Glimpses of an Unfamiliar Japan
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Lafcadio Hearn >> Glimpses of an Unfamiliar Japan
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6 Kush-no-ki-Matsuhira-Inari-Daimyojin.
7 From an English composition by one of my Japanese pupils.
8 Rin, one tenth of one cent. A small round copper coin with a square
hole in the middle.
9 An inn where soba is sold.
10 According to the mythology of the Kojiki the Moon-Deity is a male
divinity. But the common people know nothing of the Kojiki, written in
an archaic Japanese which only the learned can read; and they address
the moon as O-Tsuki-San, or 'Lady Moon,' just as the old Greek idyllists
did.
Notes for Chapter Eight
1 The most ancient book extant in the archaic tongue of Japan. It is the
most sacred scripture of Shinto. It has been admirably translated, with
copious notes and commentaries, by Professor Basil Hall Chamberlain, of
Tokyo.
2 The genealogy of the family is published in a curious little book
with which I was presented at Kitzuki. Senke Takanori is the eighty-
first Pontiff Governor (formerly called Kokuzo) of Kitzuki. His lineage
is traced back through sixty-five generations of Kokuzo and sixteen
generations of earthly deities to Ama-terasu and her brother Susanoo-no-
mikoto.
3 In Sanscrit pretas. The gaki are the famished ghosts of that Circle
of Torment in hell whereof the penance is hunger; and the mouths of some
are 'smaller than the points of needles.'
4 Mionoseki.
5 Now solidly united with the mainland. Many extraordinary changes, of
rare interest to the physiographer and geologist, have actually taken
place along the coast of Izumo and in the neighbourhood of the great
lake. Even now, each year some change occurs. I have seen several very
strange ones.
6 The Hakuja, or White Serpent, is also the servant of Benten, 01 Ben-
zai-ten, Goddess of Love, of Beauty, of Eloquence, and of the Sea. 'The
Hakuja has the face of an ancient man, with white eyebrows and wears
upon its head a crown.' Both goddess and serpent can be identified with
ancient Indian mythological beings, and Buddhism first introduced both
into Japan. Among the people, especially perhaps in Izumo, certain
divinities of Buddhism are often identified, or rather confused, with
certain Kami, in popular worship and parlance.
Since this sketch was written, I have had opportunity of seeing a Ryu-ja
within a few hours after its capture. It was between two and three feet
long, and about one inch in diameter at its thickest girth The upper
part of the body was a very dark brown, and the belly yellowish white;
toward the tail there were some beautiful yellowish mottlings. The body
was not cylindrical, but curiously four-sided--like those elaborately
woven whip-lashes which have four edges. The tail was flat and
triangular, like that of certain fish. A Japanese teacher, Mr. Watanabe,
of the Normal School of Matsue, identified the little creature as a
hydrophid of the species called Pela-mis bicalor. It is so seldom seen,
however, that I think the foregoing superficial description of it may
not be without interest to some readers.
7 Ippyo, one hyo 2 1/2 hyo make one koku = 5.13 bushels. The word hyo
means also the bag made to contain one hyo.
8 Either at Kitzuki or at Sada it is possible sometimes to buy a
serpent. On many a 'household-god-shelf' in Matsue the little serpent
may be seen. I saw one that had become brittle and black with age, but
was excellently preserved by some process of which I did not learn the
nature. It had been admirably posed in a tiny wire cage, made to fit
exactly into a small shrine of white wood, and must have been, when
alive, about two feet four inches in length. A little lamp was lighted
daily before it, and some Shinto formula recited by the poor family to
whom it belonged.
9 Translated by Professor Chamberlain the 'Deity Master-of-the-Great-
Land'-one of the most ancient divinities of Japan, but in popular
worship confounded with Daikoku, God of Wealth. His son, Koto-shiro-
nushi-no-Kami, is similarly confounded with Ebisu, or Yebisu, the patron
of honest labour. The origin of the Shinto custom of clapping the hands
in prayer is said by some Japanese writers to have been a sign given by
Koto-shiro-nushi-no-Kami.
Both deities are represented by Japanese art in a variety of ways, Some
of the twin images of them sold at Kitzuki are extremely pretty as well
as curious.
10 Very large donations are made to this temple by wealthy men. The
wooden tablets without the Haiden, on which are recorded the number of
gifts and the names of the donors, mention several recent presents of
1000 yen, or dollars; and donations of 500 yen are not uncommon. The
gift of a high civil official is rarely less than 50 yen.
