ABSTRACT
THE finest architectural feature in Japan, to the Japanese mind, is neither a tall pagoda rising majestically above its surroundings nor some colossal temple which dwarfs the buildings around it, but a carved wooden cat over a temple doorway in Nikko. Although I can appreciate the love of the people for small things, it is impossible for me to see why this sleeping cat enjoys such popularity. It may be because it has occupied a prominent place in a beautiful group of buildings for over three hundred years, or that it was carved by Hidari ]ingoro, the most famous of all Japanese sculptors, who lived from 1594 to 1634. Certainly rustics would be impressed by the fact that the carving is supposed to guard all the surrounding buildings from rats and mice. On the other hand, it may be appreciated because it is a piece of Japanese art among buildings adapted from the Chinese.
