Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Author’s Preface to the English Edition
- The Kanasaka Commentaries
- Unbeaten Tracks in Japan
- Preface
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Letter I: First Impressions • Letter I
- Letter II: The Old and the New • Letter II
- Letter III: Yedo • Letter III
- Letter IV: Chinese and Servants • Letter VI
- Letter V: Worship • Letter VIII
- Letter VI: The Journey Begun • Letter IX
- Letter VI (Continued): From Kasukabé to Nikkô • Letter IX (Continued)
- Letter VII: Kanaya’s House • Letter X
- Letter VIII: Nikkô • Letter XI
- Letter IX: A Watering - Place • Letter XII
- Letter X: Domestic Life • Letter XIII
- Letter X. - (Continued.): Evening Employments • Letter XIII (Continued)
- Letter X. - (Completed): Shopping • Letter XIII (Completed.)
- Letter XL: Scant Costumes • Letter XIV
- Letter XII: Dirt and Disease • Letter XV
- Letter XII-(Concluded): High Farming • Letter XV (Concluded)
- Letter XIII: A Malarious District • Letter XVI
- Letter XIV: Extreme Filthiness • Letter XVII
- Letter XV: A River Journey • Letter XVIII
- Letter XVI: Niigata • Letter XX
- Letter XVII: Discomforts • Letter XXII
- Letter XVIII: A Prosperous District • Letter XXIII
- Letter XIX: A Japanese Doctor • Letter XXIV
- LETTER XX: A FEARFUL DISEASE • LETTER XSN
- LETTER XX.—(Continued?): FUNERAL CEREMONIES • LETTER XXV {Continued)
- Letter XX.—(Concluded): Policemen • Letter XXV (Concluded.)
- Letter XXI: A Hospital Visit • Letter XXVI
- Letter XXII: The Police Force • Letter XXVII
- Letter XXIII: ITO’S Virtues And Faults • Letter XXVIII
- Letter XXIV: A Wedding Ceremony • Letter XXIX
- Letter XXV: A Holiday • Letter XXX
- Letter XXVI: A Narrow Escape • Letter XXXI
- Letter XXVII: Shirasawa • Letter XXXII
- Letter XXVIII: An Inundation • Letter XXXIII
- Letter XXVIII: – (Continued) Children’s Games • Letter XXXIII (Continued)
- Letter XXIX: The Tanabata • Letter XXXIV
- Letter XXX: Popular Superstitions • Letter XXXV
- Letter XXXI: Primitive Simplicity • Letter XXXVI
- Letter XXXII: End of the Journey • Letter XXXVII
- Letter XXXIII: The Mission WorK • Letter XXXVIII
- Letter XXXIV: HakodatÉ • Letter XXXIX
- Letter XXXV: A Change of Scenery • Letter XL
- Letter XXXV.—(continued.): A Meeting • Letter XL (continued.)
- Letter XXXVI: Living with the Ainos • Letter XLI
- Letter XXXVI—(Continued.): Aino Hospitality • Letter XLI (Continued.)
- Letter XXXVII: Savage Life • Letter XLII
- Letter XXXVII.—(Continued.): Costume and Customs • Letter XLII (Continued.)
- Letter XXXVII. -(Continued.): Religion of Ainos • Letter XLII (Continued.)
- Letter XXXVIII: A Tipsy Scene • Letter XLIII
- Letter XXXIX: Visit to a Volcano • Letter XLIV
- Letter XXXIX. — (Continued.): A Wet Trip • Letter XLIV (Continued.)
- Letter XL: A Surprise • Letter XLV
- Letter XL.—(Continued.): Solitude • Letter XLV (Continued.)
- Letter XLI: The Missing Link • Letter XLVI
- Letter XLII: Compliments • Letter XLVIII
- Letter XLIII: A Cyclone • Letter XLIX
- Letter XLIV: Cremation • Letter LIX
- Index
- Mr. Murray's General List of Works
Letter XXV: A Holiday • Letter XXX
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 May 2022
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Author’s Preface to the English Edition
- The Kanasaka Commentaries
- Unbeaten Tracks in Japan
- Preface
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Letter I: First Impressions • Letter I
- Letter II: The Old and the New • Letter II
- Letter III: Yedo • Letter III
- Letter IV: Chinese and Servants • Letter VI
- Letter V: Worship • Letter VIII
- Letter VI: The Journey Begun • Letter IX
- Letter VI (Continued): From Kasukabé to Nikkô • Letter IX (Continued)
- Letter VII: Kanaya’s House • Letter X
- Letter VIII: Nikkô • Letter XI
- Letter IX: A Watering - Place • Letter XII
- Letter X: Domestic Life • Letter XIII
- Letter X. - (Continued.): Evening Employments • Letter XIII (Continued)
- Letter X. - (Completed): Shopping • Letter XIII (Completed.)
