aU7 



Kobo Daishi's soul (Mikage-do), and since that time a dragon- 

 lantern arose before this shrine. 



§ 3. Jigen Daishi's spirit. 



The Jigen Daishi den\ the biography of Jigen Daishi, i.e. the 

 Buddhist bishop Tenkai ^, who was greatly revered by leyasu, 

 and who died in 1643, contains the following tale. — "In the 

 evening of the second day of the eleventh month of the twentieth 

 year of the Kwanei era (1643) a special service was held (for 

 Jigen's soul) in the Sembakita temple (in Musashi), when a 

 dragon-lantern rose from a well and hung on the top of a 

 cryptomeria tree at the southern front of the kyakuden ("reception- 

 hall" of the temple). Priests and laymen stared at the light with 

 astonishment, and paid worship to it. Immediately a fast runner 

 was despatched as a messenger to the Mkko temple, in order 

 to proclaim the news, and everybody was filled with admiration 

 (for Jigen's holiness, for his soul was evidently believed to be 

 connected with the light, like that of Kobo Daishi in the prece- 

 ding legend)" ^ 



§ 4. "Dragon-lantern pine trees". 



Very frequently mention is made of so-called '- Dragon-lantern 

 pine trees'' (Bymd no matsii, f| 'M ^), which stood before 

 Buddhist temples, and in the branches of which a dragon-lantern 

 was said to arise regularly. Now and then we read of such trees 

 standing near Shinto shrines, but by far the greatest part of the 

 passages concerning them, as well as those concerning the dragon- 

 lantern in general, relate to Buddhist sanctuaries. 



Before the chapel of Monju (ManjuQrl), called Monjudo 

 (3»t 1^^^)' ^* ^™^ ^° hashidate (one of the Nihon saukei, the. 

 three most beautiful places of Japan) in Tosa district. Tango 

 province, situated near the so-called Kuze no to, or Kire-to, there 

 stood a "dragon-lantern pine tree". At midnight of the sixteenth 



3 Curiously rationalistic at the side of these passages sound the following words of 



the Ensei meibutsu kohot ( ^ ^ ig .#/ # f f M ' ^^- ^"^)' l""*^"^ °° ^''^ 

 same page of the Ryuan zulhitsu : — "The 'Devil-lights' (kirin, J^ |j|) and Dragon- 

 lanterns which appear above swamps, pools, broad plains, mountain temples, grave- 

 yards etc. are 'zwavelstofgas' coming forth from rotten animals and plants". The word 

 "zwavelatofgas", written in kana, is a Dutch word and must be "zwavelwaterstofgas", 

 i. e. hydrogen sulphide. 



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