The Four Corners in Japan

by Amy Ella Blanchard

  CHAPTER IV

  TEMPLES AND TEA

  "And aren't we to go to Tokyo to-day?" asked Mary Lee as she sat up inbed the next morning.

  "Don't ask me," replied Nan. "We supposed we were, and as it is onlytwenty miles away we may be going yet though Aunt Helen did not sayanything about it last night. She and Mrs. Craig were plotting allsorts of things for to-day while we were talking to Nell and herbrother. I caught a word here and there about temples and _tori-i_ andthings."

  "And we, too, were making plans meanwhile, so it looks as if we mighthave a busy day, Nan."

  "Yokohama and Tokyo are practically the same city," Nan gave theinformation, "for they are so near one another. Because of that we maybe going to carry out the original plan. I'll go ask Aunt Helen." Shepattered into the next room to find Miss Helen already up. "What's thefirst thing on the carpet to-day, Aunt Helen?" she asked.

  "Why, let me see; breakfast, of course."

  "Decidedly of course, but I didn't mean anything quite so obvious."

  "Then Mrs. Craig is coming for us and we are to take a drive to seesome temples, and this afternoon we are to call on a Japanese friend ofMrs. Craig's."

  "A real Japanese?"

  "A really, truly one whom Mrs. Craig knows quite well."

  "And we shall have the chance of seeing a veritable Japanese house?Good! I've been hoping we might have such a chance. Where is the house?"

  "In Tokyo."

  "Then we are to go there as was first planned."

  "I think so; it is more attractive than in Yokohama, and you know Mrs.Craig is stopping there. She and her nephew came to Yokohama simply tomeet Miss Harding whom they will take back with them to Tokyo, so itseems to me we would be better off there ourselves."

  Nan uncurled herself from the foot of the bed where she was sitting andwent back to her sister. "Tokyo it is to be," she announced. "Tokyo andtemples and a visit to a Japanese home; that is the day's programme.Isn't it great? You'd better get up, Mary Lee; Aunt Helen is alldressed."

  The two girls made haste to join their aunt and before very long wereready for their morning of sightseeing. This time they were to go, notin _jinrikishas_ but behind Mrs. Craig's stout little ponies whichcarried them along at a good pace to a spot where suddenly arose beforethem a great stone stairway.

  "Oh, where do those steps lead?" asked Nan, all curiosity.

  "They are the first intimation we have that we are nearing a _tera_ ortemple," Mrs. Craig told her.

  "And do we climb that long flight?" asked Mary Lee.

  "Assuredly."

  They all alighted from the carriage and began the ascent. At the topthey confronted a queer gateway.

  "Is this what they call a _tori-i_?" asked Nan.

  "No, it is merely a gateway in the ordinary sense," she was told.

  "We must stop and look at it," Miss Helen decided, and they all stoodlooking up at the strange structure.

  "What an odd roof," Mary Lee observed, as she regarded the peakedpagoda-like affair.

  "And such carving," exclaimed Nan. "Do look at all those queergargoylish lions' heads, and see the dragons on the panels; snakes,too."

  "And there is Fuji." Miss Helen, who was resting after her exhaustingclimb, and was enjoying the view, directed their attention to the greatmountain whose dim peak arose above the town at their feet.

  Nan turned from her regard of snakes and dragons that she might lookoff at the scene. "No wonder one sees Fuji on fans and panels andpretty nearly everything in Japan," said she. "I don't wonder theJapanese honor and adore their wonderful mountain."

  After giving further examination to the gateway, they all walkedon, presently coming to another one which showed more dragons andgargoyles. Through this they passed to enter a sort of courtyard. Thegirls looked with curiosity at an array of stone objects which theysupposed to be monuments. "What are they?" Mary Lee asked.

  "Stone lanterns," Mrs. Craig told her, "and yonder are the Buddhalions." She pointed out two strange, fantastic stone figures in sittingposture each side the way.

  "And does Buddha live here?" asked Nan with a smile.

  "He lives in many places," Mrs. Craig replied with an answering smile.

