Tfie Ainos of Japan. 483 



those of Piratori. ISTow, there are two Piratoris, viz. : 

 Piratori the upper and Piratori the lower. These two vil- 

 lages were once united, but are now situated from about a 

 quarter to half a mile apart. The shrine of Yoshitsune 

 (and there is but one shrine in Yezo) is at the upper Pira- 

 tori, and the inhabitants of the lower village will tell an 

 inquirer that it is the people of the upper Piratori who 

 worship the person in question. Now, the upper village 

 contains only about thirty-two huts, and we find that not 

 even ten persons out of these families really worship Yosh- 

 itsune. It is clear then that the Ainu, considered as a race 

 or nation, do not at the present day deify that hero. 



" Then again, it should be noted that the present shrine is 

 decidedly of Japanese make and pattern : in all respects it 

 is like the general wayside shrines one may see anywhere 

 in Japan. It was built about ten years ago by a Japanese 

 carpenter resident at a place called Sarabuto (Ainu, ISan-o- 

 butu). Previous to this there was also a Japanese-made 

 shrine on the same spot, but a much smaller one. The idol 

 in the shrine is both small and ugly ; it is a representation 

 not so much of a god as of a warrior, for it is dressed in 

 armour and is furnished with a pair of fierce-looking, staring- 

 eyes and a horribly broad grin ; it is just such an idol as one 

 might expect in this case, seeing that Yoshitsune was a war- 

 rior. Besides this, the Ainu have treated the image to an 

 inao or two. There is nothing more, and the shrine is too 

 small for a person to enter. 



"J5Tdw, it is a fact not generally known, I believe, that, 

 according to Ainu ideas and usages, it is absolutely neces- 

 saiy to turn to the east in worshipping God (the goddess of 

 fire excepted). Hence, the custom of building all huts 

 with the principal end facing the east. The chief window 

 is placed in the east end of the hut, so that the head of a 

 family may look towards the east when at prayer. It is 

 considered the height of impoliteness and disrespect to 

 look into a hut through the east window. But the shrine 

 of Yoshitsune is placed in such a position that the worship- 

 pers would have to sit or stand with their backs to the 

 east. In every other matter (and why not in this also), 



