with sulphur. The baths are long buildings 
 of one storey round squares, with the steaming baths 
 open in front, each tenanted by naked bathers of both 
 sexes sitting promiscuously in the hot water, open to 
 all passers-by. In this respect there is certainly a 
 want of decency in Japan, but it is, so far as I saw, 
 an exception ; for, taken on the whole, there is less 
 to be seen that offends one's sense of delicacy and 
 propriety in Japan than in any other Eastern country 
 I have visited. 
 
 After resting for a quarter of an hour on a mat, of 
 course sipping green tea, we started up a steep path, 
 through forest with an undergrowth of sweet-scented 
 white dwarf daphne, which perfumed the surrounding 
 atmosphere. There was also a dwarf pyrus, with 
 brilliant red bloom ; quantities of an orchid, promising 
 to be a gigantic cypripedium, but which does not 
 flower till July, and various other to us botanic 
 novelties. Crossing the next ridge, we found our- 
 selves in a steep desolate valley, with ash-heap, 
 sulphur hillocks, steam holes, and roaring boiling 
 water tumbling under the crust upon which we trod, 
 altogether a weird scene of desolation, for here there 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 151 
 
 are no sulphur plants like those which characterise 
 the similar sulphuric springs and deposits of Callirrhoe 
 in the land of Moab. It is called Ojigoku, or the 
 Great Hell, but was named last year, in honour of 
 the emperor's visit, Owa kidani, or the valley of the 
 great boiling. Both names are well-earned. It was 
 a splendid opportunity for investigating volcanic 
 phenomena on a small scale, but we were repeatedly 
 cautioned by our guide to beware where we trod, as 
 more than one traveller have lost their lives through 
 the edges of the thin crust, which is cracked in every 
 direction, and sometimes has wide fissures. 
 
 We reached another crest, and lo, a complete trans- 
 formation scene. In place of the sulphurous deso- 
 lation and mephitic steam, we found an almost 
 obliterated track, under thickets of deutzia, azalea, 
 and other flowering shrubs of every colour, the azaleas 
 predominating. The flora of this neighbourhood is 
 in many respects very peculiar, containing many 
 plants which we never found elsewhere. Another 
 crest to cross, and we had to brush through bamboo 
 brake, and across a flat valley for three miles, highly 
 cultivated and studded with villages, till we faced a 
 wooded and apparently perpendicular mountain. 
 
 How were we to get up ? ' There,' replies our 
 coolie, as he rests the pole with his burden cleverly 
 balanced on his long bamboo alpenstock. ' Not 
 promising/ and we looked at each other, and zigzagged 
 up the side by a series of sloping notches cut in the 
 cliff. However, when we at length reached the 
 summit of the Otomi Toge Pass we were rewarded for 
 
152 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 all our scramble. Standing on the ridge we could, at 
 the same moment, look over the plain we had crossed 
 an hour before into the lake shining at its further 
 end, and on the other side over the range, the vast 
 plain through which the Tokaido runs, stretching 
 unbroken to the slopes of Fuji, which stood out in 
 undimmed splendour without a cloud, his snow gilded 
 by the afternoon sun. Straight ahead were the 
 snow-capped granite peaks of the provinces of Hida 
 and Echu. The plain, thick with villages, coppices, 
 fields, avenues, and trees of all sorts, looked more like 
 Kent or Surrey than Japan as I had yet seen it. And 
 this impression of its English character was soon inten- 
 sified when, gaily tripping down the mountain side, 
 my daughter said she had never before trod on turf all 
 the years she had been in Japan. We were delighted 
 with the tall, pale, purple daisy at least it seemed 
 to me a true Bellis, but, if not, was certainly an aster 
 very like it, met with by us here for the first time, 
 and which covers the whole meadow-like slopes. 
 
 This was the first district I had found where sheep 
 might be reared, for there is no dwarf bamboo, as 
 there is everywhere else, a plant which is fatal to 
 pasturing sheep, and which is a simple explanation of 
 their absence in the country. At the little tea-house 
 on the top where we were glad to rest, we met 
 several fellow-countrymen who had come in the other 
 direction with kagos or chairs, and who did not 
 exchange salutations with mere pedestrians. I took 
 the opportunity of skinning a curious little black 
 shrew mouse with a bushy tail which I had obtained 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 153 
 
 in the bamboo brake. When we had reached the 
 bottom of the range, we were rather disappointed to 
 find that we had still more than four miles to walk ; 
 yet who could be tired as we trod those narrow 
 Devonshire lanes, ceaselessly using our butterfly-net 
 under the long hedges of camellia, the falling crimson 
 blooms of which absolutely smothered the smooth 
 path which they overhung ? In fact, here the 
 camellia took the place of the hawthorn, and the 
 azaleas of the apple trees of Southern England. At 
 length we came upon Gotemba, which is one long 
 street, along which we trudged for more than a mile 
 before we found quarters at a thoroughly native inn, 
 exquisitely clean as usual, but without a solitary 
 chair or table. We inquired their charges, and after 
 a little bargaining closed for a yen and a half, or 
 five shillings, a day for the two of us, including three 
 native meals, as well as apartments and attendance. 
 On asking for a hot bath, I was ushered to one in the 
 large kitchen, in which a man was already stewing, 
 and created much surprise by my fastidiousness in 
 declining to share the bath with him, though I was 
 assured there was room for two in it ! 
 
 Eleven hours on foot made us thoroughly appreciate 
 our couches, though they were only the mat-flooring, 
 with futons under and over us, and others rolled 
 up for a pillow. We slept well in spite of the 
 noises, for the hotel was extensive, and there was 
 only a sliding paper wall between the rooms, while 
 visitors seemed to be coming and going throughout 
 the night. I was aroused during my first sleep by 
 
154 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 the visit of a policeman, who, having heard that 
 foreigners had arrived, hurriedly came to examine 
 our passport, and insisted upon seeing my daughter, 
 from whom he wanted explanations as to how or why 
 we had such an unusually extensive one. When his 
 curiosity and scruples were satisfied, he was of course 
 effusive in his politeness. His visit reminded me of 
 two things which I have often observed in Japan 
 their absolute indifference to times and seasons, and 
 the amusing self-importance of the little officials, far 
 superior to Bumbledom at home. If a message has 
 to be delivered, whether unimportant or not, the 
 time of day matters not. If the mail has arrived and 
 the postman is up, he will rouse you to deliver letters 
 at 2 A.M., especially if one of them is registered and 
 must be receipted with ink, and you happen to have 
 no ink in your bedroom. In red tape they surpass 
 France and equal Eussia. A friend of mine was 
 travelling with a passport which authorised him to 
 visit certain places in a particular order. He wished 
 to vary this order, which had been filled in without 
 his being consulted, but was informed in a certain 
 town that he must go west rather than east, as he 
 wished. Expostulation was in vain, but after waiting 
 a few days, when the officials saw he was an awkward 
 customer who intended to hold firm, they informed 
 him, that though it was their duty to compel him to 
 leave the city by the west road, yet after pursuing 
 it for a mile or two he would find a cross-country 
 path which would take him in the other direction. 
 As an instance of the Japanese love of keeping to 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 155 
 
 the letter of the law, the following may be quoted. 
 A certain bridge was found unsafe for heavy 
 traffic, though still available as a foot-bridge, and a 
 notice was accordingly posted, * No animals allowed 
 to cross this bridge.' After a time a formal com- 
 plaint was made that it was impossible to insist on 
 this order being obeyed, for rats would still continue 
 to cross. A solemn conclave was held, at which it 
 was decided that it was impossible to prevent the 
 rats having their free course, and yet that dis- 
 obedience to an official edict was not to be tolerated, 
 and therefore the wording of the notice was altered 
 to run, e No large animal allowed to cross this bridge.' 
 Even then the malcontents were not quite satisfied, 
 for where was the line to be drawn between large and 
 small animals ? 
 
 At Gotemba, as at all Japanese inns, the bill of 
 fare varies not for breakfast, dinner, and supper. 
 We had fish soup in a little lacquer basin, the float- 
 ing bits of fish having to be caught with chopsticks 
 to a raw hand like myself quite as serious an affair 
 as the original capture in the stream. Perhaps 
 another kind of soup, made with seaweed, vege- 
 tables, or dried fish, might come instead. There 
 were green pickles in a lacquer saucer ; raw eggs, 
 probably having been kept long enough to have a 
 flavour, a fresh egg being considered very insipid. 
 When near the coast we should have had varieties 
 of shell-fish, sea-urchins, and half-cooked octopus, or 
 sea-fish. But here these were represented by delicious 
 mountain trout, nicely baked. To such condiments 
 
156 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 at a wedding-feast or at the new year would be added 
 a lobster, emblematic of long life, with the wish, 
 ' May you live to such an age that your back is as 
 bent as a lobster's ! ' All these are served to each 
 person on a small square lacquer tray, with feet a 
 few inches high. In front of us was always placed a 
 small wooden tub with a lid, filled with steaming rice, 
 and served with a flat wooden ladle, not unlike a 
 painter's spatula, with which each from time to time 
 refilled at pleasure the little rice bowl. As all the 
 dishes are served on the little trays at once, the chief 
 duty of the waitress is to keep the rice-bowl supplied; 
 in fact, rice is the substitute not only for bread, but 
 practically for all our food save meat and vegetables. 
 
 There are no sweets at the regular meals, but green 
 tea always follows, and, if specially ordered, sake, 
 served hot in a long-necked porcelain flask. This 
 sake is prepared from rice malt with very little hops, 
 and resembles much the heavy muddy beer of an in- 
 ferior country public-house. Cold, it is certainly not 
 palatable, and when hot only tolerable to my taste. 
 
 More difficult than the management of chopsticks, 
 at which I soon became a tolerable adept, was the 
 sitting on the floor to eat, and I never during my 
 sojourn succeeded in I will not say gracefully, but 
 even in any way with ease or comfort accommo- 
 dating myself to the native habits in this respect, 
 and soon began to feel that a room furnished with 
 but one chair and table was a luxurious one. If I 
 rolled up a futon and sat on it my tray was far 
 below me, and either a more supple back or chop- 
 
PILGRIM GOING UP FUJILAMA. 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 159 
 
 sticks of abnormal length were needed ; or if I 
 reversed the order of things and mounted my dinner 
 tray on this temporary seat, what was I to do on the 
 floor with my aching legs, that refused to be tucked 
 under me, as those of my little Japanese friends have 
 learned to be from babyhood ? 
 
 Though the ascent of Fuji at this early season 
 of the year was impossible, we determined to reach 
 the forest which covers its lower slopes and penetrate 
 as far as the snow would permit us. We made an 
 early start for the foot of the mountain in jinrikshas, 
 or, as they are more properly in Japan called, kuru- 
 mas, zigzagging for several miles through narrow 
 lanes with camellia hedges laden with bloom. At 
 length we emerged from this Kentish scenery into 
 paddy fields, crossing countless little brooks, fed by 
 the mountain snow, hardly deep enough to be called 
 dells, but the sides of which were clad with over- 
 hanging azaleas, red, white, yellow, purple, and pink, 
 and many other choice shrubs, while the black water 
 ousel, the representative of the familiar dipper of our 
 northern streams, darted up and down the brook, or 
 briskly jerked his tail as he lighted on a stone in the 
 water. The farmers were busy preparing the fields 
 for planting out the rice. Rice-growing is toil indeed, 
 and has passed into a Japanese proverb for hard or 
 weary labour. Men were wading knee-deep in the 
 black mud, leading horses or oxen attached to a 
 long rake, which does duty for a plough, and pounds 
 the soaked clods until the whole becomes reduced to 
 the consistency of pea soup, and is then ready for the 
 
160 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 young plants. Ascending from the rice fields, the 
 road and soil were alike formed of black volcanic ash 
 like a Durham pit-heap. 
 
 Arrived at Subashiri, the last village before the 
 ascent, we found the place en fete, and had the 
 opportunity of seeing at our leisure the humours of 
 a Japanese country fair. 
 
 The village is a long one, over half a mile, and 
 at the upper end terminates in a Shinto temple, 
 embowered in dense cryptomeria grove and avenue. 
 The main street is wide, and planted with flowering 
 trees on both sides. Between these, bamboo tops 
 with their feathery foliage had been set all along, 
 fastened with long lines of twine, and covered like 
 a Christmas-tree with bits of red and white paper. 
 All the women and children were in their bright 
 holiday dresses ; the streets were lined with the 
 stalls of vendors of all kinds of goods, from large 
 mats to dolls' clothes. Cheapjacks were advertising 
 their wares ; some strolling players had a platform 
 mounted on rollers, and were performing free gratis ; 
 on a more elevated stage pretty dancing girls were 
 performing a Japanese opera and ballet combined ; 
 crowds of country folk, with bales of rice straw and 
 mats, as well as all kinds of farm produce to sell, 
 combined business with pleasure. There were penny 
 peeps for one rin (one-tenth of a halfpenny) ; a grand 
 model of Fuji on a barrow ; Punch whacking Judy 
 exactly as he does elsewhere, and Toby by his side. 
 There were more horses assembled than I had yet 
 seen in Japan. It was indeed the village feast of 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 161 
 
 the olden time, with all the quaint Japanese sur- 
 roundings. Paper lanterns lined the avenue to the 
 temple preparatory for a great illumination at night. 
 Here we found a grand service proceeding. The 
 Shinto priests vest and revest in public, and con- 
 tinually change their coloured stoles, There was an 
 empty shrine, with the two long strips of cut white 
 paper hanging in front. The ritual was very moderate, 
 but we were unable to understand the chantings and 
 recitations of which the service, performed by the 
 priests alone, consisted. 
 
 At lunch in the village inn fresh mountain trout 
 and egg soup were welcome delicacies, and in con- 
 sideration for our foreign weakness our hostess found 
 two chairs, which were indeed appreciated. From 
 the village in the afternoon we wandered on over 
 volcanic ashes through a thin wood, and then for 
 two hours mounted through the forest. I got near 
 the edge of the snow-line, or at least to the snow 
 lying under the pine trees as yet untouched by the 
 spring sun, and in a small open space in the 
 middle of the forest, filled with flowering shrubs and 
 entirely secluded, had a splendid opportunity for 
 watching some of the rarest birds of Japan and 
 noting their habits. It seemed to be the rendezvous 
 of song-birds, as I sat completely concealed by 
 the foliage of an evergreen shrub. The beautiful 
 narcissus flycatcher took its perch on a twig within 
 a yard of my head ; the Siberian blue-tail, and, best 
 of all, the lovely Japanese waxwing, fearlessly hopped 
 about in pursuit of the small butterflies ; the Siberian 
 
 M 
 
 iran 
 
162 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 blackbird with its white belly, and the black and 
 white ousel (Merula cardis) perched at the opposite 
 end of the opening, entered as competitors in a 
 singing match, while many a warbler whistled and 
 titmouse chirped unseen. It was an hour's ornitho- 
 logical education such as I have rarely had, and 
 though I was not able to pay my respects to the 
 Lady of Fuji in her crater at the summit, as every 
 pilgrim ought, I was amply rewarded by the fruits 
 of my pilgrimage. 
 
 It is interesting to note that as we have retained 
 the ancient British names of our rivers and of many of 
 our hills, so the name of Fuji has no meaning in the 
 vernacular, but is kindred to the Ainu word for fire 
 mountain, handed down from the time when the 
 aboriginal Ainu inhabited the land. It is held to be 
 the residence of a goddess, Fuji-sen-gen, and is, 
 therefore, a sacred mountain and place of pilgrimage. 
 The legend says that Fuji arose in a night, and that 
 at the same time Lake Biwa was hollowed out, and 
 tradition adds that this was about the year 330 B.C. 
 There are historic records of eruptions from 799 A.D., 
 and the last of any importance was in 1707 A.D., 
 when the hump on the south side of the mountain 
 was formed. In this eruption Tokio itself was covered 
 with six inches of ashes. At present the only sign 
 of activity is a little steam and smoke from cracks 
 close to the crater on the side facing Subashiri. We 
 only ascended about 4000 feet, but the forest and 
 thicket extend 3000 feet higher. 
 
 As an illustration of the quickness and imitative 
 
THE HAKONE LAKE 163 
 
 powers of the people, I may mention an incident of 
 this day's ramble. I had been followed to the forest 
 by two men, who always kept me in view. It seems 
 that one of them had learned from our kuruma men 
 that we had been butterfly-hunting. They had 
 followed our example, but were too shy to accost 
 us, though they told our men. When invited, they 
 summoned courage at last to come to me, and offered 
 me about a dozen butterflies which they had caught, 
 and folded in triangular bits of paper, exactly as I 
 had done. They gracefully offered me the fruits of 
 their chase, and when I accepted and thanked them, 
 giving them a two-sen piece, they beamed with 
 delight, and we each bowed to the ground. The 
 men evidently enjoyed the pleasure of gratifying a 
 stranger. 
 
 Another instance of graceful courtesy. At a 
 little farmhouse, as we were returning in the 
 evening, the blaze of azaleas and the neatness of a 
 garden arrested us for a moment. As we stopped to 
 admire, an old woman came out and insisted on filling 
 my daughter's arms with gorgeous branches of bloom. 
 She reciprocated by handing a picture-card and a 
 tract, and we discovered that the woman was a 
 Christian, and cousin of one of our kuruma men. 
 
 M 2 
 
164 BAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 NAGOYA 
 
 THE next day we took the train from Gotemba to 
 Nagoya, 176 miles further on, and the fourth city of 
 Japan in population, 350,000, a principal seat of the 
 porcelain manufacture. Here the Canadian branch 
 of our Church has a mission, supported by Wylif 
 College, Toronto. The journey was accomplished in 
 eight hours, through a rich, fertile plain, the most 
 extensive in the country, thickly peopled and well- 
 wooded. Part of our route lay close to the sea, and 
 we crossed the mouths of two rivers, wide and shallow, 
 by trestle bridges, each nearly a mile long. We had 
 among our fellow-passengers Bishop Bickersteth, who 
 was going on beyond us. We had also in our carriage 
 a native lady of very winning and refined appearance, 
 who soon introduced herself to my daughter as a 
 Christian from Osaka. Three officers also entered 
 the carriage, one of whom, a very gentlemanly man, 
 the head of the police at Nagoya, spoke English, and 
 told me he knew our missionaries there. He told me 
 he felt very much complimented by finding that I 
 smoked the light tobacco of the country, which, he 
 said, most foreigners despised. At a roadside station 
 luncheon boxes were purchased. For ten sen, that 
 is fivepence, I had handed to me a beautifully-made 
 
NAGOYA 165 
 
 oblong chip box with a lid, full of rice ; a pair of new 
 wooden chop-sticks, still joined at one end, to show 
 they had never been used, in a pretty paper envelope ; 
 and another similar box, done up in picturesque paper, 
 containing nine different articles of food, arranged 
 like a bouquet, with strips of green bamboo leaf, cut 
 with scissors, to separate them. It was a perfect gem 
 of Japanese art and neatness. Among the items were 
 a very small boiled cuttle-fish, which was very good, 
 white beans cooked with sugar, boiled seaweed, pickle, 
 a mushroom, a tiny rice-flour pudding, a rice-flour 
 sponge cake, a lump of Turkish delight, and two 
 vegetables, to me unknown. It is needless to say 
 that the dishes were microscopical, and were not very 
 much larger than the dolls' feasts to which grand- 
 children invite me. We had a kuruma ride of two 
 miles through the vast city from the station of 
 Nagoya to the hospitable roof of our Canadian friends, 
 the Eev. J. C. and Mrs. Eobinson. 
 
 Nagoya is full of interest, ancient and modern, 
 historical and artistic. The central feature, which 
 catches the eye from every part of the city, is the 
 castle, probably the finest specimen of an old Daimio's 
 residence in the country, and as now it is government 
 property, it is one of the fe\\ that has been carefully 
 preserved. It is the Alnwick Castle of Japan, and 
 was held by the first peer of the realm next to the 
 Shogun. The founder of the house was the son 01 
 lyeyasu. The castle was built in 1610; the outer 
 enceinte is very extensive, and is occupied by the 
 garrison, but the central citadel and donjon-keep 
 
166 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 are indeed a marvellous wooden pile, and a grand 
 specimen of barbaric splendour. 
 
 A moat, still full of water, surrounds the outer 
 wall, formed of mighty cyclopean masonry, all the 
 walls sloping and slightly curving outwards. Then 
 there is a wide open space with gardens, orchards, 
 and fields, and here are the extensive barracks and 
 parade ground, where formerly were the quarters of 
 the prince's Samurai and the offices of the province. 
 Within this is an inner moat, now dry, and inhabited 
 by a small herd of deer, and above it rises another 
 cyclopean wall, surmounted by wooden battlements. 
 
 The centre keep, a massive structure of five stories 
 supported by stone walls, but within entirely wooden, 
 is surrounded by a bewildering number of apartments, 
 of one or two stories, of which, alas ! the furniture 
 has all disappeared, though the exquisitely carved 
 and gilded ceilings and the partitioned panels of each 
 chamber are decorated with very fine paintings, as 
 are the alcoves and the wooden doors between the 
 different sets of apartments. Each room is generally 
 devoted to a distinct subject painted in panels. Thus 
 we have the history of the tiger in one room, in 
 another of the leopard, in another pheasants, of which 
 five different species are admirably depicted ; deer, 
 hawks, squirrels, woodpeckers, etc., etc., have all 
 their separate apartments. Others are devoted to 
 ancient Japanese life, civil and military. In one, all 
 their games are beautifully painted in a series of 
 twelve ; in another a painting of horse-racing occupies 
 a whole side, and among the spectators stand two 
 
^ 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
NAGOYA 169 
 
 unmistakable Dutchmen. In another a tournament 
 is depicted, where a Japanese lady is evidently the 
 queen of beauty. Another, the richest apartment of 
 the whole the one kept for the use of the Shogun 
 when he should visit the prince is decorated with 
 fancy Chinese scenery, while in the alcove are power- 
 ful carvings of cranes, tortoises and cocks, the latter 
 perched on a drum. In one of the bird panels in 
 another room is a hole cut out exactly the shape of a 
 swallow, the myth being that the painter made so 
 perfect a swallow that it flew away in the night and 
 left its place vacant ! 
 
