Kakemono : Japanese sketches by A. Herbage Edwards
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"Kakemono : Japanese sketches" by A. Herbage Edwards is a collection of travel sketches and cultural essays written in the early 20th century. The work surveys Japan’s religious life, art, landscape, and customs through lyrical description, on-the-ground observation, and folklore retellings. It moves from temples and shrines to street fairs and sacred mountains, balancing reverence with occasional critique. A recurring thread is the encounter with Buddhist and Shintō belief—culminating in a pilgrimage
toward Mount Fuji. The opening of the book moves through a series of vivid scenes: a contemplative portrait of the Great Buddha; the austere sanctity of the Ise shrines; the sumptuous artistry of Nikkō’s mausoleum; and the bustling, commercialized devotion at Asakusa’s Kannon. It contrasts the serene altar-garden of Rinzaki with a compassionate episode at Ikkegami, where villagers honor foreign sailors, then tells the legend of a missionary child who damages a Jizō statue. The narrative lingers over Shiba’s ornate tomb-temples and the restrained dignity of the Hongwanji, counters it with a sharp sketch of Nichiren worship’s noisy zeal, and offers a universalist moment in a Shintō rite above the sea. Further scenes depict fox-god superstition at Inari, a communal fire-walking ceremony in Tokyo, and a meditation on the “smiling” Buddhas of Nikkō. It then turns to Mount Fuji: a poetic prologue on its presence and a grounded travel account—tram and horse to Subashiri, mist-bound ascent past tea-house stations and lava beds, purchase of pilgrim staves, and a first night’s halt at the second station. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Edwards, A. Herbage |
|---|---|
| Photographer | Willard, S. L. |
| Title | Kakemono : Japanese sketches |
| Original Publication | Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1906. |
| Credits | Richard Illner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 74.4 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | DS: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Asia |
| Subject | Japan -- Description and travel |
| Subject | Japan -- Social life and customs |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 76241 |
| Release Date | Jun 8, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 577 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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