Page:Sketches of Tokyo Life (1895).djvu/94

66 to overtake a whistler; he that lies down immediately after a meal will turn into an ox; if we walk round another, we shall be transformed into snakes; one that wastes rice will have bad eyes; and it is unlucky to be in front of a looking-glass when the first cuckoo of the season sings, but lucky to hear its song out in the field, which is a sly hint to young women to bestir themselves when the first notes of the bird remind the farmer that it is time to plant rice. Among the saws for which no reason can be assigned are the following:—Thin lips signify talkativeness; if a pillow is thrown down, its owner becomes subject to headaches; mustard is hottest when mixed by a cross-tempered person; he that has a long second-toe will be better-off than his father; if a mosquito-net is hung by three persons, or if a toothpick is not broken before it is thrown away, a ghost will appear; a man with large ear lobes is fortunate; a long-tongued or a long-armed person will become a thief; one falsely supposed dead will live long; wealth is in store for a man that, on eating in the dark, inadvertently brings the food to his nose; a child born in its father’s forty-first year will be the cause of his death unless abandoned; one with large nostrils is a spendthrift; a large mouth brings prosperity; a fire will break out if a dog is thrown upon the roof or a lamprey under the floor, persimmon wood is used for faggot, or the crowing of a cock is imitated at night; an itchy ear presages the receipt of a present next day; poverty is the consequence of house-sweeping at night; a curse will alight for seven generations where a cat is killed; a spider caught at night must be killed; and the voice is improved by swallowing a slug. These and many others are religiously believed in and acted upon by a large section of the common people.

In addition to these sayings, there are charms, founded upon similar superstitions, which are also frequently used. For instance, an unwelcome visitor will leave the house as