COMING EVENTS

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 424, 4 May 1937, Page 5

COMING EVENTS

JAP. SOOTHSAYER Nations Rise And Fall Tokio, April 15. A distinguished audience, including several generals and admirals, and nany officials and business men, recently 'gathered in the Peers’ Club here to listen to the New YeUr prophecies of “Professor” Dousho Kodatna, Japan’s leading soothsayer. The soothsayer regularly gives a orecast o£ coming events at the beginning of each New Year, but was >omewhat delayed this year because jf his absence in China. Basing his forecasts on the ancient Chinese methods of divination, the seer predicted that Japan would suffer from an unusual number of storms and floods, and would be rocked by sevdral earthquake*. On the other hand, there will be no-political crisis, and the Government and the people will co-operate for mutual prosperity. Italy’s Future. Soothsayer Kodama was more favourable to Germany and Italy than to Great Brilain and France in his forecasts. Germany, he said, y-a s facing the sunrise and passing through a dark night, while Billy could be likened to “a big man, cruising in a powerful ship, undisturbed by any thought of danger ahead.” On the other hand, “a very important person” will die in Italy three years from now, with disastrous results for the country’s advance. “Professor” Kod|ama’s book of divination reveals England in the symbolic form of a man biding on a mountain. This the seer interpreted as indicating hat there would be no strong man for another five years, during which period Great Britain would be like an 'ebbing tide.” Fllance is shown as a man suffering from cold on the snowbound mountain. Its only course is to remain quiet for tome time; and the seer extrac ed from this symbolism an indication that the Franco-Soviet Pact would fail. So far predictions seemed to tally io some extent w’ith Japan's political preferences. However, the soothsayer found the omens favourable for the future progress of the Soviet Union. Japan as a “Fire.” Sino-Japanese relations, in his opinion, may be expressed in the image of a fire burning above a pan jof water,. Japan representing the fire and China the water. Under this arjiangement the water will never boil, j no ma . ter bow hot the fire may ,be. ilf Jap|.:n tones down its policy and (ties to get under the water, according to the soothsayer, the water will i boil and the delicacies in It will be--1 come ' ender. What was, perhaps, more surprising than this experiment in political pro. pheey wat the attention it aroused in an ednuLted audience. This, however, is qui e symbolic of the high reputation which soothsaying astrology and divination enjoy in Japan. Important business deals and transactions on the s'tock market are r.ot infrequently advanced or thwarted by the position of the stars or the incidence ot “luckjr” or “unlucky” ' days or seasons.