WOODEN BRIDGES.
467
to be pleasant. Miangashi lies in a basin, almost too
shut in to be called a valley, though it is the course
of a winding river, that hurried noisily along when
we were there, bent on findino- the easiest and shortest
route between the rocks and stones, at which it seemed
to snarl angrily, when they ujDrose in the middle of an
otherwise smooth course. But there were manifold tokens
that, on occasion, it was far other than an excited, fidgety,
The Chief Yacoiiin.
little stream. Strong and stout, indeed, shoidd be the
wooden piers, and well planted the stones and rocks sup-
porting their base, to enable the bridge to resist the
fiu'ious rush of the angry, roaring flood, wliich had left
banks of mud, and branches, and stones, as reminders of
its possible return, high up on the reed-covered banks.
Around us, on all sides, rose the hills precipitously, and
covered with dense forest, except, here and there, where
468 JAPAN.
a patch had been burnt, leaving, instead of green, a rich
red brown, or where in some places trees had been barked
previous to being felled, and stood prominently out against
the dark backgroimd, looking Hke skeletons waving their
bony arms, or Uke the terribly vivid pictiu'e of the ' Do-
lorous Wood' in Gustave Dores illustrations of the
' Inferno.'
We sat feasting oiu- eyes on the beautiful scenery
around us till the sun had set, and it was almost dark.
Captain A. had an idea that trout were numerous in the
river, and accordingly whipped the stream up and down
with praiseworthy dihgence, but without success.
The scene in the ' common-room ' this evening was
quite after Teniers. The four gentlemen were reposing in
various picturesque, rather than graceful attitudes on the
mat. A table of the rudest description stood near, and
on it, in candelabra matching the table, candles, which
shed the dimmest and most mysterious hght aroimd.
Beyond, through the open doorway, a number of Japanese
were seen crowding round a sort of pit in the floor of
another room, wherein was a roaring fire, that cast a
ruddy blaze over everything, and boiled a pot hung gipsy
fashion above it. Fiu-ther off still, looking hke ghouls or
iinns, or some such uncanny beings, appeared the flitting
forms of our servants, as they passed to and from another
sort of stove, which had, I beheve, been improvised for
the occasion. They carried Japanese lanterns to light
them at their work, one or two more of which hung on
the walls, and faintly indicated the. outline of the building
against the pitchy darkness of the surrounding night.
Rain came on during the evening, heavily, ceaselessly,
WANT OF ANIMAL LIFE. 469
and then we began to think that the traveller experiences
as much annoyance in Japan from defective drainage as
in filthy Cliina.
Our intention had been to stop a day or so here, but
the tea-house after the rain was so uncomfortable (especi-
ally for the servants), and we were promised such a
magnificent abode if we proceeded to Isebara, about
twelve miles off, that we changed our plan, and about
noon left for that place.
The first six or eight miles we retraced our steps of
the day before, and then turned off in another direction.
Mr. M., whose duties in Yokohama would not allow of a
longer absence, here took leave of us. From the point
where we quitted oui- old road, the character of the country
changed completely. We left the mountains behind us,
except a higli range in the distance m the direction of
our route, and passed through flat, riclily-cultivated land,
grain and vegetable fields, and large tracts of mulberry
orchards. The great want in scenery of this kind in this
country is that of animal life. Sheep are not in Japan,
nor cattle, except for draught (all the beef and mutton
eaten in Yokohama is brought over from Shanghai) ; and
one misses in these views, where the farm-houses and
cottages are so much hke those in the ' old countrie,' or
in Switzerland, the pasture-lands, and the flocks and
herds grazing.
At Isebara our hopes of finding very good &.(icomm.p-
dation were not disappointed. We rode up to an excellent
tea-house, of two stories and many rooms. Lucien greeted
me at the door with the assiu'ance of its being a ' very
respectable place,' as he and his fellow-servants had had
470 JAPAN.
tea brought to tliem immediately on tlieii' arrival. From
the windows of our rooms, which were on the upper floor,
the ' view was lovely. We had been gradually nearmg
the range of mountains, and now looked at them, across a
belt of well-cultivated plain, as at near neighbours, while
Oyama, the next highest mountain to Fusiyama, and also
very sacred, stood invitingly close at hand, and augmented
our desire of mounting to its summit. Some faint hopes
which we had entertained, that perhaps we might be able
to ascend Fusiyama itself, were on our arrival at Isebara
utterly banished, by the news that the snow, wliich is
only absent from the top for a short time during the
height of summer, had fallen earlier than usual this year.