  Just ahead they perceived three steps leading to a low edifice. Menand women were going and coming from these, stopping to kneel at theentrance of this, the temple which they had come to see. Most of thesepeople tarried only a very short time, bending their heads in silentprayer for a few minutes, while they joined their hands reverently.Some clapped three times quite slowly, though noisily. There were manycontributions made, small coins thrown into the big wooden box at theentrance.

  The girls stood watching the worshippers curiously. "It would beinteresting to know how much their offerings amounted to," said MaryLee. "I suppose very little in our money."

  "Very little indeed," responded their guide. "When you consider a _rin_is one-tenth of a _sen_ and that a _sen_ is only about equal to one ofour cents you can see that a very small contribution suffices."

  "What is inside the temple?" asked Nan.

  "The shrine of Buddha, but he is not on exhibition except on feastdays. If you go in you will have to take off your shoes, so perhaps wewould better wait till some other time."

  They decided that they would not attempt an entrance at this time, butthey peeped through the paper-screened sides of the building to see adim interior whose contents were in such obscurity that they could notmake them out.

  "Do you always have to take off your shoes before entering a temple?"asked Mary Lee.

  "Oh, dear, yes, and not only upon entering a temple but before enteringany house. You know all floors are furnished with soft matting rugswhich it would never do to soil. When one considers how much mud anddust we carry into our homes on our shoes and skirts I am inclined tothink the Japanese have more than one custom which we might adopt toadvantage. If you want to see a _tori-i_, Miss Nan, I think we can findyou one not very far away."

  "I don't exactly understand what a _tori-i_ really is," confessed MaryLee.

  "There are two theories concerning them," Mrs. Craig told her. "Manyassert that they were originally perches for birds, one meaning of theword being a bird-rest, and it is supposed that they were used as asort of altar on which fowls were offered to the gods; others maintainthat the word means simply a gateway. One can easily see how eithermeaning could be accepted, for they do look like a perch as well as agateway."

  After another drive through a labyrinth of streets, where were queerlittle houses and queerer signs, they arrived at the bottom of anotherhill where again a flight of steps arose before them.

  "Dear me," sighed Miss Helen, "I wonder if I am equal to all theseclimbs. I should like to import a few elevators for the sake of myAmerican powers of climbing."

  However, rather than be left behind, the ascent was decided upon byMiss Helen, Nan helping her up, and lingering with her when a pause forbreath seemed advisable. At last they joined the other two who, moreagile, had reached the spot before them. "So this is a _tori-i_," saidNan looking up at the gateway. "Such a simple affair; just two uprightpillars with two things across them. It might easily be a bird-perch.No carving, no letters, no anything, yet it is sort of impressive justbecause of its simplicity. Is there a temple beyond?"

  "No, only a shrine," she was informed, "and probably closed."

  "Then we shall not have to climb that second flight of steps," saidMiss Helen in a relieved tone. "If one has to mortify the flesh in thismanner before seeing temples, I am afraid I shall not see many."

  "Oh, but you used to climb lots of steps in Europe," Nan reminded her."How many were there in the duomo at Florence?"

  "Don't ask me, my dear; the remembrance of them is still with me.Probably because I did climb so many in Europe is why I hesitate here,and perhaps the weight of years might be added as a second reason."

  Nan frowned and shook her head. "You mustn't say that. You are as youngas any of us."

  "In spirit, ma
ybe," her aunt returned with a smile.

  "We certainly shall not expect you to see all the shrines and templeswe come upon," Mrs. Craig told them, "for there are too many, and thebest way is to select the most famous only to visit."

  "We learned to do that way in Europe," said Nan. "One gets mentalindigestion by tearing off to see every little thing, and finally oneis so mixed up that nothing is remembered correctly."

  "And if one lived here a lifetime it would be impossible to see all thesights or to learn all the legends," Mrs. Craig went on. "The best wayis to get some well-written book and study up between times. You needto know a little of the folk-lore and something of the religions inorder to understand the sights you wish to see. It will be impossibleto get more than merely a very superficial idea even then, particularlyupon the question of the two old beliefs of Shintoism and Buddhism."

  "The Shinto belief is the worship of ancestors, isn't it?" asked Nan.

  "It is founded upon that, as we understand it," Mrs. Craig explained."Lafcadio Hearn probably can give you a better idea of what it meansthan I can, so I advise you to hunt up his books."

