children were
paid by the community. This is a system peculiar to Nagano, which is a
progressive prefecture vying with other prefectures to increase the
percentage of school attendance. One of the signs of the well-off
character of the village which appears when one is able to investigate
a little is that the place is a favourite haunt of beggars, who, I am
told--every calling is organised--have made it over to the less
fortunate members of their fraternity. The village has enough money to
spend to make it worth while for tradesmen from a distance to open
temporary shops every _Bon_ season and at the New Year festival. A man
in an average position may lay out 200 yen on his daughter's wedding.
A farmer who knew his fellow-villagers' position pretty closely said
he thought that the position of tenant farmers was "rather well." In
the whole village there might be seventy or eighty householders who
had some debt, but it was justifiable. In an ordinary year about 150
farmers would have something to lay by after their twelve months'
work. Perhaps fifty farmers, if the price of rice or of cocoons were
low, might be unable to save; but ordinarily they would have something
in their pockets. About half the farmers are engaged in sericulture--I
noticed cocoons offered at the shrine. The other half sell their
mulberry leaf crop to their neighbours. The village, which is perhaps
400 years old, is increasing in population by about forty every year.
The family which is said to have founded the village is still largely
represented in it.

[Illustration: FIRE ENGINE AND PRIMITIVE FIGURES]

The village has as many as six fire engines, which can be moved about
either on wheels or on runners according to the weather, and as many
look-out ladders and fire-alarm bells. The young men's association has
no fewer than half a dozen buildings, the property of the village.
Five of them are little more than sheds and seem to be used on wet
days as nurseries and playrooms for children. The sixth is the
village theatre, playing at which appears to have been abandoned for
some years. Travelling players give their shows where they will. The
theatre stands in a space encircled by large trees opposite the chief
shrine of the village. There is also here a smaller shrine (fox god)
and some tombstones.

[Illustration: YOUNG MEN'S CLUB ROOM]

Before the chief shrine are two large leaden lanterns. At the base of
these a considerable strip of metal has b