526 KEPURT OF NATIONAL MUl^EUM, 1891. 



of these figures is uuknowu, but souu* jjcrsoiis tliiuk that they were 

 luade for the ph^asure of the worlcmeu, and perhaps tliis may be so." 



The figures are uiuh)ubt<Mlly of gr<'at age, and of far more interest 

 than the above account would indicate. They show traces of more 

 than a common workman's skill, and while speculation (-oncerning them 

 is now i)rofltless, they may some day ijrove of imj^ortance. The largest 

 stands about 4 feet in height. 



We can api^roximate to the date of some of the old Japanese monu- 

 ments with some degree of ccmfidencc. For example, in the Province 

 of Kawachi, a short distance from a much frequented pass over the 

 mountain, there are some very old relics of Buddhism. On the top of 

 a j)rojecting spur of the mountain stands a weather-worn stone pagoda 

 (PI. Lxvi), known as the jiu-san to. Its history is unknown, but it is 

 l)robably one of the oldest Buddhist monuments of Japan. Near by and 

 facing it is the remains of a cave, the roof and sides of which have almost 

 crumbled away, leaving the back clearly exposed. Some i-ouglily-drawn 

 characters may be traced on the back, one of which evidently repre- 

 sented a face of a Buddha. There are other rocks near, which also bear 

 traces of sculptures, but the forms can not be made out. SomeAvhat lower 

 down there is a si)ot where it is evident there once were other stone 

 structures, but it is impossible to infer their character or significance. 

 A short distance from this i>lace, in plain view, on another hillside, 

 there is a second cave, evidently much larger, within which are the 

 ruins of a stone pagoda (PI. lxvii). 



It was during the lifetime of the famous priest Shotoku Taislii, 

 early in the 7th century, that Buddhism became firmly established in 

 Japan, and many of the most celebrated temples were built by him. 

 Among those are Horiu-Ji, in Yamato, and Tenno-ji, in Ozaka. The 

 tumulus of this ^likado is at the temple Eifuku-ji, near the village 

 called Kasuga, in Kawachi, at the foot of the mountain where these 

 relics are found (see PI. xlv, in the preceding paper). 



Considering the very active part taken by Shotoku Taishi, in estab- 

 lishing the Buddhist religion, and the fact that these ruins are found 

 between his two most famous temples an<l near his final resting place, 

 it seems i)robable that they date from his time or earlier, and are there- 

 fore more than 1,200 years old. 