 At the bottom of the keep is a very deep and 
 inexhaustible well. It is difficult to describe the 
 massive piles of wood employed in this huge struc- 
 ture. The boards of the corridors are so arranged 
 that it is impossible to walk on them without their 
 creaking, and so warning is given of any one's 
 approach. Each storey is roofed with sheets of 
 copper, and it is said the fortress could accommodate 
 25,000 defenders. From the top of it we had a 
 magnificent view of the vast plain, using our glasses 
 to some purpose. 
 
 The angles of the roof of the summit are orna- 
 mented by two golden dolphins gleaming in the 
 sunlight, and catching the eye from every part of the 
 city. One of these was sent to the Vienna Exhibition 
 in 1873, and was wrecked on its way back, but with 
 great difficulty recovered from the sea, and restored 
 to its height, whence it is never to descend again. 
 But there is a tale of a thief who took advantage, of 
 
170 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 a stormy night to fly a kite over one of them, and 
 thus attempted to get the gold plating, but was 
 caught and boiled in oil for his pains, after which the 
 flying of large kites was prohibited in the province. 
 The dolphins are eight feet and a half in height, and 
 are said to be worth 40,000. 
 
 The historic castle is not the only attraction of 
 Nagoya, which well deserves more time than the 
 three days we were able to bestow upon it. A bright 
 avenue of blossoming cherry trees leads up to the 
 Buddhist temple called Higashi Hongwanji, which is 
 remarkable not only for its external beauty and its 
 internal splendour, but as being one of the very few 
 fine religious buildings erected in the present century, 
 and which rivals if it does not surpass the structures 
 of ancient art. It is the cathedral of the Hongwanji 
 sect, or reformed Buddhists, a sect not more than 300 
 years old, who desire to restore their religion to what 
 they believe was its primitive purity. Their leading 
 tenet, which distinguishes them from the numerous 
 other subdivisions of Buddhism in Japan, is the 
 doctrine of justification by faith, that is, they teach 
 that if your good works and penances are not of them- 
 selves sufficient to insure your rapid attainment of 
 Nirvana, or absorption into the infinite, the desired 
 end may be attained by faith in the Amida incarnation 
 of Buddha. As this sect embraces the most thoughtful 
 and intellectual part of the population, the pro- 
 minence that it gives to the doctrine of justification 
 by faith removes one great obstacle to the reception 
 <>f Christianity, if it even does not pave the way for it. 
 
NAGOYA 171 
 
 A careful survey of this temple affords sufficient 
 evidence that neither art nor taste have degenerated 
 in the country ; though there are no signs of any 
 development or originality. But can we say more, 
 or as much, of architectural art in our own country ? 
 Where is the trace of originality in any one of our 
 modern architects ? Have our Gilbert Scotts or 
 Butterfields done any more than simply reproduce 
 the older designs ; or are their most original works 
 anything more than the taking to pieces, after the 
 manner of a Chinese puzzle, the masterpieces of our 
 old designers, and reproducing them in a somewhat 
 varied arrangement? This temple, which is 120 feet 
 long, is divided into a nave and two aisles, with a 
 deep chancel and a central gilt shrine, with an image 
 of Buddha on a platform, enriched with exquisitely 
 designed carvings and sculpture in wood, painted and 
 gilded. The shrine at the termination of one of the 
 aisles contains a portrait of the founder of the sect. 
 On both sides of the central image are several gilt 
 screens, on which are very cleverly painted landscapes. 
 But what struck me most in this temple was the 
 number and wonderful variety of fabulous and super- 
 natural beings in fact, a repertory of all that is 
 mythological and legendary in the fairy tales of old 
 Japan. The heroes of romance or of fairy tales are 
 represented riding on fish, tortoises, cranes, frogs, and 
 dragons. All the figures I believe can be explained 
 by references to the old Japanese mythology, of which 
 on these points at least I must confess my ignorance. 
 
 One other small temple is well worth a visit 
 
172 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 for the extraordinary collection of images which 
 it contains. On both sides of and behind the shrine 
 are galleries, where are arranged on stages one above 
 another small statues of the five hundred original 
 disciples of Buddha. Each one of the five hundred is 
 different, both in face and costume. No two can be 
 found alike. The work is said to be about three 
 hundred years old. What strikes the visitor most is 
 that there is nothing conventional about them, nothing 
 of the inanimate uniformity of the Buddhas, but all 
 are full of expression. The artists must have indeed 
 been geniuses to devise the different faces, all of 
 which they could not have had before them. In fact, 
 they seem quite to have understood the characteristic 
 types of the various peoples of the East. Some are 
 admirable Hindu types, others Mongolian, Chinese, 
 and Malay, besides the ordinary Japanese. There is 
 every variety too of individual expression. Some are 
 grave and dignified, others haughty and imperious, 
 some smiling, others with an amusing Pharisaic 
 expression of self-satisfaction. Their attitudes are 
 as various as their countenances, standing, kneeling, 
 recumbent, praying, blessing, or riding on horses, 
 elephants, etc. The verger assured us that every one 
 who searches can find his own likeness among these 
 Eakan. 
 
 We had intended to leave Nagoya earlier than 
 we did, but we missed our train owing to it 
 starting by the station clock, which was fast. On 
 our remonstrating with the officials they were most 
 profuse in apologies, and would be delighted to put 
 
NAGOYA 175 
 
 the clock to any time we wished. They at once put 
 it back ten minutes to oblige us, but this did not 
 recall our train. However, we were able well to 
 utilise the extra time. We gave a day to visiting 
 the porcelain manufactories of Nagoya, under the 
 guidance of a highly educated, intelligent Japanese 
 Christian gentleman. Nagoya is a great manufac- 
 turing centre for every kind of porcelain, not only for 
 that which bears its name, but also for the modern 
 Satsuma and cloisonne wares. We saw the whole 
 processes, from the mixing of the clay, the modelling, 
 painting, and baking, to the final glazing. Much of 
 it was very like the operations which I have seen in 
 Worcester, though much less depended on machinery, 
 and more on the accuracy of the individual hand and 
 eye. This was especially the case with the painting. 
 All Nagoya ware is hand-painted, and we watched 
 for a long time an old man sitting on the ground, 
 with an unbaked vase between his legs, which he was 
 covering with artistic designs with great rapidity, 
 and no copy before him. He rapidly finished his 
 work, and having passed it on, took another vase, 
 which he would decorate quite in another style, 
 again without a copy. Having passed this on, he 
 would take its fellow and reproduce exactly the same 
 pattern without once referring to the other, simply 
 from memory. It seemed to make no difference 
 whether the subject were landscape, a garden scene, 
 birds, or human figures, all were performed with 
 equal accuracy and rapidity. This skill is acquired 
 by long training and practice. These decorators of 
 
1 76 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 the ceramic art, like the other artists of their country, 
 never copy Nature, but study the recognised master- 
 pieces of the artists of the olden time, whose works 
 they reproduce over and over again with Chinese 
 accuracy, even to the minutest touches, never ventur- 
 ing beyond the original. 
 
 And so in landscape art. No Japanese will 
 attempt, for instance, to sketch Fuji from Nature, 
 still less to attempt a subject not selected by the old 
 masters. There are, perhaps, about fifty such scenes, 
 which have the same place in art as the Madonnas of 
 Raphael and Murillo in Europe, and these are well 
 known to every educated Japanese, who would think 
 it a profanation to attempt a sketch of a scene not 
 included in the classical selection. We followed the 
 vases from the artist to the kiln, the delicate mani- 
 pulation of which showed how much depends upon a 
 practised eye and touch ; and then finally to the 
 glazing oven. We had the satisfaction of including 
 among our subsequent purchases a pair of vases 
 of which we had watched the whole process of 
 manufacture. 
 
 Another department of this large factory was 
 devoted to the manufacture of modern Satsuma 
 ware, the distinctive characteristic of which seems 
 to be a peculiar minute reticulated cracking beneath 
 the glaze. The art of this manufacture has only 
 lately been resuscitated, in consequence of the 
 immense prices obtained for the old extinct Satsuma 
 ware. So far as I could detect the process, this 
 peculiar effect is produced in the baking, perhaps 
 
NAGOYA 177 
 
 by its being taken out and immersed in some liquid 
 or exposed to a sudden change of temperature before 
 the process is completed. Probably we were not 
 shown everything, as it is not likely that what must 
 be almost if not altogether a secret should be 
 revealed to strangers. 
 
 But we did watch with much interest the cloisonne 
 manufacture, which is again an example of the 
 marvellous memory and imitative power of Japanese 
 artistic workmen. The vase to be operated upon 
 was slightly dried rather than baked before it came 
 into the artist's hands. He was supplied with long 
 rolls of metal slips or flattened wire about the width 
 of a watch-spring, say the eighth of an inch, which 
 looked like nickel, but which were, I believe, copper. 
 In fact, had it not been for their colour, I should 
 have taken them for watch springs. These, with 
 marvellous delicacy, the workman twisted into the 
 desired shape, and pressed lightly into the soft clay, 
 snipping them when required with a pair of pliers, 
 and forming the outline of leaves or birds, or what- 
 ever else he desired to represent. 
 
 When his pattern was thus completed, he filled 
 the various interstices of this network from a palette 
 by his side, on which were arranged little piles of 
 paste of various colours. There might be from a 
 dozen to twenty pastes of different shades employed 
 for a single vase. 
 
 The patterns of some of the borders were ex- 
 tremely small, some of the loops being but the 
 fortieth part of an inch across. For these he twisted 
 
 N 
 
178 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 his wire with minute pliers. This part of the work 
 was really almost microscopic, and yet done with 
 the accuracy of a machine. When these tiny par- 
 titions had received a portion of the metallic paste, 
 the ware was taken to the kiln, slightly baked and 
 then refilled. This process is repeated several times, 
 when the article is smoothed down and polished by 
 another artist. A most costly kind of cloisonne 
 ware is formed on copper instead of porcelain. This 
 manufacture, however, did not come under our 
 notice. 
 
 Having completed the pattern according to his 
 taste, he then roughed the field not occupied by his 
 design with a wooden instrument, when the vase 
 was ready for the first kiln and then for the polisher. 
 After spending half a day in inspecting the manu- 
 facture, we visited the show-room, which would have 
 done credit to Kegent Street, and five boxes told 
 the tale of the spoil that had become ours. We 
 had no further trouble with our purchases, which 
 were sent on by the vender to Osaka, and thence 
 to England, where they arrived without a single 
 fracture. The packing of china is an art in Japan. 
 Every article is packed separately in rice straw 
 twisted tightly round the article, and the ends 
 ingeniously tucked in, so that each piece of porcelain 
 looks like a hard straw ball, and can be let fall 
 without fracture. 
 
 We afterwards visited in the company of our 
 Japanese friend, who was a well-known connoisseur 
 in art, a great sale of furniture, lacquer and bronze, 
 

 NAGOYA 179 
 
 the property of the son of a celebrated Daimio, who 
 had been ruining himself on the turf at Paris, and 
 was compelled to raise money by the sale of the 
 family heirlooms. These were displayed in the 
 upper storey of the principal hotel in the place. 
 All the partitions having been removed, the whole 
 formed one spacious gallery, along the sides and 
 down the centre of which the various articles were 
 arranged, each having a strip of tissue paper attached 
 to it with the price distinctly marked in Japanese 
 characters. Thus there was no bargaining, no abate- 
 ment, no competition. The visitor simply told the 
 salesman the number of the article he wished for, 
 and it was handed to him. There were many 
 ancestral relics of great intrinsic value, very fine 
 bronzes at a figure quite beyond my limits ; but 
 guided by our Japanese friend we spent a few pounds 
 in antique lacquer ware inlaid with mother of pearl, 
 which we found afterwards was considered a great 
 bargain. Amongst others a tray of ancient Corean 
 lacquer, the manufacture of which is quite different 
 from the Japanese, and is now a lost art. 
 
 On Sunday morning we had a walk of two miles to 
 the house used as a church, which is simply an ordinary 
 house in a busy street. Passing through the outer 
 apartment, all took off their shoes. The next room 
 was the vestry, and beyond it the church, consisting 
 of three rooms thrown into one, with the communion 
 table at the further end, where the paper walls had 
 been removed, so that the church opened on the 
 pretty little garden behind. The congregation con- 
 
 N 2 
 
180 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 sisted of rather less than thirty adults, and a Sunday- 
 school of about a dozen children. Chairs were found 
 for Mrs. Eobinson and myself, but everyone else sat 
 on the floor, while the bishop in full robes officiated 
 in stocking feet. We began with the Confirmation 
 Service. Six converts were confirmed, one of them a 
 leading lawyer, another a man of education, who was 
 to be a catechist. The bishop gave the address 
 before the service, and Holy Communion followed, of 
 course all in Japanese, which, though I could not 
 understand, yet was able to follow, an advantage of 
 a liturgy that 1 have often felt in foreign lands. 
 It was an intensely interesting spectacle, and recalled 
 in imagination the infant churches in the Acts of the 
 Apostles. The occasion when St. Paul received into 
 the church Dionysius the Areopagite and the lady 
 Damaris could not have been very different in its 
 surroundings. There were various other services and 
 schools in the afternoon and evening, for neither the 
 bishop nor any other of the missionaries spare them- 
 selves, but I remained at home. 
 
 We left Nagoya and its 125,000 inhabitants 
 reluctantly. We could well have spent more time 
 there with our charming hosts, who are specimens of 
 earnest missionaries, and an honour to the Canadian 
 Church. 
 
 Our next stage was Gifu, a town of 40,000 in- 
 habitants, the capital of the province of Mino, and 
 the employment of whose people is the manufacture 
 cf paper lanterns ; the rearing of silkworms ; and in 
 summer the fishing with cormorants, which is really 
 
NAGOYA 181 
 
 the important industry of the place, and which 
 attracts many spectators. 
 
 This art, like falconry, is of great antiquity, and 
 like it, has been derived from China. Old Willoughby, 
 more than two hundred years ago, described this mode 
 of fishing with cormorants as it had been carried on in 
 old England long before his time, and refers to several 
 authorities, as J. Faber and Mendoza. In England, 
 however, it had become extinct, until recently it 
 was resuscitated by that well-known falconer 
 Captain F. Salvin. It would seem that the sport 
 was introduced into Europe in the beginning of the 
 17th century by the Dutch, from whose country it 
 spread to France and England, and was a favourite 
 amusement of both James I. and Charles I. Probably 
 it was from Japan rather than China that the 
 earlier voyagers derived their knowledge of this mode 
 of fishing. Cormorant fishing, as I have seen it 
 carried on on a large scale in the Chinese province of 
 Che-Kiang in no way differs from the Japanese 
 method. The cormorants, which are taken very 
 young, are taught to feed from the hand, and then 
 allowed to fish for themselves with a long string 
 attached to their foot. But being very docile and 
 tame, they soon learn to return to call. When they 
 have proved themselves sufficiently trustworthy, they 
 are allowed to fish loose, with a leather strap round 
 the neck, so that they cannot swallow the prey they 
 have captured. When called, they return and disgorge 
 it, and when they have thus secured as large a supply 
 as their master wants, the strap is removed, and they 
 
182 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 are allowed to fish for themselves. The birds, when 
 allowed a short rest at intervals, will continue their 
 labours through the whole night, the fish being 
 attracted to the boat, raft, or it may be plank fixed 
 to the shore, by a torch kept burning. 
 
 Our hosts at Gifu were Mr. and Mrs. Chappell, 
 of the Church Missionary Society, the station 
 having been only taken up by the society about a. 
 year previously. Its origin is interesting. Mr. 
 Chappell's brother was English teacher in the 
 Government High School here, and being an earnest 
 Christian man, devoted what time he could to 
 drawing towards the Gospel those whom he could 
 reach. The governor refused to allow him to hold 
 services or to preach, but at length gave him per- 
 mission, on condition of his promising not to speak 
 against Buddha. This was a great step forward, 
 considering that Mr. Chappell was a servant of the 
 government. He then persuaded his brother, who 
 was a curate in England, to come out and take his 
 place, and he for some time supported the infant 
 mission, and after an interval the Church Missionary 
 Society adopted it. The result of two and a half years' 
 work in a city where there was not a single* baptized 
 Christian to begin with, is that now there are seven 
 out-stations, at three of which there are mission - 
 rooms, in the others meetings in houses. There are 
 two catechists continually at work, one at Gifu, the 
 other in the villages. We met them both, and very 
 earnest, capable men they appeared to be. In Gifu 
 there were sixty-five Church members, besides eight 
 
NAGOYA 183 
 
 baptized converts scattered in the out-stations, A 
 good-sized hired house in a lovely garden served for 
 a church, and as the garden gates stand open and 
 the whole front of the church is also open, the people 
 can stroll in here, and see as they like, without 
 disturbing the services or committing themselves. 
 The church was all matted, and much larger than 
 that at Nagoya, but which is quite an innovation 
 for a strictly native community had benches. There 
 was a neat communion table, desks, and font I had 
 not yet met with a more promising infant church 
 than this, but the people are characteristically inde- 
 pendent, and Mr. Chappell knows what a parochial 
 council means. A notice tablet by the gate gave 
 a goodly list of the services and meetings throughout 
 the week. 
 
 Gifu is dominated by a fine bold ridge of 
 thickly-wooded hills, which we attempted to climb, 
 but after a long scramble in the woods had to 
 abandon the attempt, though we were rewarded by a 
 grand view over the wide Ohari plain. We returned 
 through a pretty public park, with band-stand and 
 all the most modern appliances. After purchasing, 
 as in duty bound, a due supply of paper and bamboo 
 lanterns and fans, in most of which the cormorant 
 fishing figures, we found a number of the Christians 
 had assembled to meet us. I gave them an address, 
 which was interpreted by one of the catechists, who 
 understood English very fairly. 
 
 At Gifu we found ourselves off the Tokaido and on 
 the Nakasendo, the other great road between Tokio 
 
 UNFV 
 
184 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 and Kioto, leading mainly through the mountains, as 
 its name implies, the Tokaido following the plain as 
 far as possible. The road was constructed more than 
 a thousand years ago. Tradition carries its origin 
 much further back, and says that in the reign of the 
 Emperor Kaiko, A.D. 71, his son made use of this 
 road for the conquest of the eastern parts of Japan, 
 [ can hardly leave Gifu without mentioning that a 
 very few months after our visit this fair country, 
 with the lovely plain on which we had been gazing, 
 and the vast city of Nagoya, were desolated, and 
 Gifu itself destroyed by the earthquake, one of the 
 most disastrous on record, and of the effects of which 
 the illustrations may give some idea. 
 
 A long railway journey took us from Gifu to 
 Hikone Station ; but let not the weary traveller who 
 is set down at the station imagine that he has 
 arrived at the place, for in Japan, as elsewhere, 
 stations are sometimes far from the spot whose name 
 they bear. We found ourselves deposited at a 
 roadside station late at night, with no means of 
 conveyance for ourselves or our baggage to the town, 
 until through the good offices of the kindly folk at 
 the station kurumas were sent for, which landed us 
 towards midnight at a little inn on the shores of 
 Lake Biwa, where, having knocked up the people, we 
 had tea, and slept soundly on the matted floor. 
 Notwithstanding the shortness of our night, we 
 pushed aside our paper screens soon after sunrise, 
 and looked out on the fairy-like scene over the water. 
 The house reminded us of the one at Hakone, pro- 
 

NAGOYA 187 
 
 jecting over the lake, close to the little wooden pier, 
 which already presente a busy scene, as bales of 
 rice and fish were carried down ready for the steamer 
 which runs the length of the lake twice a day, Hikone 
 being a third of the way down on the western side. 
 Biwa is larger than the Lake of Geneva, over thirty- 
 six miles long, and surrounded by mountains on all 
 sides, on one only of which did we notice the patches 
 of snow remaining. There are several wooded islets 
 scattered over it. The name is derived from a 
 fancied resemblance to the shape of the guitar. The 
 natives are very proud of this lake, which in their 
 estimation ranks only second to Mount Fuji as one of 
 the glories of Japan, and they are fond of boasting 
 that it is larger than any lake in Europe. The 
 tradition is that the lake was created by an earth- 
 quake the year B.C. 286, at the same time that 
 Fuji robe from the plains of Suruga. In Japanese 
 poetry this lake is a favourite theme, and the ' eight 
 beauties of Omi ' e. Biwa) are frequently alluded 
 to, these beauties I dng the autumn moon as seen 
 from one place, the evening sun from another, and 
 so on. However fanciful these may be, no one who 
 has seen it will deny that the lake presents many 
 lovely landscapes, though none possess the grand or 
 the sublime. 
 
 Hikone possesses a half-destroyed feudal castle, 
 the seat of one of the Daimios, which would have 
 been entirely demolished had not the Mikado, 
 happening to pass through Hikone, and finding the 
 inhabitants exhibiting, as they thought, their loyalty, 
 
188 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 by pulling down the noble old building, promptly 
 stopped this act of vandalism. Unfortunately, at 
 the time of the inauguration of the new era and the 
 abolition of feudalism, loyalty was exhibited by the 
 destruction of the old castles throughout the country, 
 much as zeal for the Keformation was demonstrated 
 by the destruction of abbeys. 
 
 As the steamer started from the north end of 
 the lake, two or three hours before it reached Hikone, 
 we had an opportunity for a stroll on the beach ; and 
 amongst the reeds and rushes I collected many 
 splendid specimens of fresh-water shells, of species 
 peculiar, I believe, to this district. Though generally 
 the Japanese thoroughly appreciate a collector's taste, 
 especially in botany, the villagers were exceedingly 
 amused and perplexed by the interest we took in 
 shells, and especially in those whose inmates were too 
 small to eat, and which involved wading in the mud 
 to find them. 
 
