Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 6.djvu/38

 tal of the Tokugawa grew so big that it drew to itself whatever was notable in the neighbouring provinces. The eagle's shrine found its way to the suburbs of the metropolis, and in the Shitaya district, within sight of the Paphian quarter, became a place of pilgrimage for every one craving the gifts of fortune,—for the wrestler, the courtesan, the actor, the dancing-girl, the jester, the raconteur, the musician, the tradesman, and the apprentice. Nothing that can be called a ceremony is associated with the eagle's fête,—the Tori-no Machi (abbreviation of matsuri), or worship of the bird, as the people call it. Only on the "bird days" in November—perhaps two days, perhaps three if the calendar is kind—tens of thousands of people flock out to this shrine among the rice-fields, and, after a brief act of worship, purchase harbingers of luck in the shape of big rakes, parent potatoes, millet dumplings, and bamboo tea-whisks. Stalls for the sale of these homely articles occupy all available spaces within the temple enclosure and along the avenues leading to the gate, and as the etiquette of the eagle requires that there shall be no bargaining—when did the great bird stop to discuss the preliminaries of a capture?—the hucksters drive a roaring trade, especially at the close of the day when their wares are nearly sold out and belated worshippers see a risk of returning empty-handed. The rake, as part of the paraphernalia of a pursuer of gain, explains itself. But there is