The Madill News (Madill, Okla.), Vol. 14, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, December 25, 1908 Page: 3 of 8
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<^THE SHINTO
A dzcojzated WELL "
E deeply pity the superstition
Wot the Japanese. Yet there Is
something very beautiful In
the archaic simplicity of their
faith. Lafcadio Hearn found
In Sblntolsm Greek religion
transplanted in the midst of
this material century. What'
he read and imagined In an-
cient literature he really
found in this Land of the Ris-
ing Sun. For all the modern-
ization of Japan there is one
spot where the hand of the dissecting
science has done but little damage.
Visitors from civilized and enlightened
lands can go deep into fhe real life of
the archaic society in Japan, and in the
twinkling of an eye they can come back
to the luxury of the twentieth century,
and this archaic society Is a living one
*nd not pj) artificial miniature. Sympa-
thy is aroused, as the faith is the only
surviving remnant of the time-honored
old religion. Political sentiment is
touched-, as Shintoism peoples woods,
mountains, trees, rocks, rivers and sea-
shores with gods and goddesses. Com-
passion is kindled as it is by a beautiful
dawn slowly dissolving before the on-
slaught of the fierce daylight. No wonder,
then, that Shintoism finds many lovers
among westerners.
I would like to Introduce the reader not
Indeed to the stately mausoleum and cere-
mony of Shintoism, but to the humble
household of the common folk of Japan.
January in Japan is a month of rest
and festival; rest after hard work and
harvest: festival as an auspicious begin-
ning of the year.
Before the end of the old year pine branches are set
up by the gateways, shrines of gods, hearth, well and oth-
er places. These pine branches, signifying constancy,
are hung with a straw ring made to imitate a jewel, with
rays of light radiating from it, and stuck with a dried
sardine, a leaf of evergreen, pieces of paper and a bit of
edible seaweed. These rings are also put on almost all
representative articles of furniture and kitchen imple-
ments, and this is said "to let them take one year. " (This
suggests that these articles were believed once to have
had life and so have felt the advance of age.
The festival of "going over the year," or "Toshikoshi,"
is sometimes called "Toshitori," or "taking the year," and
Is a busy time for the housewife. She has to cook many
different dishes, all of which have prosperous signifi-
cance, besides her regular rice and bean soup.
Let me enumerate some. Soup of clam, which opens
when cooked, signifies the opening out of the good for-
tune. Roe of herring, which is called "kazu-noko," or
numerous children, forms a dish whose meaning is ob-
vious. Health in Japanese is "mame," so beans must
be eaten, as these happen to have the same sounding
word for their name. Salt salmon, fish cake, pickled
radish and many others must be prepared on this event-
ful eve, for we are going to add one whole year during the
night. The kitchen is full of life, with kettles whistling
and pots steaming, plates and trays all spread out. Chil-
dren and even cats are very apt to be mischievous at
such times, but they receive no scolding as the great fes-
tival should not be marred by discord and Irritation.
When food is roady gods are served first with all these
dishes, but only In miniature. Lights are put before
them; sake liquc/r is offered In a pair of small vases,
which, by thi way, I have often seen used for flowers
In America. Before the gods on the shelf they hang
highly colored leaflets, each with a lucky meaning. One
is the god of fortune under an auspicious gem, with a
bagful of gold coins, coral and other precious things.
Another has a bundle of edible seaweed, which Is called
•kobu." The phras* "to rejoice" In Japanese is "yoro-
kobu;" so seaweed
(kobu) means rejoic-
ing. The last has
under it a lobster. A
person doubled up with ige
reminds one of a lobster
with Us doubled up waist.
So the lobster quite often is pic
turesquely representative of "the aged
of the sea."
When the family have bowed down before the gods rice are the offerings. A pair of foxes need a little ex-
they eat the great meal and a few rounds of sake were planation. Originally they belonged to a very popular
ceremoniously served in former
eaten this feast you have added . __
born in December is said to be two years old right after stltuted. But religious degeneration has gone on further
loaded with precious goods, her sails
outspread, on her decks men busy
with rigging and oars. A Japanese
poem is also printed on It:
Na ka ki yo no,
To no ne fu ri no,
Ml na me sa mo
Na ml no ri fu ne no,
() to no yo ki ka na.
Translated roughly, this means:
After a sound sleep of long night,
ltesting awake in bed,
I hear a cheerful sound
Of a sailing vessel
(Biding, over the billows.
The poem In translation loses Its
power of calling up associations. But
one can imagine himself living near
an inland sea, with its nooks, bays,
and offings, pine groves and plum
blossoms hanging over from the hilly
shores, the sun as yet below the hori.
7,on, and in the mist he can discern a
vessel gliding smoothly, leaving merry
songs of sailors behind to be carried
away by the spring breeze. This Is
considered an appropriate scenery to
think over in the calm of the spring
night. But this aesthetic association
is little appreciated by the masses.
They rather wonder at the clever con-
struction of this poem, that reads
just alike from either end. Read from
the end and go back to the beginning,
syllable by syllable; you have just the
same result as if you read from tho
beginning.
