The Writings of Lafcadio Hearn Volume 9
- ISBN-10
- 1230334904
- ISBN-13
- 9781230334905
- Pages
- 84
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2013-09
- Publisher
- Theclassics.Us
- Author
- Lafcadio Hearn
Description
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 edition. Excerpt: ... THE LITERATURE OF THE DEAD Shindarlba koso ikitar . Only because of having died, does one enter into life. Buddhist proverb I Behind'my dwelling, but hidden from view by a very lofty curtain of trees, there is a Buddhist temple, with a cemetery attached to it. The cemetery itself is in a grove of pines, many centuries old: and the temple stands in a great quaint lonesome garden. Its religious name is "Ji-sho-in"; but the people call it "Kobudera," which means the "Gnarled," or "Knobby" Temple, because it is built of undressed timber -- great logs of hinoki, selected for their beauty or strangeness of shape, and simply prepared for the builder by the removal of limbs and bark. But such gnarled and knobby wood is precious: it is of the hardest and most enduring, and costs far more than common building-material -- as might be divined from the fact that the beautiful alcoves and the choicest parts of Japanese interiors are finished with wood of a similar kind. To build Kobudera was an undertaking worthy of a prince; and, as a matter of history, it was a prince who erected it, for a place of family worship. There is a doubtful tradition that two designs were submitted to him by the architect, and that he chose the more fantastic one under the innocent impression that undressed timber The Gate of Kobudera would prove cheap. But whether it owes its existence to a mistake or not, Kobudera remains one of the most interesting temples of Japan. The public have now almost forgotten its existence; -- but it was famous in the time of Iyemitsu; and its appellation, Ji-sho-in, was taken from the kaimyo of one of the great Shogun's ladies, whose superb tomb may be seen in its cemetery. Before Meiji, the temple was isolated among woods and fields;...
