1825.] 
ample materials for the reciprocal sur- 
vey. First, then, with regard to the 
forms of the Japanese temples: the 
greater part of them are pyramids, hay- 
ing a quadrangular basement, with a 
door, approached by steps, and fre- 
quently representing the month of a 
gorgon visage. Could we conceive the 
Arabic tradition to be true, that there 
was as much of the structure of the 
Egyptian pyramids beneath the trian- 
gular faces as above, that the lower 
part was divided into apartments, and 
that the entrance was subterranean,— 
we must suppose those pyramids to 
agree with the Japanese model. Many 
of the temples are built, as the Egyp- 
tian temples were, on a ground planin 
the form ofa cross. The temple of 
Borobodo is pyramidal, having seven 
stages of ascent cut out of a conical 
hill, and crowned by a dome, which is 
surrounded by a triple circle of towers. 
This was the model, according to anti- 
quarians, of the tower of Babel, and of 
ali the seven-zoned temples of the 
Chaldeans dedicated to the seven pla- 
nets. It is also precisely similar to 
such descriptions as we have of the 
great Mexican temple, dedicated to the 
sun and moon. The. base of this 
Japanese pyramid comprises nearly 
the same admeasurement as the great 
pyramid of Giza, and, like the latter, 
the interior passages and chambers are 
hewn out of the solid rock. The temple 
of Tuku more accurately approaches 
the model of Egyptian architecture ; it 
is like all the Egyptian temples—a trun- 
cated cone. Its entrances are like 
those of the same structures, with the 
exception of a gorgon-head over the 
door-way instead of the winged globe. 
It has obelisks before it, precisely in 
the Egyptian fashion, and sculptures 
similarly exhibited on the external wall. 
The temple stands on three ranges of 
terraces, and the approach to it is 
through three pyramidal gateways. In 
front of the doorways, colossal statues, 
asin Egypt, and sometimes forming an 
avenue, like the sphynxes, to the num- 
ber of eight, and placed two and two, 
brandish clubs, as if to forbid access : 
one of them, at Tuku, measures nine 
feet and a half across the shoulders. 
The sculptures, on the external wall, 
consist of male figures, adorned with 
wings, after the peculiar stiff manner of 
early Egyptian sculpture. Over one 
male figure is a similar bird on the wing, 
either an eagle or a hawk: there is a 
dove on a palin-tree, both sacred Egyp- 
Monruty Mac. No. 407. 
Japanese Antiquities. 
tian symbols; a colossal eagle, with a 
137 
serpent in its claw, in three folds; and 
instead of the sacred beetle, the sacred 
tortoise is multiplied on all sides. There 
is a figure with a trident ; another with 
tongs and bellows, the Japanese Vul- 
can; and a third with a wand like the 
caduceus of Mercury. -On the floor, 
under the outward lintel of the porch, 
is a male and female lingum, and, at a 
little distance, a conical Phallus, with an 
inscription in Japanese hieroglyphics, 
among which the present chemical 
symbols of the sun aud moon are ob- 
served : no one knows to what the in- 
scription refers, nor the history of the 
sculptured personages to whom we have 
adverted. 
Entering the temple, we still find our- 
selves within the precincts of a place of 
worship bearing the same family likeness 
to that of Egypt. For within, enshrined, 
is the Japanese Isis, called Bhanani by 
the Hindoos. Like Diana, she is adorned 
with a crescent, and armed with an 
arrow, an axe anda cord. Sometimes 
the wheel, equally familiar to Egyptian 
superstition, is in one of her hands, and 
sometimes a torch or a ving: some- 
times she appears seated on a figure of 
Apis—a human being, with an ox’s 
head: sometimes three-headed, in the 
character of the Hecate triplex of the 
classics, and standing significantly be- 
tween a water-jug and a burning, altar, 
and with a torch in one hand, anda 
rosary on the other. Finally, like the 
Egyptian Isis, she is depicted sitting on 
a lotus-flower, approached by the pla- 
netary ladder of seven steps, aad sur- 
rounded by the solar disk. On all 
sides appear hieroglyphics similar to 
the Egyptian, mixed with others ap- 
proaching the ancient Chinese charac- 
ter. Round the edge of a cup or bowl, 
as exhibited by Sir T. Raffles, appear 
twelve wide zodiacal figures, resembling 
those at Esne in Egypt ;—and, to con- 
clude, a common opinion is entertained 
by the best-instructed of the priestly 
order, that the builders of these fabrics, 
whose religion has passed away, came, 
with the earliest mhabitants of the 
country, from the shores of the Red 
Sea. 
rye -_—— 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
, perusing your valuable Miscellany 
for this month, I was much sur- 
prised at the assertion of an “ Old Fel- 
low,” who designates Sophocles as the 
noblest of dramatic writers; whereas, 
T Quintilian, 
