NIKKO, THE MAGNIFICENT
Before the end of the week, came a letter from Mrs. Craig urging them
all to join her in the mountains near the famous temples of Nikko. "I
have been unable to find you a proper house," she wrote, "but I think
you can be very comfortable at one of the inns. I would my own cottage
were larger so I could take you all in, but I shall insist upon having
Nan and Mary Lee at least. Eleanor gets lonely and begs that they
will not disappoint her. You know the old saying, 'Do not say _kekko_
till you have seen Nikko,' meaning that you are not to call any spot
magnificent until you have been up here."
Mrs. Craig's letter was followed by one from Eleanor herself. She
clamored for her college mates, using every persuasive word and every
argument in her power, till they felt it would be fairly wicked not to
accept.
For some reason Mr. Harding seemed almost as eager as Eleanor, lending
his arguments to hers till finally the girls wrote to say that they
would come and Miss Helen decided that they would trust to Mrs.
Craig's declaration that the rest could be well housed near by.
"We must keep it a dead secret from Mr. Warner," declared Jack, "for
the first thing you know he will bob up serenely with that ridiculous
helmet of his and that pongee coat. If I see any one up there wearing
the likes, I know I shall faint on the spot, for I shall believe it is
Sylvanus Warner reincarnated. Such a name, Sylvanus; it makes me tired."
"He will think we are going back to Tokyo to stay, so we must get off
before he gets on to the plan," remarked Jean.
"We will leave a polite little note," said Nan, "telling him that we
are going to visit and travel and then when we get back to Tokyo we
will let him know. Then we must make up our minds not to come back to
Tokyo but to keep on to Kyoto which we must see."
"But it will be hot there," complained Jean, "for it is even further
south."
"Oh, well, never mind; we can't stay in the mountains forever, and
after being up there and getting back some of our lost energy we ought
to be able to stand Kyoto for a while, anyhow," Nan decided.
Mr. Harding bade them good-bye the next day with more cheerfulness than
Jack felt was exactly flattering. Nan thought that there was a touch
of expectancy in his parting words to her. "I shall see you soon again,
I hope," he said. "I am so very glad that you will be with Eleanor and
Aunt Nora." Nan, however, kept her own counsel and did not speculate
aloud upon what he might have meant her to infer.
Mr. Warner attached himself to their party when they returned to Tokyo,
and no one seemed to mind very much, for, as Jack said, "It is always
well to have a man around when you take a journey, even if he is a
Silly Billy."
"I wonder if they called him Sylly for short when he was a little boy,"
said Jean, which was pretty good for her.
"They might just as appropriately have called him Vainy," returned
Jack; and Sylly Vainy they dubbed him from that time out.
There was only a short halt in Tokyo, and then the start was made for
the mountain retreat in the lovely highlands of Nippon. This meant a
journey of about a hundred miles by rail, over a well-managed road. At
various stations on the way, one could get from boys, only too eager
for customers, well-packed luncheons, put up in attractive boxes, so a
dining-car could be dispensed with.
"This seems quite like Europe," said Nan nibbling at her broiled
chicken, "but I wish I had something to drink; one doesn't dare to try
unboiled water in this country." Her wish was soon granted, for almost
immediately came a boy with a little earthen pot of tea and a cup which
he offered for the modest sum of two cents, pouring on hot water from a
steaming kettle he carried.
On, past rice fields, once in a while catching glimpses of vast forests
of cryptomeria, they journeyed to Nikko where they were met by Eleanor
and the colonel to receive the warmest of greetings and to be hurried
on to the mountain inn where four of the party were to stay.
"We will come to Nikko itself another day," the colonel said. "You
will find enough to interest you in this region, I am sure. If you
feel historically inclined, there are the temples and shrines rich
with suggestions of Iyeyasu, than whom is no greater character in all
Japanese chronicles. His tomb is here as well as that of his successor,
Iemitsu. If you want splendor in the way of temples you have but to
visit those erected to his memory. Then if your mood is for natural
beauties, we can show you such waterfalls and cascades, such streams
and lakes and rocky precipices, forests and glens that ought to satisfy
the most ardent nature lover."
This all sounded very alluring and the whole party congratulated
themselves that they had not left out this part of the country from
their trip.
The Craigs' house was built on the Japanese plan with matted floors,
and screened partitions. The entire front could be opened to the day,
but at night it could be shut in by the wooden amado. An entrancing
garden was kept in order by a Japanese gardener who devised miniature
lakes and forests, rockeries and waterfalls, so that the whole was a
most unique and delightful place at any hour of the day. Even in wet
weather one could find protection under a most artistic summer-house,
built of bamboo and supporting vines in flower.
The air was fresh and cool, a great relief after the sultriness of
Tokyo, and a warm bath was ready, the water being brought through
bamboo pipes. Then there was tea in the little pagoda and afterward
all walked over to see how those at the inn were getting along. They
were found to be in a state of entire content, in cool, pleasant rooms
overlooking a charming garden, a verandah running along in front of
their windows giving them a sheltered place to sit if they preferred
seclusion.