  "We have some of them," Nan returned, "and I shall look up the subjectswhen we get home."

  "Do all the Japanese adopt the Shinto creed?" asked Mary Lee.

  "Oh, no, some are Buddhists, some are Christians, some have amixed belief in which both Buddhism and Shintoism have a part. Theramifications are so numerous and so intricate that it would beimpossible to explain them. I know only a very little myself, and Ihave been here three years. As to the language, it is hopeless. Ishall never be at home with it, and there are only a very, very fewforeigners who ever do master its intricacies. When you consider thatevery schoolboy is expected to learn six or seven thousand charactersfor daily use alone, and a scholar must know twice as many more, youmay imagine the undertaking. Moreover there are several styles ofwriting these characters, so you may be glad you are not expected tomaster Japanese."

  "Oh, dear," sighed Mary Lee, "it makes me tired merely to think of it."

  After the climbing of so many steps, and after the fatigue followingthe constantly recurring sights which passed before their vision,they decided to go home and rest that they might be ready for theirafternoon's entertainment. Their last sight of the _tori-i_ was onethey never forgot, for it framed the exquisite cone of Fuji as in apicture, and they were interested all the more when Mrs. Craig toldthem that these ancient gateways usually did form the framework forsome special object such as a mountain, a temple, a shrine.

  After having had luncheon and a good rest they were all quite ready forthe next experience which Mrs. Craig had promised them. Eleanor who hadbeen off with her brother all morning joined them in the afternoon'sentertainment and was quite as much excited as the others to be acaller upon a really truly Japanese.

  "It is such a pity," said Mrs. Craig, when they were about to start,"that you couldn't have been here in time for the Doll Festival whichoccurs upon the third of March. I am hoping, however, that the dollswill still be on view at the house where we are going, though they areusually stored in the go-down at the end of the three days."

  "And what in the world is a go-down?" asked Eleanor.

  "It is the family storehouse," her aunt told her. "Very little iskept out to litter up a Japanese house, where the utmost simplicityis considered desirable, so they have these storehouses in which allsuperfluities are kept. When you reach Mrs. Otamura's you will besurprised at the very absence of furnishings, but there, I must nottell you too much or you will not be sufficiently surprised."

  "It is so lovely to be sensationed," said Nan with a satisfied air.

  Mrs. Craig laughed and they proceeded on their way to the house whichstood, its least attractive side toward the street, in a quarter ofthe city where the better class lived. The garden was at the back, andthere were verandahs at the side. There were no chimneys, but the roofwas tiled and the sides of the house were fitted with sliding screenscovered with paper. These were now thrown open.

  At the door they were met by a servant whom Mrs. Craig addressed withrespect and with a few pleasant words, this being expected, for nonesave the master is supposed to ignore the servant. Each one of theparty removed her shoes and slipped on a pair of straw slippers beforestepping upon the soft, cool matted floor. The room into which theywere ushered was indeed simply furnished; in an alcove whose floor wasslightly raised, hung a single kakemono, or painted panel, and a vasestood there with a single branch of flowering plum in it; there werealso a little shrine and an incense burner. On the floor, which wascovered with thick mats, were placed square silk-covered cushions onwhich the guests were to be seated.

  But before this was done they were greeted by the mistress of thehouse with the most ceremonious of low bows. She could speak a littleEnglish and smiled upon them so sweetly that they all fell in lovewith her at once. She was dressed in a soft colored kimono and hadher hair arranged most elaborately. Close upon her heels followed herlittle girl as gaily decked as a tulip, in bright colored kimono andwearing an obi or sash quite as brilliant. This _treasure flower_,as a Japanese will always call his child, was as self-possessed andgracious as it was possible for a little maid to be. Following hermother's example she knew the precise length of time during which sheshould remain bent in making her bow, and her smile was as innocentand lovely as could be any one's who was called by the fanciful name ofO-Hana, or Blossom, as it would mean in our language.

  There was a low table or so in the room and, as soon as the _hibachi_was brought in, small stands were placed before each person, for ofcourse tea must be served at once. The _hibachi_ was really a beautifullittle affair, a fire box of hammered copper, in which was laid alittle glowing fire of _sumi_ sticks, these being renewed, as occasionrequired, from an artistic brass basket by the side of Mrs. Otamura."The honorable" tea was served upon a beautiful lacquered tray and fromthe daintiest of teacups, offered by a little maid who humbly presentedthe tray as she knelt before the guests.

