292 



Art. 1.— 1,'. Turi 



Fi(f. 103. Kocher de la grotte d'Otarou où se trouve l'inscription. 

 Par s. Tsuboi (en 1888). 



ne sont pas des lettres ? ? V mais représentent des. . . . scènes de bataille 

 entre les Aïnon et... les Koro-pok-Konrou?? Ces Messieurs, 

 comme on peut voir, ne se sont pas mis en grands frais d'imagina- 

 tion. (Etat de la grotte d'Otarou quand le Professeur Tsuboï la 

 visita en 1888. Fig. 102, Extérieur de la grotte. Fig. 103 

 Intérieur de la grotte.) 



* J. Milne'^ de son côté, écrit à ce sujet: ,, I do not think it 

 would be difficult to make similar makings with a stone-axe 



So for as I could learn, tlie Japanese are quite unable 



to recognise any characters, and they regard them as beiug the 

 work of the Aïno. I may remark that several of characters 

 are like the runic m. It has been suggested that the}'' have a 

 resemblance to old Chinese. A second suggestion was that 

 they Avere drawings to indicate the insignia of rank carried by 

 priests. — A third idea was that they were phallic. — A fourth 

 that they were rough representations of men and animals, the 

 runic m being a bird. — A fifth that they were the handicraft 

 of some gentleman desirous of imposing upon the credulity of 

 wandering arclieulogists. , , 



1) J. Milne : Notes on Stone Implements from Otaru and Hakodate, -witli a few General 

 Marks on the Prehistoric Remains of Japan, Vol. VIII, 1880. 



