From this center radiated the multifarious influences which have molded the character of the nation. The country priest came as pilgrim to the capital as to the Holy City, to strengthen his faith and cheer his soul amidst its aspirations, to see the primates and magnates of his sect, to pray at the famous shrines, to study in the large monasteries, under the greatest lights and holiest teachers; Returning to his parish, new sanctity was shed from his rustling robes. His brethren welcomed him with awe, and the people thronged to see and venerate the holy man who had drunk at the very fountains of the faith. The temple coffers grew heavy with the weight of the offerings because of him.
The sons of the nobleman in distant provinces were sent to Kioto to be educated, to learn reading and writing from the priests, the perfection of the art of war in the army, the etiquette of palace life as pages to, or as guests of, the court nobles. The artisan or rich merchant from Oshiu or Kadzusa, who had made the journey to Kioto, astonished his wondering listeners at home with tales of the splendor of the processions of the Mikado, the wealth of the temples, the number of the pagodas, the richness of the silk robes of the court nobles, and the wonders which the Kioto potters and vase-makers, sword-forgers, goldsmiths, lacquerers, crystal-cutters, and bronze-moulders, daily exposed in their shops, in profusion.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
