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Updated: June 21, 2025
'Now there is a wasan of Jizo, says Akira, taking from a shelf in the temple alcove some much-worn, blue-covered Japanese book. 'A wasan is what you would call a hymn or psalm. This book is two hundred years old: it is called Saino-Kawara-kuchi-zu-sami-no-den, which is, literally, "The Legend of the Humming of the Sai-no-Kawara."
There is none; only a wooden tablet with a band of white paper attached to it, bearing Japanese characters the name of a dead baby girl and a vase of expiring flowers, a tiny print of Kwannon, the Goddess of Mercy, and a cup filled with ashes of incense. 'Tomorrow, Akira says, 'she will decorate this, and make the offerings of food to the little one.
Now we are going to visit the Dragon cavern, not so called, Akira says, because the Dragon of Benten ever dwelt therein, but because the shape of the cavern is the shape of a dragon. The path descends toward the opposite side of the island, and suddenly breaks into a flight of steps cut out of the pale hard rock exceedingly steep, and worn, and slippery, and perilous overlooking the sea.
From this praying-station we can look into the temple of Beaten, and see that Benten is not there. But I perceive that the ceiling is arranged in caissons; and in a central caisson I discover a very curious painting-a foreshortened Tortoise, gazing down at me. And while I am looking at it I hear Akira and the guide laughing; and the latter exclaims, 'Benten-Sama!
'Akira, I ask, 'it cannot then be lawful, according to Buddhism, for any one to wear silk? 'Assuredly not, replies Akira; 'and by the law of Buddha priests are expressly forbidden to wear silk. Nevertheless. he adds with that quiet smile of his, in which I am beginning to discern suggestions of sarcasm, 'nearly all the priests wear silk.
KOBODAISHI, most holy of Buddhist priests, and founder of the Shingon- sho which is the sect of Akira first taught the men of Japan to write the writing called Hiragana and the syllabary I-ro-ha; and Kobodaishi was himself the most wonderful of all writers, and the most skilful wizard among scribes.
And all the woodwork of the doors and the gratings, both beneath and between the offerings, is covered with a speckling of characters graven or written, which are names of pilgrims. And my companion reads aloud the well-remembered name of AKIRA!
'Kitsune, says Akira 'foxes. So they are, now that I look upon them with knowledge of their purpose; idealised foxes, foxes spiritualised, impossibly graceful foxes. They are chiselled in some grey stone.
I ask Akira what these characters signify: 'Ho-Keng is the sound of the characters in the Chinese; but in Japanese the same characters are pronounced Kenjitatetmatsuru, and signify that those towels are mostly humbly offered to Benten. They are what you call votive offerings. And there are many kinds of votive offerings made to famous shrines.
And these little ark-shaped houses really seem toy-houses; that in which Akira lives is even smaller than the rest, having no shop in it, and no miniature second story. It is all closed up.
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