JAPAN. 48 



o 



offerings. I bought a measureful for the horse, which responded 

 with alacrity to that form of worship, but I could not help going 

 through the other form as well in memory of ancient reverence 

 for the white horse in my own country. 



There seems to be a parallel for everything European in 

 Japan, even for the most out-of-the-way customs. At Kama 

 Msigamo, near Kioto, on the slope of a hill called Daimogiyama, 

 is a huge representation of the written Character " clai " " great." 

 This is cut out on the hill side. 



I was told by a Japanese that once in a certain number of 

 years an assemblage of persons collects together and holds a sort of 

 festival, and clears the area of the Character from over-growth ; 

 the ceremony thus exactly corresponding to the " scouring of the 

 white horse." On certain occasions the Character is illuminated 

 with lanterns so as to show out on the hill side at night. I have 

 a Japanese coloured sketch of it thus lighted up. 



The Japanese are extremely fond of gadding about, and of 

 sight-seeing, and especially of beautiful scenery. Near Kobe is a 

 very pretty waterfall. It is crowded, wherever a good view is to 

 be obtained, with tea-houses and resting-places for pic-nic parties, 

 and I never saw the place without plenty of holiday-making 

 visitors. When visiting such places the Japanese express their 

 delight, and describe the beauties of the scene in short poems 

 which they write out in the evenings at their inns. A Japanese 

 clerk of Mr. Dickins's, a Mr. Tanaka, who accompanied us on 

 our journey and was a very pleasant companion, often wrote 

 thus short poems about our" day's doings. 



One of the walks from Kobe is to the Moon Temple, which 

 is perched at the summit of a steep mountain ridge, clad with 

 beautiful woods. The climb to the temple is a severe one, up 

 many hundreds of steps. I was amused to see a Chinaman and 

 a Japanese toiling up together to the top, to consult the Oracle 

 about some matter of business. It seemed extraordinary that a 

 Chinaman, so sharp in business matters, should come so weary a 

 journey to take the opinion of the foreign gods. Yet the two 

 men were evidently equally anxious as to the result of their 

 inquiry. The Oracle was consulted by shaking out a lot from a 

 number of inscribed slips of wood packed in a case. The men 



i i 2 



