to make it worth while for tradesmen from a distance to open temporary shops every Bon season and at the New Year festival.  A man in an average position may lay out 200 yen on his daughter’s wedding.  A farmer who knew his fellow-villagers’ position pretty closely said he thought that the position of tenant farmers was “rather well.”  In the whole village there might be seventy or eighty householders who had some debt, but it was justifiable.  In an ordinary year about 150 farmers would have something to lay by after their twelve months’ work.  Perhaps fifty farmers, if the price of rice or of cocoons were low, might be unable to save; but ordinarily they would have something in their pockets.  About half the farmers are engaged in sericulture—­I noticed cocoons offered at the shrine.  The other half sell their mulberry leaf crop to their neighbours.  The village, which is perhaps 400 years old, is increasing in population by about forty every year.  The family which is said to have founded the village is still largely represented in it.

[Illustration:  FIRE ENGINE AND PRIMITIVE FIGURES]

The village has as many as six fire engines, which can be moved about either on wheels or on runners according to the weather, and as many look-out ladders and fire-alarm bells.  The young men’s association has no fewer than half a dozen buildings, the property of the village.  Five of them are little more than sheds and seem to be used on wet days as nurseries and playrooms for children.  The sixth is the village theatre, playing at which appears to have been abandoned for some years.  Travelling players give their shows where they will.  The theatre stands in a space encircled by large trees opposite the chief shrine of the village.  There is also here a smaller shrine (fox god) and some tombstones.

[Illustration:  YOUNG MEN’S CLUB ROOM]

Before the chief shrine are two large leaden lanterns.  At the base of these a considerable strip of metal has been torn away.  This unusual destruction by village lads caused me to make enquiry.  I found that the boys had merely enlarged a hole made by adults.  The destruction had been wrought in order to remove the inscription on the lanterns.  It was said that the local donor had meanly omitted to make the customary gift to the shrine to cover the small expense of lighting the lanterns on the occasion of festivals.  It was the feeling of the villagers, therefore, that he should not be allowed to blazon his name in connection with a shabby gift.

[Illustration:  MEMORIAL STONES]

There is a ceremony about half a dozen times a year at the chief shrine, which is about a century old.  The Shinto priest, who seemed to be a genuine antiquary, was of opinion that the structure inside the shrine might have been built two hundred years ago.  In addition to this chief shrine and the small shrine near it, there are two other shrines in the village, one in the temple yard (god of happiness) and the other (horse god) in an open space of its own.