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JAPAN 1890 - 1904




To find the places connected with Hearn, download the Google Earth program from the internet and then install my GE Lafcadio Hearn Post


YOKAHAMA 1890


In 1889 Hearn was sent by Harpers Magazine to Japan. He landed in Yokohama on Good Friday, April 13 1890 after a six weeks' journey.
Hearn rhapsodizes on the view of the new Land:

"Unimaginably beautiful this first vision of the harbor, as we anchor a mile from shore: the softness of the light, the limpidity of distances, the delicacy of the blue tones in which everything is steeped, - create a charm totally new and indescribable. Nothing is in- tense, though all is clear; - nothing is forceful, though all is pleasing and strange: this is the vividness, this is the softness, of dreams! And the idea of dream is enhanced by the wonderful spectral loveliness of the white shape shining above the town, above the blue volcanic ranges beyoiid it: its base is still invisible by reason of equality of color value with the sky - so that it appears suspended above the horizon like a mirage."
A Winter Journey To Japan, November 1890, New Atlantic Monthly, Volume 81, Issue 486, pp. 860-901


Soon after he was befriended by Basil Hall Chamberlain of Tokyo Imperial University. At Chamberlain's encouragement, in the summer of 1890, he moved to Matsue, to teach English at Shimane Prefectural Common Middle School and Normal School.

In the years to come Chamberlain would become his philosophical soundingboard. In innumerable letters Hearn would discuss his spiritual and intellectual progress in the understanding of the new world he had entered. Elizabeth Bisland collected these letters. They exceed the scope of this essay.
Elizabeth Bisland, "The Japanese Letters of Lafcadio Hearn" 1910



KAMAKURA 1890
"A Pilgrimage to Enoshima"
Lafcadio Hearn visited the Kamakura temples for the first time in 1890 with the Buddhist student Akira as guide and interpreter, He describes the temples in "A Pilgrimage to Enoshima" published in 1895 With Hearn's help the temples have been preserved and are now considered one of the cultural shrines of Japan

Kamakura was the capital of the shogunate (1185 - 1333) of that name. During this period it witnessed the introduction and flowering of several Zen schools as well as the foundation of the Nichiren sect.


Engaku Ji



Engaku Ji,

Engaku-ji is one of the most famous and historical Zen temples in Kamakura. It is honoured as the second place of Kamakura-Gozan,the five main Zen temples in Kamakura.
The temple was established by Hôjô Tokimuné, governor of Kamakura Shôgun Government in 1282. Hôjô ordered to build the temple in memorial of the warriors who had died in the invasion of Japan by China's Yuan Dynasty.
The temple did not change much since Hearn's days. For instance, what he wrote "to cross the canal by a little bridge" remains across the rail line, although it is actually a pond. So you can see almost the same scene as Hearn described. There are many trees and plants in the temples, so you can enjoy the scene of flowers and woods in season.

Photo Panoramio
Text Exploring Lafcadio Hearn. This guide-travelogue is unique. Written by an anonymous Greek from Levkas, who visited and mapped all places connected with Hearn in and Around Tokyo. An invaluable help especially. I quote him verbatim. Unfortunately his English is less perfect than his Japanese!



Kencho Ji




Kencho Ji

Kenchô-ji was established by Hôjô Tokiyori (father of Tokimuné, founder of Engaku-ji) in 1253 as the first temple of the Zen sect in Japan. It is honoured as the first Kamakura-Gozan, the five main Zen temples in Kamakura.
Rankeï-Dôryû, the first chaplain of this temple, had studied Zen Buddhism in China and taught many priests in Japan.

As Hearn wrote, this temple is so similar to Engaku-ji in structure, because both temples were established in the same generation, belonging to the same sect, and were built by the same architect.

From Exploring Lafcadio Hearn


Daibutso Temple



Daïbutso, or the Great Buddha of Mercy
Photo Panoramio

Hearn visited the temple in 1895.
This statue was built by the priest Jôkô with the donation from the people in Kamakura area. It was completed for the first time in 1243, but on that time it was quite different; the statue was made of wood and put inside the temple. The first statue was destroyed by a typhoon only 4 years later and replaced by today's bronze statue. It used to be inside the temple, but the temple was destroyed by another typhoon.
Today the Daïbutsu is one of the most typical sightseeing spot in Kamakura. As Hearn wrote, you can enter into the statue from the "left leg", although I guess the plan to rebuild the temple is cancelled today.

