46
THE SUNDAY OREGONTAN, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 30, 1906.
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WHAT JRI-IOOV GlftL S'AVvr OAI A VISIT ; TO THE MIKADOS TEMPLE
KYOTO
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rKOHAMA, Japan. Nov. IS (Spe
cial Correspondence of The Sunday
Oregonlan.) Among many beauti
ful things that Kyoto, the old i-apltal of
Japan, has to offer to the foreign visitor,
tli most beautiful are the Mikado s pal
ace, the Imperial garden, the paintings by
artists of the Kano school, and the -wood
carvings of llldari Jlngoro to be seen in
the temples and in the Ijo castle. These
Show perfection within the bounds set bv
artistic Japanese taste several hundred
years asro, bounds that we Anglo-Saxons
ould never have accepted, and that the
Japanese themselves have brokien
through now that they are Hwlmmlng in
the current of International affairs. Ar
tistic Ideals accepted from China became
with the Japanese still more formal and
refined, and the miracle was wrought of
much beauty within narrow limits. The
accepted ideals of subject and manner
shut out all of the deeply human emotions
that touch the Anglo-Saxon heart; one
cannot help feeling that the old artists
were perverse never to see beauty in the
Joys and sorrows,' the failures and striv
ings of humanity, but one must admit
that, where they looked they saw truly.
The Kano school of painters dating from
the loth century has lasted until the pres
ent, for their . peculiar style has been
handed down from father to son and to
eons by adoption. One must go to Kyoto
to see the best of their work, for their
best work was done during the days of
Kyoto's glory some 300 years ago. Last
month, when we were in Kyoto, the paint
ings of the Kano school lured us through
the long streets to many temples, taking
us among other places to Daitoklyl, In the
outskirts of the city. There were several
brown temple buildings In a grove of
pines, all quiet and deserted except for
e few children playing under a big gate
way. TVs thought our ricksha men had
brought us to the wrong place until we
aw a monastery beyond with a surly
priest standing In the entrance. Nearly
all of the temple treasures were stored
away, but we saw what we went especial
ly to see, a famous sepia painting on a
white fusuma (sliding door). It shows a
man exhibiting a dancing monkey before
a group of Chinese people. The showman
tands gesticulating as boldly as when
Kano Tanyu painted him some 800 years
ago. The spectators are watching with
the same keen Interest, but the poor little
monkey has danced until he Is only a
Cray shadow against the white wall.
There are snow scenes, too, by the same
artist; bits of Chinese1 country covered
with the soft snow that comes down in
big flakes and hides the landscape while
one watches. The artist painted with
strokes that one could count. There Is a
screen, too. showing herons standing In
marsh grass. Just as one may see them
on a wintry day; and there is a tiny
garden of neatly swept sand and a few
dwarfed evergreen trees. That Is all, but
1
wav temple. ". A sullen priest the only
bad-tempered one 1 have ever met led us
back to the entrance, demanding ten sen
before we had time to give him the 20
sen Intended for his scant courtesy.
Artists of the Kano School.
The decorations 1n the Rigo Castle
are also bv artists of tho Kano school.
Their goi'geousnoss is all the more im
pressive because of the grim exterior,
and the beautv of the building within
comes as a surprise after the high
stone wall with its watch towers. This
is where the siioguns, the actual rulers,
lived when thev came to see the Mikado
who was content with his being nom
inal ruler in those days; and this is
where the present Emperor mot the
Council of State just after his restora
tion In 1S68. The long corridors have
new ceilings, but the suites of rooms
are wonderful; there are tigers and
bamboo, cherry trees and great gnarled
pine trees painted to the ceiling on gold
paper walls, decorations of fans, flow
ers, birds and Chinese landscapes. One
of the famous paintings Is done in
sepia on a brown wooden door in a
corridor, simply a wet heron standing
forlorn and miserable on the gunwale
of a boat. In one room, sitting ' to
gether on a snow-covered bamboo
branch, their feathers all fluffed to
keep their bodies warm, just as one
sees them on a frosty morning, are
two little sparrows. There are carv
ings, too, by Hidarl Jingoro, the left
handed artist, who was the greatest
wood carver of Japan. The finest are
the.ramma (open panels) set in the
wall above the sliding doors. These
show designs of birds and flowers so
carved that each side is perfect but
absolutely different. Patience worked
with inspiration to- make such a re
sult. Wonderful Carving..
In Kyoto is an enormous Buddhist
temple, the Nlshi Hongangi, whose lord
Abbot is pount OtanL .Here are some
of the best paintings of the Kano
school and here are some of Hidarl
Jingoro's most llkelike carvings. To the
left as one enters the inclosure stands
the "Gate of the Imperial Messenger."