The American Minister and a party of friends, whom we
much envied, had left the summit just before the snow fell.
Isebara is a large town, with streets of good houses
and shops, but without any appearance of wealth. They
make some dehcious wafer biscuits here, just like gaufres,
thin and crisp, and some of them rolled into a tube, and
filled with sweet stuff, much hke white toffy. The native
cookery is very good, everything looks clean, and is nicely
arranged and served.
After dinner the interpreter and yaconins made their
appearance to discuss the morrow's programme, an essen-
tial point in which, was our determination, if practicable,
to ascend Oyama. The dishke the Japanese have to
admitting foreigners to any place, from which they can
be kept by argmnent or persuasion, was strongly evinced
on this occasion. It was wonderful to hear the strino- of
excuses invented by these gentlemen, each contaming
some very good reason why we should give u]) our pi'o-
DISLIKE TO FOREIGNERS. 471
ject. Tliey first urged the roughness of the road, the
length of tune it would take, the fatigue for a lady, and
so on. These paltry difficulties were laid aside, and they
were informed that they were labouring under a complete
imsapprehension when they deposed to Mr. M. having, on
parting, given them a charge not to take us up the moun-
tain. Also that we would run the risk of the rudeness of
the people, another bugbear wherewith they had tried to
frighten us. Finally they were sent away, with a few
honeyed words as to their own weight and importance,
which produced a promise that they would do their
utmost.
The next morning, after breakfast, the yaconins re-
appeared, declaring that they did not think we could go
up the mountain. There is, unfortunately, but one path
by which an ascent of the rugged steep can be made.
This path is closed at nearly the beginning of the ascent
by a temple, through the gates of which one must pass,
and here it is that the difficulty presents itself, for the
priests will allow admittance to no foreigners. A good
deal of the previous evening's conversation had to be gone
through again, the yaconins raising objections, which
were immediately knocked down, and at last going off
with the promise of doing their very best, and of waiting
for us at the temple gates, whither we were to repair in
about half-an-hoiu:.
We were not very sanguine, but set off at the time
appointed, and rode for some distance through lanes and
fields, till we came to the foot of the mountain. Here the
road became a stone staircase between houses and gardens.
Higher up were a few poor-looking shops, principally for
472 JAPAN.
the sale of rosaries* and amidets. Nowhere, but in Japan,
would one dream of riding up and down such places.
About two miles from Isebara we reached the temple,
found the gate closed, and a du-ty white curtain, with
crests (supposed to be those of the patron Daimios of
the temple) embroidered, or applique with cloth, we
were not near enough to distmguish which, in black
upon it. I do not know whether the curtam was drawn
a^ a kind of reiteration of refusal to open the gates, but
it looked Hke it. Here we found the yaconins, seated,
and arguing with the priests' ambassador. It was not
the chief priest himself, though speaking with authority
and by command of the latter. The yaconins had been
unable, though vowing they had tried eloquence, bribery,
and threats, to obtain adnuttance for us as yet, but they
hoped, if we would wait a httle time, that their persua-
siveness might prevail So there we sat, being stared at
by gaping crowds, not possessed of high intellectual
attainments, to judge from their countenances, for two
long houi's. The priests, two or three of whom had joined
their brother, now appearing to waver, particularly if we
made any show of leaving, and then again returning to
their emphatic refusals. At the end of two hours it was
too late for us to think of starting, even had we been
allowed permission. This was, I beheve, what the priests
were aiming at the whole time, being afraid to refuse us
absolutely, but takmg care to keep us outside the gates
* These rosaries were of the rudest and commonest description,
made either of seeds strung together, or of bits of very small reed, cut
in lengths of ahotit an inch, and strung together with glass seeds and
beads between them,
VIEW OF FUSIYAMA. 473
until we must of ourselves give up the attempt. I wish
we could even have succeeded in passing the gates, had we
been obhged to return at once after doing so, for it might
have paved the way for others following in our footsteps.
