Identifier: lifelightforwoma29woma (find matches)
Title: Life and light for woman
Year: 1873 (1870s)
Authors: Woman's Board of Missions
Subjects: Congregational churches
Publisher: (Boston : Woman's Boards of Missions
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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opportunity to see the god. We filed in and seated ourselves Turk style upon the matting. Beforeus were an urn of burning incense, various images of Buddha, designed tobe carried in processions, hideous images whose duty is to guard the idols,great bouquets of chrysanthemums,—the Emperors flower,—and otherthings all made of bronze, gold, or other expensive material. In the centerof all hung a curtain of gold brocade. The priest knelt down at one side,and after various ceremonies pulled a string, and the curtain rolled upslowly. We saw another curtain and a mirror in front of it, which isoften used in connection with Buddhist worship, signifying, I believe, thereflected brightness of Buddha. Then the second curtain was rolled up,and we saw Buddha represented as a woman. (Buddha is represented ina great variety of forms.) The image is a little less than life size, made ofblack bronze, and there is beautiful work around and behind it in goldbronze, 1899-^ PEN PICTURES FROM JAPAN. 429
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Publishedbf the ABCFM.I SoHcnacT %j BosTon 1895. 430 LIFE AND LIGHT. \^Septemher^ When the curtains were let down, tea was served to us in tiny cups.Think of drinking tea in a sacred Buddhist temple ! The payment of afew sen gave each of us some chrysanthemums from the sacred bouquets.In a kind of recess outside this temple was Jasu, the childrens god. Veiynear was the little temple of the god of punishment, where people go toprav that they may escape punishment. The walls were hung with picturesthat would do for illustrations of Dantes Inferno. I must not take time for any more descriptions of the Shiba temples.The whole region is a beautiful garden, with numerous temple enclosures.The wood carvings of birds, animals, and flowers were exquisite. Thewood is carved, and then covered with lacquer in various colors, much ofit gold. Some of the idols remind one of the ceiling of a country schoolhouse,for thev are plasteied with wads of paper which are written prayers chewedup. If the pape

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