3 182202465 1721 s$J%*mf- m^W Jfe*'^^*^ *'* WWW;: -'W - Library

194 HONDA THE SAMURAL
head, the carved heart with blazing fire visible on
the outside of the mother's breast, and some minor
details were rather un- Japanese. He had not much
time to look, for Ban, in fiery rage, rapidly demolished
it and stamped the pieces into the earth.
"
How wonderful it seems," said Ban, " that the
Jesus superstition, the worship of a criminal God,
lingers so long in the honorable country Even !
yet,
at Osaka, but more especially around Nagasaki, there
are, as I suspect, hundreds of farmers who follow
the European superstition."
sect was
"
What !
Why, I thought the corrupt
stamped out !
long ago The Buddhists in Echizen
have long since, even in my grandfather's day, given
up their annual visitation of families to see if any
Kirishitans remained. In Tsuruga, where, as I am
told, there were more believers in Yasu, it is now
only a mere form."
" Well, it
ought to be kept up yet as it is near
Nagasaki, where they
still observe the custom of
fumi-y (cross-trampling) ."
" Fumi-ye* what is that?" asked Honda.
" Never had it in Echizen ? Well, a copper plate
with a figure of the Kirishitan criminal god Yasu on
the cross, the sign of the wicked religion, is set into
the ground, and every man, woman, and child in
the
villages is compelled to walk over and trample upon
it.
Any one objecting or not vigorously stamping it
is arrested and tried for treason."
"
And this custom is still
kept up ? "
" Yes. I saw it
performed when at Nagasaki two
years ago."