Now, what kind of dreams are the
best? First, Fugi mountain; second,
eagle; third, eggplant; fourth, funer-
al; filth, snakes—these are the five
best ones. To. dream of the horse Is
also auspicious. If a Japanese should
happen to dream he is quite blue over
the matter. These people, however,
are not without the means of getting
out of this misfortune. They say when
they had ft bad dream: "To the baku;
to the baku." Now they did not know
what "baku" was; they only knew
that this mysterious animal living in
a dreamy land lived on the dreams of
man, and bad dreams were cast to
the baku. It was a shock to these old
fashioned people when their children
told them that the teacher of zoology
told the children that the baku is a
hippopotamus and lived on substan-
tial green leaves, and not on dreams.
Such a revelation, though, cannot
change the superstition, and people
still say; "To the baku," to relieve
their minds after a bad dream.
There is a record in history which
shows that there was a custom once
of selling and buying dreams. Once
upon a time there was a prince in
a famous house. He was thinking to
court a maiden, and she had a strange
dream, which she could not make out.
She called in the help of her eldest
sister. The latter, seeing the good
omen of the dream, offered to buy the
dream. An old mirror was the price and the bargain was
made. Meanwhile the prince changed his mind quite
w rounds or sane were pianauon. unginaiiy uiey ueiungL'u iu n vciy i#n ♦
days. Once you have Shinto god whose place has been usurped through the. suddenly, as if by mag i. " 1 , famou8
one year; and a child srra^gy of Kobo, and this lluddhlst prince has been sub- oldest and won her han< . i ' lr,ilttirv rpeen-
Yarltomo, who founded the bhogunate, or military rcRcu
this meal. I used to be reminded by older people that I
should be a better boy from the first of January, as I
had added one year during that one night. They say that
one night of the 31st of December is worth 50 days of
usual days, and those who go to bed early this night
will grow old that much in one night.
Polytheists are not troubled by a surplus of gods.
The Japanese have already many gods at home and yet
on New Year's day they buy printed gods. This paper
is hung above the stone stove on which one cooks rice.
One represents "year god," with thank offerings of rice,
sake liquor, kneaded rice and regular New Year decora-
tions of evergreen trees. The figure is Buddhist; the
original Shinto god has long been replaced by a bod-
disatwa, shewing the result of usurpation of Shin-
toism by Buddhism, effected by a Buddhist
priest Kobo, as a means of Buddhist propagation. These
offerings were once real ones, but the Japanese learned
how to economize labor and expense by printing, and
the goddess herself came Into the picture.
Another picture is also hung before the shelf. The cen-
tral figure is Prince Shotoku, the famous patron of Bud-
dhism In its early days in Japan. A Japaneje spade,
stalks of rice on ti tray, thresher, sake liquor and cooked
and theBe foxes came to be mistaken for the god itself.
And Inari worship (for Inari is the name of the god) Is
seen nowadays In Its most degraded form of fox wor-
ship.
Others are a pair of salesman's gods. Who they
originally were has very little to do with the present
worship. Anyhow, as gods of good luck and prosperity
they are worshiped In New Year's season, and almost
every shop has theBe Idols In stock.
Karly on the first of January New Year's callers begin
to pour in. What do they say? With heads bowed down
and hands on the sill, they mumble: "Congratulations
for the opening of the new year, and pray that it will
be continued in future." This phrase is so common that
both sides speak at the same time, and yet both are
well understood. One says: "Won't you come in? "No.
answers the other; "I have more houses to call. Then
come when you are through," and the caller goes. If
the caller should come In he is sumptuously feasted with
food and drink, and you see more open drunkenness on
New Year's day than at other timeB.
Superstitious people find omens and meanings in
dreams, and the Japanese must have good dreams to be-
gin the year. For this purpose they put a piece of paper
under the bed. On this paper a Japanese junk is printed,
cy. in Japan. ■ . ..
Such is the story told and retold when the family
~et together by the flre box and spend the "long spring
night" in merriment. I hope these humble doings of the
common folk of Japan may find a warm reception among
the readers of America.
Christmas Frolics.
A very effective and practical decoration for the table
on Christmas morning is a pyramid of oranges with
sprays of holly for a dolly, with a scarlet ribbon running
to the corners of the table fastened by a big orange at
each corner. All the housekeeper's best efforts are usu-
ally expended on the dinner table, but it will only take
a moment to arrange this. Place holly around the finger
bowis. By the way, a dainty way to serve oranges for
breakfast is to have the juice squeezed In the kitchen and
served in a little glass which stands on a plate.
In the dining room that has to have a screen to conceal
the kitchen, there may be a very simple and effective
addition made to the Christmas decorations by pinning
holly to it, covering the original surface completely. Lace
curtains may be treated in this way to make lovely bits
of color In the room or form a background for a tree.
.-■r. I, \
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Heart, C. F. The Madill News (Madill, Okla.), Vol. 14, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, December 25, 1908, newspaper, December 25, 1908; Madill, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metapth351499/m1/3/: accessed May 11, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.