As we approached it in our rickshas I
was struck with the reality of a carved
horse and told the ricksha coolie to
stop. "Hidari Jingoro," , he said, point
ing to the gate; and he waited with
evident interest while I gazed at one
side and then at the other. The gate
way la all of brown wood somewhat
worn and chipped by time, but the art
ist carved so surely and boldly that
the stoy is still plain. A Chinese gen
tleman, standing so near a rushing
waterfall that its breeze is blowing
back bis gown,' is bending slightly to
one slue, vigorously wasning out his
una la worth a visit to the out-of-thej aar. On Uia finel opposita him is a
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GOVHTKY WOMEN TKOM "YASE
NEAR KYOTO
sturdy young Chinese peasant .leading
his cow away from the stream. And
thU Is the story: The gentleman
is washing from his ear the in
sidious proposal made to him by
the Kmperor to ' accept the throne
and the peasant is angry because the
washing of this proposal into the
stream has made the water unfit for his
cow- to drink. The gateway deserves
long study for its detail. On the doors
are quaint dog lions, impossible ani
mals, that are almost .convincing be
cause of their positions. Some are gal
loping, some are resting, while others
are snarling or marching with dignity'.
In the apartments Is more of Hidarl
Jingoro's handiwork. In the room hav
ing a decoration of wild geese the
ram ma show wild geese flying and
In the great audience hall the ram ma
are of storks., What struck .me most
about his work was that he carved mo
tion and seemed to fix it with his chisel
in the wood. It is a real quality of
his work, for there is a story of a horse
of his that left its panel at night and
frisked away, a thing of flesh and
blood, to graze In a meadow until
morning.
Tells a Tale of Piety.
' No hunter could have known the wild
geese better than the artist who decorat
ed one room; but a little dressing-room
with Chinese scenes of the chase would
be a revelation to an American hunter.
There are many impedimenta and there
are bands of musicians on the hills ap
parently to frighten Into the plain the
mosy wild animals that are hotly pur
sued, by gorgeously dressed courtiers. One
little scene looks familiar. The cooks are
cutting up the game that has been killed
and putting it in pots to cook. A pair
of brown wood doors tell a tale of Budd
hist piety. They show the combat be
tween a valiant lad and an older hero
at a battle near Kobe in 11S4. Naozana
killed the boy. but was so overcome by
remorse afterwards that he became a
Buddhist monk and ended his life in a
monastery.
In tlie Mikado's Palace.
The Mikado's palace has been many
times destroyed by fire and as many
times rebuilt as it was before. The pres
ent buildings date from 1854, and were
occupied only until the time of the res
toration, when the court removed to
Tokio. We . entered a high-walled in
closure by the "Gate of the August
Kitchen" and, having shown our permit
and signed our names in a book bear
ing the seal of the 16-petaled chrysan
themum, were conducted across an open
space where the houses of retainers form
erly stood. Into the palace. First we
came to long corridors and to a suite
of rooms having white fusuma decorat
ed with, sepia drawings. Here the
dalmios used to gather waiting fir
an audience with the Emperor. Then we
came out on a narrow veranda . with
a small stream running below it, and
next to a room used for festivals. The
fusuma are decorated with branches of
trees, sprays of flowers and convention
alized blue clouds. There is a throne
canopied with hangings of white silk hav
ing a border of black and red; in front
a screen hangs half way down for few
were the people who saw the Mikado's
face and a lion and a unicorn stand
guard at the sides.- The room opens on
a gravel court where the people used to
kneel before the presence. It Is all
formal and severe according to ancient
custom, even to the two clumps of bam
boo before the audience-room. We went
through long corridors again and came
to a larger audience hall. On the walls
at the back are paintings of Chinese
sages all In gowns of red and black and
white with caps and swords and scrolls.
They are copies of paintings made more
than 1000 years ago.
Conventionalities Sliown.
In this . room is another throne fac
ing anotha gravel court with a cherry
tree to the left and an orange tree to
the right of a flight of steps. There are
18 steps, one for each grade of nobles,
and the open court Is for those below in
rank. Another corridor took us to rooms
for poetry meetings and small gatherings
and to a suite for lectures and lessons
in poetry and music. Here the decora
tions are mostly of trees, flowers and
conventionalized blue clouds. Two rooms
especially, I remember one with paint
ings of wild, geese and one with Fuji
and clouds. Our guide pushed back the
amado and we saw a lovely little garden,
very formal, but gracious and charm
ing, like the sweet old-fashioned ladles
one sometimes meets. Everything about
the palace was simple, but formal,, show
ing that endless conventionalities sur
rounded the Mikados. The wonder is that
the Emperors could so long content them
selves with empty form and little refine
ments while the shoguns were the aotual
rulers.