11 Taku is the Japanese name for the paper mulberry.
12 See the curious legend in Professor Chamberlain's translation of the
Kojiki.
13 From a remote period there have been two Kokuzo in theory, although
but one incumbent. Two branches of the same family claim ancestral right
to the office,--the rival houses of Senke and Kitajima. The government
has decided always in favour of the former; but the head of the Kitajima
family has usually been appointed Vice-Kokuzo. A Kitajima to-day holds
the lesser office. The term Kokuzo is not, correctly speaking, a
spiritual, but rather a temporal title. The Kokuzo has always been the
emperor's deputy to Kitzuki,--the person appointed to worship the deity
in the emperor's stead; but the real spiritual title of such a deputy is
that still borne by the present Guji,--'Mitsuye-Shiro.'
14 Haliotis tuberculata, or 'sea-ear.' The curious shell is pierced with
a row of holes, which vary in number with the age and size of the animal
it shields.
15 Literally, 'ten hiro,' or Japanese fathoms.
16 The fire-drill used at the Shinto temples of Ise is far more
complicated in construction, and certainly represents a much more
advanced stage of mechanical knowledge than the Kitzuki fire-drill
indicates.
17 During a subsequent visit to Kitzuki I learned that the koto-ita is
used only as a sort of primitive 'tuning' instrument: it gives the right
tone for the true chant which I did not hear during my first visit. The
true chant, an ancient Shinto hymn, is always preceded by the
performance above described.
18 The tempest of the Kokuzo.
19 That is, according to Motoori, the commentator. Or more briefly: 'No
or yes?' This is, according to Professor Chamberlain, a mere fanciful
etymology; but it is accepted by Shinto faith, and for that reason only
is here given.
20 The title of Kokuzo indeed, still exists, but it is now merely
honorary, having no official duties connected with it. It is actually
borne by Baron Senke, the father of Senke Takanori, residing in the
capital. The active religious duties of the Mitsuye-shiro now devolve
upon the Guji.
21 As late as 1890 I was told by a foreign resident, who had travelled
much in the interior of the country, that in certain districts many old
people may be met with who still believe that to see the face of the
emperor is 'to become a Buddha'; that is, to die.
22 Hideyoshi, as is well known, was not of princely extraction
23 The Kojiki dates back, as a Written work, only to A.D. 722. But its
legends and records are known to have existed in the form of oral
literature from a much more ancient time.
24 In certain provinces of Japan Buddhism practically absorbed Shinto in
other centuries, but in Izumo Shinto absorbed Buddhism; and now that
Shinto is supported by the State there is a visible tendency to
eliminate from its cult certain elements of Buddhist origin.
Notes for Chapter Nine
1 Such are the names given to the water-vessels or cisterns at which
Shinto worshippers must wash their hands and rinse their mouths ere
praying to the Kami. A mitarashi or o-chozubachi is placed before every
Shinto temple. The pilgrim to Shin-Kukedo-San should perform this
ceremonial ablution at the little rock-spring above described, before
entering the sacred cave. Here even the gods of the cave are said to
wash after having passed through the seawater.
2 August Fire-Lady'; or, 'the August Sun-Lady,' Amaterasu-oho-mi-Kami.
Notes for Chapter Ten
1 Mionoseki
2 Zashiki, the best and largest room of a Japanese dwelling--the guest-
room of a private house, or the banquet-room of a public inn.
Notes for Chapter Eleven
1 Fourteenth of August.
2 In the pretty little seaside hotel Inaba-ya, where I lived during my
stay in Kitzuki, the kind old hostess begged her guests with almost
tearful earnestness not to leave the house during the Minige.
3 There are ten rin to one sen, and ten mon to one rin, on one hundred
to one sen. The majority of the cheap toys sold at the matsuri cost from
two to nine rin. The rin is a circular copper coin with a square hole in
the middle for stringing purposes.
4 Why the monkey is so respectfully mentioned in polite speech, I do
not exactly know; but I think that the symbolical relation of the
monkey, both to Buddhism and to Shinto, may perhaps account for the use
of the prefix 'O' (honourable) before its name.
5 As many fine dolls really are. The superior class of O-Hina-San, such
as figure in the beautiful displays of the O-Hina-no-Matsuri at rich
homes, are heirlooms. Dolls are not given to children to break; and
Japanese children seldom break them. I saw at a Doll's Festival in the
house of the Governor of Izumo, dolls one hundred years old-charming
figurines in ancient court costume.