- Letter XL: Scant Costumes • Letter XIV
- Letter XII: Dirt and Disease • Letter XV
- Letter XII-(Concluded): High Farming • Letter XV (Concluded)
- Letter XIII: A Malarious District • Letter XVI
- Letter XIV: Extreme Filthiness • Letter XVII
- Letter XV: A River Journey • Letter XVIII
- Letter XVI: Niigata • Letter XX
- Letter XVII: Discomforts • Letter XXII
- Letter XVIII: A Prosperous District • Letter XXIII
- Letter XIX: A Japanese Doctor • Letter XXIV
- LETTER XX: A FEARFUL DISEASE • LETTER XSN
- LETTER XX.—(Continued?): FUNERAL CEREMONIES • LETTER XXV {Continued)
- Letter XX.—(Concluded): Policemen • Letter XXV (Concluded.)
- Letter XXI: A Hospital Visit • Letter XXVI
- Letter XXII: The Police Force • Letter XXVII
- Letter XXIII: ITO’S Virtues And Faults • Letter XXVIII
- Letter XXIV: A Wedding Ceremony • Letter XXIX
- Letter XXV: A Holiday • Letter XXX
- Letter XXVI: A Narrow Escape • Letter XXXI
- Letter XXVII: Shirasawa • Letter XXXII
- Letter XXVIII: An Inundation • Letter XXXIII
- Letter XXVIII: – (Continued) Children’s Games • Letter XXXIII (Continued)
- Letter XXIX: The Tanabata • Letter XXXIV
- Letter XXX: Popular Superstitions • Letter XXXV
- Letter XXXI: Primitive Simplicity • Letter XXXVI
- Letter XXXII: End of the Journey • Letter XXXVII
- Letter XXXIII: The Mission WorK • Letter XXXVIII
- Letter XXXIV: HakodatÉ • Letter XXXIX
- Letter XXXV: A Change of Scenery • Letter XL
- Letter XXXV.—(continued.): A Meeting • Letter XL (continued.)
- Letter XXXVI: Living with the Ainos • Letter XLI
- Letter XXXVI—(Continued.): Aino Hospitality • Letter XLI (Continued.)
- Letter XXXVII: Savage Life • Letter XLII
- Letter XXXVII.—(Continued.): Costume and Customs • Letter XLII (Continued.)
- Letter XXXVII. -(Continued.): Religion of Ainos • Letter XLII (Continued.)
- Letter XXXVIII: A Tipsy Scene • Letter XLIII
- Letter XXXIX: Visit to a Volcano • Letter XLIV
- Letter XXXIX. — (Continued.): A Wet Trip • Letter XLIV (Continued.)
- Letter XL: A Surprise • Letter XLV
- Letter XL.—(Continued.): Solitude • Letter XLV (Continued.)
- Letter XLI: The Missing Link • Letter XLVI
- Letter XLII: Compliments • Letter XLVIII
- Letter XLIII: A Cyclone • Letter XLIX
- Letter XLIV: Cremation • Letter LIX
- Index
- Mr. Murray's General List of Works
Summary
A Holiday Scene—A Matsuri—Attractions of the Revel—Matsuri Cars— Gods and Demons—A Possible Harbour—A Village Forge—Prosperity of Saké Brewers—A “Great Sight.”
TSUGURATA, July
THREE miles of good road thronged with half the people of Kubota, on foot and in kurumas, red vans drawn by horses, pairs of policemen in kurumas, hundreds of children being carried, hundreds more on foot, little girls, formal and precocious looking, with hair dressed with scarlet crêpe and flowers, hobbling toilsomely along on high clogs, groups of men and women, never intermixing, stalls driving a “roaring trade” in cakes and sweetmeats, women making mochi as fast as the buyers ate it, broad rice-fields rolling like a green sea on the right, an ocean of liquid turquoise on the left, the grey roofs of Kubota looking out from their green surroundings, Taiheisan in deepest indigo blocking the view to the south, a glorious day, and a summer sun streaming over all, made up the cheeriest and most, festal scene that I have seen in Japan ; men, women, and children, vans and kurumas, policemen and horsemen, all on their way to a mean-looking town, Minato, the junk port of Kubota, which was keeping matsuri, or festival, in honour of the birthday of the god Shimmai. Towering above the low grey houses there were objects which at first looked like five enormous black fingers, then like trees with their branches wrapped in black, and then—comparisons ceased ; they were a mystery.
Dismissing the kurumas, which could go no farther, we dived into the crowd, which was wedged along a mean street, nearly a mile long—a miserable street of poor tea-houses and poor shop-fronts; but, in fact, you could hardly see the street for the people. Paper lanterns were hung close together along its whole length. There were rude scaffoldings supporting matted and covered platforms, on which people were drinking tea and saké, and enjoying the crowd below; monkey theatres and dog theatres, two mangy sheep and a lean pig attracting wondering crowds, for neither of these animals is known in this region of Japan; a booth in which a woman was having her head cut off every half-hour for 2 sen a spectator;
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- Unbeaten Tracks in JapanRevisiting Isabella Bird, pp. 170 - 174Publisher: Amsterdam University PressPrint publication year: 2018