 At length the steamer arrived, more like a small 
 steam launch than a passenger boat. All on board were 
 Japanese, and there were a great many passengers. 
 We had no idea of investigating the cabins, in which 
 no person over five foot could enjoy locomotion 
 excepting on all fours. But the captain, who at 
 once made our acquaintance, could talk a little 
 English, of which he was very proud, and was 
 delighted to point out objects of interest during 
 the few hours we were on board. He startled us 
 by telling us that the Czarevitch had been nearly 
 murdered by a policeman the day before at Otsu, 
 
NAGOYA 189 
 
 at the south end of the lake, whither we were then 
 on our way, and that he had been carried to Kioto. 
 The man had struck him over the head and neck, 
 and would certainly have killed him had not two 
 kuruma men seized him. The consternation and 
 excitement of the passengers may be imagined. 
 The prominent feeling seemed to be distress at the 
 disgrace that had thus been brought on their country, 
 and that they would be looked upon as savages by 
 other nations. To nothing is a Japanese so sensitive 
 as to the suspicion that his nation is not looked upon 
 as civilised, and therefore they felt keenly as a 
 national slur the appearance of treachery to a guest. 
 
 Nearing Otsu, we passed close in shore by 
 Karasaki, and could examine at our leisure the 
 celebrated pine-tree, said to be the largest, not the 
 tallest, of its kind in the world. Its branches spread 
 downwards and outwards on all sides, many of them 
 being close to the ground. The height of the tree 
 is said to be 90 feet, the circumference of the trunk 
 37 feet, and the diameter covered by its branches 
 from north to south 290, and from east to west 240 
 feet. The branches, of course, are all propped and 
 supported, so that the tree has the appearance of 
 a very flattened banyan. It is evidently carefully 
 tended, and any signs of decay are promptly treated. 
 Arrived at the extremity of the lake, we found 
 the town of Otsu in a ferment of excitement. It 
 is a bustling, thriving little place, with wide streets, 
 and a fine aqueduct, which has just been completed 
 to convey the water thence to Kioto. It was to 
 
190 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 visit these works that the Czarevitch had come, 
 when he was struck at by the policeman as he was 
 returning from the formal opening of the tunnel. 
 This tunnel, an example of bold engineering, pierces 
 the mountain which bars the south end of Biwa. The 
 tragic event took place exactly in front of the hotel 
 where we rested, and the spot was being guarded by 
 police. The would-be assassin was high in the force, 
 over forty years of age, and had won distinction in 
 the suppression of the Satsuma rebellion. He had 
 been specially trusted with the care of the road for 
 the passage of the Czarevitch. It is believed that he 
 did the deed as a protest in revenge for the filching of 
 Saghalien by Eussia, a piece of Muscovite diplomacy 
 which Japan has never forgiven. He probably 
 belonged to a secret society, and was appointed by 
 lot to commit the crime. He had on him a stiletto 
 to kill himself, but was prevented by being instantly 
 seized by two kuruma men. But the secret history 
 of the affair will never be known, as no Japanese 
 conspirator will ever, under any torture, betray 
 another. The Czarevitch was at once taken to Kioto, 
 and on learning the news by telegraph, the Mikado 
 at once started from Tokio to visit him. The people 
 of all ranks were horror-struck, and one old lady in 
 Otsu on hearing it at once committed suicide by 
 harakiri, to show her indignation. 
 
 As we dined sitting on the floor, while our land- 
 lord chatted very freely and retailed all the gossip on 
 the event of the day, we could not help feeling how 
 strange it was that here we were, the two solitary 
 
" 
 
 UNIVE, 
 
 NAGOYA 191 
 
 Europeans in a country town in the interior of Japan, 
 the name of which had scarcely ever been heard 
 before out of the country, and yet that on this 
 morning the name of Otsu would be in every news- 
 paper and every mouth throughout the whole civilised 
 world. 
 
 The only lion of Otsu besides the new aqueduct is 
 a famous Buddhist temple sacred to Kwannon, the 
 goddess of mercy, from which there is a lovely view 
 of the lake, with the town in the foreground. It is 
 not a very fatiguing walk to Kioto, and certainly no 
 one who can walk should indulge in the questionable 
 luxury of a kuruma for this expedition. Taking a 
 coolie with us, we first examined the entrance of the 
 aqueduct into the tunnel, two miles long, and then, 
 passing by the temple, we had a charming walk over 
 an easy pass. On our way were several air-shafts 
 piercing the hill for the ventilation of the tunnel. 
 
 When, having descended the hill, we emerged on 
 the high road, we could well imagine the scene on 
 the Tokaido before the introduction of railways. 
 Dusty indeed and crowded it was, but it gave us 
 an opportunity of noticing the great variety of type 
 amongst the country people ; not less was the variety 
 of the ingenious modes of carrying every kind of 
 market and garden produce into this vast city. The 
 peasantry do not show their gallantry in the matter 
 of female labour, for a great part of the firewood was 
 being brought into the town in huge bundles on the 
 heads of the women, and women were tugging at the 
 carts alongside of oxen. 
 
192 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 We lost the first impression of Kioto, as the sun 
 had set, and had a weary tramp of two miles through 
 the streets before we reached our intended hotel, 
 reputed to be one of the best native hotels in Japan. 
 To our dismay, we found that it was impossible to 
 secure the humblest shelter here, for, as the landlord 
 assured us, the crowd of the Mikado's suite had 
 covered every mat. The landlord was an old 
 acquaintance of my daughter, and, most anxious to 
 serve us, recommended us to another hotel alike in 
 vain. We trudged on, to be shut out, homeless 
 wanderers, everywhere. Dead tired, we at last betook 
 ourselves to kurumas, and finally, at ten o'clock, in 
 a remote part of the city found an inn, where they 
 said they could give us one small room between us, 
 and promised a paper screen to divide it, for they too 
 were crammed with visitors. There was no help for 
 it, unless we were prepared to spend the night in 
 the streets. 
 
ATI V 
 
 COLOSSAL IMAGE OF BUDDHA. 
 
195 
 
 CHAPTEE VI 
 
 A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 
 
 To know and understand Kioto would require a resi- 
 dence of many weeks ; to describe it adequately, a 
 volume of many pages. Short as was my time in 
 Japan, the few days that in the first instance I gave 
 to Kioto were so utterly insufficient that I was glad 
 to have the opportunity of paying it a second visit 
 on the eve of my departure, to supply some few of my 
 many omissions. It is looked upon in Japan as the 
 centre of the national life. For many centuries it 
 was the gilded prison of the Mikado. It is emphati- 
 cally a city of temples, and is still practically the 
 religious metropolis of the nation. It fully justifies 
 the reverence and admiration with which it is regarded 
 by the people. 
 
 It lies in a plain at the foot of the great central 
 range of mountains, which may be compared to 
 our own Pennine range, in the narrowest part of 
 Hondo, the main island of Japan. Easy mountain 
 roads converge to it from all quarters. It is only 
 forty miles from Osaka, formerly the great harbour 
 of the eastern coast, with which it has water com- 
 munication. The plain is surrounded on three sides 
 by mountains clad in perpetual green. Branches of 
 the river Yodogawa meander through the city, shaded 
 
 o 2 
 
196 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 with ancient trees ; and though the streets are formal 
 in their arrangement, running parallel and at right 
 angles, yet the monotony is broken by the continually 
 recurring gardens, groves and temples. Pagodas and 
 shrines dot the mountain side, and the lower slopes 
 are brightened by the variegated hues of innumerable 
 gardens. But withal Kioto seems to tell one that 
 its glories are of the past. It is the one city of Japan 
 which shows at once that it has shrunken within its 
 ancient limits, and ancient streets and squares are 
 now transformed into suburban parks and fields. This 
 has been the natural and necessary result of the 
 transference of power from the Shogun to the Mikado, 
 and the change of residence of the latter to Tokio, 
 which is more and more the centre of national life. 
 
 Kioto is, however, so continually visited by 
 travellers and described by writers that my impres- 
 sions are not likely to convey anything novel. We 
 had the good fortune to see it en fete, inasmuch as the 
 emperor with his whole court arrived a few hours 
 after ourselves to show his sympathy with the 
 Czarevitch, and although we had secured our quarters, 
 there was no sleep in Kioto that night. The emperor 
 was expected about midnight, the whole city was 
 illuminated, the national flag, white with the red rising 
 sun in the centre, hung over every door, and a large 
 paper lantern bearing the same colours was suspended 
 beneath it. All the public buildings were lighted up 
 with the electric light, and the result of the red and 
 white winkling stars beneath the electric blaze was 
 very effective. The perpetual din, coming and going, 
 
A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 197 
 
 ceaseless talking all night, banished sleep, and once I 
 was roused by a visit from a policeman in search of a 
 culprit. 
 
 When we rose in the morning, our first question 
 was naturally for the bath-room, inasmuch as there 
 is no basin or convenience for washing in a Japanese 
 room. All ablutions and toilet are performed out- 
 side. The reply was, 'No bath here, for the 
 bath-room is filled with boxes, but there is a very 
 good bath opposite/ But * opposite ' we soon found 
 meant half-way down the street on the other side. 
 There was nothing for it but to set off in slippers 
 and dressing gown, towel and sponge in hand, to 
 find it. Arrived, we found three or four baths in 
 front of a kitchen, all open to the public, and each 
 already occupied by at least one bather. The 
 attendants offered, however, to run a slide to screen 
 them from the street, but they could not provide 
 a separate bath for each. Baulked and unwashed, 
 we returned, and after some negotiation got tubs 
 placed in a back garden. Having now returned to 
 the abode of rank and fashion, we were obliged to 
 look after the affairs of our wardrobe. A Chinaman 
 who had a board opposite the hotel, announcing in 
 pidgin English, 'Washman from Kobe/ introduced 
 himself, followed by his rival, who asserted that he 
 was 'wase man.' At length, attired in travelling 
 best, we went to deliver introductions and cards, 
 and to inquire at the hotel where the Czarevitch 
 was staying. We found that his imperial highness 
 had already gone down to Kobe, accompanied by 
 
198 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 the emperor, who escorted him on board a Russian 
 man-of-war. Thus prematurely was the imperial 
 visit cut short. 
 
 Distances are so great in Kioto that we were 
 glad to engage kurumas by the day. Our first visit 
 was to the Buddhist temples of Hongwanji, belonging 
 to the purest sect, for we must remember that there 
 are as many sects among them as in Christendom. 
 This sect of the Shinshu has been already mentioned 
 as being characterised by teaching the doctrine of 
 justification by faith, not works. One of the leading 
 priests here is an Oxford graduate, a member of 
 Balliol College, who has recently written a work 
 advancing further than this sect in general, and 
 repudiating works of merit, since no man can justify 
 himself or wash out his own past sins, but must 
 rely on Buddha's righteousness, and do good works 
 as fruits and proofs of faith. In the western 
 Hongwanji temple there are many empty shrines 
 with figures of great saints depicted on the walls, 
 but no images excepting a very small wooden image, 
 about two feet high, of the founder of the sect in 
 the chancel, and in the dependent temple adjoining a 
 gilt wooden figure of the Amida incarnation of Buddha 
 about three feet high. 
 
 The temple and its annexes, for they are really 
 a series of great halls, give one rather the idea of 
 picture galleries than of places of worship. I 
 should have mentioned before a fine sacred tree 
 in the courtyard in front, the Gingko biloba, 
 which is believed to protect the temple against 
 
A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 201 
 
 fire by discharging showers of water whenever there 
 is a conflagration in the neighbourhood. On the 
 walls hang many a kakemono, i.e. hanging painted 
 scrolls, glorifying Buddha, and also portraits of 
 great divines, some of them said to be more than 
 two or three centuries old. Most attractive in one 
 of the great halls was a series of beautiful pictures 
 of snow scenes on the sliding panels. One set 
 represented the snow on pines, another on plum- 
 trees, another on bamboos. The execution is ad- 
 mirable, whatever may be said of the perspective. 
 A very favourite flower in the decoration and carvings 
 of this temple is the tree peony, which competes 
 for distinction in these designs with the imperial 
 chrysanthemum. One hall was surrounded with 
 representations of flocks of geese in every conceivable 
 position on a gold ground. All these paintings, 
 perfectly preserved as they are, seem to have been 
 painted, not on the panels, but on paper which has 
 been afterwards glued to the panels. One could 
 not but regret that the effect of this magnificent 
 group of buildings, whose architecture is so charac- 
 teristic, is somewhat marred by a large adjacent 
 structure, which has recently been erected in what 
 is imagined to be European style. These buildings 
 are a college for young priests, and also a girls' 
 school, the intention being to supply a liberal 
 education on modern lines, combined with training 
 in the reformed Buddhism. 
 
 Close by this temple is another cathedral edifice, 
 the eastern Hongwanji, which is as yet unfinished, 
 
202 
 
 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 although it has been thirty years in rebuilding after 
 the destruction of the ancient temple by fire. When 
 completed it will be the largest temple in Japan, and 
 it differs from almost every other temple in having 
 its walls of massive masonry. Before it is finished, 
 it is computed that it will have cost about a million 
 
 A JAPANESE LADY. 
 
 dollars. Whatever may be thought of the decay of 
 Buddhism in general, there is certainly life and zeal 
 in the Hongwanji sect, if we may judge by the 
 voluntary offerings given not only by the rich, but 
 by the poor, and that through the length and breadth 
 of the nation. Many of the poorest have given both 
 
A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 203 
 
 their personal labour and gifts of material. Amongst 
 the most remarkable evidences of devotion are the 
 contributions of something like 250,000 women, who 
 gave their hair as an offering to Buddha, to make 
 the ropes employed in hoisting the great stones of 
 the outer walls into their places. We saw fifty-three 
 of these ropes of rich glossy black hair, each two spans 
 in circumference. I am unable to state the length 
 of each, but should think it was probably forty or 
 fifty feet. When we know how the women of the 
 country prize their hair, and the pains they take in 
 arranging their rich black tresses, we cannot but 
 recognise the devoted zeal which has impelled them 
 to such a sacrifice. I should add that this temple 
 has been built without any subvention from the 
 state. The carvings of the ceiling and of the cornices, 
 which were in course of execution, certainly show 
 no falling off in the boldness and accuracy of 
 Japanese art. 
 
 But I will not weary my readers by the monotonous 
 iteration of descriptions of Japanese temples, which 
 are so uniform in general character. Our second day's 
 sojourn we devoted to lionising the east side of Kioto. 
 Here the city extends close to the foot of a mountain 
 range, which is densely wooded to the bottom. It 
 forms, in fact, a background rising immediately from 
 the termination of the streets. Buried among the 
 trees, high up and low down, are countless temples. 
 Crowds of pilgrims, with their palmer's dress and great 
 umbrella hat ; beggar children whining after us, ' The 
 eating thing I cannot do,' meaning that they have 
 
 OF 
 
 UNIVEI 
 
204 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 nothing to eat, and are ready for donations, fill every 
 path. Walking up by the side of a cyclopean wall, 
 we turned to see the celebrated Daibutsu (great 
 Buddha), whose sacred enclosure is surrounded by this 
 magnificent masonry. The Daibutsu owes its origin to 
 the hero Hideyoshi, a little more than three hundred 
 years ago. It has unfortunately more than once been 
 destroyed by fire and earthquake, the two enemies of 
 historic monuments in Japan. The original image 
 was of bronze, destroyed by an earthquake. The 
 present, a wooden one, which is only a hundred years 
 old, consists simply of the head and shoulders of the 
 sage. Some idea of its colossal size may be gained 
 by a statement of the measurements, the height of 
 the image being 60 feet, the face 30 feet long, the 
 eyebrows 8 feet, and the shoulders 43 feet across. 
 Gigantic as it is, if one can examine it from a sufficient 
 distance, it will be seen that the conventional placidity 
 of expression is most perfectly rendered. Outside is 
 hung the great bell, weighing over 60 tons, and one 
 of the largest in Japan. 
 
 In another temple, the Sanju-Sangendo, con- 
 taining 33,333 images of Kwannon, the goddess of 
 mercy, are long corridors. There are 1,001 images 
 of the goddess, life-size, and all gilded, placed 
 tier behind tier. They are all the work of artists 
 celebrated in history, and it is boasted that in not one 
 of the thousand and one are the face or position of 
 the hands or arrangement of the articles that they 
 hold identical. The differences, however, are often 
 very slight. The number 33,333 is made up by 
 
A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 207 
 
 reckoning all the smaller figures which are in the 
 ornamentation, especially those on the gilded haloes 
 which surround each head. In the centre of the 
 temple is a large seated figure of Kwannon, sur- 
 rounded by eight-and-twenty of her traditional 
 followers. In the days of archery, the great triumph 
 of a Japanese bowman was to be able to send an arrow 
 from one end to the other of the verandah of this 
 building. The cost of the statues of this temple must 
 be fabulous. 
 
 Near this is a Shinto temple, without any 
 images, but with the shrine simply occupied by 
 a large mirror, encircled by two wreaths of white 
 paper. To see the immense variety of temples on 
 this mountain side, devoted to all kinds of hideous 
 idols, to incarnations of Buddha, to gods of thunder, 
 rain, wealth, pleasure, to the gods of every kind of 
 disease, gives some idea" of the strange divergence of 
 practical Buddhism from the ideal theories which are 
 propounded as Buddhism in the West. The children's 
 Buddhist temple is worthy of a visit. It contains any 
 number of small wooden Buddhas, arranged in shelves 
 sloping back, tier over tier, and covered with the 
 baby clothes of infants who have died under a year 
 old. One of the most remarkable and beautiful .of 
 these temples, that of Kiyomigu, is a vast structure 
 erected on a great framework, leaning, as it were, 
 against the steep side of the mountain. The frame- 
 work, as will be seen from the illustration on page 199, 
 is many storeys high, and the roof is thatched. It is 
 on one side of the ravine, with a similar but smaller 
 
208 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 temple facing it on the other side. Looking down 
 from the platform, this dell gives the impression of 
 a veritable abyss. Wide corridors encircle the temple 
 on all four sides. The outer court is merely separated 
 from them by the supporting columns of the roof, so 
 that it is practically one vast open hall. At the further 
 end is a long matted corridor, and within that the 
 holy of holies, which contains the shrines, and where 
 lights are kept burning. We had just left this temple 
 when an unexpected rainfall drove us into a pagoda, 
 which we could ascend, and under the verandah of the 
 upper storey we opened our lunch bag and rested, 
 with the magnificent panorama of the city and its 
 plain in front. I could not regret that our temple- 
 trotting was arrested by the rain, for two days of 
 countless Buddhas and thousands of Kwannons had 
 pretty well exhausted me, and even the finest works 
 of art when too often repeated become monotonous. 
 
 As a contrast to the temple-covered mountain, 
 next day we rode to the Doshisha, the earliest and 
 greatest missionary educational institution in Japan, 
 and of which the famous Joseph Neeshima, one of 
 the earliest and most eminent of Japanese Christians, 
 was principal until his death, the year before our visit. 
 It was founded in 1875 by the American Board of 
 Missions. I little expected to find so vast a col- 
 lection of buildings. The grounds and halls cover 
 many acres. There is a fine lofty chapel, a library 
 of three thousand English volumes, halls and schools 
 for theoretical and practical chemistry, physical science 
 lecture halls with splendid apparatus, dining halls, 
 
A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 211 
 
 a theological department ; all separate buildings 
 in Western, not Japanese style, none of them 
 excepting the chapel having any architectural pre- 
 tensions. There are also dormitories for four hundred 
 students, professors' houses and gardens ; in fact, a 
 complete university in itself. The chemistry hall 
 was built and furnished in 1890 by the gift of 
 $100,000 from an American visitor, and another 
 $100,000 was recently left it for the encouragement 
 of physical studies by a Boston Unitarian. The 
 larger part of the students are non-Christian, but 
 under Christian influences and teaching many are 
 continually seeking baptism. The theological schools 
 are very well organised. Dr. Gordon, the senior 
 professor, took us over every department, and asked 
 the native principal, Mr. Neeshima's successor, to 
 meet us at dinner. This is a grand piece of mis- 
 sionary work on a large scale, and quite equal in 
 its educational equipment to the Jesuit College of 
 Tou-se-we, near Shanghai. 
 
 We also visited the training college for nurses, 
 which is under the management of the same mission. 
 The hospital is small, but is large enough for its 
 purpose, which is simply the training of nurses, and all 
 the probationers as well as the nurses are Christians. 
 
 One can hardly speak of the Doshisha without 
 referring to the story of Joseph Neeshima's life. Long 
 before the opening of Japan to either commerce or 
 Christianity, Neeshima somehow got hold of a 
 Chinese geography book compiled for a mission 
 school, and beginning with the words, ( In the begin- 
 
 P 2 
 
212 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 ning God created the heavens and the earth/ To 
 the Buddhist student, who had never known any 
 other faith, this was a startling discovery. What 
 could it mean ? Who was that God ? Certainly He 
 did not live in Japan. Perhaps He might live in 
 America, whence the author of the book came. So 
 at the peril of his life, for it was at that time death 
 for a Japanese to leave his country, he made his way 
 in a trader to China, and thence obtained a passage 
 to Boston. Then he explained his errand to the 
 captain who had brought him. ' I came all this way,' 
 said he, ' to find God, and there is no one to tell me/ 
 The captain took him to the owner, a wealthy Chris- 
 tian merchant, who received him as a son, and sent 
 him to college. Eleven years afterwards, in 1875, 
 he returned to Japan as a missionary under the 
 American Board, and became president of the 
 Doshisha College, just then founded. 
 
 This Doshisha was the earliest college for higher 
 education in Kioto, but after some years was 
 followed by one of the three upper grade colleges 
 maintained by the government, originally established 
 in Osaka, but later removed to Kioto. Its buildings 
 are in another suburb of the city, and though useful, 
 are certainly not ornamental. It has often perplexed 
 me why the Japanese, whose taste both in art and 
 dress is perfect in their own style, when they attempt 
 foreign style, whether it be in dress or architecture, 
 not only do not approach the beautiful, but generally 
 achieve the absolutely ugly. We had here the advan- 
 tage of being the guests of Professor Sharpe, who is 
 
A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 213 
 
 pronounced by the Japanese to be the best English 
 professor in Japan, and whose warm hospitality, rich 
 fund of information and cultured criticism made our 
 visit one of the most charming reminiscences of the 
 tour. 
 
