GLEANINGS IN BUDDHA-FIELDS

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A LIVING GOD

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Whatever their size, the temples or shrines of pure Shintō are all built in the same ancient style. The typical shrine is a windowless, rectangular building of unpainted timber with a very steep, overhanging roof; the front is the gable end, and the upper part of the permanently closed doors consists of wooden lattice-work—usually a grating of bars set closely together and crossing each other at right angles. In most cases, the structure is raised slightly above the ground on wooden pillars; and the unusual peaked facade, with its visor-like openings and the elaborate projections of beam-work above its gable-angle, might remind a European traveler of certain old Gothic styles of dormer windows. There is no artificial color. The