Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 5.djvu/180

 Ikegami temple, on the anniversary of Nichiren, whose doctrine of the Flower of the Law has been outlined above. It is a species of gala for the huge multitude — numbering some two hundred thousand — that throng thither during the two days of the fête. If the tiny band of devout folks that listen to the sermon be compared with the gay crowds that roam about the beautiful woods, enjoy the enchanting landscapes and seascapes presenting themselves on every side, and frequent the various entertainments provided for their diversion by itinerant showmen, the ratio of holiness to holiday becomes very suggestive. It may be difficult for the reader to imagine the precincts of a Christian cathedral on a saint's day occupied by acrobats, jugglers, travelling menageries, performing dogs, and such frivolities, while the business of prayer and preaching proceeds vigorously within the walls of the building. Yet such a conception of the Japanese scene is only partial: it must be supplemented by another strange feature, namely, that the temple-building stands open throughout the whole of one side, so that the people who happen to be praying within are virtually a part of the audience enjoying the penny-shows without. Here, as everywhere in Japan, the practical sincerity of the national character shows itself. Even at a religious festival, no effort to dissimulate the traits of which humanity can never divest itself is encouraged