 The passion for industrial exhibitions has reached 
 Japan, or probably, a patriot would tell us, originated 
 there. The Imperial Exhibition at Kioto, just now 
 open, was a very European looking affair, and practi- 
 cally nothing but a great bazaar. Its great attraction 
 was that the purchaser of a ticket for admission could 
 through it obtain admission to what are called the 
 Gardens of the Empress, and for visiting which this 
 ticket was indispensable. The Mikado by this con- 
 cession very substantially patronised the exhibition, 
 and ensured its success. My visit to it gave me an 
 opportunity of purchasing at very little cost small 
 sets of tools of the various trades, carpenters, book- 
 binders, engravers, etc., which by their striking origin- 
 ality and contrast with our own are most valuable 
 illustrations of Japanese art. As Kioto is a great 
 centre for porcelain manufacture, we had oppor- 
 tunities of watching parts of the process of production, 
 and of laying in a store of choice vases for wedding 
 presents. The part of the building best worth a visit 
 was the department illustrative of the silk and em- 
 broidery manufacture, in which also Kioto is pre- 
 eminent. Scarfs, silk handkerchiefs and embroideries 
 for screens of great delicacy and richness, in which I 
 suppose Japan is unrivalled, must extract from any 
 visitor of taste his last available yen. 
 
214 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 The Empress' Gardens, so named because they are 
 attached to what was formerly the palace of the 
 empress, are still at ordinary times looked on as the 
 emperor's private grounds, and not at all as a public 
 park. There is no great variety of flowers or shrubs, 
 but the labyrinths, artificial liliputian mountains, 
 ornamental waters, and lovely shaded walks with 
 noble trees most artistically arranged, are its special 
 features. Four wonderful specimens of wistaria, now 
 one blaze of blossom, shaded the whole length of a 
 very long bridge across an artificial lake. The 
 wistaria at home I should be almost inclined to place 
 before the cherry as the brightest floral glory of 
 Japan. One seldom sees it in such masses as in this 
 garden ; but it is abundant in all the forests, where 
 its effect as it shoots its climbing branches from tree 
 to tree, laden and apparently weighed down with 
 rich purple clusters of bloom, contrasts magnificently 
 with the azaleas, red, white and pink, below it. Nor 
 is its effect less when, in the absence of forest tree to 
 support it, it contents itself with forming a massive 
 shrub not unlike a luxuriant blackberry in its mode 
 of growth. 
 
 We gave one day to rather a long expedition to 
 the mountain known as Hieizan. The slopes of this 
 mountain supply the favourite summer camping- 
 ground of residents of Kioto and Osaka. Knowing 
 it would be a long day's work, we took kurumas to 
 the mountain foot. It was indeed a hot climb up the 
 rugged path. We reached a summit, and at first 
 fancied we had won our goal ; but no, it was not the 
 
A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 217 
 
 summit. That was three miles further on. Fatiguing 
 as the further climb was, the view of valleys on 
 either side, and Kioto below us, its temples and 
 gardens sprawling over a vast extent of plain, and 
 wooded hills fringing the landscape beyond, with a 
 peep of Lake Biwa, well repaid us. There was a little 
 rest-shed on the way, but so full of rough men and 
 boys that we were glad to find a pine-tree, which 
 afforded some shade on the side of what was almost 
 a precipice, where we contrived to sit and rest and 
 enjoy the prospect as we lunched. I think the 
 entomology on this mountain was the most varied I 
 met with in the country. 
 
 Mount Hieizan also was the scene of many 
 of the exploits of Benkei, the Japanese Samson. 
 According to the legend, he was eight feet high, and 
 as strong as a hundred men. One of his feats was to 
 carry a great temple bell up the mountain, but on 
 reaching the summit the bell continuously cried out, 
 1 1 want to go back, I want to go back,' whereupon he 
 let it go rolling down to the mountain foot, where it 
 may now be seen suspended in a temple In proof 
 of the truth of the story, they -show us the ravine 
 which was ploughed out by the bell in its course from 
 the top to the bottom of the mountain. On the 
 mountain, amongst others, are two temples connected 
 with each other by an arched gallery. The legend of 
 these is that this was the yoke which Benkei wore 
 on his shoulders, and by which he carried the twin 
 temples and set them down where they now stand. 
 
 During the Middle Ages Hieizan was the sacred 
 
218 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 mountain of Japanese Buddhism, and tradition raises 
 the number of the temples which covered it to three 
 thousand, containing many thousand warrior priests, 
 who were nothing less than organised banditti, and 
 were in the habit of making plundering excursions 
 into the neighbouring country, taking part in the 
 petty tribal wars of the different Daimios. It was 
 not till about three hundred and fifty years ago that 
 these monks, the terror of Kioto, were driven out of 
 their strongholds, and all their temples and buildings 
 burnt by the Shoguns. A century later the Toku- 
 gawa Shoguns allowed the monasteries to be re- 
 established, but strictly limited their number. The 
 mountain still has a special sanctity, and until 
 recently there was a notice at its foot, ' No woman or 
 cow permitted to ascend this mountain.' Near the 
 summit are the impression of two colossal feet carved 
 in the rock, held by the devout to be the impression 
 of Buddha's feet w T hen he descended to visit Japan. 
 Its sanctity, however, did not prevent my securing a 
 very fair take of butterflies, which were flitting about 
 as innocent as myself of the veneration expected of 
 pilgrims to these sacred heights, and were most 
 interesting, as many of them represent our familiar 
 English forms of Vanessas, tortoise-shells, and 
 fritillaries ; though, contrary to what happens in the 
 case of mammals, the Japanese species seems to be 
 always larger and finer than their European congeners. 
 As the Mikado and his suite were at Kioto at the 
 period of our first visit, we were not able to see the 
 private apartments of the palace, but felt it was fully 
 
A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 219 
 
 worth while when at Osaka some weeks later to run 
 over on purpose to inspect them, and well were we 
 rewarded. A tall monotonous wall, covered with 
 stucco and roofed with thatch, surrounds the park 
 in which the cluster of buildings forming the palace 
 stand. There are several gates, the centre one being 
 never opened but for the Mikado himself. Passing 
 the sentries and presenting our letter, we were 
 admitted to a lodge within the gate, where we were 
 met by a most courteous gentleman and old official of 
 the Mikado, evidently a man of liberal education a 
 sort of hereditary chamberlain, as we presumed from 
 his telling us that he succeeded his father in atten- 
 dance on the late Mikado, and with natural pride he 
 pointed out to us, as we passed through the palace, 
 his own portrait in a large wall painting representing 
 a grand annual procession. After signing our names 
 in a large register, he conducted us across the grounds, 
 which are beautifully kept in native fashion, to the 
 reception-hall, only used on state occasions and 
 festivals. The panels are covered with paintings, 
 but the best pictures have been removed to Tokio, 
 as the emperor does not often reside here. Here we 
 were shown the Mikado's throne, with canopy and 
 rich curtains of white, red, and black silk, within 
 which the emperor used to be seated on a mat. The 
 imperial badge of the chrysanthemum with sixteen 
 petals was worked in everywhere, in cornices and 
 curtains, and seemed to be repeated wherever there 
 was space to receive it. Yet with all this, there was 
 a strange air of desolation about these cold and 
 
220 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 silent chambers. In a second and much larger hall 
 was a more modern throne, in which the emperor sat 
 in a chair, enclosed in curtains of the richest silk, 
 which only permitted his feet to be seen. 
 
 In front of this throne is a flight of eighteen wide 
 steps leading to the great court below. Each of the 
 steps corresponded to a particular rank of the old 
 nobility. Officials not noble were obliged to stand 
 on the earth below the lowest step, and great were 
 the heartburnings amongst the Daimios, and many 
 the feuds engendered, by one obtaining a higher 
 grade than another on this staircase of rank. A long 
 corridor led from this hall to the library or study of 
 the palace, a very fine room with priceless lacquer 
 boxes arranged on shelves to hold the emperor's 
 books. 
 
 Our charming guide told us that he spent many 
 hours a day with the late emperor here in his 
 study, for he was a great student and very fond of 
 geography. Though never able to go beyond the 
 grounds of the palace, he was most curious as to 
 what went on in the outside world, and used to ask 
 all sorts of questions from his courtiers and atten- 
 dants. Practically, with the exception of one or two 
 annual processions, in which he was concealed, he 
 never could go beyond the thirty acres of ground 
 that composed the park and gardens of his palace. 
 What an idea of gilded misery that palace gives one ! 
 The private chambers of the old Mikados, separated 
 from the great hall, and the sliding screens of which 
 were richly decorated, consist of eleven rooms, in 
 
A SECOND VISIT TO KIOTO 221 
 
 which for six hundred years the successive Mikados 
 have lived and died. The ordinary sitting-room was 
 surrounded by the apartments of his female atten- 
 dants, through whom alone a message could be taken 
 to him, when he passed to a room at the other end, 
 where he received his officials. Behind this are nine 
 handsome bedrooms, with richly painted panels, the 
 centre one being the emperor's, so that he is carefully 
 secluded ab night, as in the day. Our courtier guide 
 told my daughter anecdotes of the late Mikado, and 
 expressed his satisfaction at having for once to con- 
 duct a visitor who could converse in Japanese, as he 
 generally had to go through his explanations in 
 pantomime, for no guides or servants are permitted 
 to cross the gates. 
 
 Our courteous friend told us that we ought to see 
 the Castle of Nijo, or old Shogun's palace, to see which 
 he would give us a letter to the chamberlain there. 
 We parted with much ceremony, and when we told 
 our men to take us to the castle they demurred, 
 telling us it was of no use. We evidently rose in 
 their estimation when on presenting our letter the 
 sentry let us pass. A stately official received the 
 document with a profound reverence, and preceded 
 us within the precincts. Certainly the best had been 
 kept to the last. It is by far the most palatial palace 
 we had seen, surpassing Nagoya, with lavish decora- 
 tions and gilding everywhere, but all in the best taste. 
 It is larger than the palace, except for the great 
 audience hall, and certainly the Shogun took care of 
 himself at his superior's expense. Instead of the 
 
222 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 eighteen steps for the various ranks in the Mikado's 
 palace, there were seven steps, on which according to 
 their rank the highest Daimios could stand. The 
 minor Daimios could not stand even on the lowest of 
 these. It was very interesting to hear the account 
 of all these old-world ceremonials from those who had 
 themselves taken part in them. All the walls and 
 ceilings were painted in panels, the series of subjects 
 differing for each room and wonderfully ingenious. 
 We may remark that its decorations are on a much 
 larger and vaster scale than those I have seen else- 
 where in the country. Each hall is named from the 
 subject of its decoration. In the tiger hall there are 
 perhaps a dozen tigers in different attitudes, and 
 both the animals and the plants of the jungle are all 
 represented life-size, as are the eagles and peacocks 
 in other rooms. Everywhere was to be seen the 
 gilt trefoil crest of the Tokugawa Shoguns, except in 
 the one suite reserved for the Mikado, when once a 
 year he came to visit him, and there the gold 
 chrysanthemum is on every hinge and handle and 
 panel. We were delighted with this grand old 
 feudal castle. It is not a little amusing to observe the 
 different opinions that are given concerning it. One 
 guide book describes it as ' an old and dingy build- 
 ing ' ; another, as I venture to think much more truly, 
 says, ' This palace, a dream of golden beauty within, 
 is externally a good example of the Japanese fortress, 
 with its turrets at the corners and its walls of 
 cyclopean masonry. It is, however, only a fraction 
 of its former self/ 
 
225 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 OSAKA 
 
 FROM Kioto to Osaka, from Edinburgh to Glasgow, 
 from history, arts, and literature to commerce and 
 manufactures ! The train winds amongst hills for a 
 few miles, then for the rest of the way down the 
 valley of the Yodogawa, through paddy fields as 
 uninteresting as Chatmoss. From the top of a hill 
 midway between Kioto and Osaka both cities are 
 plainly visible. A propos of this view, I may give an 
 illustration of the Japanese ^Esop. Once upon a 
 time an Osaka frog, having heard the fame of the 
 beauties of Kioto, thought he could not do better than 
 migrate thither. Another frog resident in Kioto 
 heard wonderful tales of the bustle and liveliness of 
 Osaka, and wearied of Kioto, determined to change 
 his home. Meeting at the top of the hill, where each 
 hoped to obtain a view of the paradise to which he 
 was bound, they raised themselves up full of eager 
 expectation, forgetting that in that posture a frog 
 looks backward. ' Well, really,' said the dweller 
 among the Osaka swamps, ' Kioto looks uncommonly 
 like Osaka, and every bit as flat. I could not do 
 better than go home again.' ' So that is Osaka/ 
 exclaimed the resident of the capital ; ' how wonder- 
 
 Q 
 
 
226 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 fully similar it is to Kioto ! I don't see that I 
 should be the gainer by proceeding.' And both frogs 
 returned home well satisfied, and with no desire to 
 pursue their acquaintance with the outer wor]d. 
 Moral Don't look at everything through your own 
 spectacles. 
 
 Osaka, with a population of nearly half a million, 
 is the second city in the empire, and whilst being 
 the Manchester of Japan, is at the same time an 
 ancient city, and first came into prominence in the 
 sixteenth century, when Hideyoshi, who has been 
 called the Napoleon of Japan, made it his fortress and 
 capital. But he has greater claims on the respect and 
 admiration of Europe than even his development of 
 the commerce of Osaka and his extension of the 
 Japanese empire, for amongst many wise measures 
 of internal policy he gave toleration to the Christians, 
 and it was under his rule that the Eoman Catholic 
 missions were spread over the whole country. His 
 favourite general and many of his best troops were 
 Christians, and with them he invaded and endeavoured 
 to conquer Corea, as a step to the subjugation of 
 China. He succeeded in utterly crushing the inde- 
 pendence and also, alas ! the civilisation of Corea, but 
 failed to make any impression upon the Flowery 
 Land. Since his invasion of Corea, although after 
 his death the Japanese troops were withdrawn, the 
 peninsula seems to have sunk into still lower depths 
 of degradation ; and the nation which was once the 
 instructress of Japan in art, and the masterpieces 
 of some of whose artists still exist, has sunk to such 
 
OSAKA 227 
 
 a state as to have earned from a 'recent well 
 known traveller the character of being the dregs of 
 humanity. 
 
 The Castle of Osaka, which still exists, was com- 
 menced by Hideyoshi in 1583, and was completed in 
 two years. It was said to be the strongest fortress 
 in the country, as the palace which it coDtained was the 
 most magnificent. The encircling wall and the sides 
 of the moat are composed of masonry twenty feet thick, 
 in the cyclopean style, without mortar and with no 
 filling in, but solid throughout. The finest specimens 
 of these huge stones are near the principal gateway. 
 There is an amusing tradition of the stratagem by 
 which Hideyoshi obtained his materials cheaply. He 
 proclaimed over the whole country his intention of 
 building this fortress, and announced an enormous 
 prize to be given to the man who should produce the 
 largest stone. The prize was great enough to tempt 
 all classes, from the greatest Daimios downwards, 
 and the largest junks that could be obtained 
 were despatched from every part of the empire 
 freighted with massive fragments of rock to the 
 harbour of Osaka. In due time the prize was 
 awarded, but to only one amongst many hundred 
 competitors. The unsuccessful rivals were told they 
 might carry their stones back again, but this permis- 
 sion, not being remunerative, was not taken advantage 
 of, and Hideyoshi obtained materials and carriage 
 free of cost. The castle was captured thirty years 
 after its erection by lyeyasu, and its memory must 
 be ever preserved as that of the place where in 1868 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 lyeyasu's descendant, the last of the Tokugawa 
 Shoguns, received the members of the foreign legations 
 and for the last time exercised the usurped imperial 
 power. 
 
 Compelled to abandon it the same year, the 
 Shogun's retainers before departing set it on fire, and 
 in a few hours the grandest building in Japan was a 
 heap of smouldering ruins. The fortifications now 
 serve as the headquarters of the military district, 
 and an artillery depot and barracks have been erected 
 on the site of the ancient keep or donjon, the one 
 remaining feature of which is a deep and copious 
 well capable of supplying the whole garrison in time 
 of siege. 
 
 From the summit we had an unbroken view 
 of the whole of this Oriental Venice, with its six 
 hundred bridges and canals, a complete network, and 
 the plain beyond, bounded by two ranges of hills. 
 The number of tall factory chimneys standing out in 
 the distance were a striking contrast to the gardens 
 which varied a similar panorama of Kioto, and were 
 certainly not congruous with the associations of the 
 historic ramparts within which we were standing. 
 One fact of interest in connection with the Castle of 
 Osaka is that here for the last time the national 
 practice of harakiri, or suicide, was permitted as a 
 favour to criminals of honourable birth in lieu of 
 lecapitation. Twelve Samurai, who were sentenced 
 to death for the murder of a French sailor, claimed 
 this privilege in 1868. 
 
 With the castle we have done with the historic 
 
OSAKA 229 
 
 features of Osaka ; for its popular sights the mint, 
 the match factories, the cotton mills, the iron 
 foundries, the timber yards attractive though they 
 may be to the merchant, are not what we have 
 crossed three oceans to see. 
 
 But one temple should be mentioned, Tennoji, a 
 large group of buildings in fine, park-like grounds, 
 one of which is the children's temple. At its shrine 
 were hundreds of children's clothes, hanging from 
 ceiling to floor on pegs and on little figures of 
 Buddha, and babies' bibs covered the bell-ropes. 
 These were all the garments of deceased infants 
 offered by the mothers. A priest sitting on a mat 
 gives the bereaved mother, for a fee, a shaving of 
 wood with the name of the dead child written on it. 
 This she takes to another shrine, where is a pool of 
 water issuing from the mouth of a colossal stone 
 tortoise. The pool is full of these slips. They are 
 cast into it just where the water pours in from the 
 tortoise's mouth, and happy is the woman whose slip 
 gets well soaked at once. It is believed that this 
 will ensure the child an easy passage to heaven, as 
 the water conveys the name to Buddha, who at once 
 calls for them as he reads them. 
 
 To me, naturally, the attractions of Osaka centred 
 in the vast and successful missionary work which 
 is there carried on. In the narrow district of which 
 Osaka is the centre, and the population of which is 
 over a million, there are six American missionary 
 organizations at work and one English, the Church 
 Missionary Society, which has a very complete and 
 
230 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 extensive organization. All these are working in 
 perfect harmony without the least friction, as well 
 they may in a city of half a million, besides the 
 suburbs. Besides these is a French Roman Catholic 
 mission. It may give some idea of missionary life 
 here to describe my experiences of Whit Sunday at 
 Osaka. I was lodged in the Bishop Poole Memorial 
 School, a large boarding-school for giving higher 
 education on a Christian basis to Japanese girls of 
 the middle and upper classes, over which my 
 daughter presides, founded in memory of Bishop 
 Poole, the first Anglican missionary bishop. After 
 breakfasting at half-past seven o'clock, we made our 
 way into a very poor part of the city, where my 
 daughter holds a Sunday school. We were accom- 
 panied by one of the native teachers and three of 
 the elder girls, who here take classes, and are thus 
 beginning to train for missionary work. The school 
 was a poor woman's dwelling-house. Partitions had 
 all been cleared away, and furniture there was none, 
 and thus the three rooms of which the house con- 
 sisted were thrown into one. As soon as the singing 
 and prayer were over, the teachers squatted on the 
 mats, each with her class in a semicircle. Some of 
 the mothers accompanied their children. It happened 
 that on this very morning the first-fruits of this little 
 mission were reaped, when a woman stayed behind 
 and applied to be prepared for baptism, and also to 
 bring to the font her two little children. She 
 accompanied us to the native service, that she might 
 be introduced to Mr. Terasawa, the native clergyman, 
 
OSAKA 233 
 
 as a catechumen. Mr. Terasawa is the pastor of 
 Trinity (not Trinity Chapel), our oldest native church, 
 a large, well-built structure, quite in the native 
 style, yet unmistakably ecclesiastical. An English 
 missionary read prayers in Japanese, and Mr. Tera- 
 sawa preached. There were two adult baptisms, one 
 the wife of a judge, a leading man of rank here, 
 who himself is also looking for baptism ; the other, a 
 clerk in a government office. One of my daughter's 
 pupils was to be baptized, but as an infant, at the 
 evening service. There were about seventy com- 
 municants more than half the adult congregation. 
 Service over, we went by invitation to morning tea 
 ab the parsonage next door. Mr. Terasawa's wife 
 speaks English well, and her husband, though not 
 able to converse fluently, is able to read English 
 well, and had a well-selected, if small, English theo- 
 logical library in his quaint little study. I did not 
 visit the afternoon school, as I had an opportunity of 
 joining in English worship at Trinity College, in a 
 very neat college chapel, which would not have 
 discredited an English university, and was built from 
 the designs of one of our missionaries, Mr. Pole. The 
 congregation numbered about fifty, and all, excepting 
 the English head of the Japanese Concession Police, 
 belonged to the families either of our own or the 
 American missionaries. 
 
 In the evening I went with Mr. Fyson, one 
 of our pioneer missionaries, who was to take the 
 preaching at a mission-room. This was one kept 
 up by Miss Holland, a lady who, unconnected 
 
234 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 with any society, devotes herself, at her own cost, 
 to helping mission work. She had argued that in 
 a country where the people are not familiar with 
 the Sabbath day's rest, there were many who would 
 like to hear something of Christianity, bub might 
 be told, ' This is not the preaching night,' and so 
 might delay or forget. But if there was preaching 
 every night, no chance would be missed. She there- 
 fore hired a house close to some markets in a very 
 busy street, put in a harmonium, got the place new 
 matted, hung bright pictures of the Eeligious Tract 
 Society all round the walls, got a large lantern, pro- 
 jecting in front, with the announcement on the 
 transparent paper on one side, ' Teaching of Christ 
 to-night,' and on the other were depicted a cross and 
 a crown. She engaged an old woman to look after 
 the place, and open and light it every evening. She 
 gets one or two friends to help her with the singing, 
 and has managed to secure a preacher, native or 
 foreign, lay or cleric, every evening for months. For 
 some time, when the venture was first started, the 
 noise and jeering sometimes almost stopped the 
 preacher. But that phase, inevitable at the beginning 
 of every such work, had nearly passed over. When 
 we arrived we found the three matted rooms packed 
 full, and a crowd standing ten deep in the street. 
 After a hymn, started by two English ladies, Mr. 
 Fyson, standing at the edge of the room, held the 
 people for over half an hour by what seemed to me a 
 torrent of eloquence as he spoke of Pentecost. Texts 
 on the subject, painted in great letters on kakemonos, 
 
OSAKA 235 
 
 were hung in front, so that all could read. After 
 singing again, I too was expected to speak, and a 
 more difficult task than addressing a crowd with an 
 interpreter I never had, and I think it is impossible 
 to be interesting under such conditions. There may 
 have been two hundred listeners, and the meetings 
 here have already been the means of bringing not a 
 few into the Christian fold. There are many such 
 preaching-places in Osaka, but what are they amongst 
 half a million ? 
 
