A Japanese miscellany - University of Oregon

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Japanese Miscellany
discourse to the people crowding to see it, and
explain to them the Law of Cause and Effect, —
pointing out with a Buddhist staff [ifj^ot], which
he always carried, each detail of the different tor-
ments, and exhorting everybody to follow the
teachings of the Buddha. Multitudes assembled
to look at the picture and to hear the old man
preach about it ; and sometimes the mat which
he spread before him, to receive contributions,
was covered out of sight by the heaping of coins
thrown upon it.
Oda Nobunaga was at that time ruler of Kyoto
and of the surrounding provinces. One of his
retainers, named Arakawa, during a visit to the
temple of Gion, happened to see the picture be-
ing displayed there ; and he afterwards talked
about it at the palace. Nobunaga was inter-
ested by Arakawa's description, and sent orders
to Kwashin Koji to come at once to the palace,
and to bring the picture with him.
When Nobunaga saw the kakemono he was
not able to conceal his surprise at the vividness of
the work : the demons and the tortured spirits
actually appeared to move before his eyes; and
he heard voices crying out of the picture ; and
the blood there represented seemed to be really