6 Not to be confounded with Koshin, the God of Roads.
7 Celtis Wilidenowiana. Sometimes, but rarely, a pine or other tree is
substituted for the enoki.
8 'Literally, 'The Dance of the Fruitful Year.'
9
First,--unto the Taisha-Sama of Izunio;
Second,--to Irokami-Sama of Niigata;
Third,--unto Kompira-Sama of Sanuki;
Fourth,--unto Zenkoji-Sama of Shinano;
Fifth,--to O-Yakushi-San of Ichibata;
Sixth,--to O-Jizo-Sama of Rokkakudo;
Seventh,--to O-Ebisu-Sama of Nana-ura;
Eighth,--unto Hachiman-Sama of Yawata;
Ninth,--unto everyholy shrine of Koya;
Tenth,--to the Ujigami-Sama of our village.'
Japanese readers will appreciate the ingenious manner in which the numeral
at the beginning of each phrase is repeated in the name of the sacred
place sung of.
Notes for Chapter Twelve
1 This deity is seldom called by his full name, which has been shortened
by common usage from Susano-o-no-mikoto.
2 A kichinyado is an inn at which the traveller is charged only the
price of the wood used for fuel in cooking his rice.
3 The thick fine straw mats, fitted upon the floor of every Japanese
room, are always six feet long by three feet broad. The largest room in
the ordinary middle-class house is a room of eight mats. A room of one
hundred mats is something worth seeing.
4 The kubi-oke was a lacquered tray with a high rim and a high cover.
The name signifies 'head-box.' It was the ancient custom to place the
head of a decapitated person upon a kubi-oke before conveying the
ghastly trophy into the palace of the prince desirous of seeing it.
Notes for Chapter Thirteen
1 Yama-no-mono ('mountain-folk,'--so called from their settlement on
the hills above Tokoji),--a pariah-class whose special calling is the
washing of the dead and the making of graves.
2 Joro: a courtesan.
3 Illicium religiosum
4 Literally: 'without shadow' or 'shadowless.'
5 Umi-yama-no-on.
6 Kusaba-no-kage
7 Or 'him.' This is a free rendering. The word 'nushi' simply refers
to the owner of the house.
Notes for Chapter Fourteen
1 ''Eight clouds arise. The eightfold [or, manifold] fence of Idzumo
makes an eightfold [or, manifold] fence for the spouses to retire
within. Oh! that eightfold fence!' This is said to be the oldest song in
the Japanese language. It has been differently translated by the great
scholars and commentators. The above version and text are from Professor
B. H. Chamberlain's translation of the Kojiki (pp.60-64).
2 Professor Chamberlain disputes this etymology for excellent reasons.
But in Izumo itself the etymology is still accepted, and will be
accepted, doubtless, until the results of foreign scholarship in the
study of the archaic texts is more generally known.
3 Planeca Japonica.
4 So absolutely has Shinto in Izumo monopolised the Karashishi, or
stone lions, of Buddhist origin, that it is rare in the province to find
a pair before any Buddhist temple. There is even a Shinto myth about
their introduction into Japan from India, by the Fox-God!
5 Such offerings are called Gwan-hodoki. Gwan wo hodoki, 'to make a
vow.'
6 A pilgrim whose prayer has been heard usually plants a single nobori
as a token. Sometimes you may see nobori of five colours (goshiki),--
black, yellow, red, blue, and white--of which one hundred or one
thousand have been planted by one person. But this is done only in
pursuance of some very special vow.
7 'On being asked if there were any other love charm, the Newt replied,
making a ring with two of his toes--"Only this." The sign signifies,
"Money."'
8 There are no less than eleven principal kinds of Japanese names. The
jitsumyo, or 'true name,' corresponds to our Christian name. On this
intricate and interesting topic the reader should consult Professor B.
H. Chamberlain's excellent little book, Things Japanese, pp. 250-5.
9 That I may be wedded to Takaki-Toki, I humbly pray.--A youth of
eighteen.'
10 The gengebana (also called renge-so, and in Izumo miakobana) is an
herb planted only for fertilizing purposes. Its flowers are extremely
small, but so numerous that in their blossoming season miles of fields
are coloured by them a beautiful lilaceous blue. A gentleman who wished
to marry a joro despite the advice of his friends, was gently chided by
them with the above little verse, which, freely translated, signifies:
'Take it not into thy hand: the flowers of the gengebans are fair to
view only when left all together in the field.'
