A Japanese miscellany - University of Oregon

Songs of Japanese Children 197
chikurin! and chincbikurin! — one child and twins; —
bride seen far away ; whenever I go to see her, she puts
on her Nanako-obi (taffeta girdle), tying it in the form of
the character Ya}- — and so she passes before this house.
Sometimes the names of ten celebrated temples,
or the names of ten divinities, or even the names
of the months, are used for the same enumerative
purpose, — as in the following examples — :
( Tokyo Ball-song.) ''
Ichi ni Ichibata O-Yakushi Sama yo
Ni-niwa Nihon no Nikko-Sama yo
! ! ! ! ! ! !
San-ni Sanuki no Kompira-Sama yo !
Shi-ni wa Shinano no Zenkoji-Sama yo
Itsutsu Enoshima Benten-Sama yo
! ;
Roku-ni Rokkakudo no Kwannon-Sama yo
Nanatsu Nana-ura no Tenjin-Sama yo]!
Yatsu Yawata no Hachiman-Sama yo
Kokonotsu Koya no Kobo-Sama yo
To de tokoro no Ujigami-Sama yo
Kaketa gwan nara tokaneba naranu
The first time for the August Lord Yakushi of Ichibata;
The second, for the Lord Deity of Nikko in Japan
1 The Hiragana character " ya " is here referred to. —This way of
tying the girdle is still in fashion, and is still called the " Ya-no-ji
manner.
2 Variants of this composition seem to be known In almost every
part of Japan,
!
"