les
burned low.

We went away to other parts of the temple pursued by the chorus of the
devout till we were out of earshot in a paradise of screens. Two or
three hundred years ago there lived a painterman of the name of Kano.
Him the temple of Chion-in brought to beautify the walls of the rooms.
Since a wall is a screen, and a screen is a wall, Kano, R. A., had
rather a large job. But he was helped by pupils and imitators, and in
the end left a few hundred screens which are all finished pictures. As
you already know, the interior of a temple is very simple in its
arrangements. The priests live on white mats, in little rooms, with
brown ceilings, that can at pleasure be thrown into one large room. This
also was the arrangement at Chion-in, though the rooms were
comparatively large and gave on to sumptuous verandahs and passages.
Since the Emperor occasionally visited the place there was a room set
apart for him of more than ordinary splendour. Twisted silk tassels of
intricate design served in lieu of catches to pull back the sliding
screens, and the woodwork was lacquered. These be only feeble words, but
it is not in my grip to express the restfulness of it all, or the power
that knew how to secure the desired effect with a turn of the wrist. The
great Kano drew numbed pheasants huddled together on the snow-covered
bough of a pine; or a peacock in his pride spreading his tail to delight
his womenfolk; or a riot of chrysanthemums poured out of a vase; or the
figures of toilworn countryfolk coming home from market; or a hunting
scene at the foot of Fujiyama. The equally great carpenter who built the
temple framed each picture with absolute precision under a ceiling that
was a miracle of device, and Time, the greatest artist of the three,
touched the gold so that it became amber, and the woodwork so that it
grew dark honey-colour, and the shining surface of the lacquer so that
it became deep and rich and semi-transparent. As in one room, so in all
the others. Sometimes we slid back the screens and discovered a tiny
bald-pated acolyte praying over an incense-burner, and sometimes a lean
priest eating his rice; but generally the rooms were empty, swept and
garnished.

Minor artists had worked with Kano the magnificent. These had been
allowed to lay brush upon panels of wood in the outer verandahs, and
very faithfully had they toiled. It was not till the guide called my
attention to them that I discovered scores of sketches