136 INCREASE OF COLLECTIONS. CHAP. IX. CHAPTER IX. Leave Yedo-Mendicant nuns - Place of execution - Its appearance in the days of Kampfer - Visit to a famous temple-Field crops by the way Begging priests-Pear-trees - Holy water-Temple of Tetstze Its priests and devotees Inn of "Ten Thousand Centuries"— Kind reception - Waiting-maids and refreshmentsScenes on the highway-Relieved from my yakoneen guard — New plants added to my collections - Names of the most valuable - Ward's cases, their value - Plants shipped for China - Devont wishes for their prosperous voyage. WHILE engaged in making observations on the city of Yedo and the country around it, I had been daily adding to my collections of new trees and shrubs. Now and then a bit of ancient lacquerware, or a good bronze, took my fancy, and was carefully put by. The gardens I have already described were visited frequently, and each time something new was discovered and brought away. Mr. J. G. Veitch, the son of one of our London nurserymen, had also been in Yedo, endeavouring to procure new plants for his father, and consequently our wants in this way were generally known amongst the people. Almost every morning, during my stay at the Legation, collections of plants were brought for sale, and it was seldom that I did not find something amongst them of an CHAP. IX. MENDICANT NUNS. 137 ornamental or useful character that was new to our English gardens. This, however, could not last for ever; and the time came when I had apparently exhausted the novelties in the capital of Japan. Baskets were now procured, in which the plants were carefully packed and sent down by boat to Yokuhama, where Ward's cases were being made, in which they were to be planted and sent home to England. On the 28th of November I left the hospitable quarters of the English minister, on my return to Kanagawa. I returned by the way I came-along the Tokaido, or great highway of Japan. Again we passed through the scenes I have already described beggars on the wayside, mendicant priests, Bikuni or begging nuns, travelling musicians, coolies carrying manure as in China, lumbering carts and pack-horses, and travellers of all ranks, were met and passed on the road. * Here are some Bikuni, or mendicant nuns, sketched on the spot by my friend Dr. Dickson. Kæmpfer gives us the following description of this religious order :-"They live under the protection of the nunneries at Kamakura † and Miaco, to which they pay a certain sum every year, of what they get by begging, as an acknowledgment of their authority. They are, in my opinion, much the handsomest girls we saw in Japan. The * Carts are used extensively all over the city and suburbs of Yedo, but are not met with on country roads. Kamakura. See Chap. XIV. daughters of poor parents, if they be handsome and agreeable, apply for and easily obtain this privilege of begging in the habit of nuns, knowing that beauty is one of the most persuasive inducements to generosity. The Jamabo, or begging mountain priests, frequently incorporate their own daughters with this religious order, and take their wives from among these Bikuni. Some of them have been bred up as courtezans, and, having served their time, buy the privilege of entering into this religious order, therein to spend the remainder of their youth and beauty. They live two or three together, and make an excursion every day a few miles from their dwelling-house. They particularly watch people of fashion, who travel in norimons, or in kangos, or on horseback. As soon as they perceive somebody coming they draw near and address themselves, not all together, but singly, every one accosting a gentleman by herself, and singing a rural song; and if he proves very liberal and charitable, she will keep him company and divert him for hours. . They wear a large hat to cover their faces, which are often painted, and to shelter themselves from the heat of the sun." A number of shops, established for the sale of sea-shells, were observed on the road-side, but they did not contain many species of interest. Dried fruits for sale were numerous and plentiful, such as oranges, pears, gingko-nuts (Salisburia adiantifolia), capsicums, chesnuts, and acorns. The fruit of Gardenia radicans is used here as a yellow dye, in the same way as in China. Amongst vegetables I noticed carrots, onions, turnips, lilyroots, ginger, gobbo (Arctium gobbo), nelumbiumroots, Scirpus tuberosus, arums, and yams. Fish of excellent quality was exposed for sale in large quantities. A little way out of Sinagawa my yakoneens pointed out the place where criminals are executed. It is an uninviting-looking piece of ground close by the highway. I find that Kampfer notices the same spot as observed by the Dutch embassy upwards of two hundred years ago. Near to Sinagawa they passed "a place of public execution, 140 BUDDHIST TEMPLE. CHAP. IX. offering a show of human heads and bodies, some half putrefied and others half devoured-dogs, ravens, crows, and other ravenous beasts and birds, uniting to satisfy their appetites on these miserable remains." On the present occasion I did not notice any of these revolting sights, and it is to be hoped that the Japanese have, like ourselves, become less addicted to judicial bloodshedding than they were at the time of Kampfer's visit. It will be remembered that such exhibitions were not uncommon amongst Western nations at a later period even than that alluded to. When we had crossed the river Loga we put up our horses at the inn of "Ten Thousand Centuries,' and proceeded on foot to visit a famous Buddhist temple situated about a mile and a half from the ferry. Our road led us through fields and gardens, all in a high state of cultivation. Rice appeared to be the staple summer crop of the low land of this district. Many gardens of pear-trees were also seen on the road-side. The branches of these trees were trained horizontally when about five or six feet from the ground, sometimes singly in the shape of a round table, or in groups in the form of an arbour. The branches are supported by a rude trelliswork of wood. The pear of the district is a pretty round brown kind, good to look upon, but only fit for kitchen use. There are no fine melting pears in Japan; at least none came under my notice during my stay in the country. On the roadside there were many little shops in which tea |