OBJECTS OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIAL 203 



fox assumed divinity for himself. Indeed, among the lower classes 

 the cult of the fox overshadowed and almost effaced the cult of the 

 god. Images of foxes in wood or stone, in a sitting posture, are placed 

 at the entrance of shrines as guardians. A post of especial favor is 

 assigned to white foxes, and anyone who meets in the course of his 

 life a white fox considers it a particularly lucky circumstance. The 

 Chinese regard the fox as the animal into which human spirits enter in 

 preference to any other, and are, therefore, afraid to kill or displease 

 it. Height, 18 inches. Tokio, Japan. (Cat. No. 130449, U.S.N.M.) 



14. Fox. — -Earthenware, painted white with tongue, inside of ears, 

 and tips of the feet red. Sitting on oval gilt base in the same posture 

 as in the preceding number. In the mouth he holds what looks like a 

 staff, probably representing the key. Height, 3K inches. Japan. 



15. Vase. — Cream-colored clay, with narrow mouth and expanded 

 shoulder. Used in Shinto offerings. Height, bfi inches. Japan. 

 (Cat. No. 94313, U.S.N.M.) 



16. Tiny vase. — Cream-colored clay. Height, 1 inch. Japan. 

 (Cat. No. 94313, U.S.N.M.) 



17. Flower vase. — Earthenware, pj^ramidal in shape and gray 

 colored. Height, 3% inches. Japan. 



18. Vase. — Earthenware, gray colored, in shape like No. 15. 

 With cover. Height, 3 inches. Japan. 



19. Vase. — Earthenware, gray colored, glazed inside, with pointed 

 cover. Height, 2}^ inches. Japan. 



20. Small saucer. — Keddish clay, with black bottom. Diameter, 

 4 inches. Japan. (Cat. No. 94314, U.S.N.M.) 



21-22. Two temple maslcs. — One, made of wood, painted and sil- 

 vered, represents a demoniac head on which a dragon is perched, with 

 movable jaws; the other, of some composition, the front part of a 

 bull's head. 



On temple festivals (matsuri), in Japan, a festival car (dashi), 

 adorned with little flags, strips of bright-colored stuff and green 

 boughs, is dra-wn through the streets. The image of the deity on the 

 car is surrounded by priests blowing trumpets and ringing bells. 

 Upon a second story of the car, maskers, with the heads of various 

 animal figures, move to and fro in merriment. In Tibet the Bud- 

 dhist priests (lamas), perform a dance in masks at the harvest 

 festival. Height, 16 inches and 21 inches, respectively. Japan. 

 (Cat. Nos. 154971-2, U.S.N.M.) 



