had to
face in the erection of a few of the great temples which still adorn
the country have proved insoluble to many European engineers and
architects. The erection and support of the magnificent pagoda at
Nikko is an example in point. Dr. Dresser has referred to this and
pointed out what he deemed a great waste of material in connection
therewith. He failed to understand for what reason an enormous log of
wood ascended in the centre of a structure from its base to the
apex--a log of wood about 2 feet in diameter--while near the lower end
one equally large was bolted to each of the four sides of the central
mass. When Dr. Dresser expressed surprise on the subject he was told
that the walls must be strong enough to support the central block; and
on his pointing out that the central block was not supported by the
sides, he was taken up to the top of the building and the fact
demonstrated to him that the huge central mass was suspended like the
clapper of a bell. On descending again, while lying on the ground, he
saw that there was quite an inch of space between the soil and the
great pendulum--a safeguard against damage by earthquake. For many
hundreds of years the centre of gravity of this building has, by its
swinging, been kept within the base, and the fact shows, were evidence
needed, that the Japanese architects who designed this great Nikko
Pagoda and similar structures were men of scientific capacities who
had thought out every problem connected with the safety and permanence
of the building they were employed to design.

The domestic dwellings of the great mass of the Japanese people are of
the simplest possible type. They are no doubt evolved from the hut of
the Ainos, probably the aborigines of the islands, still to be found
in the island of Yesso. There are no walls as we understand the term,
the sides being composed, in winter, of amado, or sliding screens made
of wood, and in summer of shoji, or oil-paper slides. This enables, in
hot weather, the whole of the side of the house to be moved, and the
air to be given free ingress and egress. Nor are these habitations
divided off into permanent rooms, as in this and other European
countries. Paper screens which slide into grooves divide the space
according to requirements. The wood-work of these dwellings, which are
largely composed of camphor-wood, is both within and without left
unpainted, and they generally present a neat and alluring appearance.
When one com