To some of the Mikados it must have
been a relief to go to breathe the free
air of heaven In the Imperial gardens at
the base of Mount Hielzan. It Is a
formal garden, but a beautiful one, with
its lake and pine islands, its quaint bridge
of wood and stone, its brilliant maples,
gravel walks, its little teahouses and
Its big pines. Below is the plain where
the peasants work In the rice fields and
in the distance is Kyoto. It Is fascinat
ing, but I cannot help feeling that the
Sdiltados of those days missed a far
greater reality our untamed forests of
the West.
However, it is a far cry from our West
ern woods to the artistic ideals of old
Japan, and I have meant only to give
you a glimpse of the art of the feudal
days. ANNIE LAURA MILLER.
Living Amicably With Others
THE vocation of living amicably with
others is a vocation to which almost
every one is called, and for which it Is
to be deplored that so many are not at
all fitted. It is natural far too much so
for brothers and sisters to indulge in
frankness of speech which is sometimes
little short of brutal.
To whom else would one say: "What
a fright you look in that gown, and you
do have ie most atrocious taste In
selecting your hats;" or "what a foot
you made of yourself at Blank's recep
tion." Is it any wonder many families live
in a hotbox of contention?
If we would only learn to apply the
same rules in our homes which govern
us with our relations in the business or
social world a great many homes would
be happier.
There are those who will say: "But
how uncomfortable this restraint woulJ
be in one's own family. The perfect
freedom of family life is its greatest
charm."
We do not loss any of the charm if
we put a check upon too free expres
sion of our opinions and endeavor to
make ourselves as agreeable at home as
we do outside of it.
Do not laugh at your mother's pecu
liarities, though it Is done only In the
home circle, and in a kindly manner.
Tou would not take that liberty with
any one else of her age. . Why do it with
her?
You may say: "Oh, mother doesn't
mind. She knows we just do It for a
Joke, and she knows down In our hearts
we idolize her."
That may be true, and though she
understands that you care none the less
for her It can not possibly add to her
happlnessi It's more probable that in
many cases it has made her absolutely
uncomfortable, but she Is too proud to
let you see or suspect It.
At the table of a large hotel a young
lady recently had the misfortune to spill
some coffee on an exceedingly pretty and
delicate gown.
Her mother, with a frown and a tone of
keen annoyance,' said: "How could you
be so careless?"
The daughter, laughing, said: "Mother,
if the lady on your right had done the
same thing, you would have turned to
her and said, with sympathy expressed
In every feature, isn't that a pity. I do
hope your gown Is not ruined.' "
The mother smiled, recognizing the ac
curacy of the picture.
Cannot any one of us bring the same
incident home?
Mucb nnhappiness comes from simple
thoughtlessness In home life and the free
dom of speech, agamst which too much
cannot be said.
Any one who tries the experiment sug
gested will be surprised to find out how
many times in a day they are tempted
to say: "How could you do that? What
made you talk like that? I should think
you were crazy to suggest such a thing."
In many family circles these remarks
are as common as comments on the
weather.
They certainly add nothing to the hap
piness of others. If the friendly relations
remain undisturbed It is In epite of this
freedom of speech, not because of it.
The Dlflcontcnted Man.
Minna Irving- In Leflll.
He wooN and won a pratty girl
With hair of shining gold.
6he loved him with a loyalty
Quito touching to behold.
But other peoplw'ii -wives he usefl
Approvingly to ncan.
And grnnl and grumbls at his
The discontented man.
His business prospered every day.
Another store he lenfied:
He bought a house and motor-car, .
His hank account increased.
But still he wore a gloomy fa.c
"Wlilte Jones Is In the van
My trade In going laf;k," exclaimed
The discontented man.
His children in and out of school
Were well behaved and bright;
They reaciied the head of every class
And studied day and night.
"It didn't, take me naif so long
To learn what I began
I wasn't such a dunre. complained
The discontented man.
He went abroad, and viewed unmoved
The Rhine's majestic flow,
The snowy splendor of the Alps,
The matchless lakes below.
"I want to get a steamer home
As quickly as I can;
There's nothing here worth seeing" crlsl
The discontented man-
At last be left his earthly cares
To mount the starry skies
And knock upon tlie pearly gates
That 'ead to Paradise;
And though to fling the portals wide
St. Peter nimbly ran,
"You're long enough about it," said
The discontented man.
On Her Betrothal.
Putnam's.
Upon this hither side of Paradise
There are three dear, unpurcaasable.
things
From whose possession every gladness
brings;
Which lost, the Indies' wealth will not
suffice.
And one of these, is Youth, whose fair de
vice Might be a radiant bird on quickened
wings:
Then Health, the first desire of serfs and
kings!
We joyed to see you wear these pearls sans
price.
And now the third la added unto youl
Love, all your ways with brightness to en
due; A good man's love, 'gainst all ills to pre
vail. Guard well this gift in your most reverent
heart.
For when the other twain shall fade and
fall.
'Twill still make happiness your happy part.
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