  The conversation, carried on partly in English and partly in Japanese,was interesting to the foreigners who were on the lookout for anyoddities of speech, but who would not have smiled in that polite andgracious presence for anything. They drank their pale honey-coloredtea with as much ceremony as possible although not one of them wasaccustomed to taking the beverage without milk or sugar.

  "The dolls are really on view," Mrs. Craig told them after a fewsentences in Japanese to her hostess, "and O-Hana will take you to seethem."

  "Oh, how lovely," cried the girls, their enthusiasm getting the betterof them.

  At a word from her mother the little black-haired child came forwardand held out her tiny hand to Miss Helen, who as eldest of the partydeserved the most respect. Following their little guide they wentthrough the rooms, each screened from the next by paper coveredsliding shutters, until they came to one where upon row after row ofcrimson-covered shelves appeared a most marvelous array of dolls, withall the various furniture, china, musical instruments, and even warlikeweapons, that any company of dolls could possibly require.

  "Aren't they perfectly wonderful?" said Mary Lee looking at amagnificent royal family in full court costume.

  "Oh, no, they are very poor and mean," replied the child who quiteunderstood her.

  It was very hard not to laugh, but no one did, each turning her headand pretending to examine the doll nearest her.

  "And which do you like best?" asked Miss Helen.

  "This one," O-Hana told her, pointing to a very modern creature in acostume so much like their own that the girls could not restrain theirmirth at the reply.

  "She is very beautiful," said Nan hoping that her praise would do awaywith the effect of the laughter.

  "She is very ugly, very poor," replied O-Hana, "but," she added, "Ilike her the best."

  "It would take hours to see them all," said Miss Helen, "and we mustnot stay too long." So after a cursory view of officers and courtladies, musicians and dancers, ancient h
eirlooms in quaint antiquecostumes elbowing smart Paris creatures, they finally took their leaveof the dolls, wishing they might stay longer.

  There was a little more ceremonious talk and then as polite aleave-taking, O-Hana doing her part as sedately as her mother.

  "I should like to have kissed that darling child," said Nan as they allstarted off again, "but I didn't suppose it would be considered justthe correct thing."

  "Indeed it would not," Mrs. Craig told her, "for the Japanese regard itas a very vulgar proceeding. I fancy we foreigners shock their tendersensibilities oftener than we imagine, for they are so exceedinglyceremonious and attach the utmost importance to matters which we do notregard at all."

  "I know I shall dream of that funny little doll-like creature, O-Hana,"Nan went on, "with her little touches of rouge on her cheeks, herbright clothes and her hair all so shining and stuck full of ornaments.As for Mrs. Otamura, she is delicately lovely as I never imaginedany one to be, such tiny hands, such a fine, delicate skin, such anexquisitely modulated voice, and so dignified and gracious; I felt avery clumsy, big, overgrown person beside her."

  "You were right about the house, Mrs. Craig," commented Mary Lee. "Itcertainly was simplicity itself. Think of our great masses of flowersin all sorts of vases and bowls, and compare all that to the one lovelyspray of plum blossom so artistically arranged."

  "Their flower decorations are a matter of great study," Mrs. Craiganswered. "It is taught as a branch by itself and all girls studyit. The few decorations a house possesses must be in harmony withthe season. When the cherry blossoms come you will see an entirelydifferent kakemono in the Otamuras' house, an entirely different vasefor the flowers and other things will be in keeping."

  "It is all very complicated," sighed Nan, "and I am afraid I shallcarry away only a very small part of what I ought to find out aboutthese curious people."

  She was quite sure of this as Mrs. Craig began to tell of some strangecustoms, stranger feasts and still stranger folk-lore the while theywere carried along through the narrow streets to their hotel. Herethey found Neal Harding awaiting them with a friend of his, a youngjournalist whom he presented as "Mr. Montell, who hails from the stateof South Carolina."

  The addition of a bright young American to the party was not at allregretted by the girls who went to their rooms commenting, comparingand, if it must be said, giggling.

  CHAPTER VAN EVENING SHOW]