We might have gone round a long, rough way, and
attamed a certain height above the temple, but were
assured that it would be unsafe to exasperate the priests
by doing so. We had, therefore, nothmg left us but to
go back to our tea-house and our disappointment. It is
on such occasions as this that one suffers so much from
ignorance of the language of the country. The yaconina
might have been doing their best, or they might not ;
but whichever it was, we had no means of judging.
It was no use making another attempt, so the next
day we left Isebara early. It was a lovely morning, and
we had a beautiful view of Fusiyama, ' that aerial spectre
revealed in the glow of the great golden dawn,' just as
we were leaving the town. At first one hardly noticed
it, for the base of the cone was covered with clouds, as
was the summit with snow, and the breadth of cloud the
eye must traverse before reaching tliis snowy peak was so
great, that it seemed almost unpossible to believe it was
the cone-shaped mountain-top, and not a vision, or fancy-
born illusion. As the sky grew clearer, however, and the
colour of it deepened, the snowy peak stood out against
it, as only snow-peaks can, — clear, sharp, cold, and
beautifvil.
We had a dehghtful twelve miles' ride before luncheon,
tlu-ough well-farmed land and shady lanes. We were
rather delayed on our road, in consequence of having to
cross two branches of a river, of which the delta was so
474 JAPAN.
deep and marshy, that the horses had to be led round
some distance to a boat, not being able to cross a plank,
which was our substitute for a broken bridge. Yotzia
was the name of our halting -place — a large village,
hardly to be called a town. We had but eight miles
to ride in the evening, so stayed here a few hours,
enjoying the pleasant, perfumed shade of a small pine-
wood at the other side of some fields near the tea-house,
where we sat discussing ' men and manners,' to the evident
edification of a crowd of natives, prmcipally remarkable
for the extraordinary liideousness which marked every
individual of them. The mortahty among the natives in
this country must be very great to account for the fact
that the population is decreasing ratlier than increasing,
for we never saw a crowd where four at least out of every
five composing it, whether man, woman, or child, had not
a baby on their backs.
Our evening eight miles was to take us, vid the * Httle
Tokaido,' to Katasee. The ' httle Tokaido ' is a ' king's
highway,' alias a made road, running nearly parallel with
the Tokaido, and passing through Fugisawa — a large
town, not bearmg the best reputation as to the character
of its inhabitants, who are, for the most part, of much the
same stamp as the inhabitants of Sinagawa, on the great
T^okaido. There was a marked difference in the appear-
ance and manner of the crowds, who followed while we
were passing through this town, to those of crowds, not
so great perhaps, but quite as curious, to whom we had
been a strange and wonderful sight further inland among
the country people. Here nearly all the men put on an
insolent, scowling expression when they saw us, very
EXQUISITE WOOD-CARVING. 475
much like the looks cast upon us by the followers of
Daimios in the streets of Yedo and Sinagawa. A tribe of
children followed us, shouting out ' Feringhee ! feringhee 1 '
and making an almost deafenuig clatter by the noise of
their wooden sabots.
We had been advised to stop, if possible, to see some
very fine temples at Fugisawa, but unfortunately we had
no interpreter with us. So we went straight on to Katasee,
approaching nearer to the coast, which at Katasee is only
two miles distant.
On a hill, close behind our very comfortable, clean
tea-house, there stood some fine wooden gateways and
temples, to which we climbed early next morning. In
the porch of the first temple, a small one, and the gateway
leading to it, there was some exquisite wood-carving ;
birds, such as hawks or eagles, storks and quails, among
trees, and floral designs, most perfectly cut. The mside
of the temple was just hke all others. A vast amoimt
of gilduig and tawdry artificial flowers hung about.
The walls were decorated with rude pictures, apparently
votive offerings. A steep flight of steps behind the
temple led us to a shrine, in which there was nothing to
be seen, past a cottage, where a woman was making and
drying in the sun some extremely uninviting-looking
cake or sweet-meat, up a very steep, narrow path to the
top of the hill, whence we had a grand view over the
country, and the harbour of Yokohama in the distance.
The day was a little hazy, but not sufficiently so to pre-
vent our seeing the tliick column of smoke issurag from
the active volcano on Vries Island. It is a well-kno-wn
landmark for vessels coming into the bay, and is seen for
476 JAPAN.
miles away. The island itself is between 2000 and 3000
feet in height. Enoshima, a sacred island, covered with
temples, and inhabited by semi-barbarous fishermen, lay
almost at our feet. We were bound thither ; and, after
taking a bird's-eye view of the country generally, and our
destination in particular, we descended the liill, mounted
our horses, and proceeded on our way.