 Nor are these efforts confined to the city itself. 
 I walked out with my daughter one afternoon to a 
 similar meeting three miles from the outskirts of the 
 city, to a so-called village of three thousand souls, 
 employed in making coarse pottery and farming. "We 
 had a most uninteresting walk first through narrow 
 streets and past factory chimneys, and then along a 
 raised path through paddy fields till we reached a 
 broad river, and were ferried across to the village. 
 As I turned round I counted from one spot sixty-two 
 factory chimneys, for this is becoming the great 
 cotton-spinning centre. The use of a house was 
 hired for this weekly meeting, to which the head 
 teacher and three senior pupils went with us, to carry 
 the picture and help in the singing. The rooms of 
 the house being thrown together, about sixty people, 
 chiefly women, soon assembled. Slipping off our 
 shoes at the door, we passed to the inner end, which 
 was open to the garden. A large coloured print of 
 the Ascension was unrolled and pinned up, and a 
 hymn was sung, only joined in by the visitors. 
 
236 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 Then the teacher spoke for half an hour, then again 
 there was singing, which always attracts these people, 
 another address from my daughter explaining the 
 Ascension, and then singing and prayer concluded 
 the meeting. This is a new mission, and there are 
 no Christians yet, but several are interested, and the 
 people were all very quiet and attentive. This is 
 the simple way in which out-stations begin, and the 
 seed is sown. On our return we halted at a tea- 
 house in a village where there was formerly a similar 
 meeting, until the Buddhist priest interfered and 
 threatened any one who should lend their house for 
 the purpose. This is the kind of local opposition 
 which we must always expect from time to time ; but 
 what is this compared to the resistance of the Irish 
 priesthood ? 
 
 There being no division of days into weeks in this 
 country is at first a difficulty, but for convenience' 
 sake, since the increase of foreign trade, the govern- 
 ment have made Sunday a dies non in all schools, 
 government offices, and other official places. But the 
 people generally have hardly got familiarised with 
 this, and adhere to their old division into ten days, 
 holding a night fair in various parts of the town 
 every fifth day. Advantage is taken of these even- 
 ings for special preaching. 
 
 What is called the Concession is a district assigned 
 to the foreigners in each treaty port when the country 
 was first opened, and where alone they are allowed to 
 hold land. But as the river at Osaka is much silted 
 up, and is of no use for ocean-going vessels, the large 
 
OSAKA 
 
 237 
 
 shipping has entirely deserted it and dropped down 
 to Kobe, twenty miles off, which is practically the 
 seaport of Osaka. The merchants, with hardly an 
 exception, have abandoned the large and spacious 
 houses which they had built, till the whole foreign 
 population of Osaka is limited to the various mission- 
 ary bodies, who have had the opportunity of securing 
 quarters which they would not have built for them- 
 selves. The principal English Mission institutions, 
 besides the girls' school already mentioned, are 
 Trinity College, for the training of theological 
 students ; a large boys' boarding school, in a distant 
 part of the city, intended to provide for the boys the 
 same style of education which the Bishop Poole 
 School affords to their sisters ; and the Bible Women's 
 training home, a most important part of the work, 
 where not only the women are trained to be mission- 
 aries to their sisters throughout the country, but 
 during their training are useful in the work in Osaka. 
 The boys' high school, which is four miles from the 
 Concession, had not at the time of our visit been long 
 in operation ; yet, though it has to compete with the 
 government school, it had at the time of our visit, 
 besides day scholars, thirty- eight boarders, but is 
 calculated for the accommodation of a hundred and 
 twenty, and by special subscriptions raised for the 
 purpose admirable apparatus has been supplied, and 
 the dining-hall, class-rooms, bath-rooms and dormi- 
 tories are all in keeping, and the school is under the 
 able direction of Mr. Price, son of a veteran African 
 missionary. 
 
238 RAMBLES IN- JAPAN 
 
 But, perhaps, looking to the future, the most im- 
 portant of our institutions is Trinity College. There 
 are usually between twenty and thirty students. 
 The third year of their four- years' course is spent 
 in practical catechist's work in the country, a most 
 important part of their training. It is a very 
 complete Divinity College. Its excellent buildings 
 leave nothing to be desired. The street facade is of 
 brick, plain but handsome, and on either side of the 
 doorway is a Japanese inscription cut in the stone, 
 and which may be literally translated, ' The one- 
 God-in-three teaching-house.' Within is a quad- 
 rangle which has quite an Oxford air, one side 
 formed by the chapel, another by the principal's 
 house, and the other two by the dining-hall and 
 lecture-rooms downstairs, the dormitories with deep 
 verandahs being upstairs. There are four lecture- 
 rooms, a small library of standard theology, and the 
 vice-principal's sitting-room. Behind the quadrangle 
 are the bath-rooms, kitchens and offices with abundant 
 space. 
 
 Our last Sunday in Osaka was a red-letter day, 
 being that of the consecration of the new Church of 
 the Saviour, making the fourth Episcopal church, 
 besides nine mission-rooms. The church was in the 
 place of an old and smaller one destroyed in a 
 conflagration which devastated a large part of the 
 city. No less than fourteen clergy, foreign and 
 native, mustered for the occasion. The church is 
 large and handsome, with nave and aisles with 
 granite pillars for the five arches on either side, 
 
OSAKA 239 
 
 a good wide chancel and west porch. The native 
 churchwardens and officials met the procession 
 headed by the bishop as we passed from the vestry 
 to the west door, and there read, quite in English 
 fashion, the petition for consecration. Archdeacon 
 Warren preached what was evidently a very powerful 
 sermon, but all the rest of the service, excepting the 
 bishop's part, was taken by the native clergy. The 
 sight was a very impressive one, and then at the 
 Communion none but non-Christians seemed to leave. 
 It was a crammed congregation that remained to 
 communicate. 
 
 In the afternoon, whilst I had been addressing 
 the students in the college, my daughter had been 
 occupied in a very touching way. A little girl, 
 twelve years old, a very poor street child who had 
 attended the cottage Sunday school I have described, 
 had been touched and sought instruction for baptism. 
 Her father, a kuruma man, had given his consent, 
 when the child became ill and was sent to hospital. 
 This morning, on our way to church, we received a 
 message that the surgeon had to perform an operation 
 on the child as the only chance of saving life, but she 
 would most probably sink under it. This being told 
 to the girl, she sent at once to say that she must first 
 be baptized. My daughter arranged with Mr. 
 Terasawa to baptize the little convert after the con- 
 secration, which he did. In the evening we met a 
 Christian man coming to tell us that the child had 
 died, and the parents wanted a Buddhist funeral. 
 This my daughter could not agree to, as the parents 
 
240 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 had given their full consent to the child's baptism, 
 and she claimed her as a Christian. We attended the 
 burial the next day, one of the most touching funerals 
 in which I ever joined. The little coffin was covered 
 with a white cloth and a cross of white azaleas upon 
 it, followed by a few Christian women and the heathen 
 parents, whilst a number of kuruma men (her father's 
 comrades) stood crowding round the door, marvelling 
 in the interest that foreigners could take in a poor 
 coolie's child. 
 
 Shortly before my departure I had a thoroughly 
 Japanese compliment in a shimbokkwai, the native 
 equivalent of a farewell dinner. Every member of 
 the three Church Missionary Society congregations 
 in Osaka had been invited. The large hall of the 
 school had been cleared and decorated. Singing by 
 the children, speeches of the purport of which I could 
 only guess until they were interpreted tea and cakes 
 followed each other in rapid succession. Amongst 
 the speeches I had to make one describing Palestine, 
 and this was interpreted by Mr. Fyson, paragraph by 
 paragraph. Afterwards I had some mysterious draw- 
 ings sent me on long strips of paper, two of which I 
 found were poems in my honour by a Christian poet 
 of one of the congregations. 
 
 As an illustration both of the rapid development 
 of European arts and of mission work, I may mention 
 an expedition which I took with one of our mission 
 ladies, Miss Cox, to a very large match manufactory, 
 employing over a thousand women and girls. This 
 factory was established by a Japanese gentleman who 
 
OSAKA 241 
 
 had spent three years in London studying the process 
 as carried on there. These women, who are looked 
 upon as an inferior caste, not only by the makers of 
 artificial flowers, but also by the still lower cotton 
 factory girls, have no instruction whatever ; and the 
 proprietor, himself a Buddhist, asked a Buddhist 
 priest to do something for them. He declined, on 
 the ground that the people were too poor to pay for 
 anything. Our missionaries, hearing this, offered 
 their services, which were accepted by the owner, 
 who thought any instruction would be good for them. 
 We had a kuruma ride of some miles to the factory, 
 where we were very courteously received by the 
 owner, who showed us over the works, where every- 
 thing is done, to the packing in huge cases for trans- 
 port to India and China, except the cutting and 
 splitting of the wood into the proper size, this being 
 done at another factory. The boxes are made at the 
 people's homes, and is the worst paid occupation in 
 Osaka, but the labels are put on at the factory. 
 Each match passes through fourteen hands, and each 
 operation is carried on in a separate shed. It was 
 a curious sight to see the long rows of women, all 
 nude to the waist, sitting at their work. 
 
 A warehouse was placed at Miss Cox's disposal, and 
 at dinner time an announcement made that the foreign 
 lady would like to tell any who were not at work 
 about Christianity. In a minute there was a general 
 rush, the women hastily drawing up their dress over 
 their shoulders, and shouting wildly. We got them 
 to sit down in a semicircle ; when Miss Cox, who 
 
 R 
 
242 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 had hung up a large and brightly coloured picture 
 of the Prodigal Son, began in a ringing voice, and at 
 once there was dead silence and all attention. I 
 counted up to three hundred, when I abandoned the 
 attempt. Of course, I understood not a word that 
 was said ; but the proprietor, standing throughout, 
 was evidently pleased and interested, and for three- 
 quarters of an hour the audience remained. The 
 wages of these people range only from threepence to 
 sixpence a day. 
 
 Whilst in Osaka I had an opportunity of getting 
 an insight into the necessary accomplishments of a 
 well-bred young lady. First and foremost of these 
 is the art of flower arranging, lessons in which are 
 given in the Bishop Poole Girls' School by a lady, 
 at whose lesson I was once permitted to be present. 
 The same lady also gives lessons there on a very 
 important subject, the mysteries of which I do not 
 pretend to have fathomed, i.e., the proper mode of 
 making and partaking of ceremonial tea. In one of 
 her lectures I was the unfortunate victim operated 
 upon, i.e., I had to act the passive part of the visitor, 
 nis duty being to remain sitting in a posture which 
 to me was by no means restful, and silent for three- 
 quarters of an hour ; whilst the hostess, with great 
 dignity, grace and solemnity, brings forward one 
 part of the apparatus after another. With intense 
 exactitude she places each in its appointed spot, 
 passes a carefully folded silk duster over each, and 
 finally ladles hot water on to the tea-powder in 
 the bowl, and this, after being whisked up till it 
 
OSAKA 245 
 
 froths, is handed to the visitor, who has to consume 
 it in a specified number of gulps and make no 
 grimaces. 
 
 The story of the origin of this strange yet typical 
 ceremony, performed by the daughter at home when 
 it is desired to do special honour to a guest, is as 
 follows : Some centuries ago, when the country was 
 in a disturbed state, a great statesman, fearing civil 
 war, invented the intricate details of this art of tea- 
 making to compose and calm the minds of the people. 
 So completely did he succeed that all thought of the 
 impending war was soon abandoned, and his fame 
 has come down to posterity as the professor of tea. 
 
 When speaking of the lessons in bouquet arrange- 
 ment I might have described one of the most charac- 
 teristic sights of Osaka, which I was fortunate enough 
 to witness the annual spring flower show and fair. 
 It was confined to a certain part of the town, but even 
 so for about a mile flower-pots and plants of every 
 kind seem to have taken the place of all the ordinary 
 wares in the shops, whilst the narrowest passage 
 remained in the centre of the street, lined by stands 
 of flower-pots on either side. There was every 
 variety of horticultural produce, from medallioned 
 chrysanthemums and champion peonies to the humblest 
 ferns from the woods, and potsherds containing the 
 root of some wild flower beseechingly offered for a 
 few rin by the most squalid of the poor. It seemed 
 to be the one opportunity for many a poor outcast to 
 earn an honest farthing. It was impossible to resist 
 the silent appeals, far more successful than the noisy 
 
246 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 importunities of an Arab bazaar. The purchasing 
 mania was irresistible, and we hired one kuruina after 
 another to carry home our floral purchases, having 
 invested in a whole forest of dwarfed pines, maples, 
 and oranges, the largest of which could be covered by 
 a hat. The most curious thing of all was a large 
 shallow flower-pot containing what might be called a 
 doll-house garden, but all of actually living plants, 
 with little walks, and microscopic mountains and 
 lakes, the latter spanned by bridges, and the former 
 with houses perched about them. 
 
247 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 SHIKOKU 
 
 NOT the least interesting expedition which we made 
 from Osaka was one to the neighbouring island of 
 Shikoku, an island which even yet is very rarely 
 visited by foreigners, excepting those connected with 
 the few mission stations. It is in area the fourth of 
 the great islands which constitute the empire, and 
 may be called the Wales of Japan, and the island of 
 Awaji, an intermediate link with the main island, 
 suggests the Isle of Man. In its physical aspect, too, 
 its bold mountainous character reminds one of Wales, 
 while in the south part of the island there is a dense 
 population, rich mines, and extensive manufactures. 
 It is divided into four provinces, or as a Japanese 
 geographer has expressed it, ' It has one body and 
 four faces, and each face has a name/ Quaint 
 indeed are these names, their literal translation being 
 ' Lovely Princess,' ( Prince Good-boiled-rice,' ' Princess 
 of Great-food,' and ' Brave Good-youth.' The people 
 of Shikoku, and especially of the south, have always 
 been reputed to be the most turbulent and democratic, 
 which is probably explained by their employments 
 being largely mining and manufacturing. In this 
 part of the country the American Presbyterian 
 Mission has been at work for some years. The 
 result may be judged of by the fact that this island 
 
 (WIVES*: 
 
248 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 has returned several Christians to the Japanese 
 Parliament, and among them was the Speaker of the 
 first House of Commons. 
 
 Our voyage from Osaka to Tokushima in this 
 island, though not long, was certainly amusing, the 
 accommodation and arrangements being purely 
 Japanese. The voyage being in an almost entirely 
 land-locked sea, the boat was constructed rather after 
 the model of a river steamer than of an ocean-going 
 boat, and, with due consideration to the economising 
 of the passengers' time, was made at night. Soon 
 after sunset, preceded by a boy with a barrow and 
 lantern, we went down to the wharf, from which we 
 entered the steamer through a hole in her side, and 
 then up a ladder on to the deck. But the deck was 
 only a space of two feet all round the ship, the centre 
 being occupied by the third-class cabin, which was 
 just five feet high, being intended for sitting and 
 sleeping in, certainly not for walking. There being 
 no berths, * first come, first served/ was the rule, and 
 the passengers as they arrived promptly secured 
 quarters for the night by spreading a red blanket 
 and disposing their persons thereupon. Into this we 
 had to go on all-fours, creep across it while the 
 passengers were lying thick, and get down another 
 ladder to the second-class cabin, which occupied the 
 whole width of the vessel. Taking off our shoes, we 
 could, stooping, walk along it into the first-class cabin, 
 of the same width, with plenty of port-holes open 
 for air, and a fixed bench along each side. The floor 
 was carpeted over the mats, and two or three feeble 
 
SHIKOKU 
 
 249 
 
 oil lamps suspended were just enough to make dark- 
 ness visible. The circumambient bench, which 1 
 had erroneously imagined to be berths, proved to be 
 only the receptacle intended for baggage. However, 
 spreading my rug, I made myself comfortable on the 
 bench, with my head close to an open port-hole. 
 Happily there were only two passengers besides 
 
 LADY MISSIONARIES' HOUSE. 
 
 ourselves, both Japanese gentlemen, and we had 
 abundant space in a cabin supposed to accommodate 
 twenty of both sexes. With the full complement, 
 sardines in a box would have been a fitting com- 
 parison. For an hour or two tea was continually being 
 served, pipes smoked, and conversation was cease- 
 less ; while my daughter, more acclimatised than my- 
 self, sat country fashion on the floor with her writing 
 
250 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 board on her knees. Quaint and novel as was my 
 bedchamber, I had a fairly good night's rest, though 
 I could not but regret that we were losing some of 
 the most charming scenery, equal to that of the 
 Inland Sea, as we coasted down the west side of the 
 island of Awaji. At 4.30 A.M. we were roused to go 
 and wash in turns outside, before the second class ; 
 according to the due precedence of first-class pas- 
 sengers. My toilet completed, I clambered on to the 
 top of the third-class cabin, and had a lovely view of 
 the labyrinth of islets, all well wooded, through which 
 we were winding. For the last hour we steamed up 
 a wide sluggish river till we reached Tokushima, and 
 before landing were supplied with a Japanese break- 
 fast on the floor. All the other passengers, being 
 natives, had been allowed to land at once, but we had 
 to wait until the police functionary, not an early 
 riser, could condescend to come on board and examine 
 our passports. This formality over, we drove across 
 the city to the house of Mr. Buncombe, of the Church 
 Missionary Society, our kind host. With 61,000 
 inhabitants, it is the tenth city in Japan, while the 
 island has nearly 4,000,000. The second city, Kochi, 
 is rather further off than Cork is from Belfast, and 
 though less populous than Tokushima, is more im- 
 portant for its manufactures, and has a well-manned 
 American Presbyterian Mission. 
 
 Mr. Buncombe had been out in Japan four years, 
 and was the first missionary ever stationed here, but 
 the church had been gradually growing up for some 
 years before his arrival, and had been visited from 
 
SHIKOKU 253 
 
 the Osaka Mission. There is a church and native 
 parsonage with an ordained native pastor, partly 
 supported by the people, and two preaching-rooms in 
 different parts of the city, which I visited, with two 
 native catechists at work, besides one itinerating in 
 the surrounding villages. Two lady missionaries had 
 also recently arrived, and were settled in a pretty 
 little Japanese cottage not far from the mission 
 station. 
 
 There is not much of striking interest in Toku- 
 shima, with its long straight streets running in parallel 
 lines for a mile or two. In the centre is a rocky mound, 
 surrounded by a moat, and covered with noble trees, 
 now the Park, formerly the Daimio's Castle, but now 
 entirely dismantled. Overhanging the city is a pre- 
 cipitous wooded hill, with a fine Shinto temple on its 
 brow. To this we climbed not a very arduous task, 
 as steps have been cut in the side of the cliff, and 
 were richly rewarded by a superb panorama. The 
 mingling of sea and land, of mountain, forest, and 
 plain, was an epitome of Japanese scenery. In front 
 of us was spread out the city, beyond it the bay, 
 covered with fishing-boats, into which two rivers flow 
 from different points ; one of them, the Yoshi-no-gawa, 
 navigable for many miles, while on both sides mountain 
 ranges tower to some height, clad with dark pine forest, 
 and their sides frequently pierced with the pale green 
 patches which marked the openings of the rich culti- 
 vated valleys. To the right, across the principal 
 river, on the distant plain, a dark brown patch 
 examined under a field glass would reveal a large 
 
254 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 town, in the centre of cultivated fields, and beyond 
 that again a dim grey line of mountain heights. 
 
 In the afternoon we called upon the native clergy- 
 man, Mr. Terata, and his wife, who speak a little 
 English. He is considered the most able of the 
 native clergy and the most eloquent preacher, and is 
 very obnoxious to the Buddhists. His life has often 
 been threatened, but he seemed to be outliving the 
 persecutions. In one church or other there are 
 
 mf 
 
 MISSIONARY'S HOUSE AT TOKUSHIMA. 
 
 lectures or services every night, conducted by Mr. 
 Buncombe, Mr. Terata, or a catechist. In the largest 
 mission church which we visited was an outer porch, 
 with pigeon-holes on either side from top to bottom, 
 where the members of the congregation might deposit 
 their shoes or sandals. There was also a stock of new 
 fans, for the summer was coming on, and these are 
 provided for the comfort of the worshippers. The 
 
SHIKOKU 
 
 255 
 
 Japanese are as ingenious and enterprising in adver- 
 tising as any pushing tradesman at home. At a 
 church council meeting a member of the congregation 
 offered to present 200 fans as a gift. He is a photo- 
 grapher, and produced a sample of his fans, but one 
 side was covered with an elaborate advertisement of his 
 establishment. As a contemplation of the attractions 
 of his studio would hardly have conduced to the 
 
 MISSION-ROOM, TOKUSHIMA. 
 
 devotion of the worshippers, Mr. Buncombe suggested 
 a more appropriate embellishment, and to the 
 credit of the enterprising advertiser be it said, he 
 adopted the design and supplied the fans. Most 
 appropriate it was ; on one side was a coloured sketch 
 of a stormy sea, with a dark, lowering sky, and the 
 passage, ' Jesus Christ came into the world to save 
 sinners.' On the reverse was depicted a brilliant 
 sunlit sky, with a wooded islet in a calm sea, and 
 
 TJNIVE 
 
256 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 storks flying overhead, and the text, ' God is a Spirit, 
 and they that worship Him must worship Him in 
 spirit and in truth.' 
 
