SACRILEGIOUS YOUTHS

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 457, 15 June 1937, Page 7

SACRILEGIOUS YOUTHS

Dance On Palm Of Buddha Tokyo, M.iy 22. A peaceful existence of 1200 years was abruptly disturbed when two young Japanese named Ichiji oka and Hayami Sas. ki were found dancing on the vast palm of the Grealt Bronze Buddha of the Todaiji Temple, in Nara, to the scandalised amazement of a crowd of onlookers. Appeals to ttem to stop their sac rileglous conduct weife unavailing. The you.hs who, after, the fashion of many Japanese in ..cherry-blossom time, had drunk deeply of sake, tf.fr heady national rice/wine, insisted that they were enjoying themselves and had found an excellent cjaiice floor. Finally the police wire called for. After some difficulty Oka and Sasaki were brought down from their perch and taken off to the nearest police station. When they ted sobered up to some extent they confessed that the iuea of executing a dance on the palms occurred to them when a temple attepdami told them th;) the space of the pislm was equivalent of four anda half of the mats which are laid in every Japanese room and used as a measurement of floor space. As a result of this incident the priests of the temple have decided io increase the number of guards.