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Lafcadio Hearn. Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan: Second Series
Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan: Second Series
Table of Contents
1 IN A JAPANESE GARDEN. 2 THE HOUSEHOLD SHRINE. 3 OF WOMEN'S HAIR. 4 FROM THE DIARY OF AN ENGLISH TEACHER. 5 TWO STRANGE FESTIVALS. 6 BY THE JAPANESE SEA. 7 OF A DANCING-GIRL. 8 FROM HOKI TO OKI. 9 OF SOULS. 10 OF GHOSTS AND GOBLINS. 11 THE JAPANESE SMILE. 12 SAYONARA! Chapter One
Chapter Two The Household Shrine
Chapter Three Of Women's Hair
Chapter Four From the Diary of an English Teacher
CHAPTER FIVE Two Strange Festivals
Chapter Six By the Japanese Sea
CHAPTER SEVEN Of a Dancing-Girl
CHAPTER EIGHT From Hoki to Oki
Chapter Nine Of Souls
CHAPTER TEN Of Ghosts and Goblins
SCENE 1.—A beautiful peasant girl and her aged mother, squatting together at home. Mother weeps violently, gesticulates agonisingly. From her frantic speech, broken by wild sobs, we learn that the girl must be sent as a victim to the Kami-Sama of some lonesome temple in the mountains. That god is a bad god. Once a year he shoots an arrow into the thatch of some farmer's house as a sign that he wants a girl—to eat! Unless the girl be sent to him at once, he destroys the crops and the cows. Exit mother, weeping and shrieking, and pulling out her grey hair. Exit girl, with downcast head, and air of sweet resignation. SCENE II.—Before a wayside inn; cherry-trees in blossom. Enter coolies carrying, like a palanquin, a large box, in which the girl is supposed to be. Deposit box; enter to eat; tell story to loquacious landlord. Enter noble samurai, with two swords. Asks about box. Hears the story of the coolies repeated by loquacious landlord. Exhibits fierce indignation; vows that the Kami-Sama are good—do not eat girls. Declares that so-called Kami-Sama to be a devil. Observes that devils must be killed. Orders box opened. Sends girl home. Gets into box himself, and commands coolies under pain of death to bear him right quickly to that temple. SCENE III.—Enter coolies, approaching temple through forest at night. Coolies afraid. Drop box and run. Exeunt coolies. Box alone in the dark. Enter veiled figure, all white. Figure moans unpleasantly; utters horrid cries. Box remains impassive. Figure removes veil, showing Its face—a skull with phosphoric eyes. [Audience unanimously utter the sound 'Aaaaaa!'] Figure displays Its hands—monstrous and apish, with claws. [Audience utter a second 'Aaaaaa!'] Figure approaches the box, touches the box, opens the box! Up leaps noble samurai. A wrestle; drums sound the roll of battle. Noble samurai practises successfully noble art of ju-jutsu. Casts demon down, tramples upon him triumphantly, cuts off his head. Head suddenly enlarges, grows to the size of a house, tries to bite off head of samurai. Samurai slashes it with his sword. Head rolls backward, spitting fire, and vanishes. Finis. Exeunt omnes
CHAPTER ELEVEN The Japanese Smile
CHAPTER TWELVE Sayonara!
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Lafcadio Hearn
Published by Good Press, 2022
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Several lovely species of dragon-flies (tombo) hover about the pondlet on hot bright days. One variety—the most beautiful creature of the kind I ever saw, gleaming with metallic colours indescribable, and spectrally slender—is called Tenshi-tombo, 'the Emperor's dragon-fly.' There is another, the largest of Japanese dragon-flies, but somewhat rare, which is much sought after by children as a plaything. Of this species it is said that there are many more males than females; and what I can vouch for as true is that, if you catch a female, the male can be almost immediately attracted by exposing the captive. Boys, accordingly, try to secure a female, and when one is captured they tie it with a thread to some branch, and sing a curious little song, of which these are the original words:
Konna [30] dansho Korai o
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