 In the evening, beginning at six o'clock, there 
 was a grand shimbokkwai, or entertainment, held in 
 the mission -room out of compliment to the visitors. 
 It was rather a formidable affair, and as full of 
 formalities as ceremonial tea. The room was abso- 
 lutely devoid of furniture, and the guests as they 
 arrived ranged themselves round the walls, sitting 
 on their heels. Between forty and fifty came, 
 all, of course, church members, the majority being 
 men ; and the few women ranged themselves against 
 the wall opposite to the men. I stood near the door, 
 and was formally introduced to each visitor separately. 
 I had consequently much practice in bowing twice to 
 each one till my head touched my knees. The same 
 ceremonial was repeated by each new-comer to the 
 previous arrivals round the walls. I was much taken 
 with the appearance of one member, a stout old 
 farmer from the neighbourhood, the treasurer of the 
 Nippon Sei-ko-kwai, or Japan church of the district. 
 He arrived on horseback, and his horse, one of the 
 few really thoroughbreds that I ever saw in the 
 country, was turned out to graze in the adjoining 
 yard. I found that I won the thorough approval of 
 my friend by appreciating the points of his steed. 
 When all had arrived, after a few minutes' solemn 
 silence, Mr. Terata stood up and made a short speech. 
 and was followed by others, of the purport of all 
 which I knew nothing. Mr. Buncombe gave them 
 
SHIKOKU 257 
 
 what I believe was supposed to be my history, after 
 which I was expected duly to respond, and did so in 
 English, one of the company volunteering to translate 
 for me, sentence by sentence. This over, the church- 
 wardens brought in saucer plates and paper napkins 
 with pictures on them for each guest. Then tea was 
 served, and a large paper bag of sweet cakes of all 
 colours and shapes was set before each guest. Each 
 took a little and wrapped up the remainder, first in 
 paper and then in a handkerchief, to take away with 
 them. It would have been a gross breach of etiquette 
 if we had not done the same. To me the entertain- 
 ment, with the conversation going on in an undertone 
 among the guests, seemed rather like a Scotch funeral. 
 At length, about nine o'clock, we made our round of 
 bows to everyone, gave our apologies in correct style 
 for going first, and with many a < sayonara,' or good- 
 bye, departed, though the entertainment continued 
 till near midnight. To me a shimbokkwai is the 
 acme of dulness, but then it must be remembered that 
 I understood not a word, unlike my friends, who had 
 a bright remark for everyone. 
 
 One day was spent in a delightful expedition 
 along the coast to Muya, a large straggling town 
 twelve miles off, an out-station of the mission, and to 
 the celebrated Straits of Naruto. A party of six, we 
 started each in a kuruma drawn by two men, pulling 
 tandem. It was a lovely ride. The road was level, 
 on a narrow plain, with a wooded mountain range on 
 our left and the islet-studded sea on the right. The 
 plain itself was covered chiefly with barley, just 
 
258 KAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 assuming its ripening golden-coloured hue, and many 
 villages with picturesque little temples, Shinto and 
 Buddhist, with avenues of trees leading up to them. 
 May they soon become village churches ! We crossed 
 five rivers, some of considerable width, and alive 
 with boats. Two of them were spanned by pontoon 
 bridges, one of which is two-thirds of a mile long, 
 and is washed away every year, in consequence of 
 which a toll of three sen (l|d.) is charged to all 
 passengers. If kuruma-riding were not so solitary it 
 would have been the perfection of an outing. 
 
 After halting at the mission-house and being intro- 
 duced to the catechist, who had been at college, and 
 hoped soon to be ordained, we went on to a native 
 inn fronting the sea, in a lovely cove with rocky 
 islets crowding in front, surmounted by pine-trees. 
 How these trees can live and get nourishment 
 apparently on the top of a naked rock I do not 
 pretend to understand. Their roots seem to bind 
 the rocks and penetrate to the water's edge. After 
 dining Japanese fashion on the floor, we crossed a 
 creek in a boat, when most of the party landed and 
 had a three-miles walk to Naruto. As we walked 
 along the strand, strewn with shells, many of them 
 most gorgeous olives, cowries, and cones, I could have 
 wished for a long day, simply to explore these sands. 
 It was a ^lively scene. Every three hundred yards 
 fishermen with their boats were hauling in their nets, 
 and scores of women and children in wild excitement 
 were tugging at them and seizing the struggling fish. 
 The line of nets taken out by each boat in a semicircle 
 
s -2 
 
SHIKOKU 261 
 
 almost touched one another for miles along the coast, 
 and though being constantly drawn in, very few were 
 ever drawn empty. The inhabitants of the sea must 
 indeed swarm among these islands. Nor were these 
 draw-nets the only mode of gathering in the harvest 
 of the sea. Many a small bamboo buoy marked the 
 lobster -pots or eel-traps to arrest the unwary among 
 these still waters, while in boats further out we could 
 see the fishermen hauling in their small-meshed nets 
 with great catches of sardines, and others patiently 
 dropping their long lines with bait. No fish appears 
 to be rejected as unclean, for two or three species of 
 dog-fish seem very common, and are much appreciated 
 in the market. The favourite fish is one called tai, a 
 species of serranus, or sea-perch. So much is it 
 appreciated that the proverb has arisen, ' Tai, even if 
 it is bad, still it is tai.' 
 
 At the further end of this little bay a bold wooded 
 bluff projects into the sea, to the summit of which 
 was a well-trodden path. From the platform at the 
 top, disfigured by the papers of Japanese picnic 
 parties, we had a lovely view of the opening of the 
 Inland Sea and its countless islets. Descending on 
 the other side, after gathering a dozen species of 
 ferns I had never before seen, we found ourselves at 
 Naruto, one of the lions of Japan. Here the tide 
 coming up the Inland Sea meets the tide from the 
 north. It must be remembered that the island of 
 Awaji lies right across a wide bay of this sea from 
 the main island to the northern point of Shikoku, 
 leaving a channel of considerable width to the north- 
 
262 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 ward, which is the commercial route to Kobe and 
 Osaka ; and more than thirty miles south of it, at the 
 other extremity of Awaji, is the narrow channel of 
 Naruto, interrupted by several islets, and therefore 
 of little commercial importance. Its narrowest part 
 is about a mile and a quarter wide, but a rocky 
 island divides the strait into what are called the 
 Greater and Lesser Naruto, the Greater Naruto being 
 on the Shikoku side. We must remember that the 
 tidal wave, rolling from west to east, strikes the north 
 and south entrances of the Inland Sea almost simul- 
 taneously ; but Naruto being near the northern 
 opening, the tidal wave reaches this narrow channel 
 from the north long before the arrival of the southern 
 wave. The consequence is that at high water from 
 the north, the sea is twelve feet higher on the 
 northern side of the channel than it is on the inside, 
 by a sort of bore being arrested here, but at low 
 water the conditions are reversed, and the tidal 
 wave having now come up from the south, the water 
 north of the strait is twelve feet lower at an 
 ordinary spring tide. The consequence is that there 
 is literally a waterfall across the sea, excepting 
 for a few minutes at mid-tide, when it is level. 
 We were fortunate enough to arrive just at high 
 water. A small reef only two or three feet above 
 high water-mark runs out into the sea exactly 
 in a line with the waterfall. We could easily walk 
 out on to it, and there, standing on a flat rock at the 
 extremity, the sea on our right hand was several feet 
 higher than on our left, and the line in front of us 
 
OF THK 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
SHIKOKU 265 
 
 was an even cascade more than a mile long, and as 
 we watched it the waterfall gradually diminished in 
 height. We went on shore, and after spending an 
 hour or two botanising in the woods, returned to our 
 post of observation to find the cascade barely more 
 than a foot in height. Large shipping dare not risk 
 this dangerous passage, but lighter craft can easily 
 shoot the falls either way. We watched two junks 
 trying it. They were gradually drawn faster and 
 faster, as the current bore them down, till at last they 
 ducked to it, seemed to take a header, and instantly 
 come up again, and were then swept down stream at 
 a tremendous rate. I have shot the rapids in the St. 
 Lawrence, but none of them were like this. Unfortu- 
 nately time did not permit us to remain to see the 
 water perfectly even, as it is for a few minutes before it 
 begins to rise on the other side. As it was, it was far 
 into the night before we reached Tokushima again. 
 
 I left the island of Shikoku with the conviction 
 that there is no part of the Japanese empire which 
 would so well repay a leisurely exploration of a few 
 weeks as would Shikoku. Though the mountain 
 ranges are far inferior in elevation to those of the main- 
 land, yet they are more densely and uniformly wooded. 
 The population of the island, although reaching 
 4,000,000, is not so evenly dispersed as elsewhere, 
 and consequently the extent of primeval forest is 
 much greater. Game, and especially deer, must be 
 very plentiful, judging by the abundance of heads and 
 horns to be seen everywhere, though I only noticed 
 one species, Cervus sika, or one closely allied to it. 
 
2G6 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 
 
 VERY different from our passage-boat to Tokushima 
 was the sumptuous passenger steamer on which, a 
 few days after our return from Shikoku, we embarked 
 to pass again down the lovely Inland Sea, up which I 
 had sailed a few weeks before. Our object was to 
 visit the northern and central portions of the island 
 of Kiushiu. By a most convenient arrangement the 
 passengers were expected to be all on board the 
 Saikyo Maru in the evening, so that we could 
 loose from our moorings at daybreak, and lost none 
 of the scenery. In the most perfect of weather we 
 steamed down the Inland Sea, amidst a prospect 
 simply peerless for calm, rich, quiet beauty. All 
 that sunlight, a silver sea, countless islets on both 
 sides, mountains clad with timber from the shore to 
 their summits, villages in rapid succession, some 
 half buried in woods, others fringing the shore, in- 
 numerable fishing-boats and junks, amidst which the 
 steamer carefully threads her way all that these can 
 give of beauty are here. Not majestic or grand, but 
 delicately, gracefully, sweetly beautiful. 
 
 We were reminded that sometimes there is a 
 reverse to the medal, when during the afternoon we 
 
THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 267 
 
 passed the wreck of a large English steamer, which 
 had gone ashore on an islet eight days ago, and was 
 now lying on her side, a hopeless wreck, since there 
 was no available machinery within reach to raise her. 
 Amongst our fellow-passengers was the ubiquitous 
 Lloyd's agent, whom we dropped in a gig on his 
 mission to look after the salvage, and many were the 
 condolences he received on his departure for the 
 Robinson Crusoe's island, where he would probably 
 have to remain a fortnight alone amongst the fisher- 
 men. He was, however, well furnished with provi- 
 sions, and light literature for solitary hours was 
 showered upon him as he left the vessel. 
 
 The sun did not set until we had reached 
 that part of the Inland Sea the prospect of which 
 I had enjoyed in daylight on my former voyage. 
 We were due at the Straits of Shimanoseki in the 
 early morning hours, and here the steamer was 
 to drop anchor until daylight, this being her only 
 point of call on her way to Shanghai. The night 
 was too bright to allow me to leave the deck, where 
 I could mark the clear dark outline of mountains and 
 islands over the phosphorescent sea, and that with 
 most agreeable companions. The captain, a cultured 
 American, who had kept his eyes open all over 
 the world, and the chief engineer, an observant 
 Scotchman, who had spent years in Yezo as his 
 headquarters, and took a deep interest in the Ainu 
 aborigines, kept the watch. The engineer was a 
 devoted admirer of Mr. Batch elor, the Church 
 Missionary Society missionary to the Ainu in Yezo, 
 
268 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 and it was refreshing to hear his high opinion of the 
 missionary staff and of their work in Japan. 
 
 About 2.30 A.M. we anchored in the narrow strait 
 of Shimanoseki, which locks the south-west entrance 
 of the Inland Sea. To the north, on the main island, 
 is Bakan, well defended by earthworks, and Moji, our 
 point of departure in Kiushiu, on the other side. 
 We remained on board till dawn, when we were 
 supplied with coffee and landed in the ship's boat at 
 Moji. A portion of the North Kiushiu Eailway had 
 just been opened, but the station was not yet com- 
 pleted ; and finding ourselves an hour before the 
 time of starting, we deposited our luggage on the 
 planks and set out to explore the village in search 
 of food, not very successfully. A journey of three 
 hours through a rich undulating country brought us 
 to Hakata. The line generally skirted the seashore. 
 
 We passed Kokura, a bustling seaport garrison 
 town, and after that a number of collieries, recently 
 opened, for this is the northern extension of the great 
 Kiushiu coal-field, which extends eighty miles south- 
 ward. A Japanese company is making arrangements 
 for an enormous development of these coal-mines, 
 which have hitherto been chiefly worked only by 
 drifts. The upper seam alone has as yet been worked 
 at all, but shafts have here been sunk, and several 
 lower seams have been reached, yielding steam coal 
 of the best quality. The Japanese fully expect to 
 monopolize the coal trade of the Eastern Pacific, as 
 the seams can be worked close to some of the best 
 harbours, whilst the abundance of labour and its low 
 
THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 269 
 
 price will enable them to compete successfully, not 
 only with England, but with Vancouver. As yet 
 coal hardly can be considered an article of household 
 consumption in Japan, its home use being entirely 
 confined to manufactures. The natives as yet show 
 no disposition to apply it to domestic purposes, and 
 prefer the more costly wood charcoal, which is a much 
 less dangerous fuel in their inflammable wooden 
 houses, while their paper walls and many chinks 
 remove all danger of asphyxia. Still, it is to be 
 hoped that mineral coal will be adopted for domestic 
 purposes before the forests of the country, to which it 
 owes so much, not only of its beauty, but its fer- 
 tility, be too much depleted. To this last-mentioned 
 danger, however, the enlightened government seems 
 to be already alive, and sets an example which we 
 might well follow at home, by locking the door before 
 the steed is stolen. In India we have been barely in 
 time to arrest the mischief which the denudation of 
 timber has already caused in the desolation of more 
 than one of the West Indian Islands, and which there 
 are ominous signs may ere long overtake great parts 
 of the Norfch American continent. In Japan the 
 government is following the German method of 
 systematic replanting. 
 
 We left the railway at Hakata, a large town sepa- 
 rated from Fukuoka, our destination, only by the 
 Nakagawa or Middle Eiver, spanned by bridges. 
 We rode through both towns to the hospitable house 
 of our host, Mr. Hind, who, with Mr. Hutchinson, 
 represents the Church Missionary Society in this great 
 
270 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 town and district. Fukuoka itself has a population 
 of 53,000, and is a military centre, as in case of war, 
 whether with China or Russia, the Straits of Shima- 
 noseki would be a vital point either to hold or to 
 attack. The far-seeing policy of the government has 
 massed, in the different old castles and barracks 
 within striking distance of the Straits, a number of 
 skeleton corps which can easily be filled up. Fukuoka, 
 though not much talked of, contains really many 
 objects of interest. Very soon after our arrival Mr. 
 Hind took us to the top of a hill at the extremity of 
 the city, whence we had a commanding view of the 
 bay and of the crescent-shaped city fringing it for 
 four miles. The sea with its boats and shipping 
 looked almost as populous as the land. Though 
 flourishing and beautifully clean, the streets are 
 rather too modern to be very attractive, excepting 
 for their shops, which are well supplied, and in which 
 I was able to pick up some interesting genuine old 
 bronzes. 
 
 The palace and grounds of the old Daimios skirt 
 the further side of the city, and contain many objects 
 of interest. The public park, which is formed 
 out of a part of the ancient Daimios' domain, is 
 studded with noble pine-trees, extending to the shore. 
 Adjoining it is the mausoleum of the old Princes of 
 Chikusen, quite unique in Japan, and unlike anything 
 I ever saw elsewhere. Like the park, it is full of 
 magnificent pine-trees, towering above the maples 
 and other trees, which they overshadow. Among 
 these forming a labyrinth are dropped the megalithic 
 
THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 271 
 
 monuments of the family, sometimes placed on arti- 
 ficial mounds, sometimes encircled with evergreen- 
 trees, and sometimes on the summit of a taller mound 
 reached by a flight of steps. The tombs of the 
 male members of the family have square shafts on 
 circular bases, and are of great size and covered with 
 old Chinese characters. Those of the females have 
 circular shafts. 
 
 This family, one of the most powerful in 
 former times, next to the Shogun, has played a 
 conspicuous part in the history of Japan. They were 
 the leaders of the Christian faction in the time of 
 Spanish influence. The Daimio Kuroda Nagarnasa, 
 in A.D. 1623, is frequently mentioned in the Jesuit 
 chronicles. The inscription on his tomb is very long, 
 and the tomb itself consists of three truncated columns 
 placed one above the other, each on a circular base. 
 A massive pagoda roof shelters it, giving it very 
 much the appearance of a temple. I much regretted 
 I could not read the inscription, nor ascertain what 
 his Buddhist descendants have said about his Christ- 
 ianity. The grounds are kept strictly private, and 
 are in beautiful order. We were only admitted by 
 special favour, and enjoyed wandering in the maze of 
 thickets till sunset. The family is one of the few who 
 have retained considerable political influence in new 
 Japan, and the last Daimio of the Kuroda family has 
 been created an hereditary marquis. His eldest son 
 is a graduate of Oxford, but, instead of following the 
 traditions of the family history, is a prominent anti- 
 foreigner and anti-Christian. 
 
272 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 I cannot leave Fukuoka without a word on the 
 infant church in that district, where we spent two 
 Sundays, and on the second had the almost unique 
 privilege of assisting in the formal consecration of a 
 native church, built almost entirely by the people. 
 I was especially struck by the two catechists whom I 
 met, and one of whom has been since ordained. His 
 history is interesting. By birth a gentleman, he was 
 originally a Samurai or retainer of the Satsuma clan. 
 After the abolition of the feudal system, he received 
 as compensation a sum of about $400. He was then 
 a schoolmaster. Hearing something of Christianity, 
 he became so much interested in it that he resigned 
 his post and went with his family to Nagasaki, where 
 he sought instruction from Archdeacon Maundrell, 
 and was ultimately baptized. He then entered the 
 little college there, at his own charges, to be trained 
 as a catechist. He never said a word about his means, 
 but lived on his capital till it was exhausted, and it 
 was only when he was utterly penniless that the fact 
 came out. He has proved himself an admirable man, 
 and it was understood that he was to be ordained as 
 soon as the congregation were able to guarantee their 
 part of his stipend. 
 
 The other catechist, who works the neighbouring 
 out-stations, was a bank clerk. Having accidentally 
 heard a catechist, he was led to seek further instruc- 
 tion, and on his baptism was dismissed from the bank 
 for having become a Christian. He was in absolute 
 destitution for a time, but refused all help from 
 Christian friends, lest it should be said he had gone 
 
THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 273 
 
 over for what he could get. He was reduced to 
 support his family by cleaning out and taking care 
 of the government schools. Mr. Hutchinson, however, 
 soon found out his position, and, as he was a man of 
 education and a gentleman, was able at once to 
 employ him as a catechist, in which post he is in- 
 valuable. It is interesting to know that the manager 
 of the bank where he once was is now a trustee and 
 churchwarden of the native church. 
 
 Another case worth mentioning is that of Mr. 
 Hutchinson's cook. He was a strong Buddhist, and 
 was keeper of the Sailors' Home at Nagasaki. He 
 was led to think that there must be something in 
 Christianity by noticing the lives of some of the 
 sailors there, whom he observed to gather in a corner 
 for reading and prayer. He argued there must be 
 something in this that made these men so different 
 from the others, and therefore, to get instruction, 
 came and offered himself to Mr. Hutchinson as his 
 servant, and insisted upon accompanying him when 
 he moved from Nagasaki. He has been the means 
 of bringing all his kinsfolk into the Christian 
 fold. 
 
 I was also introduced to the oldest Christian in the 
 congregation, and one of the most earnest. He is a 
 blind man, who gets his living by hawking halfpenny 
 newspapers in the street. He is called the father of 
 the new church, because about two years ago he said 
 at a prayer meeting : ' We ought not to be content 
 to worship in a hired house ; we ought to build our- 
 selves a church. I will undertake to give $30 in two 
 
 T 
 
274 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 years for the purpose. "What will others give ? ' 
 This was indeed an enormous sum in a country where 
 a working man earns $3 a month. A shopkeeper 
 exclaimed: ' If he can give $30, I must give $50 ;' 
 and others followed suit. So $800 was raised, and 
 the church was built. 
 
 We were at the last service held in the old 
 mission-room a hired house of two stories, the lower 
 of which, open to the street, was devoted to preaching 
 to the heathen, and for holding various inquirers' 
 meetings, while the upper chamber was the church 
 in which Christians met for worship. It might 
 possibly hold a hundred people seated close together 
 on the floor. I found the crowd and heat over- 
 powering, and fear I did not set an example of 
 attention, but I may be excused. I wonder if my 
 reader ever tried to listen , to an unknown tongue 
 for two hours while sitting on the floor in a cramped 
 posture. If so, I am sure I ( shall be forgiven. 
 
 The following Sunday was a day much to be 
 remembered in the history of the infant church of 
 Kiushiu. Bishop Bickersteth had arrived the previous 
 evening for the consecration of the new church, 
 which by working night and day was completed a 
 feat that seemed hopeless a few days before. The 
 matting was all down, the seats up (for they deter- 
 mined to have seats in their new church, a foreign 
 fashion which is creeping in), the windows were all 
 in, as the procession, consisting of the church com- 
 mittee, catechists from town and country, three clergy 
 and the bishop, entered and walked up the church. 
 
THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 275 
 
 There was a crowd, as there would be elsewhere on 
 such an occasion. Many non-Christians were present, 
 among them several officials from the Kencho (govern- 
 ment offices), and some leading merchants. The men 
 were on one side, the women on the other, but soon 
 the men overflowed into the ladies' seats. Almost all 
 the men were got up in European fashion, frock coats 
 predominating ; but I was glad to notice that there 
 was not a single female, whether of higher or lower 
 rank, in Western costume ; nor did I ever during my 
 wanderings meet a woman in any but the national 
 dress. We can only hope that, warned by the mean 
 appearance of the other sex in the unbecoming habili- 
 ments that it is fashionable to adopt, the ladies' 
 style will never change. 
 
