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32
THE WONDERFUL CITY OF TOKIO.
and is worshipped by persons who wish to write a beautiful
hand. For some reason or other he was banished to the island
of Kiushiu. One day, in spring, he was lamenting that he
would never again see the blossoms of a lovely ume tree that
grew near his residence in Kioto. While he was sighing, a
plum pit struck his cheek and dropped at his feet."
"
Pooh," said Fitz.
" Some boy must have shot it through
a bean-blower."
"
I wish you would not pull the roof off our beautiful
legend in that way," merrily retorted Oto. "Our people be-
lieve that the plum seed flew from Kioto to Kiushiu. Yonder
tree sprang from a pit of the original tobi-ume planted by
Michizane."
"How interesting!" exclaimed Sallie. "So that white
marble elephant, over there, is one of the old gods?"
"No," replied their friend, "it is intended to represent the
cow on which Michizane used to ride when he was in exile."
" I wonder he did not prefer a horse," said Fitz. "Japan-
ese cows were of a queer shape in his time."
After inspecting the sacred animal, they visited a well, cov-
ered with a stone-tortoise, the name of which, kame, gives the
title to the palace, Kamedo.
:t We
can go from these grounds into the Ume yashiki?
said Oto. "It is about four cho (streets) from here.
we can walk that distance."
I suppose
"Why is the place called Ga-rio-bai (crouching-dragon
plum trees) ?" inquired the Professor.
"
Because the trunks creep along the ground," said Oto.
"There are over five hundred trees in the garden."
In a few moments they arrived at an enclosed place which
was perfectly white with the beautiful blossoms, and was
studied with upright slabs of stone, inscribed with poems in
praise of the flowers.