"We are all going to see the temples the first thing to-morrow,"
announced Eleanor, "so you must all be ready."
"I can scarcely wait," declared Nan, "for I have dreamed of them ever
since I began to study up on Japan. I hope you will all sleep well, so
as to be in condition for our wonderful day."
"Sleeping on mats and hearing every least sound through paper
partitions may not be conducive to sleep," returned her Aunt Helen,
"but we shall do our best. What are we to see first, colonel?"
"The river and the Sacred Bridge would be the most natural in line
of progression," returned he. "I am sure you will not exhaust the
neighborhood in a long while, so we are hoping to keep you for many
weeks."
"The more I hear, the more there seem to rise up new objects to marvel
at," said Nan. "I have just heard of a wonderful cavern in the side
of an extinct volcano. The Two-Storm Mountain they called it because
of the fearful tempests that came spring and fall, but a great saint
quelled the storm devils and now it is called Nikko-San, which means
the Mountain of the Sun's Brightness. Isn't that a nice tale? I am
trying to write down all the legends I hear, but there is such a
bewildering number of them that I know some will get away before I have
them safely captured."
The cool, mountain breezes made every one so sleepy that conversation
lagged at an early hour and no one was inclined to sit up late that
night, but there was not one who was not the better for the long
night's rest and who was not eager to start out promptly the next
morning.
"And so that is the Sacred Bridge, the red lacquer bridge over which
none but the emperor may pass," said Mrs. Corner looking at the famous
structure which spanned the torrent. "It is really beautiful against
the rich green, isn't it? Who but Japanese would ever think of building
a red lacquer bridge? But somehow it suits the landscape."
"The scarlet arch," murmured Nan thoughtfully. "Tell us something about
it." She turned to the colonel.
"I should have to give you a long dissertation on Iyeyasu and the
Tokugawa which I think would probably bore you all. We'd better wait
till some rainy day for that."
"So I can make notes and not find my eyes and thoughts wandering as
they would have to do now," returned Nan.
Jack was looking in her guide-book. "It is eighty-four feet across,"
she gave the information, "and it is said that the wood is in as good
condition as when it was put there something like two hundred and forty
years ago."
They left the scarlet arch to go on to the great grove of cryptomerias
where stood the sacred temples. Many there were, large and small.
Shrines and images, pagodas and gray stone lanterns were scattered
throughout the wood, and wonderful some of these were, showing such
richness of color, wonders in bronze and lacquer, marvels in gilt and
white and black, miracles of design and splendor of ornament. It was
all too bewildering to be taken in at one time, and they all agreed
that one could get only a general impression upon a first view.
"We shall want to come many, many times," Miss Helen declared. "With
such an embarrassment of riches one is left in a state of helpless
amaze."
"It is by far the finest thing we have seen yet." Mary Lee was sure as
to her opinion.
"I suppose every professor at college will be asking me my impressions
and will be insisting upon a detailed description, when I get back,"
said Jack. "I shall have to learn pages of the guide-books for I shall
never get a perfectly clear idea of it. I can hear myself saying
lamely, 'Oh, it is all gilt and lacquer and there are dragons and queer
beasts over everything.'"
"Such a very lucid description," said Jean contemptuously. "I shall try
to make as clear a study as possible and take only a little at a time,
one shrine, or a part of one temple."
"Good!" cried Jack, "then I can copy yours." It was exactly what Jack
would do. She always economized time by taking advantage of Jean's
plodding methods, and arrived at much more brilliant results thereby.
"We haven't seen the five hundred Buddhas," said Nan as they left the
temples. "I read about them and it is said that they are so elusive
that no two persons ever decide upon the same number when counting
them."
"Oh, do let's go find them," cried Jack, this being in the manner of a
game particularly appealing to her.
They came back to the bridge and climbed up the hillside by a flight
of stone steps. Before them were more shrines and holy pagoda-like
edifices. Mary Lee and Jean discovered the stone which marks the
resting place of the great shogun's favorite horse. They lingered by
the spot, Mary Lee reading aloud from her book. "The horse was at last
turned loose on the hillside," she told Jean, "and had a long life of
freedom here under the trees."
These two presently caught up with the others who were standing near a
long row of queer stone images.
"These are the Buddhas," announced Jack.
"Did you ever see such a strong family resemblance as they bear to one
another? I have counted them twice, but can't make anything like five
hundred. The spray keeps them always moist and that is why they have
gathered moss, like other individuals who stay in one place."
"One does seem to have been seized with a _wanderlust_," cried Nan.
"Come here, Jack. There is one at the foot of the hill. I remember
reading how he broke away from his companions once when he was afraid
of a terrible storm. He tried to reach the village, but didn't quite
get there."
They wandered about over the hillside till some one declared it must be
time for lunch, and then Mrs. Craig announced that they were to make a
picnic of this meal and were to find a silver lake where they were to
be met by the servants with the hamper, and where they could rest and
enjoy the lovely scene.