 The ceremonial seemed to be exactly as at home : 
 the petition for consecration, the lawyer's part, and 
 the handing and signing of title and trust deeds, were 
 all duly performed at the communion table. After 
 the consecration was a confirmation of eight adult 
 men and three women converts, and the Holy Com- 
 munion, with sixty-four communicants besides the 
 clergy. The people are fond of sermons, and at the 
 evening service after the bishop's address and con- 
 firmation there were two sermons to a crowded 
 congregation, preached by catechists, the second being 
 of portentous length from a young man gifted with 
 Hibernian eloquence and more than Hibernian 
 vehemence. 
 
 While speaking of the consecration, I forgot to 
 mention the ceremonial connected with the building, 
 
 T 2 
 
276 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 which is exactly the reverse of the Western custom. 
 We lay foundation stones. In this country, on the 
 contrary, buildings are always begun by setting up 
 the roof-tree and then completing the whole roof 
 supported by a wooden pillar at each angle, from 
 which they build the wooden walls downwards, 
 having a shelter under which to work. As soon as 
 the ridge of the roof is fixed, and before the rafters 
 have been attached to it, in the centre of the beam a 
 hole is cut, in which the bottle of documents and coins 
 are deposited with as much ceremony as amongst 
 ourselves. When I first noticed this amusing contrast 
 to our ancient Western custom, I was naturally led to 
 associate it with the fact that no trace whatever of 
 Freemasonry has been found in Japan, where the 
 building material being exclusively wood and not 
 stone, there was no scope for those operative masonic 
 traditions which are so interwoven with speculative 
 Freemasonry. 
 
 The situation of the church is certainly the 
 choicest in Fukuoka, adjoining the large Post Office 
 buildings, facing the river, with the wide roadway 
 of the quay in front, lined with barges and sampans, 
 and close to the bridge which unites the two towns. 
 The porch has granite pillars, and is at the south- 
 west angle of the building, surmounted, as are also 
 the east and west gables, with the cross in a circle. 
 The fine granite font was the gift of two members of 
 the congregation. 
 
 Early on the Monday morning we proceeded on 
 our way by rail to the station for Dazaifu, one of 
 
TI1K ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 277 
 
 the interesting historical sites in the island. Having 
 deposited our luggage, we took kurumas across the 
 plain to the foot of the hills where Dazaifu is situated, 
 a most interesting old place, the seat of the govern- 
 ment of Kiushiu two thousand years ago and more. 
 The island used to be a dependency, only nominally 
 subject to the Mikado, who appointed the governor- 
 general, and was not really incorporated in the 
 empire until A.D. 1338. The temples here are the 
 most ancient in Japan. One of them is dedicated to 
 Tenjin (i.e., heaven man), the name under which a 
 great ruler and scholar, Sugawara, has been deified. 
 In his day, 900 A.D., the governorship of Kiushiu was 
 looked upon as a banishment and disgrace. It was 
 the post to which illustrious or powerful men who 
 might have offended the Mikado were relegated. 
 Tenjin is worshipped as the god of caligraphy. In 
 front of the temples dedicated to his honour is gener- 
 ally placed the figure of a recumbent cow, in accord- 
 ance with the tradition that, having no horses in his 
 exile, he used to ride about on a cow. His temple at 
 Dazaifu is approached by a long avenue and a torii 
 (i.e., gateway) of bronze, of a size such as I saw 
 nowhere else. The avenue was flanked by splendid 
 bronze statues of dragons, lions and cows, larger than 
 life-size, and some of the finest camphor-trees I ever 
 saw r . 
 
 The temple itself was more striking from the 
 evidences of its antiquity than its beauty, and in the 
 courtyard in front of it were again many bronze 
 figures of cows, lions and owls. The priests were 
 
278 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 much pleased for a fee to show us the relics and 
 treasures of this temple, the swords of many historical 
 characters by famous makers, some a thousand years 
 old, manuscripts claiming to be fifteen hundred years 
 old, the original holographs of one of the greatest poets 
 of Japan, bronze statuettes of Confucius and his chief 
 followers, brought from China in 630 A.D., and many 
 choice specimens of ancient lacquer. In fact, the 
 sacrarium of this temple was simply the treasure- 
 house of an antiquarian and historical museum. 
 
 We walked on a mile or so further to visit a still 
 older temple, somewhat dilapidated, but with yet older 
 relics than the other, amongst them the metal mirror 
 of the first Emperor of Japan, B.C. ?, of unknown 
 date, and some ancient lacquer work. It was an 
 exercise of patience to wait for the exhibition of the 
 historic swords, which had more wrappings and cases 
 than the mummy of an Egyptian monarch. Seating 
 himself on the ground after opening one coffer and 
 then another, the priest would take out the long 
 package, enfolded in marvellous wrappers of faded 
 silk embroidery, tied with broad ribbons in knots 
 which seemed to have some mystic meaning, and it 
 was not until after some half-dozen of these covertures 
 had been successively unfolded that the sword in its 
 elaborately inlaid sheath was revealed. 
 
 The temple of Kwannon, the goddess of mercy, not 
 far off, was well worth a visit, as it also possesses a 
 number of interesting relics. In the centre of the 
 building is a colossal figure of Kwannon, with two 
 other smaller yet colossal statues on either side, all 
 
THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 279 
 
 three gilt, or rather, if the priest's statement be true, 
 covered with thin gold plates. If so, they must be 
 of fabulous value. A walk of two miles more took 
 us to the site of the old court-house and palace of 
 Dazaifu. Little now remains of the old capital of the 
 island except the granite bases of the columns of the 
 building, and the colonnade leading to it, but its shape 
 and outline can be clearly traced. It reminded us on 
 approaching it of a Druidical circlet. 
 
 We had a hurried walk down to the nearest 
 village, where we were able to hire kurumas, and 
 caught the last train towards Jumainoto, our bourne. 
 The line was not yet opened, and the train deposited 
 us fifteen miles short of our destination. When we 
 reached the terminus it could hardly be called a 
 station no kuruma man was willing to take us on, as 
 it was too far and too late. However, we persuaded 
 some at last to convey us at least to the first village. 
 Here we were set down, in the road in front of a 
 tea-house, and certainly the poor fellows who had 
 brought us deserved their fare, and were quite 
 incapable of going further, for when we engaged 
 them they were, so to speak, return empties, having 
 done their day's work. There seemed no help for it, 
 so we sat down on a mat in the tea-house, resigned, 
 if necessary, to spend the night there, and made a 
 meal as best we could of tea and sugared beans. At 
 length two villagers, seeing the chances of a stiff fare, 
 presented themselves and agreed to take us on. 
 
 It was a pity to lose the rich scenery, but we had 
 time before sunset to halt for a visit to the fine monu- 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
280 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 ment erected on a mound of the battlefield where 
 the Satsuma rebellion was finally crushed. This was, 
 in fact, the Culloden of Japan, the last struggle 
 of the clans and feudal independence against 
 centralised government and the new regime. It 
 had lasted for several years, and was finally crushed 
 in 1877. 
 
 Our friends Mr. and Mrs. Brandram, of the Church 
 Missionary Society at Kumamoto, had almost given 
 us up in despair when at length our kuruma men 
 found their house. We found, besides the family 
 party, a young Japanese doctor who spoke English 
 perfectly. By a strange coincidence this gentleman, 
 who was a complete stranger passing through 
 Kumamoto on his way to a distant town, had called 
 on Mr. Brandram as a fellow-Christian. In the 
 course of conversation, my daughter's name being 
 mentioned, he said that he had been invited to my 
 house in England and knew some of my friends. 
 Not a little astonished was he when told that we 
 were expected that very evening, and he agreed to 
 stay to meet us. Strange that in this remote town 
 in Japan three of us should meet who had never seen 
 each other before, and yet had many common 
 tangents Dr. Saiki being an Edinburgh graduate 
 well known to my friends, Mr. Brandram the curate 
 of an old curate, and Mrs. Brandram the daughter of 
 an old friend. 
 
 Kumamoto, with its population of 60,000, is the 
 most important military centre in Kiushiu. This it 
 owes chiefly to the very commanding position of its 
 
THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 283 
 
 ancient fortress, which is equally important under the 
 conditions of modern warfare. Like the Castle of 
 Nagoya, it has happily escaped the ravages of the 
 iconoclastic fever of twenty years ago, and next to it 
 is perhaps the finest relic of the feudal times. I may 
 best describe it as an inland Gibraltar, standing on a 
 rock, precipitous and unassailable on three sides, and 
 commanding not only the whole town beneath, but the 
 surrounding country. It is now to Kiushiu what 
 Osaka is to the main island, the artillery depot of the 
 country, and admission to the fortress is strictly 
 forbidden except under special circumstances. I was 
 fortunate enough to see the horse artillery practice on 
 a field day ; and although the horses did not seem 
 comparable in breeding to our own, yet I am quite 
 sure that the rapidity with which the evolutions were 
 gone through, the promptitude with which the guns 
 were limbered and unlimbered, would not have 
 discredited the best European troops. 
 
 This wonderful castle was built by the Kato, 
 conqueror of Korea, nearly four hundred years ago, 
 but is chiefly celebrated now for the spirited defence 
 which its small garrison made in 1877 against the 
 Satsuma insurgents, led by their hero Saigo. He was 
 the champion of the old system, and though he had 
 been foremost in assisting to abolish the Shogunate 
 and draw forth the Mikado into real authority, yet he 
 was determinately opposed to all the modern innova- 
 tions, more perhaps to the abolition of feudalism than 
 to the recognition of foreigners. He had rallied about 
 twenty thousand young Samurai of the class to whom 
 
 UNIVJ 
 
284 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 the new institutions meant ruin, and so unprepared 
 were the central authorities then for resistance, that, 
 probably, had he marched straight to Tokio, he would 
 have carried all before him. His one and fatal 
 mistake was that, instead of being content with 
 masking Kumamoto, he wasted weeks in attempting 
 to reduce it by siege, and thus gave the government 
 time to collect their forces at Fukuoka. The siege 
 being raised, the gallant Saigo, after several struggles 
 being finally defeated, when all was lost at Kagoshima, 
 got a friend to decapitate him, and thus terminated 
 the last effort of old Japan. 
 
 The mausoleum of the old Daimios is full of 
 interest, though on a much smaller scale than the 
 one at Fukuoka. One of the Daimios in A.D. 1600 
 was a well-known Christian, but his descendants have 
 given him a Buddhist epitaph on his tomb. The 
 gardens of this old family are now the public park 
 of the place, quaint and artificial, with lakes and 
 mounds, and the azaleas just past their full beauty. 
 The town has one feature not common in Japan, that 
 all the streets are more like boulevards, from the rows 
 of trees planted down them. Almost the whole city 
 having been burnt at the time of the siege, oppor- 
 tunity was taken to treat the place as was old 
 London after its great fire. Kumamoto is an im- 
 portant educational centre, with a large government 
 college and very extensive buildings. The Professor 
 of English, a Canadian fellow-countryman, who has 
 since left, most kindly showed us over everything, 
 and especially the museum, where I picked up some 
 
THE ISLAND OF KIUSHIU 285 
 
 information, though I was sorry to find that the 
 authorities had not yet learned the importance of 
 noting the localities of their specimens. 
 
 One evening during our stay we attended a 
 shimbokkwai given in the town hall, and attended by 
 nearly three hundred Christians, in honour of a 
 native catechist of the Church Missionary Society, 
 who was leaving on account of health. The Church 
 Missionary Society is by no means the only mission 
 in this great city, and the interesting feature about 
 the affair is that it was got up by the Christians of 
 other denominations as a brotherly farewell. 
 
286 
 
 CHAPTEE X 
 
 ASO SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 
 
 FROM Kumamoto we made an intensely interesting 
 two days' excursion to Aso San, an active volcano, 
 5,900 feet above the sea, almost exactly in the 
 centre of the island. Aso San is the second or 
 third in importance of the fifty-one volcanoes which 
 are reckoned in the country, and it has, moreover, 
 many satellites in the form of sulphur jets, hot 
 springs, and magnificent geysers. It is never at rest, 
 though at present it was not ejecting anything beyond 
 sulphur and smoke. The last eruption of consequence 
 was in February, 1884, when there was no stream of 
 lava, but showers of ashes fell, and destroyed the crops 
 within a radius of thirty miles, and at Kumamoto the 
 darkness continued for three days. It was also active, 
 but not to the same extent, in 1889, simultaneously 
 with the Kumamoto earthquake. 
 
 "We organised a party of six for the expedition, three 
 ladies, Mr. Lang, of the Church Missionary Society, and 
 Mr. Brandram's Japanese servant, who, knowing the 
 district well, proved himself an invaluable dragoman. 
 After an early start we rode for five hours in kuru- 
 mas, each in solitary state, choosing for the sake of 
 the scenery, in preference to the new and lower road, 
 the old Ozu road, under an avenue of pine-trees 300 
 
ASO SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 287 
 
 years old. Our journey was through a rich cultivated 
 country, gently rising, the pine and cryptomeria 
 avenues giving grateful shade, every now and then 
 interrupted by picturesque villages, with the women 
 busily threshing wheat and barley by the roadside 
 with flails on great mats, the men toiling in the paddy 
 fields, whence the barley had been cleared. After 
 this, the earliest harvest of the year, not a moment is 
 lost ; the water is turned in by the little channels 
 which intersect the plain in every direction, and form 
 a perfect network of parallelograms, fed by the 
 mountain rills, and led in this direction or in that 
 with perfect docility, as the little mud walls of the 
 channel are opened or closed. Here the parties of 
 husbandmen in long rows were busy dibbling in the 
 young rice plants in the black semi-fluid mud. In 
 other fields men were busily pulling up by the roots 
 the long rows of wheat plants, which had all been 
 drilled in, for the Japanese agriculturist would scorn 
 the slovenly and wasteful method of sowing broadcast, 
 and as the wheat was uprooted, long rows of indigo or 
 lentils sown between the drills were briskly shooting 
 up, now that they had space and light for growth. 
 The plain on either side stretched far as the eye could 
 reach, dotted all over with labourers in their large 
 bamboo umbrella hats, a perfect picture of agri- 
 cultural peace and prosperity. 
 
 We gradually approached what seemed a mighty 
 convex wall of mountain, in which just before us a 
 solitary deep gap was cleft, up to which a mighty 
 causeway led by a gentle slope from the plain. Here 
 
288 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 at a tea-house we dismissed our kuruma men, and 
 secured two porters for our hand luggage. We were 
 gradually entering the one gap in the great circular 
 crater of the most stupendous primeval volcano exist- 
 ing in the world. The walls up to which we looked 
 are the rim of an irregular circumference of forty 
 miles, averaging 800 feet in height, and enclosing a 
 plain of unsurpassed fertility, embracing over a 
 hundred agricultural villages. The present active 
 peak is within the outer enclosing rim, on the further 
 side from that by which we ascended. As we neared 
 the opening in the enclosing ridge, we could see how, 
 in some inconceivably distant geological epoch, the 
 contents of that mighty cauldron have burst through 
 this fissure, and spread their molten torrents over 
 the vast plain below, to form in after ages by their 
 decomposition the rich black soil of the plains of Higo. 
 It is a delicious climb, rough though it be under 
 foot ; every road, lane, and path is now an avenue of 
 the lovely wax-tree, Rhus succedanea, a beautiful, 
 though not a lofty, tree, with wide-spreading branches, 
 and foliage in form and hue something between the 
 ash and the walnut, and in autumn turning to the 
 most exquisite red. From its berries is extracted 
 vegetable wax, one of the most important products of 
 Japan. It has exactly the perfume and appearance 
 of beeswax, and makes very clean candles. Until 
 the introduction of mineral oils from America, and 
 more recently of the electric light, the country was 
 entirely dependent on the illuminating power of the 
 produce of the wax-tree. 
 
ASO SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 289 
 
 I cannot describe the charm of the mountain path 
 as we approached the crest. Waterfalls peeping 
 amongst trees shooting out of cliffs ; deep glens below 
 us ; festoons of wistaria bloom, painting with purple 
 lines the fresh green foliage of the maples and other 
 nameless trees overhead; a new outline; anew abyss 
 revealed at every turn, till variety itself became 
 monotonous. 
 
 We climbed to the top of a ridge, and got our 
 first view of the vast primeval crater. The rim 
 is complete except at this point where the Shira- 
 kawa (the one drainage of the whole basin) pours 
 out over the bed of the once glowing lava streams. 
 The diameter of this great crater varies from ten to 
 fourteen miles, and the hundred villages boast of 
 800 farms. Within this, but at the further side, 
 is an inner crater of much later geologic date, rising 
 to an elevation of 4,150 feet, enclosing an irregular 
 plain, which is comparatively barren and waterless, 
 and then at the further side of this is the inner- 
 most, modern, and living volcano of Aso San. I 
 have not seen the volcanoes of the Sandwich 
 Islands, which evidently have points of resemblance 
 with this, but it recalled most vividly the pheno- 
 mena of the Island of Palma in the Canaries, with 
 this difference, that the Caldera of Palma is only 
 one-third its diameter, but five times its depth, being 
 4,500 feet from the Pico di Muchacio to the bottom 
 of the crater, which is equally celebrated for its 
 extraordinary fertility, and has a gap through 
 which the lava has flowed in such vast quantities 
 
 u 
 
290 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 as to cause the well-known pear-shaped form of 
 Palma. 
 
 From our ridge we rapidly descended by a 
 mountain path into a deep glen, from the bottom 
 of which rises a column of sulphurous steam. Here 
 are large public hot baths, with lodgings and tea- 
 houses, the baths supplied by bamboo pipes from 
 the boiling springs hard by. They are ingeniously 
 constructed against the side of the hill, and are all 
 open to the path, and both sexes of all ages were 
 enjoying their public parboiling in common in perfect 
 nudity. Just in front of us was a lovely view. 
 
 Another deep glen, or rather chasm, joined the 
 one we were following, and the cliffs facing us, several 
 hundred feet high, and all but perpendicular, were 
 clad with forest trees, clinging, one hardly can 
 conceive how, to the face of the cliff. The dashing 
 torrents were fringed with all sorts of ferns, 
 conspicuous among them the giant Woodwardia 
 japonica, dropping its fronds to the surface of the 
 stream. We were all enchanted, but we had a 
 walk of some hours before us. 
 
 After another hour, arriving at a wayside tea- 
 house, the man with the horses and our luggage 
 declared that here we must stop for the night. 
 I should have said before that when we discharged 
 our kurumas, although one man could easily have 
 carried all we had on his back, we engaged a 
 horse, for which we were charged the enormous 
 sum of forty sen, rather less than twenty pence; 
 and this agreed to, he must needs have a second 
 
ASO SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 291 
 
 horse and a friend to accompany him, but as 
 these were on a return journey, they need not 
 be paid for. To have rested at this place would 
 have meant to add another day to our journey and 
 dislocate all our plans, but for some time we were 
 much afraid the strike would have been successful. 
 Every argument was used : we ought to have stayed 
 at the hot baths we had passed ; everyone would 
 be tired ; there would be no food at Tarutama, our 
 proposed destination ; the distance yet to go was, 
 according to their account, greater than when we 
 had started in the morning ; and finally, as a 
 clinching argument, there would be no policemen 
 there to look at our passports ! At last the men 
 were heard to say, ' There is no help for it. If 
 we don't go on, things won't do,' and on we went. 
 Oh, such shrubs ! Wistaria, deutzia, wiegelia, daphne 
 of three or four sorts, wild roses of three species, 
 honeysuckles of two, azaleas of all sorts, a shrub 
 that looked like a white fuchsia, which I never saw 
 before or since, and many others quite strange 
 to us all. 
 
 After a long climb we halted in a sort of 
 Devonshire lane for afternoon tea and a rest, the 
 ladies having brought all paraphernalia for tea- 
 making, and a little rill supplying the water. More 
 climbing, till about 6 P.M. we were brought up short 
 by our narrowing valley becoming a gorge, and 
 finally a cul-de-sac with a cliff some hundreds of 
 feet high in front, covered with wood, and a cascade 
 of hot water dashing down it. We had arrived at 
 
 u 2 
 
292 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 Tarutama. Under the cliff a long row of two-storied 
 sheds crammed with people, a sort of square in front, 
 two sides of which were formed by large open 
 baths under roofs, but with no enclosing walls, fed 
 by bamboo pipes, with the hot sulphurous water from 
 the foot of the cascade providing a continuous 
 stream through the fully tenanted baths. The place 
 has great renown, especially for rheumatism. There 
 were only two hundred people here now, but as 
 summer approached they expected the number to 
 rise to eight hundred. All the baths are free as 
 well as public, and a great boon to the poor they 
 must be. A very clean native hotel has lately 
 been put up at the entrance to the place, and we 
 soon arranged for supper, bed and breakfast at 
 thirty sen, about a shilling a-piece. Mr. Lang and 
 I had a large room downstairs, and the ladies two 
 rooms upstairs, reached by a ladder from the kitchen. 
 We should have liked a hot bath, but it was hopeless. 
 Our landlord comforted us by telling us that there 
 would not be many bathers in the early hours after 
 midnight. Foreigners were evidently rare visitors 
 here, and we were watched and followed by crowds 
 in our every movement. As our room had no 
 walls, privacy was impossible, but all was exquisitely 
 clean, and the supper of rice and mushroom soup 
 very good. 
 
 Next morning I woke at four, a still, starlit night, 
 and pushing the paper frame aside, went across to 
 the nearest bath. There was only one occupant when 
 I arrived, the water was as hot as I could bear it, but 
 
ASO SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 293 
 
 I soon got acclimatized, and enjoyed my swim ex- 
 ceedingly. On my return, I roused Mr. Lang, who 
 followed my example, but had half-a-dozen com- 
 panions. After a short doze under my futon again, 
 the room was cleared for breakfast. The ladies had 
 succeeded in having an apology for a tub upstairs, a 
 
 COUNTRY PEOPLE CARRYING FIREWOOD. 
 
 great concession to foreign prejudices. The baggage 
 was all sent down with a man and horse to Tochi- 
 no-ki, on the other route, where we had arranged 
 before leaving Kumamoto that kurumas were to meet 
 us, and with a guide carrying a lunch basket we 
 started for another steep walk to the summit of A so 
 San. 
 
