152 Japan and the Japanese, 
hangs across a temple archway, and which also has long 
strips of white paper hanging from it. 
Miss Bird tells us that there are 8,000 Shinto temples in 
Japan, attached to which, are about 20,000 officials, — 
priests, and attendants. She also states that there is 
granted annually, by the Government, for the support of 
these shrines, a sum of ;£^5 8,000. In former times, a 
Department of Public Worship dealt with all these matters ; 
but during the last three years, this Department has been 
abolished, and its functions relegated to the care of the 
Minister of the Interior. 
Amongst Shinto temples and shrines, those of Ise are 
peculiarly sacred. In a temple here, is kept the original 
sacred mirror of Shinto. At first, the religious objects were 
kept in the Mikado's palace, but about three years before the 
birth of Christy the Mikado Sujin, who was Emperor at that 
time, caused this magnificent shrine to be built, removed the 
holy emblem thither, and appointed his daughter to be the 
priestess of the temple. The original temple does not exist, 
as a new temple is built every twenty years, but each temple 
is an exact pattern of the preceding one. Being so sacred, 
these shrines are esteemed by the Japanese, as we would 
esteem Bethlehem, or Jerusalem, and are visited annually 
by tens of thousands of pilgrims, of all ages, who consider 
that they have performed a most meritorious act, in coming 
to worship at so holy a place. At this shrine, there are two 
temples, and with very rare exceptions, no foreigners are 
allowed to pass the first torrii. Mementoes of these temple 
shrines are eagerly sought after by pilgrims, and treasured 
up at home, on their return, as some of their most sacred 
possessions. Formerly, the mementoes were carried about 
for sale, by hawkers, from door to door, but the Govern- 
ment forbade the practice, and commanded that the relics, 