From Exploring Lafcadio Hearn




Hasé-Dera Temple



Hasé-Dera is one of the oldest and typical temples in Kamakura. It is said to have been built in 736, almost 450 years before Minamoto-no-Yoritomo settled his Shôgun Government.
Hearn visited the temple in 1895.
This temple contains six main structures, each of them enshrines Kwannon: Jizô, Amida, Daïkoku, Benzaïten, and Inari. Especially the Kwannon Hall is the largest one and the Statue of Kwannon is put in it. The carved wood statue, gilt with gold leaves, is about 9 meters high.
The Kwannon Hall is located at some elevation so you can enjoy the ocean view in front of it. And there are several gardens in the temple so you can enjoy the beautiful flowers and trees of each season thoughout the year.

Photo Panoramio
Text from Exploring Lafcadio Hearn



Ennô-ji Temple



Hearn introduced this temple in "A Pilgrimage to Enoshima", as "Zen-Ôji".
This reader guesses that there are two possible reasons why Hearn had made such a mistake. One is that Ennô-ji is a temple of the Zen sect. The other is that the name of this temple written in Chinese Characters also could have been pronounced like "En-Woe-Gee" in Hearn's days.

This temple was established in 1250 by the Zen priest Chikaku, or Sôden Dôkaï. It had been located near the Daïbutsu at first, then transfered to the place near the Yuï-ga-hama shore by Shôgun Minamoto-no-Takauji, Duke of Ashikaga, and was placed at the current location after it was demolished in the earthquake of 1703.

This temple enshrines the Great King Yama, or the King of the Buddhist Hades, which is called "Emma-Daï-Ô" in Japanese. And this temple puts the statue of the King Yama as a symbol, which is said to be carved by Unkei, one of the greatest Buddha sculptor of Japan. In fact Unkei had died before this temple was established. A legend says that King Yama had revived Unkei to carve his image when this temple was established.

Anyway, the face of the statue looks a little funny, so it is called "Waraï-Emma", or "Smiling Yama". Unfortunately, photography of the statue is not allowed.

From Exploring Lafcadio Hearn



Enoshima-jinja


Enoshima-jinja Temple

Photo Panoramio

Enoshima-Jinja consists of three branches, Hetsu-no-Miya (Shrine at the Edge), Nakatsu-no-Miya (Shrine at the Middle) and Okutsu-no-Miya (Shrine at the Depth). Each shrine is dedicated to different Goddess, all of which are the Goddess of the sea.
The Benten where Hearn visited is located just next to Hetsu-no-Miya. Benten, exactly Benzaïten, is originally a Chinese Goddess of speech and music. In Japan she was formerly regarded as the Goddess for war, especially naval warfare, so this Enoshima-Benten Shrine was built by Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199), the first Shôgun of the Kamakura Shôgun government.
To-day she is believed to be the Goddess for music, as originally believed in China, so the statue of Benten enshrined here brings biwa, a kind of musical instrument (On this instrument, read "The Story of Mimi-Nashi Hôïchi" for detail). You can enter and see the statue (fee is 50 yen) but to take pictures is not allowed.

From Exploring Lafcadio Hearn



Ryûjin-no Iwaya



The rock and bay of Iwaya
Photo Panoramio

The cave and the rock in the backyard of Enoshima, which are carved by the sea, used to be believed to be the residence of Ryûjin, or Dragon God, which is regarded as the guardian deity ofthe sea and the weather.
To-day few people visit there for faith. Instead they enjoy fishing on fine days.
There are stone Buddhas in the cave just like the day when Hearn visited. But the officers on sightseeing added there some introduction board, coloured cobbles on the road, and the figure of dragon decorated by sound effects and flash lights.
In this way Hearn's memories were destroyed. To-day the place is far from being in the divine mood, which made Hearn call this trip a "Pilgrimage".

Text from Exploring Lafcadio Hearn


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