294 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 Our night's halt had been on the outside of the 
 rim of the middle crater, which is about five miles 
 across. We now soon lost the trees, and were on 
 bare grassy hills until we reached the crest. Then 
 a magnificent panorama of mountain ranges, one 
 encircling the other, was spread before us. No agri- 
 culture, only cattle and many horses and foals, and the 
 cuckoo's note resounding all day. Two hours off on 
 our left the rising column of smoke marked Aso San. 
 The path was easy, not steep, and the turf pleasant 
 walking. After four hours we were at the end of 
 vegetation, the last flower being a lovely, pale-blue 
 gentian in great abundance, and we were at the foot 
 of the cone. Here was a little village with tea-houses. 
 Depositing the luncheon basket, we set out for a half- 
 hour's scramble over bare scoria and tufa to the edge 
 of the living crater. It has a double rim ; a slight 
 descent from the outer one leads to the very edge of 
 the gulf, on which is perched a tiny shrine of Buddha. 
 It was blowing a gale of wind fortunately at our 
 backs, otherwise we could not have ascended. I 
 never saw a more wonderful sight than when I looked 
 down that abyss. It is about 950 feet deep, and 
 two-thirds of a mile in circumference. The roar was 
 deafening, and the steam and smoke rose in thick 
 clouds. Fortunately, being to windward, we could 
 see the bottom, and the glowing red-hot tufa and 
 sulphur, as fire and steam seemed to pour forth from 
 the whole surface. Vesuvius and Etna, as I have 
 seen them, are nothing in comparison with the weird 
 Aso San. It is a scene for Dore to have painted. 
 
ASO SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 295 
 
 There is one corner where men can get down to 
 gather the sulphur, and one to whom we spoke had 
 been down the day we were there. Every year some 
 lose their lives in doing so, both by suffocation from 
 the fumes, and from their sinking through the 
 treacherous crust into the molten metal. We did 
 not respond to the invitation to go down, which had 
 to be made by signs, for the roar was too deafening 
 for a word to be heard. 
 
 We returned to the tea-house at the base of the 
 cone for luncheon. Our guide utilized the opportunity 
 for setting forth Christianity to a score of attentive 
 listeners. One opponent vehemently urged as an 
 objection that each nation ought to be independent, 
 and that Japan as a great nation should have a god to 
 herself, and not go to foreign gods. One of the ladies 
 had brought a tin of preserved peaches and begged 
 the landlord's acceptance of a plate of them. He 
 lifted the plate to his head in token of acceptance, 
 and then with chopsticks cleverly cut the peaches into 
 small morsels, and going round the crowd, with the 
 chopsticks put a bit into the mouth of each bystander. 
 
 We took an entirely different route on our return, 
 in order to visit the geysers of Yunotan. After 
 crossing the rim of the middle crater over grassy 
 downs, and then descending into a lovely valley, 
 wooded in many places, a two hours' walk brought 
 us to a deep gorge, from which arose clouds of smoke, 
 or rather steam. Here was another village of baths, 
 tea-houses, and lodging-sheds. The hot, steaming 
 baths, into which streams were poured by bamboo 
 
296 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 tubes from the geysers, were as public and as fre- 
 quented as those we had seen before. Two or three 
 hundred yards above a cluster of geysers poured forth 
 their jets with a deafening roar. The largest sent up 
 a pillar of boiling water and mud to a height of 
 twenty feet. Every few seconds the column seemed 
 to drop two or three feet, and then immediately to 
 rise again. A number of stones of various sizes were 
 shot up with the mud, and often, but not always, 
 dropped outside. Three or four other geysers a little 
 higher up the valley shot up columns quite as large 
 in volume, but only to about half the height. The 
 place seems very little known, and is quite retired 
 from any ordinary thoroughfare, but is very popular 
 as a health resort for the poor. At these baths, as 
 at those we visited on the previous day, the sheds, 
 for they are really nothing better, where the visitors 
 are sheltered at night are maintained by the local 
 authorities, and the lodging as well as the baths are 
 free. They are indeed a great boon to the poor, for 
 rheumatism in all its forms is exceptionally prevalent 
 in Japan, and no wonder, when we see the poor 
 labourers of both sexes working all day knee deep 
 in the mud and water of the paddy fields. We 
 were assured that they rarely fail of effecting a cure, 
 and in the very worst cases give considerable relief. 
 Some patients would sit in the water at a tempera- 
 ture of 100 F. for six hours at a time. The water 
 must be very strongly impregnated with sulphur, as 
 it forms a deep incrustation all round the geysers. 
 Thence we had a very long trudge through a lovely 
 
ASO SAN AND THE OEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 297 
 
 wooded valley to Tochinoki, where the road com- 
 mences, and we were to find our kurumas. The 
 warm spring weather had evoked abundant insect 
 life, and I added, in these two days, many choice 
 specimens of butterflies to my collection. We were 
 again in the breach through which the lava in old 
 geologic time had broken through the crater, a little 
 to the north of the path by which we had entered, 
 and we looked through it on to the vast plain stretch- 
 ing down to the sea, with Kumamoto at its further 
 end. The sun had set, and it was near eight P.M. 
 when, refreshed by tea, we started for our seventeen 
 miles' ride to the city. Bravely did the tough little 
 kuruma men trot along, and with only one halt to 
 allow them to eat their rice and rest a little, we 
 reached our hospitable friends' house at twenty 
 minutes before midnight. 
 
 The next day we turned our faces north again, 
 having each a kuruma with two men, for we had 
 sixteen miles, nearly all uphill, before we should 
 reach the railway terminus to catch the train. When 
 some five miles from our destination the tyre came 
 off one of my wheels. The mishap could not be 
 repaired on the spot, and we could only push on on 
 foot as quickly as possible to the next village, our 
 baggage being on the remaining kuruma. Happily 
 there is no difficulty in finding vehicles even in the 
 most out-of-the-way places, and we reached the 
 terminus in time. 
 
 We left the train again at Kurume, our object 
 being to visit the interesting Christian village of 
 
298 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 Oyamada. Kurume, though a town of 35,000 
 inhabitants, seems to consist of one endless street, 
 running up towards the hills ; but at last, like Harley 
 Street, it came to an end, and at a tea-house on the 
 edge of the country we enjoyed a delicious native 
 dinner of shrimps, a kind of whitebait, mushroom 
 soup, eggs, and rice. I felt quite satisfied with my 
 management of chopsticks, when the crowd of boys 
 who were watching us did not see anything to 
 laugh at. 
 
 Thence we ran along the banks of a river, fringed 
 with ferns and shaded by wax -trees, till we reached 
 an avenue at Korasan, w r here is a fine Shinto temple 
 on the wooded hill, with a grand view. We had 
 sent our wheels round to meet us at the base of the 
 hill on the other side. At a tea-house in the temple 
 grounds we saw the whole process of preparing green 
 tea for home consumption. The leaves, brought in 
 in large baskets, are steamed in a perforated pan 
 over a boiler on a charcoal fire. They are then 
 spread out on bamboo mats in the sun to dry, but 
 before they become crisp are roughly rolled in the 
 palms of the hand by women. Then the drying is 
 completed, and the leaves are ready for use. We 
 were told that to make black tea for foreign use they 
 bake the leaves after steaming. We drank some 
 delicious fresh tea made from leaves which were on 
 the bushes only a few days ago. 
 
 Here our friend Mr. Hutchinson, from Fukuoka, 
 met us, and at the foot of the hill we took 
 ourselves to our kurumas, and were off for Oyamada. 
 
ASO SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 299 
 
 We had a long two hours' ride, shaded by wax- trees 
 as we skirted the range, when, in a village embosomed 
 in trees, we suddenly turned up a steep hill in the 
 narrowest of lanes, under deep shade. At an opening 
 among the trees we got out, and in front of us was a 
 pretty wooden church, with its solid roof and neat 
 porch, in an enclosure ornamented after the fashion 
 of the country with large boulders, brought and 
 arranged with no slight labour : and by its side a 
 picturesque little parsonage of two stories, standing 
 in its garden, very like a Swiss chalet. The 
 church, which will hold three hundred, is tastefully 
 furnished, and, like the parsonage, was built by the 
 people themselves. The catechist, whose wife had 
 been for ten years a pupil of Mrs. Goodall, a 
 benevolent missionary at Nagasaki, and speaks 
 English well, entertained us with tea and cakes. 
 We then climbed by a narrow path to the house of 
 the chief man of the village and the first Christian. 
 Near his house was a natural platform, a little grassy 
 knoll projecting from the hill-side, where the people 
 often assemble to sing hymns. From this spot we 
 had a striking view of the slopes and the village 
 below. Every house is isolated, and the brown roofs 
 peer here and there amongst a dense mass of foliage, 
 the flat tops of the wax-trees. 
 
 The story of this village is very interesting. Four 
 years before my visit there was not a Christian in the 
 place ; we were here in the centre of Xavier's labours. 
 It is marvellous how, in spite of persecution and 
 isolation, a tradition of Christianity had remained. 
 
300 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 In some of the villages the people had preserved a 
 few leaves of old missals, some crosses and other 
 Christian relics. These were kept buried in boxes 
 under the floor in the centre room of a house, and 
 once a year at dead of night, after the house had been 
 carefully shut up, the relics were opened and shown, 
 the sign of the cross made, and the children told it 
 was the proscribed religion of their ancestors. But 
 they knew nothing more. When the country was 
 opened, and religion proclaimed free, some of these 
 villages declared themselves Christian, and at once 
 received the Eoman missionaries. 
 
 The people of Oyamada noticed that the conduct 
 and life of the inhabitants of one of these villages 
 was far superior to that of the Buddhists, and came 
 to the conclusion that it must be a good religion 
 which produced such fruits. Some of them went to 
 the government office at the neighbouring town 
 of Kurume, and talked to the officials there of 
 their intention of inquiring into Christianity. They 
 replied to them : ' If you want to be Christians, 
 do not go to the old Christians, for they brought 
 all the trouble to Japan many years ago by 
 meddling in politics ; go to the new Christians, for 
 they never interfere with Japanese matters of state.' 
 They were also told that if they went to Nagasaki, 
 they would hear all about Christianity ; so a depu- 
 tation set out along with the head of the village on 
 what was to them a very serious journey. Arrived 
 at Nagasaki, they went to an inn, but the people 
 there knew nothing about any Christians, when a 
 
ASO SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 301 
 
 bystander said : * I know all the foreigners, and will 
 take you to them. But you don't know their ways ; 
 you can do nothing with them unless you give them 
 a dinner first. Give me $30, and I will provide the 
 dinner, and make all right.' But they cautiously 
 replied that they would wait and see the foreigners 
 first. The man took them to the Church Missionary 
 Society bookshop, and it turned out that all he knew 
 of the matter was the existence of this shop. The 
 colporteur sent them to Mr. Hutchinson, and they 
 began by producing, in true Japanese fashion from 
 handkerchiefs, two large tins of mutton, which they 
 had brought as an introductory present. Mr. Hutch- 
 inson heard their story, felt satisfied of their sincerity, 
 and told them he would send them two teachers to 
 instruct them in the religion of Jesus, but they must 
 expect no money nor any worldly advantage. He sent 
 Mr. Nakamura, the present catechist, and another. 
 
 Some months afterwards he was summoned to 
 examine their catechumens. He baptized seventy at 
 the house of the head man whom we visited, and soon 
 after twenty more whom he had put back for further 
 instruction. There were now 140 well-instructed 
 Christians there. Bishop Bickersteth afterwards 
 visited them for confirmation ; and one man, who was 
 not able to be present, afterwards walked fifty miles 
 to receive the rite at Fukuoka. They maintain a 
 Christian school. Formerly near the spot where the 
 church has been built were two trees which were 
 considered sacred, and between them hung the sacred 
 straw rope connected with Shinto worship. When 
 
302 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 two-thirds of the villagers had become Christians, the 
 sons of the head man boldly cut down the sacred trees 
 in the middle of the night, and they have been used 
 to form the roof-tree of the church, while a sacred 
 stone with an inscription has been inverted and made 
 the threshold of the church. 
 
 The village was not without its troubles. 
 The Japanese are extremely fond of lawsuits, and 
 it is commonly said that each village considers 
 it an honourable distinction to have been involved 
 in a suit with her neighbours. Oyamada has 
 been no exception. There was a bit of common 
 land claimed both by it and by a neighbouring 
 village. Their old maps differed from those of their 
 neighbours, and both were of great antiquity. They 
 had had a lawsuit for some years about it, which was 
 carried through four courts, till at last, in the High 
 Court of Tokio, they lost it. The bit of land was 
 worth about $1000, and the costs they had to pay 
 came to $8000, so Chancery suits and law expenses 
 exist elsewhere than in England. Eeluctantly we bid 
 good-bye to Oyamada, and went down the hill to our 
 kurumas. 
 
 In passing through Kurume I noticed the shop of 
 a knife-handle manufacturer. He had an immense 
 stock of horns and skins of the deer of the country 
 ( Cervus sika), which he told me was very common, of 
 which I secured specimens. He informed me that 
 there was another deer to be found in Kiushiu, much 
 rarer, but of which he had at present no spec ; mens. 
 After an unsuccessful hunt after bronzes and lacquer, 
 
ASO SAN AND THE GEYSERS OF YUNOTAN 303 
 
 we resumed our journey by train, and reached Fukuoka 
 before midnight, glad of a few days' rest, which I 
 spent in entomological researches in the woods, and 
 antiquarian in the city. 
 
 I had an invitation to visit the collection of 
 a Japanese doctor, who had a reputation as an 
 entomologist. When we called, he had gone 
 on a professional visit into the country, but we 
 were told by the servant that the lady of the house 
 would be glad to see us. She, a sweet aristocratic- 
 looking Japanese lady, had the keys of her husband's 
 cabinets, and kindly allowed me to examine everything 
 at leisure. I derived much information from my visit 
 on the marked differences between the lepidoptera of 
 Kiushiu and those of the main island, a very large 
 proportion being representative species. Then the 
 lady insisted on showing us her collection of old 
 Satsuma china, which she evidently held much more 
 deserving of notice than her husband's insects, and it 
 really was such a collection as could not now be 
 brought together unless at considerable expenditure. 
 
 I was afterwards fortunate enough to obtain in 
 Fukuoka, in a second-hand shop in the lower part of 
 the town, the only two specimens of old Satsuma 
 crackled ware that I met with for sale. Here, too, as 
 we were out of the beat of ordinary tourists, I secured 
 several specimens of antique bronzes. These things, 
 though easily obtained at the first opening of the 
 country, often now fetch higher prices in Japan than 
 in Europe. Whilst ransacking the old curiosity shops 
 in company with my kind friend and host Mr. Hind, 
 
304 RAMBLES IN JAPAN 
 
 as we left one shop in which we were attended to by 
 the mistress only, her husband being out, Mr. Hind 
 asked me if I had not been struck by her appearance. 
 I said I noticed that she had not only a handsome, 
 but a remarkably long and oval face. He replied 
 that she had all the marks of the most aristocratic 
 Japanese type, and he was determined to find out who 
 she was. Upon inquiry it was ascertained that she 
 was the daughter of a Daimio of high rank, who had 
 been ruined in the Satsuma rebellion. 
 
 From Fukuoka my face was turned homeward, or 
 rather further from home, across the Pacific to 
 Vancouver. We retraced our steps to Moji, and 
 crossed the famous Straits of Shimanoseki to Bakan, 
 the town on main island side, where we rested a night 
 waiting for the steamer ; then through the Inland 
 Sea, of which the traveller can never tire, though the 
 reader may ; a few days at Osaka ; a halt at Kioto, 
 and then at Tokio for farewell visits ; and I am once 
 more embarked on a Canadian Pacific boat, and 
 reluctantly bid farewell to the enchanting Land of 
 the Eising Sun as we steer towards Columbia's western 
 shore. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Arima, 30. 
 
 Armour, 57, 58. 
 
 Aso San, volcano of, 291-295. 
 
 Austin, Rev. W. T,, work of, 34. 
 
 Awaji, Island of, 247, 261. 
 
 Bathing arrangements, 147, 197. 
 Birds, 63, 64, 105, 106, 120, 121, 122. 
 Biwa, Lake of, 187. 
 Bridges, 84, 85, 86, 258. 
 Buddha, images of, 105, 141, 204. 
 sacred horse of, 98. 
 
 Cherry-trees, 35, 50. 
 
 Chinese language, uses of, 114. 
 
 Christian educators, 39, 208, 237, 238. 
 
 relics, 46. 
 
 Chusenji, Lake of, 107-113. 
 Climate, 19, 20. 
 Cloisonne ware, 175, 177. 
 Coal mining, 22, 23, 268, 269. 
 Cormorant fishing, 181. 
 Cryptomerias, 83, 108, 116. 
 Czarevitch, assault upon, 1 88, 190. 
 
 Dazaifu, 277. 
 Deshima, 13, 15. 
 Doshisha, 208. 
 
 Earthquake, 73. 
 
 Emperor's gardens, Kioto, 21 1, 212. 
 
 palaces, 41, 219. 
 " English as she is spoke," 136, 137, 
 
 197. 
 English language, spread of, 114. 
 
 Falconry, 94, 97, 98. 
 
 Fisheries, 21, 258, 261. 
 
 Fishing-tackle, 62. 
 
 Flower show at Osaka, 245. 
 
 Formosa, Island of, 20. 
 
 Fruit-trees, 35. 
 
 Fuji San, mountain of, 127. 
 
 origin of word, 162. 
 
 Fukuoka, 269-276. 
 
 Geysers of Yunotan, 295. 
 Gifu, 1 80, 182. 
 Gotemba, 153. 
 
 Hakone, 138, 142. 
 Hawking, 94, 97, 98. 
 Heraldry, 40. 
 Hideyoshi, 226, 227. 
 Hieizan, mountain of, 214, 215. 
 Hikone, 184, 187. 
 
 Hotels, 86, 87, 88,90, 112, 153, 155, 
 184, 192. 
 
 Inland sea, 24, 25, 266, 267, 268. 
 Insignia, 39, 40. 
 lyeyasu, 91, 92. 
 
 temples and mausoleum of, 90, 
 
 93, 98-101. 
 Irrigation, 144, 287. 
 
 Japanese courtesy, 163. 
 
 eating customs, 155, 156. 
 
 literalness, 153, 154. 
 
 love of the beautiful, 14, 15, 
 109. 
 
 sponge-cake, 88. 
 Jinrikshas, 35, 42. 
 
 Kammon-ga-fuchi, 102. 
 Karasaki, pine-trees near, 189. 
 Kiushiu, Island of, 19, 266285. 
 Kioto, 195-222. 
 
 industrial exhibition, 213. 
 Kobe, 24. 
 Kozu, 128. 
 Kumamoto, 279, 280, 283. 
 
 Lamps, bronze and stone, 50. 
 
 Match factory in Osaka, 241. 
 Mausoleums, 100, 271, 284. 
 May day, 71. 
 
 305 
 
306 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Minerals, 21, 22. 
 Missions at Gifu, 182. 
 
 Fukuoko, 269, 272-275. 
 
 Kumamoto, 280. 
 
 Kurume, 300, 301, 302. 
 
 Nagasaki, 16. 
 
 Osaka, 229-234. 
 
 Shikoku, 247. 
 
 Tokio, 73, 74. 
 
 Tokushima, 250-256. 
 Miya-no-Shita, journey to, 133, 134. 
 Museums, 45, 46, 47. 
 Nagasaki, 13, 15, 16. 
 Nagoya, 165-180. 
 Naruto, 261, 262. 
 Neeshima, Joseph, 208, 211, 212. 
 Nijo, castle of, 221, 222. 
 Nikko, 81-123. 
 
 cascades near, 106, 109, 119. 
 journey to, 81, 82, 83, 84. 
 Nippon, Island of, 19. 
 
 Odawara, 128, 129. 
 ( Xsaka, 30, 225-246. 
 Otsu, 189, 190. 
 
 Parliament-house, 41. 
 Passports, 81. 
 Painting, 177. 
 Pheasants, 89. 
 
 feathers exported, 89. 
 Poaching, 107. 
 
 Porcelain, making of, 175, 176, 177. 
 packing of, 178. 
 
 Railway station luncheons, 165. 
 
 travelling, 35, 8l, 128, 164, 
 
 172, 184, 268, 269, 279. 
 Ronins, legend of, 66, 69. 
 
 Sailors' home, 34. 
 
 Satsuma ware, 175, 176. 
 
 Schools, 39, 53, 208, 230, 237, 238. 
 
 Shiba, 57, 70. 
 
 Shikoku, Island of, 247-265. 
 
 voyage to, 248. 
 Shinto temples, 47, 48, in. 
 Shodo Shonin, legends of, 85, 86. 
 Shoguns, 40, 65. 
 
 shrines of, 50, 65. 
 St. Andrew's school, 76. 
 St. Hilda's school, 77. 
 Straw bridges, no. 
 sandals, no. 
 Sulphur baths, 141, 148, 292, 296. 
 
 Taxidermists' shops, 62. 
 Tarutama, 292. 
 Tea drinking, 242. 
 making, 298. 
 
 Temples, 47, 66, 90-102, 161, 170, 171, 
 172, 191, 198-208, 218, 229, 253, 
 277, 278. 
 
 Tides at Naruto, 262. 
 Tokio, 35, 36. 
 
 university of, 53. 
 Tokushima, 250-257 
 Trees, dwarfing and transplanting, 54. 
 
 preservation of, 269. 
 Tycoon, meaning of, 40. 
 
 Uyeno, 42, 45, 46. 
 
 Volcano of Aso San, 291-295. 
 
 Water travelling, 24, 248, 249, 250, 
 
 266, 267. 
 Wax-trees, 288. 
 Women, clothing of, 23. 
 
 Ye/./o, island of, 19. 
 Yokohama, 33. 
 
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