JAPAN. . 489 



number of times before they came from under the spout. A 

 stout healthy priest stood by to direct the ceremony and take 

 the money. 



The use of paint as an ornament in China and Japan, seems 

 to me to be of considerable interest. In both countries the 

 women regularly paint their faces when in full dress, of which 

 the paint is a necessary part. The painting is entirely different 

 in principle from that in vogue in Europe. The paint is not 

 put on with any idea of simulating a beauty of complexion 

 which might be present naturally, or which has been lost by 

 age. The painted face is utterly unlike the appearance of any 

 natural beauty. 



An even layer of white is put on over the whole face and 

 neck, with the exception in Japan, of two or three angular points 

 of natural brown skin, which are left bare at the back of the 

 neck, as a contrast. After the face is whitened, a dab of red is 

 rubbed in on the cheeks, below each eye. The lips are then 

 coloured pink with magenta, and in Japan this colour is put 

 on so thickly, that it ceases to appear red, but takes on the 

 iridescent metallic green tint of the crystallized aniline colour. 



In modern Japanese picture-books the lips of girls will 

 sometimes be seen represented thus green. I suppose the idea 

 is that such thick application of paint shows a meritorious dis- 

 regard of expense. It is curious that the use of aniline colour 

 should have so rapidly spread in China and Japan. In China at 

 least such was not to be expected ; but it seems to have sup- 

 planted the old rouge, and it is sold spread on folding cards, 

 with Chinese characters on them, at Canton and in Japan. 



This form of painting the face seems to be exactly of the 

 same nature as savage-painting, and possibly is a direct con- 

 tinuation of it. It is like the painting of our clowns in panto- 

 mimes. In China, the faces of men seem not to be painted at 

 the present time, either on the stage or elsewhere ; but in Japan, 

 actors in certain plays are painted on the face with bright streaks 

 of red paint, put on usually on each side of the eyes. The kind 

 of painting is exactly that of savages. 



It is a curious fact that this form of painting, surviving in 

 adults on the stage, is still used elsewhere for the decoration of 