Notes for Chapter Fifteen
1 Toyo-uke-bime-no-Kami, or Uka-no-mi-tana ('who has also eight other
names), is a female divinity, according to the Kojiki and its
commentators. Moreover, the greatest of all Shinto scholars, Hirata, as
cited by Satow, says there is really no such god as Inari-San at all--
that the very name is an error. But the common people have created the
God Inari: therefore he must be presumed to exist--if only for
folklorists; and I speak of him as a male deity because I see him so
represented in pictures and carvings. As to his mythological existence,
his great and wealthy temple at Kyoto is impressive testimony.
2 The white fox is a favourite subject with Japanese artists. Some very
beautiful kakemono representing white foxes were on display at the Tokyo
exhibition of 1890. Phosphorescent foxes often appear in the old
coloured prints, now so rare and precious, made by artists whose names
have become world-famous. Occasionally foxes are represented wandering
about at night, with lambent tongues of dim fire--kitsune-bi--above
their heads. The end of the fox's tail, both in sculpture and drawing,
is ordinarily decorated with the symbolic jewel (tama) of old Buddhist
art. I have in my possession one kakemono representing a white fox with
a luminous jewel in its tail. I purchased it at the Matsue temple of
Inari--'O-Shiroyama-no-Inari-Sama.' The art of the kakemono is clumsy;
but the conception possesses curious interest.
3 The Japanese candle has a large hollow paper wick. It is usually
placed upon an iron point which enters into the orifice of the wick at
the flat end.
4 See Professor Chamberlain's Things Japanese, under the title
'Demoniacal Possession.'
5 Translated by Walter Dening.
6 The word shizoku is simply the Chinese for samurai. But the term now
means little more than 'gentleman' in England.
7 The fox-messenger travels unseen. But if caught in a trap, or
injured, his magic fails him, and he becomes visible.
8 The Will-o'-the-Wisp is called Kitsune-bi, or 'fox-fire.'
9 'Aburage' is a name given to fried bean-curds or tofu.
10 Azukimeshi is a preparation of red beans boiled with rice.
11 The Hoin or Yamabushi was a Buddhist exorciser, usually a priest.
Strictly speaking, the Hoin was a Yamabushi of higher rank. The
Yamabushi used to practise divination as well as exorcism. They were
forbidden to exercise these professions by the present government; and
most of the little temples formerly occupied by them have disappeared or
fallen into ruin. But among the peasantry Buddhist exorcisers are still
called to attend cases of fox-possession, and while acting as exorcisers
are still spoken of as Yamabushi.
12 A most curious paper on the subject of Ten-gan, or Infinite Vision--
being the translation of a Buddhist sermon by the priest Sata Kaiseki--
appeared in vol. vii. of the Transactions of the Asiatic Society of
Japan, from the pen of Mr. J. M. James. It contains an interesting
consideration of the supernatural powers of the Fox.
13 All the portable lanterns used to light the way upon dark nights
bear a mon or crest of the owner.
14 Cakes made of rice flour and often sweetened with sugar.
15 It is believed that foxes amuse themselves by causing people to eat
horse-dung in the belief that they are eating mochi, or to enter a
cesspool in the belief they are taking a bath.
16 'In Jigyobamachi, a name signifying 'earthwork-street.' It stands
upon land reclaimed from swamp.
17 This seems to be the immemorial artistic law for the demeanour of
all symbolic guardians of holy places, such as the Karashishi, and the
Ascending and Descending Dragons carved upon panels, or pillars. At
Kumano temple even the Suijin, or warrior-guardians, who frown behind
the gratings of the chambers of the great gateway, are thus represented
-one with mouth open, the other with closed lips.
On inquiring about the origin of this distinction between the two
symbolic figures, I was told by a young Buddhist scholar that the male
figure in such representations is supposed to be pronouncing the sound
'A,' and the figure with closed lips the sound of nasal 'N '-
corresponding to the Alpha and Omega of the Greek alphabet, and also
emblematic of the Beginning and the End. In the Lotos of the Good Law,
Buddha so reveals himself, as the cosmic Alpha and Omega, and the Father
of the World,--like Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita.
18 There is one exception to the general custom of giving the dolls of
dead children, or the wrecks of dolls, to Kojin. Those images of the God
of Calligraphy and Scholarship which are always presented as gifts to
boys on the Boys' Festival are given, when broken, to Tenjin himself,
not to Kojin; at least such is the custom in Matsue.
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