Palmistry in China and Japan [pp. 476-480]

Palmistry in China and Japan.
placed the noshi. This consists of a
piece of colored paper folded nearly in
the shape of a horn of plenty. Within
it is glued a slip of konbu, our kelp
(laminaria), a highly respectable article
of food. The colored strings, and the
package of konbu, which has been reduced to its smallest terms, signify that
the article offered is a gift.
It may be observed that presents offered at funerals are tied with but one
white string, with short ends instead of
long, as is the case with the colored
midzuhiki.
The noshi and midzuhiki are sometimes cheaply represented by being
merely printed on the wrapper of the
gift.
Physiognomy and palmistry are regarded as among the respectable methods of divination in China. The former
is called siung fat, and one who pursues
it as a means of livelihood, sgungfat sin
shang. Palmistry is called hon cheung,
or hon shau chgung, "examination of
the palm," and its professor, hon cheung
sin shang. They are distinct arts, and
are practised as separate professions;
but they have so much in common in
the empiricism that underlies them that
I shall say a few words concerning both
of them.
The science of physiognomy, as it is
understood in China, rests upon the
assumption that indices of the good or
bad fortune of each individual, for every
period of his life, are to be found in the
external markings of his head and face.
The science of palmistry rests upon the
assumption that the fate of each individual in the various relations of life
may be discovered in the wrinkles, lines,
depressions, and elevations, of the skin
on the fingers and palm of his hand. In
physiognomy, each portion of the superficial area of the head and face is regarded as referring to a particular year
in a man's life; while in palmistry each
portion of the superficial area of the
inner part of his hand is regarded as re
ferring to his traits of character, industry and skill, wealth, honors, and official
position, as well as length of days.
The interpretation of these signs is
not left to the individual judgment or
caprice of the fortune-teller. It is all a
matter of record, to be found in books
on the subject, embodying results, it is
to be supposed, of the observations of
many generations. Fortune-tellers are
esteemed in proportion to their scholarly
attainments, and their ability to interpret and understand the records of their
predecessors. The Chinese fortune-teller in Philadelphia affects the dress and
manner of a man of the literary class,
and burns incense before the idol of the
God of Literature. This man is a physiognomist. There is no adept in palmistry among the Chinese in Philadelphia.
In order to illustrate the subject as
it is understood in Southern China, I
shall refer to two diagrams of hands in
a popular work on physiognomy and
palmistry, entitled the "Complete Book
FIG. 7
1894.]
479