Enoshima is hardly an island, properly so called, for it
is not entirely surrounded by water except at liigh tide,
being connected with the mainland by a broad plain of
sand. But even at low tide, it bears all the appearance
of an island, standing up, green and wooded, in the midst
of the surrounding sandy flat. There is hardly a square
inch of naturally level ground on the island. We left our
horses at the foot of the liill, and followed a steep and
narrow-paved street, with shops on either side, to one of
the principal temples. The yaconins had brought a
norimon for me to be carried up in, but the islanders,
fishermen-priests, or priestly fishermen, I don't know
which, would not allow it to be taken more than about
fifty yards up the road. Tliis was not a subject of much
regret, for walking was a less evil than being carried in
what must surely have been at first invented as an in-
strument of torture. Where houses and temples are not,
trees abound on the island. Of the houses nearly every
one is a shop, for the sale of all manner of quaint things
made out of shells, just like any fishing-village at home,
where cocks and hens bristle in all the glory of scallops,
glued on to ear-shells, and conchologists are tortured by
beholding fine ' specimens ' cleaned and polished, and,
worse than all, deprived of their operculums. Some of
ENOSHIMA. 477
these tilings, sucli as screens, shrines, and little tripedal
salt-cellars, were really pretty; also some glass-cases,
with a tree made of dried seaweed, and blossoms in tiny
pink shells, covering the branches, with long-tailed phea-
sants, and other less recognisable poultry, roosting on the
boughs, or pecking in the ground beneath.
We ascended higher, till we reached some of the
largest temples, standing on an open plain near the edge
of the cliff. There was notliing particular about these,
and most of them had suffered a good deal in the typhoon,
which occurred while we were at Yedo. A little shed
belonging to a tea-house stood near, on the very edge
of the cliff, and mider its shelter, we sat and rested before
recommencing our ascent, enjoying the beautiful view,
and bargaining for quamt pictures of the god of this
temple, and Httle images in gilt, about the thickness of
a visiting card, which are enclosed in small cases, opening
like triptych s, and said, by the priests who sell them, to
be charms against misfortune at sea.
Up again we went for some distance, and at last
arrived at the top of the island, where was another cleared
space, larger than that below, siuTounding another temple.
Standing in this space, in front of the building, were some
fine bronzes, and a flat stone portal, carved in a very
good pattern of circles and squares interlaced. One of
the bronzes was very curious. It was a water-tank,
standing on rocks, upon, and creeping from beneath
which, were several tortoises or tiu'tles, of all sizes and in
all attitudes. At first we thought this was stone. It
was moss-grown and mud-encrusted, and bore every ap-
pearance of extreme age, and so little resembled bronze,
478 JAPAN.
that not until accidentally struck by somebody's wliip,
did we ascertain it to be so.
The houses, shops, and temples ceased here, and we
descended to the other side of the island, sometimes by a
narrow path, sometimes by steps, till we arrived at rough
rocks, overlooking and rising out of the sea. We scrambled
over these, and eventually found ourselves at the entrance
to some caves, which we entered, and soon came upon a
very scrubby-looking priest, sitting on a rock near some
little stone Bhudhas. He was supposed to be the porter,
through whom alone access might be obtained to the
inner depths of the cave, by his opening the great
wooden gates, which he used not to do until he had
extorted what he regarded as a sufficient remuneration.
But alas for the impotence of himianity ! a giant, in the
form of typhoon-lashed waves, had, in one short night,
overcome the puny resistance offered to their onward
progress, and had broken down the strong beams and
bars, and left them, a heap of shattered boards, far within
that cave which they were estabhshed to defend. The
extortioner, their master, sat disconsolate, contemplating
the sad ruin, and thankful for anything, however small,
bestowed upon him by visitors or worshippers.
We had not been here long before three dimmutive
urchins, springing, as it seemed, from the bowels of the
earth, rushed forward, and volimteered to escort us through
the narrow passages. They each produced a small lamp,
of the ancient classical form (like a dumpy teapot, with
its spout preternatiu"ally elongated, and turned up the
wrong way), which seems admirably adapted for producing
the largest possible amount of smoke, with the least
JUVENILE GUIDES. 471)
possible modicum of light, and an abominable smell.
