carving is painted in the hues proper to the subject it represents. Red-lacquered beams, which form the framework of the fence, serve also as a setting to each panel.

Ascending a third set of steps, we reach the terrace on which the Yomei-mon stands. This gate is the most noted of all the structures in the Nikko mausolea. Whether it was that I had had too rich a diet of Oriental splendour to appreciate fully this building I cannot say, but I certainly longed for some plain surface in this highly ornamented and wondrously coloured gate. Every available material is used in its construction, every surface is covered with some geometrical pattern, or high-relief carving. Rampant monsters look as if they might fall off the lintels, and a strange beast springs out where the lintel rests on its supporting pillar. The colour scheme differs from the temple buildings we have so far seen: the columns are painted white instead of the red lacquer so much in use; blue and green are also more freely used on the carving. It has a look of lightness which is pleasing, but the large shadow spaces in the recesses and under the porch are too much cut up in strongly contrasted tones; the value of the broad shadow is partly lost thereby, and it gives the structure an appearance of unsubstantiality.

That the Yomei-mon was a supreme effort on the part of both architect and patron is evidenced by a detail which the guide points out. The pattern on one of the pillars has been purposely inverted, and it is known as the EvilAverting Pillar-Ma Yoke no Hashira. The superstition

was that a building without a flaw might excite the jealousy of the gods, and bring misfortune on the founder's family. The gods must be easily taken in, for the effect is in nowise hurt by it.

The Kara-mon, or Chinese Gate, faces the Yomei-mon on the farther side of the square. The detail is Chinese in character, though the main outlines are Japanese; it is as elaborate in ornamentation as the one we have left, but it is smaller, so as not to dwarf the shrine to which it gives

access.

The Honden, or oratory, has a profusely decorated exterior, but so much ornamentation has been lavished on the buildings leading to it that there was nothing left to make it stand out as of greater importance than the others.

The interior is very beautiful; it looks empty in contrast to the richly-furnished shrine of Yakushi, which we have seen. This comes almost as a relief; had the gorgeous emblems of the Buddhist cult not been removed, one's capacity for admiration would have been as exhausted as the adjectives possible to describe it.

The tomb of Ieyasu is on the hill above the shrine. We pass through the Chinese Gate and between two buildings on our left-an altar and the Kagura-do, or dancing-stage -and we then come to a door in the gallery which fences off this side of the enclosure. The Nemuri no Neko, or Sleeping Cat," of the famous sculptor Jingoro, is pointed out to us. It has been so often reproduced and so much talked about that it may disappoint a good many, especially

as it is no better than so much we have already seen. Passing through the door, we ascend a zigzag flight of stone steps till we reach a torii and yet another shrine, and behind this, in a clearing in the wood, stands the tomb.

It is an impressive monument and simplicity itself compared to the highly-decorated buildings we have seen. The design is somewhat like a one-storied pagoda. As a bit of bronze casting it proves that Japan had nothing to learn from Europe in that difficult art, for the whole is done in one casting. We are told that the light colour of the metal is owing to a good admixture of gold in its composition. It rests on a simple granite plinth, in front of which stands a huge bronze incense-burner. A stork standing on a tortoise and a large flower-vase, all of the same metal, are to the right and left of the burner. touch of another colour is given by the brass candlestick held in the stork's beak and the brass lotus-flowers and leaves which rise out of the vase. A plain stone balustrade encloses the monument, to which access is given through a handsome bronze doorway.

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The tomb is a costly one and it is in good taste. Its contrasting simplicity to the gorgeousness of all the other structures in the mausoleum suggests, nevertheless, a mock humility on the part of the Shogun. "Is not everything else in honour of the gods and of his patron saint," has been said, "whereas this is only to commemorate the resting-place of his mortal remains?" A plausible argument, though far from expressing the whole truth. The lavish

expense in artistic production and in material, as well as in the construction of the road from here to the capital, was all for the glorification of Ieyasu and the Tokugawa Dynasty, of which he was the founder. The Mikados, though of heavenly descent and the nominal rulers of the empire, were laid to rest in humble surroundings compared to the mausolea of the powerful Shoguns of this dynasty.

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THE MING TOMBS

T. HODGSON LIDDELL

S they are now comparatively easy to reach by rail from the Peking-Kalgan Railway station, outside the gate, the famous pass and Ming Tombs should not be missed by any visitor to Peking. The drive to the station is rather rough, but the rail journey is good and the country full of interest. It is mostly over a vast plain, and on the horizon one can already see the outline of the mountain ranges dividing China and Mongolia, the natural barrier which was not thought enough by the builders of the Great Wall. Less than two hours brought us (I made this journey with friends) to the station of Nankow, about a mile from the village, and at the entrance of the pass. The pass is the natural gateway from north to south, and through it has passed for centuries the traffic of nations, besides hordes of northern warriors who would in past times use this as their means of descent on the rich country around Peking.

Near the station is a small hotel, clean and comfortable, run by Chinese, with fair cooking of foreign food; we made this headquarters for our short stay. We at once procured donkeys to take us to the Ming Tombs, and with little delay made a start. A ride of a few minutes, fording