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304 HONDA THE SAMUEAL
target of all eyes on this day was of course the fair
lady from Higo.
On the opposite side were hundreds, if not thousands,
of spectators, among whom were about one
hundred shaven-pated monks, priests, and students,
all in monastic robes and collars, from the
Buddhist
monastery of the Shin sect near by. Everybody
was dressed in his, and especially her, best, for the
female spectators were very numerous. Black and
oblique-eyed beauties, with wondrous glossy capillary
architecture, and silk gowns and girdles, and
gay fans, rained immense influence on the handsome
young contestants. Most of the twelve players
were students, young fellows of the samurai, or
gentry, class, of from seventeen to twenty-two,
whose eyes, hands, and nerves had been trained at
fencing, wrestling, archery, and spear exercise as
well as with bridle and saddle. Six players, the
He'ike', wore red-lacquered helmets, while those of
the other six, the Genji, were white. All had bound
up their flowing sleeves tightly under the armpits,
and their girdles to their loins, exactly like girls
when at work, though the game in hand was no
girl's play.
At the signal given by two hammer taps on the
clapperless bell, shaped like Columbus' egg after he
had made it stand, the twelve players mounted.
Another tap,
and they rode into the lists and saluted
the bride and groom, and the judges, near their
prince. Another tap, and then, dividing into two
files of six each, the players rode down to the end