"What a delightful surprise," cried Miss Helen, as they suddenly espied
the fair lake from a turn in the road, which they had just made. "Is
this our picnic ground?"
"It is, and I hope you like it," Mrs. Craig answered. "Chuzenji Lake it
is called. It is one of my favorite spots and is rather a relief after
the gorgeousness of the temples."
"It is just that, sylvan quiet and perfect peace. One could lie here by
the sands and think many thoughts."
The servants were bustling around unobtrusively and presently had
an appetizing meal spread. They had brought a _hibachi_ with which
they could do wonders in preparing eggs, tea and various other things
grateful to tired sightseers. There was much talk of the old legends
and of later historical tales, the colonel waxing eloquent upon the
subject of the great Iyeyasu who founded the Tokugawa Shogunate which
continued almost to the present century.
"Iyeyasu died in 1616," the colonel told them, "and the present emperor
came into power in 1868. Iyeyasu boasted of having fought ninety
battles. He nearly destroyed Christianity and closed the door of Japan
upon foreign nations. He was really a great man for he accomplished
much, and although we must condemn many of his acts, we can but admire
the man's tremendous force and strength of character. It was his
request that his body should be brought to Nikko where were the most
magnificent temples in the country. He is supposed to return to earth
once a year to ride in that fine lacquered vehicle which brought his
body hither. Some day when we get better acquainted with him and when
you have become more familiar with the splendors of the various temples
we will come and look at the relics of Iyeyasu."
"I get so dreadfully mixed up on the religions. I thought all the
Chinese and Japanese were followers of Confucius," said Jean.
"Shinto is the legalized religion," the colonel told her. "It is
ancestor worship, to describe it briefly, but you will find that the
doctrines of Confucius are accepted as philosophies rather than as
religious dogmas. Shintoism means 'the way of the gods.' To quote
one writer, 'it is a mixture of nature worship and the worship of
ancestors.' It has its own mythological gods, heroes and traditions.
The god, Izanagi, and the goddess, Isanami, are supposed to be the
parents of the Japanese Islands. The great Sun-goddess, who is the
supreme deity, was born from Izanagi's left eye. The Shinto temples
are very simple compared to those of the Buddhists who introduced
their religion into the country about the sixth century. There are
several sects of Buddhists. There is the Shin-shu and the Jodo-shu,
for instance, and though all these sects differ on minor points they
agree upon the more important ones. Buddhist temples are often built
in isolated spots, upon the mountains or in deep valleys, while the
Shin sect erect their places of worship principally in the cities. One
would have to make a pretty deep study of all these different beliefs
to understand the differences, or indeed to understand just what is the
belief of any one sect. If you go in for folk-lore it will be necessary
for you to get some slight notion, at least, of the mythology and of
the salient features of the doctrines. There, I have given you a long
lecture, and I shall not tire you out by saying any more."
"It is all very interesting, and makes one want to go deeper into it,"
confessed Nan.
"Very well, any time you come up against a blank wall I will do my
best to open the way for you," said the colonel. "I am by no means an
authority, and have only the veriest smattering of the subject, but I
find it an interesting one, and in my talks with various missionaries,
I have learned something."
"There is something very wonderful about the temple gardens," said Miss
Helen. "I notice that each one has some special form of development.
Here we have the cryptomeria trees as a dominant feature; at Uyeno it
was the cherry trees, and at Kamakura the lotus held sway."
"That is all quite true, and at Kyoto you will find that water is made
to occupy the centre of interest. The gardens of Japan are alone worth
a study. I was surprised, when I first came, to see how one single
material was sometimes worked up in such a way as to give a charming
individuality. In one, garden rocks would be used; in another, there
would be little waterfalls, rills, and aquatic plants; in a third,
you would find certain scenes reproduced in miniature; a little pool
will stand for a lake, the rock in the middle will be an island, the
mountainside will be represented by small inclines planted thickly with
dwarf bushes. Such gardens are often real works of art."
There was much more talk of this kind during the time they were resting
after their meal and then the move was made for a return. "So we can
digest our luncheon and the colonel's lecture at the same time," said
Jack saucily.
"I hope both will agree with you," returned the colonel with a smile.
They returned by way of the town where a new sight caught their amused
attention. An energetic bullock, the motive power of a short railway
line, was seen performing his office of engine quite as a matter of
course, drawing cars along the track at the rate of two miles an hour.
"In this land of Upside-down-ness, that is about the funniest thing I
have seen," declared Jack. "I shall expect to see monkeys acting as
telephone girls and cats doing the postman act."
"There is one thing about the cats here, I notice," said Jean gravely,
"they don't carry tails."
The girls all groaned. "See what pernicious influence can be wrought by
one person," said Mary Lee. "Jean has been associating with Sylly Vainy
for so long that she has borrowed his peculiarities." Which remark
quite settled Jean.
[Illustration: CHAPTER XIII
CRICKETS AND FIREFLIES]