Diary

ReadAboutContentsHelp

Pages

26
Needs Review

26

12 The view from the Yaami's Hotel on a fine day would be very grand. On our way to the hotel we went to see the Great Bell. The temple is called Chionin. When the bell rings, it shakes the whole hotel. In the temple a priest was beating a drum & praying aloud. This is public penance, & only done in atonement for some serious fault. Our afternoon was charming and we finished by visiting a good pottery Kinko San. A vase of silver, gilt temptedme. & If it had been smaller we would have taken it at once 40 yen. It was the only piece I ever saw of that kind with a silver ground. The cloisonnee is more expensive than at Nagoya. We got home about 6 o'clcok and felt every hour had been a joy. A fine morning. Mr. and Miss Hartshorne, 13 Dr. and Mrs. Chill we met at breakfast which we had early at 8:30 so we got out soon after nine The first visit was the [?] Palace first and saw it. The screens are very well painted. One of wild geese we admired very much indeed. Indeed the brass work & the painting is most marvellous. All in perfect taste. Nothing but mats

Last edit over 2 years ago by LoriF
27
Needs Review

27

in most of the rooms. The ceilings were very beautiful. The idea of colour has been well thought out and with the screens painted on a gold ground with hugh [huge] trees in one room, a pine with birds upon its branches was so delicate, the carvings on brass plated with gold are most exquisite. Always a sort of water garden seems necessary to a Japanese landscape. We after went to see the Castle. The inside gate is carved with storks on one side & peacocks on the other. In fact the approach is very fine but at present the only furniture is a seat or rather throne with fine [word scribbled out? maybe scarlet] purple hangings of silk. The matting is so white and attractive but if the Emperor ever comes here he must bring his furniture with him. The Japanese gardening is strange to us. A lake with islands and stone bridge. The shrubs are cut in shapes. Never a dead branch, funny patterns. We do not understand gardening from their point of view. We got back to the Hotel at 12:30 after a pleasant morning. After luncheon or rather tiffin as it is called here, we went out again, this time Hirano Jinja, a purely Shinto temple with pictures

Last edit over 2 years ago by LoriF
28
Needs Review

28

representing the 36 Geniuses. There are 5 chapels. The annual festival is on the 2nd of May. The flowering cherry trees are all named. After this we went on to the Daitokuji. Here again the carving deserves great praise but every detail is here complete. No temple is said to have a greater number of Kakemonos some of great value, a set of screens that divide room from room were painted by Kano Tan-yu & great valued. A sepia drawing of a man leading a monkey occupies the whole of a small room and is famous. Kinkakuji comes next and here again the gardens and islands with many carp who come to be fed. A pavilion stands facing south on the edge of the lake but is not worth visiting as the lacquer and gilding are all spoiled. A tree here, a pine, is trained on bamboo until it represents a Chinese junk sail and rudder & we had a long drive and came back rather tired as the road was rough. A letter from Mary Peard, they are all well. Her letter was dated 24 of Sept. [in margin:]14 Sunday We had breakfast early and so

Last edit over 2 years ago by LoriF
29
Needs Review

29

started our day at 9:15. We went first to the largest temple in Japan and saw the great Daibutsu a plain wooden statue with out any points. The great bell is rung by a sort of battering ram. The bell is 14 feet high weighing over 63 tons. Koshoji is a large temple and Yosaka pagoda is very fine. The woods near this are very beautiful and a queer little street with earthenware dolls and gifts for children is the main road to the temple. We felt we had seen a great deal when we got home at 1:30. The museum is very fine and well laid out. All that is shown is very good. In the afternoon bought a lovely ivory box with quail carved all over it. We also saw the Daitokuji Temple belonging to the Zen sect of Buddhists. A full description is found on page 302 of Murray. We liked the Kioto Hotel. The rooms were large clean and very sunny so with a fire we were quite comfortable. We did not go to church as no service is held in English only in Japanese which we would not understand.

Last edit over 2 years ago by LoriF
30
Needs Review

30

[Two images of Japanese women ?geishas: on the left, one in pale green, holding a fan in front of her nose and mouth; on the right, one dressed in an ornate kimono in blue, cream, decorated with leaves and flowers, and edged in red. She is seated or kneeling on a carpet, beside what appears to be a black lacquer trunk.]

Last edit over 2 years ago by LoriF
Displaying pages 26 - 30 of 70 in total