These they hghted, and then led us through low, narrow,
damp passages, very muddy and very shppery, for some
distance. They halted before a platform hewn out of the
rock, standing on which were two or three small gods, to
unbelievers hardly worth the trouble it cost to reach them.
We were for retracing our steps after this, but our juvenile
guides would not hear of our returning direct, and con-
ducted us through more narrow, damp passages, till we
stood before another rock-hewn platform, with a shrine
upon it. In front of this, carved in the rock, were two
admirably executed snakes, with most fierce-looking eyes
and open jaws, botli brilliantly coloured. There were a
few small gods placed on stones in other parts of this
passage. In one or two places bas-rehefs, carved on the
walls, represented apparently scenes from the history of
some of the deities.
On our return to the rocks and open air, it was sug-
gested that one of the fishing-boats, of which several were
cruising about near, might be induced to take us round
the island, thus saving a tedious walk, and seeing more
of its exterior. The yaconins were sent to negotiate, which
resulted in our being soon seated in one of the boats and
paddled between rocks covered ^vith very smaU oysters,
through beautifully clear, deep-blue water, back to where
we had left our horses. Thence we rode along the shore,
for three or four miles, to Dibutz — a village, or rather
small town, that takes its name from the enormous bronze
Bhudha known by the name of ' Dibutz,' which is one of
the principal hons of Japan. Here we were looking
forward to finding luncheon, and had, moreover, agreed
480 JAPAN.
that we should be much better able to appreciate the
wonderful image after half-an-hour's or an hour's rest,
than if we went straight on from Enoshima. Disappoint-
ment, therefore, conveys but a faint idea of om^ feelings
on arrival at findmg no bettoes, no servants, no lunch !
The two last had gone on to Kamakura, a couple of miles
further, where we were to sleep. Where the bettoes
were no one knew. There was nothing eatable to be had
here, and so a messenger was despatched to brmg back
food from Kamakura, and meantime the gentlemen set to
work to tie up and feed the horses. They seemed to
think themselves as ill-used and as much to be pitied as
their masters, when some very dry, chopped straw, and
still drier beans, mixed with water, were set before them,
which apparently had the advantage of lasting a long
time, for the poor animals could hardly crmich them, and
appeared to regard the arrangements made for them as
unsatisfactory in the extreme. There was a stove in the
tea-house covered with roasted chesnuts, upon a large
portion of which we laid violent hands, and then set off
to see the great Dibutz,
We tmiied off the highroad, and, leaving the houses
almost immediately, followed a lane, with beautiful hi-
biscus hedges, for about a quarter of a mile, when we
arrived at a gateway, surrounded on all sides by trees
and shrubs. This was the entrance to an avenue, and as
soon as we were inside the gate, my father and I being
novices, were made to shut our eyes, while walking about
a hundred yards, that the full glory of the image might
burst upon us at once. On opening them, we beheld at
the end of the avenue a grand, colossal figure in bronze,
THE GREAT DIBUTZ. 481
of ' Bhudha in contemplation.' I have never seen any
Bhudha equal to it in power of expression. The ' hsten-
ing god ' is truly represented, and there is infinite grandeur
in the calm majesty and repose of this god-hke figure.
Looking up to the face when close under it, the eyes
from beneath the lowered Uds leave an impression on the
mind, that they belong to some superior, magnificent
being, who from another sphere is contemplating, with a
mixture of sternness and tenderness, the vices and follies
of this little world and its inhabitants — his worshippers.
As far as a,ge is concerned, Dibutz cannot be brought into
comparison with those marvels of ancient Egypt and
ancient India, which represent the deities of their re-
spective people. But for beauty and expression I have
seen nothing (not even the Sphinx itself) that can compare
with this glorious bronze image.. The situation, too, is so
well chosen. I can fancy nothing more calculated to in-
spire an imaginative people with rehgious awe, than the
presence of such a figure at the end of this silent avenue
of high, thick trees, behind which rise forest-clad hills in
solemn beauty, and with nothing else near to distract the
thoughts from this one object.
As a work of art alone — I mean, looking at it simply
as a figure, not as the image of a god — Dibutz is wonder-
ful. The proportions are so well regulated, that at first