of good wishes for the infant's future, most—if not all—of them were formerly regarded as serviceable for the protection of the infant from the evil beings which might seek to harm it. I think it not unlikely that in these little fans we have the equivalent of the small brooms still hung by Chinese mothers near to their babies (cf. p. 174, supra); and, possibly, also a reminiscence of a period when the Japanese used fans instead of brooms. Two other Japanese superstitions concerned with fans and perhaps corroborative of the above suggestion may be cited: If one finds a fan, one should pick it up, as one thereby secures good fortune[1] (a play on the word "suchiro"="fan" is cited in connection with this); and a fan, with its binding-pivot removed, is thrown upon the highest roof of a house in which a death has taken place, "as a means to further the passage of the deceased to heaven"[2]—perhaps, I think, a euphemistic way of expressing protection formerly supposed to be afforded by a fan against evil supernatural beings or possibly even against the undesired visits of the ghost of the dead person.
We have seen that sweeping is resorted to after an undesired visitor has left, as a means to ensure that he shall not return. The converse of this practice is found in the refraining from sweeping for some little time after a member of the family—whose safe return is desired—has gone out [Chikuzen province]. Concerning this, Griffis says[3] that "They never sweep the rooms of a house immediately after one of the inmates has set out upon a journey, or to be absent for a time. This would sweep out all the luck with him."[4] The taboo
- ↑ ten Kate, loc. cit.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ W. E. Griffis, The Mikado's Empire, New York, 1896, p. 467.
- ↑ Compare with these the Silesian belief quoted by Sainter (op. cit. p. 38, footnote 1) that when any one has set out from the house the rooms must not be swept out before he has arrived at the boundary ("grenze"), lest he have ill-luck; and the Lithuanian belief that when any one leaves after a visit rooms
